Southeast Asia PR Consultancies of the Year 2024

2024 Southeast Asia PR Consultancies of the Year

The 2024 Asia-Pacific PR Consultancies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 100 submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across the region.

Consultancy of the Year winners are announced and honoured at the 2024 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards, taking place in Singapore on 19 September. Analysis of all Finalists and Winners can be accessed via the navigation menu or below:

Winner

Ogilvy PR (WPP)

Backstory

Ogilvy PR’s regional footprint, the largest of any international firm in the region, has often been dominated by its strength in Greater China. But that should not detract from a Southeast Asian operation that has emerged as a key driver under regional head Emily Poon, who is based in Singapore. A ‘One SEA’ approach combines Ogilvy’s traditional strengths in consumer, corporate, technology and healthcare with its centers of excellence for content and influence also operating from the sub-region, and burgeoning capabilities in Islamic strategy.

Locations

There are approximately 350 employees across seven markets in Southeast Asia: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Performance

Ogilvy PR grew its Southeast Asian revenues by an estimated 24% in 2023, following on from 16% growth in 2022, eye-catching returns that validate not only the new ‘One SEA’ policy ushered in by Poon, but also the firm’s focus on content, influencer marketing and Islamic marketing. Influence, content and social revenue, led by its Vietnam and Philippines operations, grew by an estimated 39% in 2023 (driven by Google and Coca-Cola), while corporate reputation was up approximately 32% (including Amazon Global Selling and Changi Airport), and multimarket clients expanded by more than 25%, led by Coca-Cola, Amazon, Colgate, Resorts World Sentosa and Unilever. New business also included L’Oreal, Pringles, Aboitiz, Vinfast, Vietnam Airlines, Air Canada, Masan Meat Life, British Council, AIA, Sabeco, Prime Energy, PTT GC, Novartis, Friesland Campina and Prudential, joining an existing client roster that features the Coca Cola Company, OCBC Bank, AIA, Google, Huawei, Globe Telecom, Nestle, Ford, Toyota Motors Asia Pacific, Unilever, Nestle,SABECO, Epson, Skyscanner, Colgate-Palmolive and Docusign.

People & Culture

Poon’s Southeast Asia leadership team includes Singapore/Malaysia market lead Q Akashah, Philippines lead Leah Huang, Vietnam and AI/creator leads DieuCam Nguyen and Linh Nguyen, and senior advisor Andrew Thomas. In addition, James Baldwin arrived to oversee the firm’s crucial regional influence offering. Ogilvy’s leadership reflects its belief in Asians overseeing its operations, and most are women, reflecting a workforce that is 72% female, with the 30-for-30 Asia effort challenging female talent to reach their full potential. New research from the firm’s Philippines office is driving a broader inclusion focus, including a region-wide Inclusion Empowerment Committee, and there is Ogilvy’s usual extensive investment in training and development, including the pioneering Pacesetters programme for next generation leaders, along with diversity hiring pledges, a new disability platform and targeted internships for under-represented socio-economic groups.

Thought Leadership & Work

Ogilvy’s thought leadership output is both prolific and broad, including new research into the ‘Secret Lives of Singaporeans’; customer trends, small business and women’s empowerment insights from the Philippines; and numerous events led by the firm’s leaders across the region. The firm’s focus on influence and creators also stands out, backed by global research and the development of the world’s first healthcare influencer for MSD. Campaign highlights reflect how Ogilvy’s work is among the strongest in the region, with no fewer than 54 Gold and Diamond SABRE nominations, including the Vaseline Derma Body Lotion initiative, and campaigns for the Thailand Capital Market Development Fund, Changi Airport Group, Colgate-Palmolive and Burger King.

— Arun Sudhaman

Finalists

Mutant (Independent)

Backstory

Gutsy independent agency Mutant was founded in 2012 by former journalist and entrepreneur Joseph Barratt, still CEO of one of the best of the new generation of Southeast Asian PR firms. From its inception, Mutant was focused on getting business results, from leads and sales to employee retention, and has evolved into a regional agency providing PR, content marketing and branding for consumer, corporate, finance and technology clients across Asia-Pacific and globally. Beyond expanding its content and social media offerings last year, the agency launched Mutant Branding to help create strong identities for brands. It also expanded to Indonesia, under the leadership of regional comms veteran Tanya Tresnasari, who previously led Golin and Weber Shandwick.

Locations

Mutant’s 56 staffers are based across its offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Performance

After a rocky start to 2023 (Mutant saw big budget gaps from major clients), doubling down on its work for remaining clients served Mutant well in the second half of the year, during which is saw strong growth across new markets and 85% client retention rate. While its overall 2023 growth was modest — revenue rose to 3.5% to $3.6m —Mutant closed the year well-positioned for a strong 2024. The firm’s newest office in Bangkok (now seven-people strong) launched as a profitable business, having clinched a major tech player as its first client. The agency overall in 2023 saw 51 new client and projects. New business came from SEEK Asia, National University Hospital Singapore, Epson Asia, Shake Shack Malaysia, Samsung Asia and Johnson & Johnson, which joined a client roster already populated by Meta, Meltwater APAC, Singapore SportsHub, Disney, Great Eastern and Logitech.

People & Culture

Mutant’s strategy of balancing client and employee needs continues to pay off, with an impressive employee retention rate of 91.7% and a staff satisfaction rate of 80%. Ninety percent of employees express admiration for the leadership team, which is 75% female. A champion for diversity and inclusion, the agency walks away from clients who have shown racism, unethical business practices, or who don’t align with its progressive values, uses gender-neutral language in job and welcomes neurodiversity. In 2023, Mutant added to its robust wellness offerings employee recognition programs, including quarterly performance bonuses and incentives for outstanding contributions. The agency also created an anonymous feedback channel launched in response to an incident where young female Mutants faced unwanted advances during external work events. Mutant’s long-running gradual maternity return policy allows new mothers a staggered return to work beyond the mandated leave period, and a similar paternity return policy was rolled out in 2022. The agency puts in place career development plans for every staffer and its Mutant Mentorship Program maps senior staff to juniors.

Thought Leadership & Work

In 2023, Mutant leaders produced thought leadership addressing industry challenges and supporting clients, including its Integrated Communications playbook to help clients navigate the evolving comms landscape and maximise business impact in a budget-friendly way. The agency also hosted in-person panel events like the PRCA APAC Technology Group’s “Are We In For A Long Tech Reset?”; head of content Byravee Iyer shared insights aimed at PR and content experts, at the PRCA Tech Unplugged webinar. The year’s hallmark efforts included Mutant’s work for Singapore Sports showcasing World Rugby team captains participating in media/fan events and educational campaigns for Singapore’s mental health organization Intellect and National University Cancer Institute.

— Diana Marszalek

Vero (Independent)

Backstory

Launched by Brian Griffin a little more than 16 years ago to focus on Southeast Asian markets that bigger players often ignored, Vero has grown steadily to become a leader in the sub-region, with more than 240 people across multiple office. In tandem with that growth, the firm has been focused on rethinking its mission, with earned at the center and trust as a focus, one that is supported by specific capabilities in technology, gaming, FMCG, corporate and digital, along with a value proposition that sees employee retention as crucial to client servicing. All of that has earned regular recognition in these awards, and status as a thought leader in its market.

Locations

Vero does not operate a specific HQ but its largest office is in Bangkok. It also has a substantial presence in Ho Chi Minh City and operations Jakarta and Manila. The agency also has a strategic partner operating under the name Vero in Myanmar.

Performance

Since its 2007 founding, Vero has been in a constant state of innovation through the addition of new services, geographies, partnerships, policies, tools and ways of working — and 2023 was no different. Over the last year, Vero has achieved B Corp certification; launched tech and service stacks Influent, Rep IQ and Earned Advantage; and signed an agreement with EB Impact to provide sustainability journalism training to 100 journalists. Vero also formed a government relations offer, Vero Advocacy. It also launched an events and activations unit; an AI-powered agency to handle conflicting brands; and the Very Vero internal awards program. The agency’s impressive client roster includes the Singapore Tourism Board, Intel, Amazon Prime, Unilever and Dell. In 2023, Vero also worked with Great Wall Motors, Mercedes Benz, TikTok, Netflix and Amazon. Vero’s fee income rose 7.4% in 2023 to $6.47 million. Vero currently counts 240 team members across PR, influencer marketing, creative, strategic planning, data & analytics, content, media relations and government relations.

People & Culture

Griffin’s team, which includes COO Raphael Lachkar, chief strategy officer Sasha Alwani and chief commercial officer Umaporn Whittaker-Thompson, reflects the firm’s culture—its focus on growth, client journey and particularly over the last couple of years, a consistent regional culture. In 2023, Vero introduced a Work Charter aimed at setting up best practices and progressive standards of collaboration between agency and client; and an extension of the Unlimited Leave policy, creating two blocked holidays totaling 7.5 days of additional annual leave. The agency also continued operation of the Vox Council composed of team members responsible for providing suggestions and feedback to all policies and programs designed by Vero’s leadership. Vero’s Retention Rate in 2023 was 72%.

Thought Leadership & Work

With its increased focus on strategic consulting services, Vero has established itself as a thought leader on the issues impacting corporate reputation in the region, expanding its array of services with a focus last year on reputation metrics with its Reputation.IQ offer and on influencer marketing with its InFluent suite of services, including a KOL database and a TrueVibe process that identifies influencers authentic to each brand. The firm has also been producing thought leadership reports like a recent effort focused on “Greenwatching, A Playbook for Authentic Sustainability Communication in Southeast Asia.” Vero’s best work last year included its work for Pigeon, which aimed to bring a sense of direction to young parents by liberating the act of bottle-feeding and reconciling it with the positive values of enjoyment and bonding. The brand underscored the diversity of childcare approaches and declared its support for all milk feeding games, acknowledging that there's no perfect formula for parenting. The campaign introduced "Cuộc Chơi Hết Bình," a concept playing on "emptied bottle" and helped secure top position in the industry and doubling its Gen Z audience.

— Diana Marszalek

WE Communications (Independent)

Backstory

WE’s Singapore presence had been relatively subdued until the arrival of Daryl Ho in 2020, heralding a turnaround that has seen the firm expand beyond its technology and healthcare roots into travel and tourism and financial services. That expansion has been further underpinned by an entrepreneurial focus on new products and initiatives, notably in terms of creative, AI and learning/development. Sister firm Watatawa, meanwhile, focuses on corporate and issues management, giving it a unique edge at a time of considerable macroeconomic and geopolitical instability. And Southeast Asia has become increasingly important to the firm’s India-headquartered public affairs unit, Chase.

Locations

There are more than 80 people across the WE and Watatawa brands in Singapore.

Performance

WE grew its Singapore revenue by 10% in 2023, reflecting a strong return to form under Ho’s leadership. There was new business from Sentosa, Carta, AIA, HSBC, DBS, Prudential and AEPW, joining an existing client roster that features STB, Capgemini, IMDA, NCS, People’s Association, SUSS, SAP and Takeda. Watatawa, meanwhile, pulled in new projects from Neom and Kaplan, to go with a client list that includes FM Global, April, IHH Healthcare and Bloomberg.

People & Culture

These areas have become a major focus for Ho as he attempts to reinvigorate WE in the market, supported by new initiatives such as overseas employee retreats, a work from anywhere policy and increased investment in learning and development. While Ho has led WE for three years, Watatawa saw a leadership change when Stephen Robertson succeeded Simon Pangrazio as CEO.

Thought Leadership & Work

WE’s focus on ‘productisation’ includes a new creative content stack underpinned by AI, along with specific L&D modules that it has begun to sell to clients. The firm’s broader thought leadership presence has included a series of client-focused seminars, building on the Brands in Motion research that provides considerable insight into the future of communication. Campaign highlights include the Friends of Singapore campaign for STB, and the Sentosa Sensory Cape.

— Diana Marszalek

Weber Shandwick Collective (IPG)

Backstory

Weber Shandwick’s Southeast Asian presence may have contracted from a geographic perspective, thanks to MBOs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, but its regional influence has grown in recent years. That is not only down to Singapore’s status as a hub for its regional operations, but also because of the integration between the office and Hong Kong, particularly in terms of its formidable healthcare offering. Added to that is a business that supports strength across consumer, corporate and technology with significant depth in such areas as sustainability, fintech, analytics and employee engagement.

Locations

There are 104 employees in Singapore, while Weber Shandwick retains branded partnerships with its former subsidiaries in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Performance

Weber Shandwick grew 18% in Singapore in 2023, its third consecutive year of double-digit growth. Driving that was the firm’s healthcare and consumer offerings, which included more than $1m in new business from Harley-Davidson, Seagate, L’Oreal and Singhealth. Indeed, much of the firm’s work now carries the kind of integrated focus that reflects Weber Shandwick’s focus on ‘intersectional’ challenges, not least for Expedia, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Mastercard, Moderna, National Library Board, Pfizer, Riot Games, ServiceNow, Shiseido.

People & Culture

Longtime Hong Kong leader Albert Shu now oversees Singapore too, giving the two markets a more cohesive offering that is relatively unique in the agency world. Other key leaders include chief growth and client officer Vanessa Ho Niklowski, who is also based in Singapore, strategic planning and intelligence head Wong Hin-Yan, Hong Kong and Singapore healthcare EVP Robert Broad, and regional corporate affairs head Carolyn Devanayagam. The new Weber Shandwick Collective has four core values—curiosity, courage, inclusion and impact—and “DE&I and values” are viewed as inseparable, with inclusion laying the groundwork for equity and belonging. In Asia, there has been significant progress to empower employees to lead initiatives that foster collaboration, mutual support and belonging — highlighted by numerous workplace awards and a staff retention rate of 74%.

Thought Leadership & Work

Weber Shandwick’s focus on ‘intersections’ between different business challenges has given it a strong thought leadership positioning, helping it solve issues that often span business, society and behavioural trends. That is supported by integrated media and digital capabilities which include particularly strong AI capabilities, while the firm’s sustainability and women’s health credentials are among the best in the region. Campaign highlights include the SABRE nominated World Welcomes You campaign for Expedia.

— Arun Sudhaman

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