Brand consultancy OgilvyRed makes APAC debut

Launched globally in May 2011, the unit has a mandate to “drive change by addressing clients’ thorniest brand and marketing problems with an unbiased and future-focused mindset,” according to its website.

Jerry Smith has been appointed chairman of OgilvyRed Asia Pacific, a role he will maintain alongside his position as president and CEO for OgilvyOne Worldwide in the region. 



Lucy McCabe, currently vice president of consulting services for OgilvyOne in Singapore, will lead the team as president for Asia Pacific.

Asked why the official launch of the consulting arm in the region takes place almost five years after its initial formation, Smith told Campaign Asia-Pacific the company has been "incubating" OgilvyRed in Asia for the past two years.

"We are now at a point where the market is looking for more proactive advice on brand and customer, something the management consultants have not been able to sufficiently answer," he said. "As such we have formalised the offer in order that we can create focus and investment as it augments our existing advisory planning services."

McCabe said in a release that given technology change, CMOs know that they need to drive transformation and innovation, and they have big ambitions, but there is a very real gap in organisational ability to design and orchestrate that change.

“Our clients are facing bigger challenges and asking tougher questions than ever before,” she added. “This is where we step in—to help them design, quantify, and execute with a measurable ROI.”

The consulting arm launches in the region across 10 countries:

• Singapore
• Hong Kong
• Australia
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Taiwan

According to O&M, the consulting arm is operational in all 37 offices across 18 countries in Asia Pacific. However the 10 markets stated will have talent on the ground. If clients in other markets need the unit's services, likely a regional team would be engaged via the local management team, the spokesperson said, adding that Ogilvy would invest in other markets when warranted.

OgilvyRed comprises six specialist practices, each led by an expert in their field: brand strategy, customer strategy, ecommerce, influencer strategy, data and marketing analytics, and marketing technology.

Paul Heath, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, said in a release that brands clearly need specialist advice when it comes to emerging areas such as e-commerce and technology.

“This typically doesn’t come from a traditional agency approach with a communications brief,” he added. “With OgilvyRED sitting at the heart of the O&M Group, it gives us a unique ability to bring together strategy and execution capabilities unlike other consulting firms in the market”.