TBWA announces consultancy offering

TBWA Asia has announced plans to roll out Disruption Consulting in APAC.

The new service is now open to clients in Singapore and Japan and will roll out to other markets over the course of this year.

The unit aims to solve commercial problems and drive growth, using a consulting model driven by data and consumer insight, while using proprietary cultural analytics techniques to identify emerging behaviours and trends impacting clients’ businesses, the company said.

Andrew Harrison will lead the unit along with Robin Nayak, who will continue his responsibilities as chief strategy officer for TBWA Southeast Asia.

Harrison has held client roles with P&G, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, and was more recently COO in Asia for Brand Union and principal consultant at Ogilvy RED.

“TBWA has a successful history of helping brands find new market space in terms of product extensions, experience and brand architecture, so it was only natural we bring even more focus and weight to this increasingly valued capability," Ian Pearman, president of TBWA Asia, said in a release.

The agency already has "significant consulting businesses" that have grown organically in its offices in India, Korea and Thailand and serve more than 30 clients, Pearman added.

The launch follows a series of strategy hires including Lar Bjorge as head of customer acquisition, Oli Kunze as chief data officer and Steve Walls as "regional disruption master".