TSLA selects Berlin-based independent as creative partner on EDB account

TSLA won the EDB creative account last year, submitting a tender in partnership with New York advertising agency StrawberryFrog.

It has now selected Berlin-based Zum Goldenen Hirschen as its second agency partner. The aim of the partnerships is to strengthen creative delivery of the EDB business in key international markets.

Nicholas Ye, CEO of TSLA, told Campaign Asia-Pacific that while this model is often adopted in the United States and Europe, he believes this is the first time a Singaporean client has taken this approach.

He said the EDB’s "progressive attitude" in approving this model reinforces the idea that Singaporean and Asian brands with global aspirations can look beyond traditional agency networks.

“Asian clients have never clearly seen this execution of an [independent] network at play before,” he said. “If a client wanted to execute globally, it used to be that there was no choice other than to work with the agency namesake in five or six other countries around the world. This proves clearly you can run a brand out of Singapore with a network that is independent from the more established network giants.”

Myrna Poon, director of marketing and communications at the EDB, added, “We are confident that the partnership between TSLA and Hirschen will ensure a unified global brand, with creative delivery that leverages in-market nuances.”

Ye said TSLA had been looking for “hard-working, award-winning agencies that were firmly rooted in each market” to partner with on the EDB creative account.

“The desired end result is a living network of media-agnostic agencies which really yield the client a collective experience and know-how that is unmatched by conventional networks,” he said.

TSLA was appointed as the global creative agency-of-record for EDB in Singapore last year, tasked with developing and implementing integrated marketing campaigns to position Singapore as an attractive business location globally. The first work is expected to break in the third quarter.