It was announced yesterday that Publicis Worldwide has acquired a minority stake in Arcade, the home grown ad agency based in Singapore. The agency also has offices in Shanghai, Tokyo, Jakarta and Indonesia (the Indonesian office was opened recently and is led by co-founders Gary Caulfield and Alfa Aphrodita), employing over 100 individuals across Asia. Arcade was only launched in 2010 but the client roster already includes such major brands as Google, IKEA and Coca-Cola amongst others.
Arcade is headquartered in Singapore, but also has offices in Shanghai, Tokyo, Jakarta and Indonesia, employing over 100 individuals across Asia
Nick Marrett, founding partner and CEO of Arcade, wouldn't comment on the size of the stake taken by Publicis, but said he would be continuing to lead the agency. He is “Thrilled to be joining forces with Publicis,” with whom he felt “The chemistry and alignment was incredibly strong right from the outset,” as they grow into “Key markets like China, Africa and India” and strengthen their “Asian credentials.” He believes his relatively young agency is thriving because “The worlds of marketing, entertainment and information are colliding,” and he feels that “Arcade’s entrepreneurial approach to creativity helps brands find new ways to thrive in this new and challenging environment.”
Nick Marrett (in a rather fetching hat)
The ethos behind Arcade, is that only a few key players can affect outcomes, regardless of the size of the job or the client. This means the agency focuses on reducing the number of people involved in the process, which also means low overheads. It would appear this controversial ethos has paid off, however, with Arcade the first Asian agency to launch a major Unilever brand in North America ('Clear' haircare). They also created the world's first Android concept store in Indonesia (now the blueprint for Google's stores worldwide).
The deal underlines Publicis' recent focus on Asian markets, which Publicis Worldwide CEO Arthur Sadoun says is a “Strategic priority” for them
Loris Nold, CEO of Publicis in Asia, ads that Arcade have done well to build such a unique model, which allows them to create innovative, global work out of Asia. She said the many of the group's key clients have transformed Asian into a “Global hub for some of their brands,” and that Publicis are “Increasingly working with Asian brands that have global ambitions.” She says that partnering with Arcade's founders across Asia is fantastic news for the company. The deal underlines Publicis' recent focus on Asian markets, which Publicis Worldwide CEO Arthur Sadoun says is a “Strategic priority” for them. He backs up Nold's claims that “The Arcade team’s core values of creative excellence, entrepreneurship and digital innovation are a perfect match for Publicis Worldwide” as they continue to delve further down the digital rabbit hole with the rest of the industry.
Official Publicis Worldwide Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He really is quite taken by Mr Marrett's hat!
