Top 10: Ad Agencies in APAC

In order to keep ahead of the competition, businesses heavily rely on marketing and advertising to push products and services. However, it is difficult for a brand to do this independently without a great deal of pressure.

Now cue the advertising agencies. These creative powerhouses will plan, create, distribute and manage advertising campaigns for a brand, then analyse the engagement data to reflect its effectiveness. 

But which one is doing it best? While many operate worldwide, the competition amongst ad agencies in the Asia Pacific region is demanding and many are leading brand giants such as Nestle and Vaseline to success. 

Find out which one is ranked number one by Marketing Chief.

10. BBDO Asia (Omnicom Group)

Regional hub: Singapore, Hong Kong

CEO:  Nancy Reyes

With 15 offices in Asia, BBDO Asia is recognised as one of the most effective and creative agencies in Asia. The agency aims to develop the region’s most compelling creative content for its clients and delivers advertising and communications that surprise, serve and grow their business.

The ad agency is part of BBDO Worldwide and a wider member of the Omnicom Group, with its major regional clients including the likes of Mattel, FedEx, Pepsi and Mercedes-Benz.

9. Cheil Worldwide

Regional hub: Seoul, South Korea

CEO: Jung Geun Yoo

Cheil offers multiple services for its clients like advertising, public relations, sports marketing and digital marketing. The agency aims to bridge the three worlds of physical, digital and immersive – it aims to redefine what is possible and forge more rewarding connected experiences that deliver.

Cheil is operated by a network of over 8,000 experts that work across 55 offices in 46 countries and is a fast growing ad agency worldwide. It focuses on delivering advertising materials that create meaningful experiences to impact audiences.

8. Dentsu Inc. / Dentsu Creative 

Regional hub: Tokyo, Japan

CEO: Takeshi Sano

As an agency, Dentsu’s mission is to connect businesses to the future of branding and deliver bespoke campaigns that leave a lasting impression. Its unified Dentsu Creative brand combines constructing a brand’s identity with PR and digital transformation.

Dentsu is leading the way in its industry – dominating as Japan’s biggest advertising powerhouse and being one of the largest agencies in the APAC region demonstrates its strength for designing creative, large-scale brand strategies.

7. Hakuhodo DY Holdings

Regional hub: Tokyo, Japan

Director: Masayuki Mizushima

Hakuhodo was founded in 1895 and has since aggressively pushed its expansion into Southeast Asia through strategic acquisitions and regional hubs, offering deep localised consumer research to its clients.

Its management was integrated in 2003 with two other ad agencies – Daiko and Yomiko – leading to the brand renaming to Hakuhodo DY Holdings.

With nearly 30,000 employees worldwide, Hakuhodo takes pride in being the second biggest ad agency in Japan. With integrated media planning, extensive consumer research and cross-border APAC activation, the agency centralises around creative materials that feel refreshingly different.

6. Havas APAC

Regional hub: Singapore

CEO: Yannick Bollore

Havas works to keep brands and businesses relevant in the ever-changing industries and is constantly focusing a strategy around its ‘desirable brands create desirable results’ motto.

Using the power of creative media to drive growth and change for its clients, Havas creates authentic advertising messages for brands and encourages an increase in community engagement.

While an adaptable agency, Havas typically specialise in working with mid-to-large-size regional clients like universities and employer brands.

5. Monks (APAC)

Regional hub: Singapore

CEOs: Bruno Lambertini (marketing) and Brady Brim-DeForest (technology)

Ogilvy APAC has worked on regional campaigns with enterprises such as Vaseline, Coca-Cola and Alibaba Cloud to bring audiences advertisements which are creatively different.  

Specialising in helping multinational brands such as those listed scale across diverse Asian markets while still reinforcing its local cultural resonance. 

Holding a strong presence across over 17 markets across the APAC region, Ogilvy continues to provide services in growth and innovation, advertising, brand and content and public relations.

3. Publicis Groupe APAC

Regional hub: Singapore

CEO:  Jane Lin-Baden

In the APAC region, Publicis Groupe operates as a connected unit by combining leading creative powerhouses – including Leo Burnett and Bartle Bogle Hegarty – with data and media networks such as Starcom and Zenith. This is all achieved under a single regional infrastructure and the ad agency utilises performance marketing and data-driven creative calls to ensure success for its clients.

Working with regional brand giants such as Heinz and Lexus, Publicis brings its established knowledge of data, media, technology and AI to the advertising industry. It leverages these unique assets to deliver big ideas with strong impacts.

2. TBWA/Asia (Omnicom Group)

Regional hub: Singapore

CEO: Troy Ruhanen

TBWA operates as a creative collective and is united by Disruption, the agency’s strategic methodology that drives growth through breaking down a business’ status quo and creating new markets. To ensure success using this process, conventions must be understood, visions defined and disruptive ideas should be unleashed so markets can be transformed.

Backed by Omnicom, the world’s leading marketing ecosystem, TBWA mission is to think and act as independents and deliver impressive results through the power of a global collective.

Teaming up with the likes of McDonald’s, De’Longhi and Skittles, it has built a reputation for innovative advertising and fresh marketing angles.

1. VML APAC (WPP)

Regional hub: Singapore

CEO: Jon Cook

Formed by the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, VML APAC has positioned itself as a significant player in its region. Its creative technology capabilities attract a diverse range of client partners across various industries, including Nestle, HSBC and Zespri.

The creative agency prioritises customer experience, brand experience and commerce – withholding a strong market presence across the Asian continent. 

VML has offices stationed globally, including Australia and the UK. But VML APAC aims to shape the future of brand experiences and innovation in its region through crafting bold campaigns that draw consumers in. Merging two of the biggest creative agencies worldwide means VML APAC is able to leverage its expertise to drive maximum growth and adapt to evolving consumer behaviours.