Bangkok--Oct 20--Siam PR. Consultant
M&C Saatchi, the UK-based advertising agency, has announced the launch of M&C Saatchi Thailand, effective October 20 — the first office opening since the company listed on the London Stock Exchange in July 2004.
The move continues M&C Saatchi’s growth philosophy of finding local partners to hold equity in every agency office. In Bangkok, the local partner Spaulding & Co. will hold a 40% share with M&C Saatchi plc holding the remaining 60%. The new joint venture will result in the re-naming of Spaulding & Co. to M&C Saatchi (Thailand) Co., Ltd. which will be headed by chairman Ron Spaulding and Managing Director Amornpimol Thanakitamnuay. They are joined by award-winning executive creative director Veradis Vinyaratn, who until now was creative director of Lowe Thailand.
The announcement was formally made by Maurice Saatchi , founder and partner, David Kershaw, CEO and Tom Dery, Asia Pacific executive chairman, following their global partners’ meeting which was held in Shanghai, China from 12-14 October 2004.
According to Bill Muirhead, co-founder and partner of M& C Saatchi “the team in Bangkok has created a remarkable client list and reputation. As with every M&C Saatchi office, we look for a terrific combination of people who have extensive experience in advertising, business and stand-out creative.
“M&C Saatchi floated on the London stockmarket with the aim to grow our network, particularly in Europe and Asia. This is the first new office we have opened post-float and I am thrilled it is in the most dynamic region of the world.”
“Asia Pacific has always played a leading role in M&C Saatchi since Day One and it is very exciting to see our business here grow,” said Asia Pacific executive chairman Tom Dery.
Amornpimol Thanakitamnuay, Managing Director of M&C Saatchi (Thailand) Co., Ltd., added that the advertising market in Thailand has been growing continuously despite negative projections seen in the final quarter of 2004 and in 2005 in comparison with the year 2003 and early 2004. "The growth of the advertising industry as of today is around 18% or 80 billion baht. The figure for the entire 2004 is expected to be similar to that of last year. The main contributor for the growing advertising industry is consumer spending. Businesses such as the automotive industry, during the second half of the year prospered following government support policies and the upcoming general election. If it had not been for several negative factors such as rising oil prices and bird flu, growth would have remained strong," she said. "As for demand for advertising in Thailand, the evidence is that the number of high-calibre people is not enough to handle existing demand and M&C Saatchi (Thailand) is one agency focusing on providing quality advertising work by quality personnel and true experts in the field," she added.
M&C Saatchi (Thailand) positions itself as an international advertising agency with high level of professionalism, creativity, mobility and quality. The work produced is based on the capability to come up with the best possible results. The company has set up brand teams, which include creatives, planners and account managers to work in close conjunction with clients to form strategic, long-term partnerships. The format helps create solidarity and eases the work process. M&C Saatchi’s basic principle is based on “Brutal Simplicity of Thought”. Summarised, we believe that it is easier to complicate than to simplify. And since simple messages enter the brain quicker and stay longer it is the agency’s firm bellet that “brutal simplicity of thought is therfore a painful necessity” she concluded.
The Bangkok agency’s client list, amongst others, includes Ethiopian Airlines, Siam Cement Plc, Natural Park, Finansa Life Assurance, TISCO, Aviva Audio & D?cor, German-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Diethelm Trading.
M&C Saatchi is headquartered in London and its offices around the world include Sydney (Asia Pacific regional office), Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles. M&C Saatchi Bangkok will be the 14th office to open.
For more information, please contact:
Amornpimol Thanakitamnuay,
Managing Director M&C Saatchi (Thailand)
Tel: 0 2653 2950 End.