The Hoffman Agency enters Indonesia with Jakarta office

Communications firm The Hoffman Agency has launched in Jakarta, Indonesia. This makes it the seventh office in the Asia Pacific region for the agency. Prior to its opening, the firm handled previous assignments in Indonesia in collaboration with Qycomms, which is based in Jakarta. Moving forward, Cici Utari, principal of Qycomms, now becomes part of the founding team of Hoffman Agensi Indonesia.In a press statement confirming the move, Caroline Hsu, managing director, Asia Pacific at The Hoffman Agency, said that a Hoffman-branded office in Indonesia was a “natural progression” of the relationship."There's a connection with Utari that's tough to quantify. Both agencies share plenty of common ground, not the least being a client-centric mentality,” Hsu added.The agency has also undertaken client assignments in Indonesia over the past six years. This includes building brand awareness for cybersecurity brand Avast Indonesia and increasing the Green Building agenda in Indonesia with Build Eco Xpo. This is to help companies understand the intricacies of product certification with TUV SUD Indonesia, the statement added.According to Lou Hoffman, CEO of The Hoffman Agency, the opening of the Indonesia office is a long-term investment which is similar to the company entering China in 1999.“By not emphasising individual office P/L like other global agencies, we're better equipped to take on multi-market assignments involving Asia as well as the U.S. and Europe,” Hoffman added.The agency, which goes by “Hoffman Agensi Indonesia” in Indonesia, will apply the “same creative and collaborative approach”, the statement read. Some strategies include localising its content approach to better align with the needs of Indonesian journalists.“The firm's Indonesian team fills a void in a market where mega shops that include Edelman, Burson-Marsteller, Fleishman Hillard, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick operate alongside local agencies,” the statement added.“There's a reason Google has made Indonesia a market of focus with activities such as the Gapura Digital initiative to bring Indonesian small businesses online to updating the Waze app with a feature based on the last number of license plates to help Jakarta drivers follow the regulations of the odd-even traffic policy,” Hsu added.The Hoffman Agency entered Asia in 1996. Currently, more than 50% of its staff members are based in Asia. The firm's regional operation includes offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. At the global level, The Hoffman Agency generated record global revenue in 2016 at US$11.3 million and expects 2017 to be another record year with 20-plus percent growth, the statement added.The agency most recently hired Hsu as its APAC managing director, based in Hong Kong. She succeeds Cassandra Cheong who moves back to Singapore and her consulting practice. Hsu returned to the consultancy world after 20 years of experience in marketing, communications and branding. Prior to joining Hoffman, she was chief marketing officer of Appier, a Taiwan-based artificial intelligence startup.