Ex-Publicis ECD and ex-Germs CEO launch new Sweatshop agency

The former CEO of Germs Digital, James Chua and the former ECD at Publicis, Adrian Yeap has started up their own agency called Sweatshop.

According to the duo, Sweatshop specialises in solving a brand’s business problems through communications, and offers different approaches such as sprints called “Quick Sweat” and fractional marketing services called “Sweat Buddy”, on top of the traditional agency model. The new hotshop promises to help brands “get hot” by combining intelligence with intuition.

“Intelligence can take many forms: AI, data, research. But alone, intelligence is not enough. On the other hand, intuition comes from experience, taste, and that part of your body called your gut. That’s the real difference maker,” the founders said. They also added that the agency is a seasoned startup with the two having close to 50 years of industry experience.

Chua co-founded Germs in 2009 and has worked with clients from varying industries such as UOB, Income Insurance, Volkswagen and Far East Organisation. Before Germs, his stints include Kinetic, DDB and Ace:Daytons. Yeap has worked with clients such as McDonald’s, Health Promotion Board and Scoot over the years. According to them, they work directly with clients and on their briefs, and don’t want to be just “two people whose faces appear in a deck or show up only during presentations”.

As for their team, Sweatshop wants to “be the change they want to see in the industry”, and is offering flexible work arrangements on top of an array of benefits that includes “Sweat Anywhere” for staff to work overseas for an extended period of time, and “Sweat Outside” allowance and time off for staff to pursue their interests outside of work.

The two also shared that there are projects in the pipeline for Sweatshop with clients who are “aligned with their vision and way of working”, and they include a wellness startup and a financial brand among others.

With a unique name such as Sweatshop, Yeap who is the chief creative officer, said it is inspired by the fact that many agencies loath being called sweatshops because they feel it is demeaning and insulting, but yet the way employees there are being worked doesn’t make those agencies any different from the real sweatshops.”

“There’s no arguing that creativity is fed by life experiences yet we’re spending longer hours in the office than before. It just doesn’t make sense. We’ve got skin in the game, and we want to do our part,” Yeap said.

“Our industry is already facing a talent crunch, and we cannot afford to continue working the way we have worked. We believe it’s possible to do good work without sacrificing everything else. We want to create a culture that cultivates creativity alongside fairness and humanity. So as we call ourselves Sweatshop, it serves as a daily reminder of the need to change our approach to work,” added on CEO of the agency, Chua.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: After so many years in the industry, what keeps you going?

We belong to a breed where we actually believe we’re in our dream jobs. We absolutely love what we’re doing. Coming up with a great idea that solves a client’s brief. Getting goosebumps when the clients agree. Hearing people talk about it. That’s what keeps us going.

Agencies sometimes forget that, and they think that people are going to work harder just because you pile them with jobs.

No, we believe people are going to work harder because you remove the barriers to good work. That’s why people get exhausted, it’s because they aren’t doing what got them into advertising in the first place. Where did all the fun in advertising go?

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What gave you the idea to start this agency all over again?

When we both left our respective gigs, we did not have the intention of starting our own agency. Yeap was looking around and honestly, there aren’t many agencies that have a culture that he would kill to get in. And when he spoke to other founders, they all say you get to build your own culture. Set the record straight. Make things right. That’s what swayed him towards a different path.

As for Chua, he had some interesting proposals on the table but things started to click into place when we met.

In each other, we found someone who wholeheartedly believes in the same values, and more importantly, a strong sense of trust and responsibility.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What is the type of talent you are looking out for?

Above the usual portfolio, attitude, IG followers and LinkedIn likes, we’re looking for people who share our beliefs. People who roll up their sleeves and don’t mind getting sweaty, who are comfortable being uncomfortable, and who relish being fearless in their ideas. And ultimately, people who are good human beings.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Will you be picky in the kind of clients you choose to work for? Can you share some clients you already have?

It’s probably more important that the clients choose us for who we are. Clients who value the experience and expertise that we bring to the table. So, when we do what we do best, the clients get the most of their time with us. And we all go home happy.