Halal beauty brand Safi shortlists 5 agencies for creative pitch

Wipro Unza’s halal skincare and beauty brand Safi has shortlisted incumbent Wunderman Thompson, TBWA\, SPIN Communications, Geometry Global, and Ensemble for its creative pitch in Malaysia. The appointment is for a period of two years.

Safi's spokesperson previously told A+M that it is looking for creativity in the beauty and personal care category and strong local insights, as well as innovation and operational excellence. The brand aims to focus on deriving local insights to drive product innovation and emerging trends that define marketing creativity next year.

The company intends to achieve RM1 billion in group level revenue within the next five to six years, an increase from its current revenue contribution of RM600 million. Chief executive Sriram Krishnamurthy told A+M previously that Wipro believes the halal market would deliver “sustainable growth”, tapping on the growing Muslim population in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the company aims to achieve US$2 billion in worldwide sales as a group by 2022. In 2018, Wipro amassed a revenue of US$1 billion and 15% of it came from the Malaysia market, Krishnamurthy said.

In 2018, Saki Goh was appointed GM - marketing to oversee the start-to-end marketing function, including the development and implementation of brand strategies, as well as new and existing products. It also picked PHD Malaysia to manage its integrated media duties. According to Future Market Insights (FMI), a provider of syndicated research reports, custom research reports, and consulting services, there is an increased demand in halal products in Southeast Asia due to the high Muslim population in the region.

FMI said that Southeast Asia accounts for 61.2% of the total halal beauty market in Asia, and the region is expected to remain lucrative in 2020. Among the list of key factors propelling the growth of halal cosmetics in the region include rise in personal grooming needs, strengthening of distribution channels, and demand for organic and vegan-friendly cosmetics, FMI said.