StarHub wraps up creative pitch with TSLA appointment

StarHub has appointed The Secret Little Agency (TSLA) as its creative agency, following a three-month pitch process, with expected commencement of joint works in July 2021.  This follows StarHub's call for a creative pitch for the Singapore market. 

A StarHub spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the TSLA team impressed StarHub with its collaborative culture, enthusiastic curiosity and fresh approaches. "We are now working on becoming an integrated team, with a keen focus on transforming our brand and our customers’ experiences for the better. Stay tuned; joint work is expected to start next month, and we look forward to bringing you exciting updates," the spokesperson added. 

Eva-Lotta Gothe, vice president of brand and marketing communications, StarHub confirmed the pitch when the story was first broken by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE and said it was called to "identify the best creative agency partner" as StarHub's business transformation accelerates to meet the ever-changing market demands. Gothe confirmed that a few agencies have been invited to participate at that time.  While StarHub invited incumbent BLKJ to pitch for the account, the incumbent told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it had politely declined participation in the pitch, and wished StarHub the very best.

TSLA has over the years built up a strong presence across the region, having worked with many notable brands. Recently, it bagged launch duties for Singapore-based global digital and crypto assets exchange Zipmex. TSLA's design practice will manage brand strategy, positioning and design duties, and work is expected to roll out in the second half of the year targetting APAC markets. Meanwhile, Unilever's OLLY, a brand that sells multi-vitamin gummies, also tapped on TSLA’s expertise for its "Slay it with OLLY" campaign which promotes its "Sleep" product that seemingly helps consumers get better rest. The campaign was run across Singapore and China. 

On the Singapore front, TSLA was also the agency behind the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) rebranding its logo for its Singpass mobile app as part of its new brand identity. The rebranding comes as GovTech looks to deliver “an even better Singpass” that offers new features and provides convenient access to a larger range of services. TSLA Design also worked with Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB) for a revitalised Roots brand and digital experience via a new logo and a makeover for its website Roots.gov.sg. The refresh is done in line with Roots' fifth anniversary and was also NHB's first major rebrand since the creation of Roots in 2016. 

In 2017, the homegrown agency inked a deal with Mother Holdings, a year after TSLA made its first foray into the Shanghai market with the opening of its new office. The new expansion move allowed the agency to form an independent global network and tap on major creative hubs across the Americas, Los Angeles, New York and Buenos Aires; Europe, London; Asia, Singapore and Shanghai. This will allow for a broader reach in both talent pool and cultures for its clients and teams.

Separately, in April this year, StarHub moved away from its iconic green, blue and yellow logo after more than 20 years, to adopt a neon spring green shade. It also embraced a new graphic branding element on its advertising and platforms which it called "The Portal". According to StarHub then, "The Portal" is a "bold and unique graphic device that comes straight from its logo", and is a new identity system that brands all of its content moving forward. It signals transformation and is a gateway to all things StarHub's customers love, the brand added. This way, consumers will know the brand asset belongs to StarHub, even if they cannot see the logo.

Additionally, the telco company was named Asia’s most sustainable telecommunications company and achieved the 80th position globally in the 2021 Corporate Knights Global 100. The Global 100 shortlists large corporations across the globe on 24 key indicators, including resource management, greenhouse gas management, board gender diversity, clean revenue and investment, and supplier performance. In its press release, it was noted that it implemented sustainable and green practices across its business including tackling electronic waste (e-waste), and reducing energy and water consumption among other initiatives. 

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