6 boutique agencies in Malaysia that punched above their weight

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Network agencies are traditionally sought after because of their size and ability to function as a one-stop-shop for brands' marketing needs. However, boutique agencies have also gained prominence in recent years, being quick and agile in their approaches and having a streamlined approach when it comes to coordinating work processes and decision making.

With society and trends moving evolving at breakneck speed these days, brands no longer have the luxury of adopting a wait-and-see approach. Instead, they need to be quick to react to trends and boutique agencies just might have the capability of helping them succeed in the industry.

The team at A+M had a look at our results from Agency of the Year Awards 2022 Malaysia, judged by senior client side marketers from Malaysia, to find out which boutique agencies successfully punched above their weight. Without a doubt, the category was competitive as the team witnessed some ties between agencies.

Listed in alphabetical order, these were the top six boutique agencies that sailed off with top-notch campaigns and amazed our panels of judges with their simple yet effective business models, and flexibility in adapting to the changing needs of consumers in the ad industry.

Be Strategic

Established in 2013, Be Strategic is a team of 23 individuals united with a common goal of creating great work. Providing services through four main disciplines - branding, PR and communications, digital and social media, as well as experiential events - the agency boasts a clientele from over 26 disparate industries, ranging from finance, consumer goods, and infrastructure, to even media, among others.

In fact, even with the challenging setbacks posed by the pandemic, Be Strategic still managed to bag 13 new clientele in a 12-month period, achieving 10 or more new clients for the third row running. Crediting this achievement to its ability to adapt to shifts in customer demands, the agency's branding shift in providing pandemic proof solution proved particularly appealing to both existing and new clientele. The high client retention rate it enjoyed in 2021 was also testament to the agency's adaptability and strength.

During the same period, Be Strategic also further expanded the offerings and service business, establishing a new revenue stream and reinventing the team's mindset. At the same time, the agency managed to innovate the way its clientele operates through a slew of initiatives, including rebranding itself from a traditional branding agency into a creative communication agency, as well as introducing personal branding as a new product offering, among others.

To accommodate its growing list of high-profile clients, Be Strategic restructured into two key divisions, before allocating resources into specified job tasks for each team. A key promotion was account manager Daniel Wong who took on the role of associate director to oversee the operations of the two divisions.

Even with the successes that Be Strategic has achieved, the agency still remains grounded, helping its community where it could. For instance, it fed the homeless in Kuala Lumpur, donated to the Sai Ananda Dialysis Centre, as well as assisted victims of the Sri Muda Flood.

Conten.T

Producing mobile-first web base experience for brands, Conten.T is a digital immersive production agency that specialises in creating digital playgrounds through metaverse-ready media such as AR, NFTs, gamification, and virtual retail, among others. Believing that advertising is not merely about impressions, the agency strives to take advertising in a different approach, and unlock new dimensions of advertising through experiences driven by tech, and interactive story-telling.

Blurring the lines between digital and physical through technology, the team at Conten.T provides turn-key solutions to all its projects, ranging from concept to 3D assets creation to technical execution. Additionally, the agency ensures that its projects are compatible across native apps such as Grab, Instagram, TikTok and other major browsers to scale across borders.

As for its team, although Conten.T comprises a rather small team, the agency practices cross-pollination in skills and knowledge, such as providing monthly up-skilling classes selection on Udemy, Coursera and other online courses.

Its innovative and effective way of operations has paid off, evident from the 115% increase in turnover from 2020 to 2021. Moreover, the agency has a high project winning rate, bagging client brands such as adidas, Coach, Astro, Omega, Skechers, and kate spade, among others.

DreamsKingdoms

Although DreamsKingdoms is a relatively small agency with only 22 staff, the agency's flexibility in constantly adapting its strategies with the era's social contexts and changing demands of its consumer base has allowed it to secure wins for itself and clients alike. In particular, its ability to retain and expand client loyalty has enabled it to work with more than five new brands, such as Nicorette, Bactidol, FWD Takaful, Chevron and Caltex, as well as Sunway Carnival Mall. These new brands join other client brands which have retained DreamsKingdom for over five years, including Maybank, Etiqa, UOB, Acuvue, and Prudential.

For idea generation, the outputs delivered to clients come with fresh insights and data research, before strategising on the creative execution. Additionally, to foster strategic communication in all facets of its products, the agency follows a unique formula known as SMART Marketing, which comprises "specific audience", "motivation movement", "amplify action", "reason to buy and share", and finally "touch point and tech".

When it comes to execution, DreamsKingdoms takes into consideration several factors including behavioural sciences and understanding how humans think and behave. It also frames its approach around the social climate to ensure output relevant to audience interests; and simplifies designs and writing. In addition, the agency integrates gamified elements and themes for deeper engagement with ads, leveraging videos for viewers to experience the message at the same time, as well as incorporating technological innovations within every creation.

DreamsKingdoms' team is powered by profound originality, as the agency's founder seeks to cultivate a space for creators of all backgrounds to voice their out-of-the-box ideas, as well as give a voice to those who lack the space to do so. Coined the "WARRIOR" core values - warm, attentive, responsible, respectful, inspiring, open-minded, and risk-taking, the agency ensures that it follows and represents these values no matter the project it undertakes.

In particular, as individuals and a collective, the DreamsKingdoms' team aims to uphold the "4H agency model". Ranging from happiness for employees, happiness for clients, happiness for collaborators, and happiness to its consumers. With its holistic and innovative approach to work, DreamsKingdoms' efforts have paid off, as it has experienced profit growth year-on-year from 2019 to 2021. More importantly, its growing relationship with Maybank, PruBSN Takaful, Etiqa, UOB and Acuvue, as well as collective revenue generated from new accounts has contributed heavily to its financial success.

Mad Hat Asia

Founded in 2015 in an urban living room, Mad Hat Asia specialises in creative communications strategies, content creation, media engagement, social media, influencer engagement, video production, collaboration and partnerships. With a small team of 29 staff with different backgrounds, perspectives and disciplines, the agency is united in its passion for creative connection, eagerness to learn, and enthusiasm to teach and inspire.

Despite the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mad Hat Asia's priorities remained on maintaining its team's salaries and incentives, as well as investing in their professional development and well-being. As such, through financial management, agility, and strong partner relationships, the agency maintained cash-positive operations, expanded its regional footprint, and is well positioned back on the path of financial growth.

Central to its process and operations is the approach that its client partners are an extension of Mad Hat Asia, as much as it is an extension of the brands' teams. The agency approaches communications with each brand's overall business objectives in mind, focusing on its consumers' and communities' insights and trends to stay strategically driven. This has allowed it to deliver campaigns that are both exciting, as well as highly effective.

Notable client brands that the agency has secured partnerships with include Lipton, Kotex, Oreo, Kleenex, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Samsung, Maybank, and Pepsi, among others. In fact, most of Mad Hat Asia's client partners came to the agency via recommendations from its clientele, or are returning client partners, proving testament to the agency's effectiveness. Its strong partnerships have also translated to significant financial gain, with the agency establishing a firm footprint in the Singapore market as well.

Besides ensuring the campaigns and work it produced were innovative, Mad Hat Asia also wanted to engage its team in a creative way with the new norm of a hybrid working environment. As such, this gave birth to a slew of activities such as drawing game nights, café and board game lunches, Pictionary, and even Cards Against Humanity game sessions. Beyond games, Mad Hat Asia also ensured its staff were physically active by hosting virtual dance classes and yoga sessions.

The Chariot Agency

Established in March 2021, The Chariot Agency came to life in the midst of the pandemic, even when many found this move ludicrous. However, its small team size and status as a newly-minted agency was what allowed it to adapt at a much faster pace without being tied down to precedence. Its flexibility and speed at delivering creative solutions appealed to clients, and by 2021, it was actively working with 15 brands across various industries ranging from FMCG, F&B, entertainment, to maritime services.

In just 10 months, it kickstarted 37 projects, ensured over 250 jobs, and supported two NGOs. More importantly, it doubled its forecasted revenue target at the end of the year.

Chariot's strategy to win every battle is a four-step one, which involves obtaining insight from audiences in real-time platforms, adding context to the insight, delivering its campaign via an integrated approach, and learning from every campaign performed. Leveraging a range of tools such as Meltwater and YouGov Brand Index, the agency operates with international standards, incorporating integrated tools for all of its client’s campaigns.

Additionally, Chariot follows a strict rule of designating a maximum of only two accounts per talent. To help its staff grow, the agency actively looks for classes and training from experts of the field. Firmly believing that each talent should be exposed to different verticals, the agency offers its people interest-based exposure, while harnessing their fresh perspectives and opinions. Even outside of work, it is passionate about its talents' personal development, interest and passion, as Chariot strives to be a pitstop to prepare its talents for something bigger.

With a holistic and effective way of business and management of talents, the agency has produced several works that have allowed the agency to stand out from the crowd. Notable works that it has done include Tiger Beer's Tiger Virtual Street Food Festival 2021, Tiger Street Food Box, Netflix's Money Heist launch, as well as Netflix's Squid Game on-ground launch, among others.

VoxEureka

Starting out as a fledging start-up in December 2017, it took only three years for VoxEureka to shake up the PR industry, and evolve into an integrated agency model.

Part of the reason for the agency's immense success was its focus on the well-being of its team. From giving out bonuses despite declining forecast and profits, hosting monthly in-house employee engagements, upskilling its staff with training sessions, to monitoring team satisfaction through surveys, the team at VoxEureka was well taken care of. This resulted in an increase in team retention rates.

With the focus still on its team, the agency's expansion and elevation of several staff enabled it to restructure into an integrated agency model with servicing media, editorial digital, and creative teams. After remodelling its business, it now could offer mature performance marketing, ad-ops, and data analytic services. Combined with Vox’s content capabilities, it cross-sold and up-sold integrated offerings. As such, as an integrated earned first consultancy, it was now capable of rich storytelling across any medium, and meaningfully measuring it.

In fact, its restructure saw significant commercial success, where its revenues had tripled. Additionally, the agency also retained most of its clients last year. Notable brands that VoxEureka has worked with include Unilever, Digi, and HSBC, among others. In particular, BMW, Digi, and Michelin have continued to work with VoxEureka since 2018, while Sunway and Unilever have since 2019.

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