VJ Anand launches ‘ballsy’ in SG, aims to break traditional agency model

VJ Anand, former ECD of Vaynermedia EMEA and a well-known creative in APAC, has launched ‘ballsy’, an independent brand consultancy based in Singapore. Anand will be taking on the role of founder and chief experiment officer. He will be running it with partner Eddy Lim, who has vast experience in the music and entertainment industry.

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Anand has vast experience in the advertising scene having worked with the likes of BBDO, TBWA, GoJek and many others. In an exclusive interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Anand shared that the new agency will offer creative and agile strategies to help local and international brands navigate their way in various markets and social spaces.

Speaking of his decision to start a new creative shop amidst an extremely crowded market, Anand said the decision came after realising that the industry is clamping down on creativity.

“I wanted to create something crazy and fun that’s centred around all things creative. I feel like the ad industry is currently becoming too rigid and follows too many rules and old school legacies; so with ‘ballsy’, we’re creating endless possibilities to rock the scene up a bit,” he said.

Anand also added that he believes creatives should be everywhere, adding it would be better for the world to have them.

“We need more dreamers. And the more the competition the better the work being put out. Plus, we are not just a creative shop. We are a brand. We are an incubator. We are many things. We won't be happy only being a creative shop,” he added.

This aim of breaking the idea of what a creative shop means led to Anand’s partnership with Eddy Lim, who is a media and entertainment executive with over two decades of experience. Lim’s experience includes launching the Muslim-centric Malaysian channel TV9, where he was the head of creative, and he has also worked on programmes such as TV3’s Anugerah Juara Lagu, and other TV shows. In Malaysia, he co-founded Rocketfuel Entertainment and co-created 16 Baris, an online barbershop rap cypher series.

From broadcasting, Lim moved on to the music industry upon joining Warner Music Asia, where he launched and ran HipHopDX Asia and grew its audience to more than half a million in six months. He is currently in an A&R role at EMPIRE, working with Asian artistes, as well as being a partner in Jaded, an entertainment agency headquartered in L.A. that focuses on promoting Asian youth culture.

Lim shares that with the venture, he is “proud to partner up with someone who not only has the balls to push daring ideas but also has a sense of whether an idea is relevant and effective or not”.

“At ‘ballsy’, we understand how entertainment functions as part of culture, which leads to important interactions with others in how people perceive brands and companies,” he said.

Whether it is elevating a start-up business or revitalising established companies, ‘ballsy’ aims to work with brands and creative teams with its ‘plug and play’ ethos.

“We’re a modular consultancy,” added VJ Anand. “We will handle small and big projects, and we can work with anyone - if your creative agency wants to be more ‘ballsy’, we can teach you how to break boundaries. If you’re a CMO or CEO who wants to bring your vision to life, we can make that happen. With our expertise and connections in the worlds of advertising, entertainment and fashion, we’re looking forward to going on a ‘ballsy’ journey with you.”

The two founders have a couple of goals set for ‘ballsy’ already - one of their biggest ambitions is to boost Asian brands internationally. Both of them have experiences in navigating this field with Lim bringing Asian artistes to perform on a global level while promoting Asian youth culture to Western audiences.

Meanwhile, Anand has worked on campaigns in various regions for national and multinational clients. He is also known for helping grow the Vaynermedia APAC team, and for setting up tech giant GOJEK’s in-house creative agency that went on to produce iconic viral campaigns in Southeast Asia.

“We have so much talent and amazing products here in Asia, and it’s time we showed them to the world,” Anand said.

While the core of ‘ballsy’ is being a modular brand consultancy and brand incubator, its cofounders are also planning to enter the lifestyle scene.

“When we shot our consultancy’s brand photos in London, I thought we could expand even further. Now we’re in talks with a streetwear insider to create a sportswear line and a possible venture into the pet business,” he added.

Without going into further details, Anand said ‘ballsy’ currently has a roster of clients that are ad agencies as well as business owners.

“We want the work to be bold and crazy, and we’re excited to work with anyone who shares the same conviction,” he added. 

Advice for Malaysian talents wanting to make it big

Starting his career in Malaysia, Anand is well respected in the market for the work he has done locally over the years. When asked what advice he’d give to young aspiring Malaysian talent who would want a career like his, Anand encourages them to go abroad and embrace new cultures and styles of work.

“Working abroad has taught me so much. But at the same time, don't think that it is a compulsory move. I have seen many talents from Asia begging to move to Europe who don’t realise that you have so much going on at home, too. There’s so much brewing in Asia. You can go global from your bedroom with our brands and from our country. Go global that way,” he said.

More here from his interview:

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What did your experience overseas teach you that you couldn't have found in Malaysia?

The different styles of work. European eye for craft. The American confidence and ability to sell anything. Massive, gigantic briefs and projects. There have been quite a few things I managed to do in my short time out of Malaysia.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: Why didn't you join the marketing side?

I would have loved to be a CMO (don't laugh, why can’t creative people be in marketing roles - I think we would do radical stuff in a role like that ) or a chief brand officer somewhere. Being in gojek was really fun and challenging, and I would love to jump in another gig like that, but for now I want to build my own brand first.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE: What made you come back?

Mainly the food, but on a serious note - looking at data, the Middle East and Asia seem to be bouncing back and I feel like a lot of Asian brands have the ambition for global domination. So with my experience in the global and European markets, I think I can bring back what I have learned to Asia and help Asian brands go global, and the other way around, I can guide global brands or agencies in tackling the Southeast Asian market.

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