We Are Social bolsters innovation arm with wider scope and new leadership

Global socially led creative agency We Are Social has bolstered its innovation arm, .XYZ, with a broader scope and new leadership, as part of the agency’s commitment to investing in future-focused technologies.  

.XYZ, which was first launched by the agency in 2021 to explore opportunities related to Web3, is a specialist division that brings together future brand strategy with innovation. 

The .XYZ team will be led by Christina Chong (pictured left), We Are Social’s CEO of Southeast Asia, and will comprise 30 creatives, strategists and creative technologists from across the We Are Social global network.  

Under Chong’s leadership, a number of the agency’s Singapore team, along with specialist colleagues from the US, UK, Europe and the Middle East, will be tasked with further developing the .XYZ offerings in three key areas, including future strategy, creative innovation and virtual production. 

Upon the new appointment, the .XYZ team will look for opportunities to embed innovative work across the agency’s entire client portfolio, for brands in all sectors and industries. With experts and practitioners across the spectrum of spatial, phygital, cognitive and distributed technologies, they will also work to keep the entire agency up to speed with the latest advances in technology.  

The investment in .XYZ complements the agency’s other investments in future tech and innovation, such as its gaming division We Are Social Gaming, and its new augmented reality offering, Make My Day. 

Nathan McDonald (pictured right), co-founder and group chief executive of We Are Social said: “Chong and the team in Singapore have always been up to speed on cutting-edge technology and helping clients make the most of the latest advancements so it was clear that .XYZ would thrive under her leadership. I’m confident that we’ll be able to help even more of the world’s most forward-thinking brands navigate the intersection of creativity and technology.”  

Christina Chong, Southeast Asia chief executive and .XYZ lead, We Are Social said: “As the world is reshaped by rapid advancements in AI, blockchain, extended reality technology and more, the future is both exciting and unpredictable.” 

“.XYZ will help our clients feel confident in exploring future-focused technologies - the benefits of being an early mover, if managed in a strategic and considered way, can be huge. I’m delighted to be taking the lead on .XYZ - an area I feel passionate about - and helping more brands use technology to get ahead of the pack,” she added. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to We Are Social for more information. 

Don't miss: We Are Social bolsters North Asia offerings with new Shanghai GM role

Back in September, We Are Social promoted its business unit director Sunny Zhu to general manager in Shanghai, China. In the newly created role, Zhu reports to Tristan Qin, China region EVP, We Are Social. 

This promotion followed the growth of We Are Social’s presence in North Asia with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shenzhen which launched in February this year. 

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