Wild Advertising and Marketing picks new managing director

Wild Advertising and Marketing has named Yamamoto Hiroaki as its new managing director. He will be responsible for the Asia region, excluding mainland China, he confirmed to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

"In particular, I will be supporting the marketing efforts of Japanese companies and brands across various cross-border projects in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong," said Hiroaki.

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"In my career, I have been supporting numerous Japanese brands with their marketing efforts in Southeast Asia. Now, as the managing director of Wild Advertising and Marketing, I am excited and committed to working with more local brands and driving the growth of our company while also scaling PRAP JAPAN group’s operations in Southeast Asia," he added. Wild Advertising and Marketing joined PRAP JAPAN in 2021. 

Hiroaki explained that since its partnership, the synergy within the group has been "limited" due to language barriers with the Japan headquarters.

"Given my understanding of both working styles and cultural differences, a major part of my role is to maximise the synergy across various aspects of the group," he said. 

He added that the agency has acquired several accounts from Japanese brands such as MSIG, Yakult Singapore, and I-PRIMO.

Additionally, it has also secured a social media retainer with Singapore's national social security system Central Provident Fund Board (CPF).

As the social media agency of record, Wild Advertising and Marketing is responsible for the overall content strategy and creative production across all of CPF’s social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram and TikTok, said Ng Hwei Yun, client services director at Wild Advertising and Marketing when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. 

"We are also responsible for day-to-day monitoring, community management services and performance reporting for our published content," added Ng at the time.

The agency has also seen an increase in projects from the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC)).

"Expanding WILD's value to a broader range of clients, both government and private sector, is another key aspect of my role," said Hiroaki.

Hiroaki will be replacing Ai Ling Yeo, the previous managing director and founder in the role after she stepped down after 14 years in the role. 

"It was time for a new chapter in my entrepreneurial journey. Founding Wild from scratch, investing my own savings, and nurturing it into a thriving business has been a defining experience," said Yeo in a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

"My team became my second family, and together, we achieved remarkable highs while weathering inevitable challenges. I'm immensely proud of the talent we've cultivated and the impact we've had on clients' success," she said. 

In her time there, Yeo explained that some of her proudest achievements were challenging industry giants as a local agency with "underdog grit" which not only earned the agency the trust of major brands but also validated its belief in its capabilities.

"Wild, founded and nurtured by my dear friend Yeo, has always excelled in strategic value and creative execution," said Hiroaki.

"It's a privilege to build on this foundation. By leveraging the synergy within the PRAP JAPAN group, we plan to expand our reach across diverse fields, clients, languages, and regions," he added.

Hiroaki also explained that it will be setting up a creative office in Vietnam to ensure it delivers top-quality services while maintaining cost efficiency.

"This journey is about more than just business growth; it’s about honoring the vision and spirit Yeo brought to Wild," he said. 

Prior to his appointment, Hiroaki was the managing director of PRAP POINTS, a Japanese marketing agency founded in 2016 specialising in advertising, promotion and PR. He held the role for about eight years. 

Prior to that, Hiroaki was the co-founder of POINTS JAPAN INC and the founder of POINTS.SG. 

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