MS&L Digital goes global

Singapore - Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) has formed a new network, MS&L Digital, together with its sister companies Digitas and Publicis Modem, and is expanding its integrated digital offerings to Europe and Asia.

"There is growing demand from MS&L's clients for sophisticated, market-specific digital communication programs in most areas of the world. While the content of the many digital techniques we use is tailored to different markets and cultures, the ability to share strategies and best practices across borders will be key to our clients' success and the agency's continued digital leadership," MS&L's CEO, Mark Hass, said.

This reflects the stance holding company Publicis Groupe is taking towards the growing importance of digital strategies, social media, user-generated content, mobile technologies and traditional internet-based communications techniques.

In Singapore, senior account manager Tony Tan will be leading the MS&L Digital practice. The agency's global offering will now offer four categories of services, consulting and strategy conversation, digital publishing and lastly, measurement and accountability.

Its approach to digital communications will be consumer-centric, focusing on communicating with multiple audiences, using third-party credibility, creating and building research-driven insights and leveraging on its understanding of influencers and pop culture to achieve communication and business goals.

According to a research conducted by MS&L research and PR Week, there is a growing urgency for integrated global digital offerings for brand building with executives expected to invest heavily in consumer generated media (43%) alongside conventional marketing activities like event sponsorships (60%) and media relations (65%).

Digital communications hence is an increasingly critical part of brand-building and the overall marketing mix as majority of marketing executives perceive consumer-generated media to be an important activity for building a brand (55%), increasing brand awareness (63%), and driving sales (43%).