AdONCE repositions around women's perspectives to sharpen strategic focus

AdONCE has unveiled a new agency positioning centred on women's perspectives, a strategic direction informed by a workforce that is nearly 90% female and shaped by years of developing campaigns across culture, entertainment, beauty and lifestyle brands throughout Asia.

The Jakarta-based independent creative marketing and production agency has repositioned around 'Through the lens of women'. Rather than positioning women solely as a target audience, AdONCE said its new direction is intended to help brands better understand behaviours, motivations and cultural nuances that shape purchasing decisions.

The move comes as research continues to highlight a disconnect between brands and female consumers. According to NielsenIQ's "Shaping Success: Women’s Impact on the CPG Landscape" report, women influence an estimated 70-80% of global consumer purchasing decisions, yet 91% believe brands still do not understand them. The findings suggest the challenge extends beyond representation into areas such as product development, communications and customer experience.

Don't miss: IKEA Indonesia appoints media agency following regional pitch

Over recent years, the agency has delivered campaigns featuring regional and global celebrities including SEVENTEEN and Cha Eun-woo for Skechers APAC; EXO, TWICE and Song Joong-ki for Scarlett; aespa, ENHYPEN and RIIZE for Nabati; Lyodra and Prilly Latuconsina for Implora; and Nicholas Saputra for Kanzler across markets including South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

According to the agency, these cross-market campaigns reinforced that successful regional marketing depends less on translating creative work than on understanding how different audiences interpret culture, aspiration and relevance.

"We're less interested in marketing to women than learning from how women observe, evaluate and experience the world," said Angel Roberty, founder and director of AdONCE. "Those perspectives often reveal tensions, unmet needs and opportunities that traditional creative processes overlook."

Roberty argued that understanding decision-making has become one of marketers' biggest competitive advantages as products become easier to replicate and technology more widely accessible.

"The biggest challenge today isn't reaching consumers. It's understanding how people arrive at decisions," she said. "Products can be copied. Technology becomes more accessible. But genuine understanding remains difficult to replicate."

The agency's repositioning aligns with a wider conversation taking place across industries about designing products and experiences around women's needs. It cited examples beyond advertising, including the automotive sector, where manufacturers have argued that accelerating electric vehicle adoption requires greater consideration of women's experiences as users rather than simply as buyers.

NielsenIQ's research also suggests women typically assess purchases through a combination of functional, emotional and social considerations, weighing recommendations, long-term value and brand alignment alongside price. Those behaviours have implications that extend beyond advertising into innovation, customer experience and broader brand strategy.

At the same time, the commercial opportunity continues to grow. According to the Financial Times, women are expected to account for an increasing share of global discretionary spending over the coming years, further strengthening their influence on consumption trends.

For AdONCE, that reinforces the importance of cultural understanding alongside creative execution.

"Culture isn't something you add at the end of a campaign," Roberty said. "It shapes how people perceive value, aspiration, trust and relevance from the very beginning. Working across different markets has taught us that better creativity starts with better observation."

She added that the agency's new positioning is intended to broaden perspectives rather than narrow audiences.

"It's not about designing campaigns only for women," she said. "It's about broadening the perspectives involved in building brands. Better perspectives lead to better questions. Better questions lead to better insights. And better insights build better brands."

Discover what's next in Indonesia's fast-moving digital landscape at DMA Indonesia 2026 on 13 October in Jakarta, where marketing leaders will explore how AI, creator ecosystems, social commerce, and omnichannel strategies are reshaping customer engagement and business growth.

Related articles:
Unilever Foods Indonesia selects social media partner for Bango and Royco
Creative catch-up: The Chariot Agency's Jarrod Reginald
MullenLowe TREYNA rebrands as TREYNA after Omnicom-IPG merger