#AOTYAwards 2021 spills: Mashwire's success in carving a unique positioning to stand out

Mashwire is a Singapore-grown independent agency aimed to help brands build better relationships with their consumers; primarily through campaigns, creatives, and digital. Among the list of brands the agency has worked with include Yeo's, China Mobile, Watsons, Haribo, Hershey's and Ocean Health. It recently won Local Hero for Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year and was nominated for Content Marketing Agency of the Year, CRM & Loyalty Marketing Agency of the Year, and Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's AOTY Awards 2021.

Strategic integration planners Teo Hon Wui and Jeff Ng told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it decided to launch as an integrated agency even though 360-degree communication was the trend during the time it launched its services. Despite being different from the rest, it was able to carve its unique positioning and made its name amidst the tough competition.

This interview is done as part of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s winners' and finalists’ interview series for AOTY Awards 2021. To find out more about the awards, click here.

Tell us what do these achievements mean for you?

Teo and Ng: We are an integration agency. Back then when Mashwire started eight years ago, 360-degree communication was the trend, but we have been pushing forward with integration as our speciality. Being an integration agency differs from one with integrated services. By integration, we synergise marketing communication disciplines, growing interactions with consumers across the consumers’ journey, increasing brand influence and advocacy.

Winning the Local Hero is a recognition of our foresight in consumer-first approach and our passion for building relationships between brands and their consumers. We sincerely thank our clients and partners who have placed their trust in our integrative approach and believing in how integration can effectively achieve their desired outcomes.

What makes you proudest about being part of your agency?

Teo and Ng: Being different from the rest is never easy as a local boutique agency. In our vision to celebrate meaningful relationships, we persevered and lighted up many brands and their customer relationships along our journey. As the process and outcome of successful integrations tend to be complex and daunting to some, we are proud to have influenced and convinced many of our people and partners along the way, believing in integration. It is through this that our agency, our people, and our works stand out and differentiate amongst the rest. Being a small agency facing intense competition, we carved our unique positioning and are proud to be a local agency, doing our part to put the tiny red dot on the global map.

What are some of the initiatives you have in place to ensure your staff feel proud to be associated with your agency?

Teo and Ng: Our belief is the agency is as good as our people. Only when our people grow, the agency grows. We inculcate a learning journey, where cross-pollination between teams allow them to appreciate and respect each other’s works. We are transparent with the challenges and wins along our journey crafting integrative strategies and campaigns.

We are not afraid of facing rejections or losing a pitch, we are only afraid of not being able to justify our works to ourselves.

Confident we may be, but this belief has pushed us to where we are today.

How are you attracting talent to your agency?

Teo and Ng: We look for like-minded individuals, people who are aligned with our values. You need not have vast knowledge or know-hows, neither do you have to be experienced in various disciplines. Our mission where we connect to light up relationships, applies in our quest to fill the agency with people of the right aptitude, and attitude. Our strong belief in a learning culture has propelled us to meet, if not exceed, the demands of the industry. We are passionate about learning and developing together.

What are your hopes for Singapore's advertising scene in 2021?

Teo and Ng: We look forward to a scene that creates consumer-centric experiences. Are consumers looking for brands that are plastered everywhere, or are they looking for brands that truly understand their needs? Listen to them, and find meaningful ways to connect. It’s through strategic thinking, backed by research and data, that allows brands to value add into consumers' lives.