Lion & Lion hires Jimmy Sutanto as creative director

Lion & Lion Indonesia has appointed Jimmy Sutanto (pictured) as creative director. Based in Jakarta, Sutanto will be responsible for leading the market's creative department and drive its digital-first strategy through integrated business solutions and connected brand experiences. Additionally, in his new role, he will directly report to John Campbell-Bruce, managing director of Lion & Lion Indonesia, as well as Cheelip Ong, regional chief creative officer of Lion & Lion. 

With more than 17 years of experience in the creative and advertising industry, Sutanto was previously the head of creative for Ogilvy Myanmar before coming on board with Lion & Lion. During his five-year stint at Ogilvy, he worked with companies across multiple industries such as Coca-Cola, British American Tobacco, Samsung, Huawei, Nestle, and telecommunications provider Telenor. 

Other than Ogilvy, Sutanto has worked in other brands such as Geometry Global, formul8, and Grid, among others, according to his LinkedIn. At formul8, he assumed the role of art director from November 2011 to January 2012, where he handled various projects and pitches for local Singapore brands, as well as projects from Dubai properties. As for Grid, where he was a senior art director from April 2010 to April 2011, he managed several brands' accounts, including Singtel, SingHealth, Foton, MediaCorp, Disney, and NTUC, his LinkedIn said. 

“I am extremely excited that Sutanto has joined the den. He brings strong creative and strategic skills and I have absolute confidence that he will help drive our creative product to new heights. Welcome aboard, Sutanto," said Campbell-Bruce. 

Sutanto said: “I am passionate about combining audience insights, data and technology to create a unique brand experience within the customer journey. I believe that creativity is about solving problems; not merely projecting good art, but seeing how well creative design in digital marketing answers the needs of clients or improves people’s lives."

He added that his goal is to bring Lion & Lion Indonesia to the next level in terms of creativity, which will be reflected in the industry awards the agency hopes to win. To achieve this, he explained: "I encourage my team to always keep learning, so we can improve our ability to craft effective brand experiences for our clients. I live by the mantra of always listening, staying curious, and continuously learning from the best in Lion & Lion and the industry, all while motivating my team to do better." 

According to the agency, the appointment of Sutanto is in line with its aims of securing client partnerships, and continuing its growth momentum. Among the new businesses that the agency has acquired over the past year are biotechnology firm Novozymes and consumer brands Doublemint and Cool Air.

Separately, Lion & Lion Indonesia was appointed by Mars Wrigley Doublemint in March to oversee regional digital and social duties covering Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Additionally, it was responsible for the development and execution of a new activation for Doublemint, which heightened brand awareness and conversion amidst the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the physical lifestyle changes and enforced social restrictions caused by COVID-19, Lion & Lion claimed it saw an opportunity to spread Doublemint’s brand of freshness on digital and social by gamifying the act of sharing gum and mints with friends.

Meanwhile, the agency developed a new brand positioning and visual identity in November 2021, as well as a tagline, "Made to Impact" which highlighted the positive effect its work had on client brands, the audiences, and the industry as a whole. Under the leadership of its CEO Fredrik Gumpel, and Ong, Lion & Lion initiated a transformation exercise in 2019 to adopt a more flexible and integrated approach. Following the transformation, it redefined its positioning in the industry as an agency that emphasises holistic strategic thinking, ideas-led solutions, and a flexible business model customised for the digital age. According to the agency then, this resulted in a highly agile setup that met the business needs of clients from end to end, while ensuring versatility and creativity when engaging audiences in different markets.

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