MD David Soo steps down from Invictus Blue

Invictus Blue's David Soo is stepping down from his role as MD. He has been with the agency since 2017 when it was still known as Zenith Malaysia. Soo (pictured) told A+M that it wasn't an easy decision to make and he felt that he has achieved everything he had set out to do when he first joined. Hence, he looks to take on a different challenge. 

According to him, the past year has been a really great year, having won several awards, which were a great achievement for his team members. Zenith was initially a pure-play media agency when Soo joined, and he told A+M that he was given free rein to build other expertise within the agency, including Alchemy79, a fully-owned creative agency under the group.

"That challenge was really exciting, especially seeing the creative expertise grow in size, billings, and the number of clients. We share a lot of integrated clients, such as Libresse, and we also pulled in a couple of pure creative and content clients, such as A&W and Burger King Malaysia. These are not small clients so that's a huge achievement for the team," Soo explained.

In 2018, Zenith Malaysia went from being a franchise solution under Publicis Groupe to an independent brand named Invictus Blue. Despite the rebranding, Soo remained MD and reported to CEO Gerald Miranda. While under the Zenith brand, Soo worked with a range of clients including BMW, Qatar Airways, Bridgestone, PETRONAS, and Clarins. Before Invictus Blue, Soo was with Saatchi & Saatchi Arachnid as MD and GM and Publicis One as chief integration officer.

"I tend to get stereotyped as the creative guy. Yes, my experience in the creative scene has been longer but that's not how we function. At the end of the day, it's really about improving clients' businesses, that's the core for any brief, client, or job we do. That's how we differentiate ourselves," Soo explained.

When asked about his biggest learning lesson at Invictus Blue, Soo said it was about tearing down the walls internally. When agencies attempt to offer an integrated solution, there are two very different mindsets. "So we had to tear down walls to bring people together, have them understand each other's offerings, and how the offerings are much greater together than one offering itself. Once the teams understood that and feel that there are no threats, and realise that such an environment is conducive for them to share their thoughts and collaborate, we started to reap the benefits," Soo said. This is when employees start to feel a part of a total integrated team.

According to him, the success of Invictus Blue is a testament to the people it hires and retains. "Awards are nice to have, they are a pat on the shoulder but they are not the be-all and end-all. It's about getting the right talent together and people who are really passionate about what they do and those who believe in it," Soo explained.  

Read the rest of the interview here:

A+M: What advice do you have for independent agencies?

Soo: Never sell yourself short, never think that you are not up to par. International agencies might have the glitz and glamour at first glance but what's important is that clients stick to an agency based on the type of talent it has, as well as the results the agency can drive. I don't think clients are adamant about needing to hiring an international agency, for example. Instead, they are more concerned about who is behind the agency and who will be delivering the work.

A+M: Agencies these days face the issue of talent shortage. How did you overcome that at Invictus Blue?

Soo: If you list out all the things you want, you will realise you're trying to hire a unicorn which is impossible. Aside from academics and experiences, you can't get a perfect match but you have to be able to filter through and get an individual with the right attitude, which can be complementary to the larger set of employees in your workplace. That's fundamental. Once you put them together, magic happens and they can all work together harmoniously.

For example, we had an individual who joined as a social content manager but she was much better with strategic thinking and we gave her more opportunities to grow that piece of the pie. She became really good at it and right now, she is extremely clear and determined that strategy is her future. You never know where or who [would be the right fith], you just have to trust your gut and the talent you hire needs to have fundamental values.

A+M: What trends are you excited about and why?

Soo: The approach to how we reach and target consumers is going to be quite different. Most companies have a hybrid working environment these days so brands and agencies need to find that balance when engaging consumers. It's not the same as it was pre-pandemic. A lot of consumers are seeking more purpose in life and the whole pandemic has taught us that also. Is life really all about that nine to five? Can brands enable consumers to feel empowered than just buying detergent? 

I find it interesting to see how things will change. A huge part of it is also due to screen fatigue. During the pandemic, many of us have been looking at screens for entertainment and work but plenty of people are now venturing out. If we are going beyond screens, do we then turn to large-scale physical events then since people are keen to head out? Also, with tech evolving so fast, is there really a place for VR and AR?

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