The PR People opens digital marketing agency, hires Kamei Chong

Lifestyle PR firm, The PR People has opened up a digital marketing sister agency, The Social People.

The Social People features services such as social media management, SEO content strategy, email marketing, and digital advertising, steered by data analytics and centered around the customer's needs, behaviors and interests.

 The Social People will be headed by editor and digital marketing professional, Kamei Chong, who will be leading a team of six. Chong will also be working closely with The PR People to create broad-reach campaigns for clients who are working with PR, as well as clients who are looking strictly for a direct-to-consumer digital advantage. 

Prior to her role in The Social People, Cheong was Appiloque's digital strategist for 11 months. Appiloque is a local digital agency with a huge focus on tech and innovation. Before Appiloque, Cheong also worked in the editor role of Jetstar Asia for Medium Rare Content agency. During her time there, she Led the revamp of the inflight magazine, and developed a data-driven digital content strategy with a brand new online content hub for the Singapore market.

Aside from Chong, Vogue Singapore's former digital director, Annabelle Fernandez also joins the sister agency as its content director. In her role, Fernandez will be leading the creative execution of campaigns and focus on developing engaging branded content across multiple platforms. Previously as digital director, she oversaw the overall digital content strategy of Vogue Singapore, as well as helm the fashion features section of the website and print magazine, said her LinkedIn. Fernandez was also responsible for implementing and monitoring the publication's social media content strategy and direction. 

With plans of further expansion, The PR People's business director, Rand Rogers said Thailand is a market on its radar. While there are a variety of agencies that offer digital marketing services, The Social People stands out because of its unique USP, explained Rogers to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. He touted that its communications strategies were built synergistically between traditional PR, digital marketing and amplification.

"Being rooted in PR and media gives our team a strong inside knowledge of how to best utilise a holistic communications strategy to deliver actionable results. Additionally, as storytellers at our core, we know how to build and amplify great stories," Rogers said. 

Having already established its clientele via The PR People, The Social People said it will now be moving into marketing opportunities with the same clients, as well as new clients who will be onboarding the agency within the next few months. Its strategy is to be a one-stop agency, eliminating the need for multiple partners or agencies for brands who would like to streamline. Its current clients include Dermalogica Malaysia, Sephora Malaysia, and Singapore. 

When asked about its plans for 2022, Roger explained that the goal is to stand out as a hybrid agency, with expertise across its core PR offerings married with its new digital offerings. "Being able to be fully immersed in working with clients across PR activity, social media content creation and management, SEO and digital amplification will really allow us to be a one-stop-shop for many clients who are looking to streamline their 2022 market strategy," said Rogers.

While the pandemic might have posed several challenges for several industries, it has also given way to a digital future as brands push to keep up with the changing habits of the consumer. According to Rogers, he said that the continued rise of TikTok and shoppable content are areas industry players should keep an eye on this year. Aside from TikTok and shoppable content, the power of user-generated reviews and content over traditional influencer content for marketing are also areas Rogers is taking note of. Furthermore, there is also the use of AR and VR, as well as the rise of virtual influencers. 

Director of The PR People, Diana Ong, said that starting The Social People was not only a dream, but a necessary addition to its service offerings. Ong attributes this to the industry becoming more complex and the evolving needs of the clients, which required the agency to look beyond traditional PR channels for a more robust communications strategy. "We have always been quick to adapt to changes and develop practical and creative strategies for our clients, and now with the birth of The Social People, we will continue the trend of putting our clients' needs first," Ong explained. 

Meanwhile, The PR People's expansion to Malaysia first started in June 2020. According to Ong, the decision to expand to Malaysia was due to the friendliness of the Malaysians and its rich culture. As a result, she has developed good friendships with the media and key opinion leaders in Malaysia, which made it a natural step for the agency to open there. “We have been very blessed to work with amazing brands such as Gucci Beauty, Drunk Elephant, and Burberry, and some of them asked us to continue our great relationship by helping them move into Malaysia,” Ong explained to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE at that time. 

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