TSL Media Group officially launches Social Makers agency

The Smart Local Media Group (TSL Media Group) has officially launched Social Makers, formalising an agency offering that has been operating under the name for about two years.

The social-native agency offers services spanning brand strategy, creative and video production, influencer marketing, experiential events, targeted amplification and performance reporting.

Social Makers is built around TSL Media Group's existing publishing and content ecosystem, which includes a network of 30 media brands, an in-house influencer arm and creative and video production capabilities. According to the group, the setup is aimed at bringing services that brands may typically split across multiple partners under one team.

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While the agency has already been working with clients and producing campaigns under the Social Makers name, the latest move marks its formal launch under TSL Media Group.

The formal launch comes as Social Makers picks up MoneySense, Singapore's national financial education programme under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The agency has been appointed to handle MoneySense's end-to-end social media strategy, content production and account management.

Social Makers has also worked with the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board on "Plan busted", a microdrama series that uses comedic scenarios to explore financial planning. The series stars Javier Chionh, Zhin Sadali and Charmaine Sew, who are talents under TSL Media Group. Its other work includes "Amazon Prime big deal Days warm up 2025: The creator house", which brought together more than 30 creators for an event centred on Amazon deals and trends.

Speaking on the launch, Bryan Choo, CEO of TSL Media Group, said the growth of its agency business has been driven by what he described as the group's "publisher/social DNA advantage".

"Across our publishing network which gets 10 billion views annually, we see every day what content audiences actually engage with and what drives results for brands," said Choo. "Social Makers puts that insight to work for clients, so every campaign is built on proof of what performs, not guesswork."

Meanwhile, Sharene Lau (pictured), head of agency at Social Makers, said brands increasingly need partners capable of connecting different parts of a campaign rather than operating within a single specialism.

"We bring strategy, creative, live events, creator partnerships and programmatic technology together under one roof, all guided by real-time audience insight," said Lau. "That lets us move at the speed of culture and show clients exactly what their investment delivers. That is what makes Social Makers truly social-native."

The launch builds on TSL Media Group's moves in the creator marketing space. Last year, SPH Media partnered with the group's influencer agency X10 Media to bolster its omnichannel offering with creator-led marketing, aimed at helping brands drive results across the funnel.

The partnership combined SPH Media's editorial reach and content ecosystem with X10 Media's experience running more than 1,000 influencer campaigns across Southeast Asia. Through the tie-up, SPH Media sought to integrate influencer marketing more closely into its advertising offering, bringing together media reach, content and social engagement.

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