“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” — said David Ogilvy, and he was right. There is no denying that advertising is a highly important aspect of the business. The recognition of your brand and products often decide whether you can survive in the open market. We are living in a capitalistic world where advertising dictates sales.
Hiring the right people to do the advertising is pivotal for any company. The correlation between the performance of your business and the quality of advertising is more apparent in regions with fiercer competition. You have to compete against other companies trying to deliver better products and services. At the same time, advertising agencies you employ also compete against agencies hired by your market competitors.
Singapore is undoubtedly one of the financially densest regions in the SEA region meaning that you need a good advertising agency to represent your company. We decided to put together a comprehensive list of top advertising agencies in Singapore. These companies provide high-quality service, demonstrate creativity, and work in various fields of marketing including online marketing, outdoor advertising, and print media advertising.
DMS focuses on providing top-notch digital marketing including SEO, lead generation, SMM, and strategizing. If you want to hire a result-oriented company that can factually improve your sales in the region, look no further. DMS employs experts in various areas of digital marketing. Years of expertise allowed them to acquire the necessary expertise to manipulate customers and guide them directly to your product which is tremendously important in the age of digital technologies. As the prevalence of online marketing techniques keeps growing in Singapore, you have to search for companies that feel comfortable in this particular field. By increasing online recognition and social media presence of their clients while masterfully tailoring pay per click ads, DMS manages to deliver visible results.
Office: Vision Exchange Building, 2 Venture Drive, #13-06 Singapore.
Tel: +65 6702 1709
e-mail: hello@digitalm.sg.
Jack Morton focuses on creating complex brand strategies that allow businesses to present themselves in a better light. The company is by no means cheap and provides a wide range of services including web design, online marketing, branding, and strategizing. With rates as high as $150 per hour, the company tries its hardest to deliver effective advertising. The HQ of the company is in NY.
Havas Asia focuses on consulting and strategy as well as social marketing and mobile marketing. The company has experienced designers and marketing experts yet won’t provide the holistic service that some businesses may require when entering a new foreign market. The company uses various techniques of online marketing to ensure that their clients are recognized by the Singaporean audience as quickly as possible. Havas Asia Pacific is native to Singapore.
The Asia Pacific XM Advertising Agency
XM Advertising is amongst the oldest marketing companies. It specializes in various types of digital marketing providing extensive consultations, creative design, and grand strategies. Companies such as the state tourism board and Unilever employ this company to improve branding recognition and marketing efficiency in the region. The company is well-known for its effective strategies and ability to create consumer-oriented ads that understand the specifics of the local culture. XM Advertising works not only in Singapore but in many neighboring countries.
AD Cool Media provides a wide range of services focusing on creative design and effective social marketing techniques. The core principle of the company is to focus on consumers and their needs to create ads that are engaging and result-driven. The company is amongst the best in the region and has its roots in Singapore meaning that employees of AD Cool Media understand the intricacies of the local culture.
This brand has a rich history. It was established in 1935 in Chicago. Over the years, the company managed to grow into a large globally recognized brand that provides outstanding services to corporations and governments. They recently opened an office in Singapore welcomes local customers and businesses that want to get accustomed to the local market. If you have questions about their services and prices, you can send a letter to enquiries@sg.leoburnett.
An award-winning company that offers a wide range of services to globally recognized brands including Tiger Beer, Procter and Gamble, and Fitbit. The company received praise for its achievements in 2017 for delivering engaging marketing campaigns such as “Rise” for Guinness. Excellent planning and execution allow BBDO to craft memorable ads and efficiently implement various techniques of social marketing to make their customers stand out. Call them (+65 6533 2200) or visit them in person (30 Merchant Road, #03-12 Riverside Point).
Dentsu is a high-profile advertising agency in Japan. The company is known for its ability to create original ads and campaigns that engage Asian customers. By effectively employing cultural and social elements in their ads, the company managed to rise to the top of the marketing industry in Japan. Twenty years ago, the company decided to expand and opened an office in Singapore. Today, their efforts are aimed at representing their main clients such as Toyota and Canon in Singapore. However, Dentsu won’t deny you an opportunity to be better recognized by the local consumer base. You can reach out to them by calling +65 6734 0110 or sending an e-mail to contact@dentsubrand.com.
Edelman is a globally recognized marketing agency with offices all over the globe. While their field of expertise is quite expansive, their main focus is delivering new age B2B techniques to their corporate clients. The office in Singapore employs 120 people. They have designers, strategists, experts in various fields, and experienced B2B specialists. If you are looking for someone to represent your brand in the region while focusing on business connections within it, you will be happy to work with Edelman. Either call +65 6733 1110 or visit their website to learn more about their services.
Digital marketing is incredibly important in the age of digital technology. At the same time, any advertising agency that wants to be effective needs to understand the nuances of the local culture to create engaging advertising that can have a reasonable impact on the performance of an advertised product in the region. 24K Design Studio is a respected local digital marketing studio that focuses on SEO, SEM, SMM, and design. They will gladly help if you need a great website including e-Commerce solutions and content-driven sites. Just call +65 66 00 0131 to learn more.
The company was founded in 2006 as a consulting agency. The main focus of the company was surveying and collecting valuable market data for their companies. However, the ATE Ideas transformed into an innovative marketing agency that uses various forms of digital marketing in order to deliver high-performance PR strategies. ATE also produces excellent content for their clients and makes sure that they have all the necessary technologies to use information effectively. The company is employed by many global brands like American Express and Louis Vuitton.
A rapidly growing company with more than 15 years of expertise in digital marketing, VML is a company that employs advanced SMM techniques and other methods of digital advertising to make their clients happy. VML can brag about winning various awards like Digital Media Award and Effie Singapore. It is an entirely independent company that was established as a relatively small consulting firm in 2003.
With over 20 years of extensive experience in the market, VMSD manages to regularly create engaging marketing campaigns that never fail to hit the mark. VMSD are experts in producing noticeable merchandising, sales territory design, retail experience improvements, and more. The company is well-known for its expertise in offline marketing and humorous campaigns. VMSD creates close partnerships with its clients by accompanying them on many steps of the journey. Any business that enters the market wants to find someone who can help them to build a store, decorate it, and make it stand out. At the same time, VMSD knows how to pull the heartstrings and make the target audience laugh or feel emotions.
The main focus of the company is creating exciting experiences for new audiences and making sure that the market responses positively to brands that GroupM advertises. The company uses a variety of digital marketing techniques including SMM and SEO. You can call +65 6225 1262 to learn more about the company and its services.
PAA is a high-profile digital marketing agency that works with brands like Microsoft and Coca-Cola. The main focus of the company is to create multidimensional strategies that generate clients and make them aware of any given brand quickly. One of the issues with the company is that it is not “local.” While they have representatives in Singapore, the global nature of their expansion makes PAA less focused. It means that they will likely deliver excellent results in general yet may be less efficient in terms of streamlining their attention and efficiency on a region-specific audience in Singapore.
CDA is well-known for its prolific expertise in web development, content creation, and social media marketing. This company manages to create resultative strategies capable of bringing new customers to brands that want to be recognized in the SEA region. Many clients come to the agency to receive extensive consultations for their digital marketing efforts. Carbon Digital Agency employs various SMM techniques and engaging content to weave memorable marketing campaigns with embedded stories, fantastic design, and bright ideas. Call +65 6293 4373 to receive consultations from this agency.
ClickTrue is a digital marketing agency that uses technology and advanced online marketing techniques to make their clients heard by large audiences. ClickTrue employees are experts in various fields of digital marketing including web analytics, SEO, SMM, and web development. With more than ten years of experience, the company certainly knows the limits of online marketing. They represent such brands as Nikon, Media Vest, and many others. You can call +65 6571 7168 to get in touch with representatives of ClickTrue.
While many companies in our list are focusing on creating strategies and delivering direct results, Cresset Technologies is a company that puts research and surveying first and foremost. The company acquires information through its presence in social media. All this information can be used very effectively to conceive effective marketing strategies that can bring in active customers without any problems. Cresset Technologies helps companies to improve branding and make their products more recognizable by effectively using their findings and research techniques. If you want to focus on informed advertising or seek for a company that can research the market before you jump right into it, you will find the services of this company quite appealing.
Aiden CA is a company that focuses on online marketing and uses both relatively outdated techniques like e-mail marketing and more advanced forms of advertising like SMM. The company works with various globally recognized brands such as Toshiba, EBC, and Triumph. The company is also known for its prowess in web development and design. They create exciting sites and online services for their clients. These products can be seamlessly integrated into the overarching marketing strategy developed by the company.
Adweb 360 is yet another audience-oriented advertising agency that wants to work closely with potential customers and create genuinely engaging marketing campaigns. The company is one of the best in terms of employee training and uses various ways to educate their workers. Due to the expertise of its employees, the company consistently achieves high levels of customer satisfaction. Adweb 360 specializes in sophisticated marketing campaigns and works with global corporations like La Villa Transport. You can call +65 3459 1402 to learn more about their services.
Choosing the right advertising agency
As mentioned previously, it is hard to overvalue the impact of good advertising on your sales and brand recognition. Singapore is one of the fastest growing economies in the SEA region with over S$69 billion in revenues generated by companies across the board and annual growth of the economy estimated at 1.7%. Singapore focuses heavily on attracting foreign investors and improving various sectors of the economy including agriculture, service & tourism, manufacturing, and chemical industry.
The country has been regularly rated amongst the top10 countries in terms of purchasing power parity (3rd in 2017). Singapore was ranked 1st in terms of market openness. Low corruption and a massive influx of tourists make the local market very attractive to internationally recognized brands and smaller foreign businesspeople who want to find a healthier economic environment for their capitalistic endeavors.
However, these beneficial factors make the market intensely competitive. It is impossible to strive in this environment without effective marketing and creative advertising. Focusing on result-oriented strategies and direct customer acquisition is more than important in a market where ads are everywhere. Choosing the right advertising agency that will be able to bring your clients and make your brand more recognizable is critical to the success of your business.
Choose your advertising contractor based on which skills and types of expertise you require to penetrate the market and make your voice loud and clear. Many businesses entering the market rely on e-Commerce and social media to quickly find some firm ground to stand on. Hiring agencies that help you find active customers and build some presence in social media is generally a good idea.
Different types of media in Singapore
It is hard to evaluate the scale of the media in Singapore adequately. While the government heavily controls television, radio, and press, the massive influx of international TV broadcasters and publications significantly changed the landscape of the industry throughout the last decade. In 2003, the GPD of the media sector was evaluated at S$11 billion. At the same time, the infrastructure is still developing with the number of people connected to the media ecosphere growing each year.
Many international correspondents decided to create residences in the region. Amongst most famous foreign correspondents with official bases in the country are SNBC Asia and Dow Jones. Singapore welcomes international journalism on their soil providing optimal working conditions for those who want to report on various issues in the country. Time, INYT, Newsweek, and Economist have their representatives in Singapore.
Despite over 787 people per 1000 being on the internet, many printed publications have a significant impact on large audiences. Many local papers are quite influential and can be used effectively as advertising mediums. Daily newspapers such as Shin Min Daily, Berita Harian, Lianhe Wanbao, Lianhe Zaobao, TODAY, and The New Paper reach over 60% of the population of a daily basis.
Four main uplink operators control the broadcasting. These operators are Ascent Media Group, SingTel Telecast, MediaCorp, and ST Teleport. These international broadcasters cooperate with Infocomm. The exposure of local audiences to imported movies and TV shows is massive. However, the government tries its hardest to encourage people to watch more locally produced shows and films. With such a wide range of entertainment choices, TV is one of the most effective advertising mediums in the country.
Singapore has 14 main radio stations that broadcast in French, German, Japanese, Hindi, and Korean in addition to Malay. With 23% of residents being foreign-born and 43% of all people living in Singapore being foreigners, it is not a surprise that media strives to broadcast in various languages. Amongst the most popular radio stations are RIA, LUSH, WARNA, One FM, EXPAT RADIO, 938 LIVE, GOLD, and Capital.
There are seven national TV channels including Channel 5, Channel 8, Channel U, NewsAsia, Suria, Okto, and Vasantham. At the same time, 21 international channels from neighboring countries are also broadcasted on the territory of Singapore. The variety of content and entertainment is incredible with 29 TV channels providing a constant flow of information 24/7.
It is important to note that the state-owned MediaCorp controls all radio and TV stations and monitor the content of media meaning that advertisers must be aware of some cultural and social nuances that may affect whether specific ads can be aired in the region. The only fully independent radio station in the country is BBC World Service.
One of the most important TV channels in the country is Channel NewsAsia that broadcasts in English. The channel provides extensive coverage of various events all over the globe with a distinct focus on the news from the SEA region. The most popular subscription-based TV service is StarHub TV that offers access to over 100 international TV channels including HBO, NatGeo, and CNN. About a decade ago, SingTel mioTV started providing subscription-based TV services as well as VOD services to people in Singapore. mioTV allows you to watch drama and comedies from Canada and the US as well as sports events.
Growing and dying media in Singapore
The overall interconnectivity of people in Singapore keeps increasing each year. Nevertheless, there are some forms of media losing ground as well as those that take their place or gain momentum in a completely different field. One of the most telling factors is that the popularity of traditional media such as radio and TV is decaying. For example, the circulation of one of the leading printed papers in the country, The Strait Times, dropped by about 8% over the course of a single year in 2016. Some publications like Jakarta Globe ceased their operations in the region altogether. It is expected, just like in other parts of the world, that online media will replace many traditional media in the nearest future. It means that the main focus of modern marketing shifts towards online marketing.
At the same time, the various digital platforms and social media acquire more and more users. As of right now, 95% of the population uses their phones to access the internet. 4.4 million people in Singapore use social media which is approximately 336 thousand more compared to 2017. About 3% of people are actively engaging the social media with the number growing steadily and at a notably increasing pace. An average Singaporean spends about 2 hours and 6 minutes per day browsing social media with Youtube, Whatsapp, and Facebook leading in popularity by a wide margin.
The overall trend is quite apparent. Singaporean people start moving away from traditional media and enjoy social media and the internet that much more. In situations in Japan and China are indicators of the direction of this trend, we can expect a massive growth of online media in Singapore within the next decade.
Media expenditure
The media industry is expected to grow by at least 3.5% annually which translates to an estimated nearly $7 billion turnover by 2022. At the same time, the growth of the Singaporean online advertising market is expected at 8.4% meaning that the overall market turnover will reach about $450 million by 2022 with nearly 48% market share controlled by various marketing agencies focusing on mobile advertising.
One of the most exciting trends is the growing interest in online advertising. Companies spent about $300 million on various forms of internet advertising including SEO and SMM in 2017 with an expected growth of this number near 14% in the next year. The amount of people connected to the internet via fixed broadband connection is in millions. About 260 out of 1000 people are connected via a fixed broadband connection. The amount of active internet users is also growing at an increasing pace with over 780 people per 1000 using the internet on a regular basis at least once a week.
Despite the rapid decrease in the popularity of newspapers, magazines are still trendy and show some growth. The pace of the increase is undeniably slower when compared to the growth rates of online media platforms. Nevertheless, magazines are a reliable form of content delivery in Singapore and should not be ignored.
The amount of ads on the radio and TV is also growing despite the fact that the popularity of these media is declining at a notable rate. The average price of a 30-second ad on the radio is about $330. The volume of the market is still growing albeit very slowly. For example, the growth of TV advertising is estimated at 0.5% in 2019.
The biggest gain in popularity was achieved by digital streaming. Marketing expenditures grew by a staggering 85% during the period from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, the market share of digital streaming was estimated at $20 million. Simultaneously, the popularity of VOD platforms is growing at a steady pace. People are enjoying various streaming services and love e-Sports mostly due to the fact that millions of people in the country consider themselves avid gamers.
Online marketing
It is quite interesting that online marketing in Singapore continues growing and haven’t yet reached its fullest potential. Some statistics are very telling and show both the direction of trends and the current situation of online marketing in the country. Online marketing is one of the industry branches that shows an impressive rate of growth and promises enormous opportunities for effective advertising.
For example, the recent study by PWC addressed the effectiveness of online advertising across the globe. Amongst other interesting findings: about 14.6% of all advertising expenditures account for online endeavors. This number is significantly lower compared to China and Japan (53.6% and 25.9% respectively). However, these numbers were notably lower in China and Japan just a couple of years ago. This trend indicates that we should expect that the share of online advertising in Singapore will increase.
Another intriguing statistic from Singapore is that only 22% of people completely ignore social posts that advertise brands. While this number is lower than in many other countries, advertisers should be quite careful when promoting their products on social media. Storytelling and engaging design choices usually help in creating memorable campaigns that connect to people on an emotional level. Advertising agencies that use SMM, SEO and other forms of online marketing are generally better in this environment.
A recent survey by the Digital Influence Lab showed that over 42% of users use the internet to compare products and prices while 26% are actively shopping online. The number of people who browse the internet to read reviews or research is dropping. It means that advertisers have to focus more on creating engaging marketing campaigns that are based on SEO, SMM, and PPC (pay per click) techniques to attract actual customers.
Media laws in Singapore
One of the main state bodies that control all forms of telecommunications and information flow in the country is the Media Development Authority. This company fully regulates the industry and ensures that various technologies and marketing techniques are used according to law.
All telecommunications are regulated according to the Telecoms Act. All info-communications are controlled according to the IMDA Act. These acts dictate various aspects of the domain including most optimal performance standards, regulatory factors, and general guidelines. Operators who want to work in Singapore have to acquire a license from IMDA according to the demands of the Telecoms Act.
The main document that dictates how advertising should be conducted in the country in the Singaporean Code of Advertising Practice that provides basic guidelines for agencies. While the act is created to make the industry self-regulating and mostly independent, there are many rules and nuances that you have to abide by.
New laws and regulations are being pushed regularly due to the rapid growth of the industry with the legal landscape of the industry changing frequently. Such a high pace of changes demands local advertisers to stay sharp and update their policies and practices according to all new laws.
