But So, BBDO's new Asia-Pacific chief, is not perturbed. He has put the changes down to a restructuring to push the network to a "higher level of excellence". Day-to-day operations, he adds, have not been affected.
"I've inherited a network of agencies which is young, aggressive and creative, but we must build upon this further to create a structure that encompasses below-the-line, interactive and CRM in a bigger way than now,
he says.
Underlining So's ambitions is the appointment of Seshadri Sampath as Singapore chief executive officer, replacing John Roberts who quit to pursue other interests.
Sampath was previously the executive vice-president of Prism, the digital and interactive arm of the Singapore Press Holding's marketing division.
He has also held senior positions in J. Walter Thompson and MindShare.
"We need to expand the scope and horizon of the services we offer and he (Sampath) has the skills we are looking for. He has both creative and media agency experience and at Singapore Press Holdings he has been exposed to below-the-line, event and interactive marketing campaigns," says So.
This is not the first time the agency has hit a rough patch. In early 1999, at the height of the Asian financial crisis, BBDO's Asia-Pacific chairman Chris Jaques quit as his strategic and creative brainchild, The Hub, was shut down.
That development appears to have knocked the wind out of BBDO as a network.
By So's prognosis, BBDO's individual country offices have largely been growing independently from each other.
Describing the situation as each office operating "in its own kingdom", So claims that this is now changing.
But it's questionable how far So can go in bringing the disparate parts of BBDO's Asian operations into a stronger, cohesive whole.
Part of the difficulty lies in the joint-venture office operations BBDO has in various markets. In some cases, the network is not in the driver's seat.
Notes an industry observer: "It all boils down to an ownership structure. Unless you have strong majority control, you cannot get people to operate as a network."
Building a network will require significant investment in the offices, IT infrastructure and people from BBDO. "Otherwise it's left to the individual personalities,
says the source.
But So is convinced the offices are moving in the right direction. He pointed to BBDO's latest work for Visa. "The campaign (starring kung fu star Zhang Zi Yi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) utilises the synergy between different offices - Hong Kong and Singapore, with Manila taking the lead role. We will do more of this type of work in order to win regional business."
Sources within the agency say they understood the nature of repositioning of BBDO from an above-the-line operation to an integrated agency, but are shocked by the upheavals it has sparked.
"The new direction is for the better in the long-term, but the changes have been coming in thick and fast and there's no denying that they are causing a major upheaval,
says one.
So - who was previously with Hong Kong telecoms firm PCCW, along with Kao - is unrepentant. He's hinted that other changes may be in store.
"I'm out to give creativity a boost and to build a stronger network. We will take the action at the appropriate place at the appropriate time. It could be personnel, new business alignment or acquisitions. But when and where, I cannot say right now."
