CBL selects Cream as creative agency for Tiger Beer and ABC Stout in Cambodia

Cream has been appointed as the lead creative agency following a four-way pitch.

The agency is tasked to lead regional master material localisation and through-the-line activation across all communication platforms for CBL's two premium beer brands, Tiger Beer and ABC Stout.

Brenden Arnold, CEO of Cream Cambodia, told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the challenge of working on this account is the growing preference, value and volume shares in a predominately price-sensitive mainstream beer market.

Arnold, originally from Australia, is a 15-year veteran of the Indochina market. He identified an opportunity to provide clients in Cambodia with a genuinely fresh creative agency offer.

“Cambodia is changing rapidly and the time has come to grow the creative product,” he said. “Urban Khmers are decidedly receptive to good work, and the market deserves more of it.”

Arnold launched Cream with 15 staff in late December 2012. Since then, the team has been working hard to make its name in the country. In only four months, it has won projects for some big brands including Manulife Life Insurance, Unilever Vaseline Men, Honda and now CBL.

Speaking of the market in Cambodia, Arnold said the daily penetration of television in the country remains high (over 90 per cent) with incredible cost-per-GRP efficiency, but he believes that great work can travel.

“The digital landscape is developing rapidly, with increasingly affordable, fast mobile internet,” he said. “Social-media engagement is fundamental in Phnom Penh. The capital's young kids are marvellously connected. They're a new generation of mobile consumers. The 'second screen' is their 'first'.”

Compared to the neighbouring, more developed and sizable markets, he pointed out, Cambodia is still lacking creative depth and scale, as well as talent. That is why he aims to shake the market with the team.

“We are independent, nimble and curious,” Arnold said. “We want to offer a more mature way to look at the brands and the market with a wealth of developed market experience and local market knowledge.”

With big plans being lined up, Cream is looking to deepen relations with market leaders and challengers across the key categories, including insurance, banking and finance, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications and carbonated soft drink, amongst others, according to the agency.

“We will very soon bring to market new content creation capability, including a TV programme with online content that is also available on multi-screen,” Arnold said. “This is still relatively new in Cambodia.”

The agency is also developing its digital skills, media planning and buying capabilities, and a specialised activation unit, he added.