David Mayo, the former chief executive of Ogilvy Malaysia, has been named chief business development officer for GetCraft, which bills itself as Asia’s largest creative vendor marketplace outside China.
Mayo resigned from Ogilvy last August, but said he has been working with GetCraft for over a year in an advisory role. He has taken an equity stake in the company but continues to serve several other firms in an advisory and non-executive directorship context, he said.
Established in 2015, GetCraft is a platform that aims to simplify the workflow process and cut the costs involved in typical agency relationships by connecting clients directly with creative individuals. It operates regionally and claims to have more than 10,600 vendors on its books.
As well as offering services ranging from copywriting to influencer marketing, GetCraft also trains marketers in best practice in terms of working with individual suppliers. Brands that have used the platform include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Google, Coca-Cola, Visa, GE and Samsung, according to Mayo. He said GetCraft also works with major agency holding groups.
In a statement, GetCraft co-founder Patrick Searle said Mayo had proved “invaluable” in developing the company’s strategy and offering, and that formalising his involvement set the company up for a new stage of growth.
Mayo said he wanted to find “a newer, faster, better way for marketers to access creativity”. He said he saw a greater role for technology in connecting people from different parts of the industry.
“If we can truly use our data and our technology to scale and deliver work that doesn’t end up looking like a MoonPig card, it will allow brands to move at the speed of the consumer conversation,” he said.
GetCraft is set to open an office in Singapore, where Mayo is based, in the coming weeks.
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