FutureBrand gains foothold in China

<p>HONG KONG: FutureBrand has opened an office in Shanghai, giving it </p><p>a foothold in China, where it is also considering a presence in </p><p>Beijing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Matthew de Villiers, Asia-Pacific managing director, said a Beijing </p><p>office will depend on client need. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>FutureBrand's entry into Shanghai completes the backbone of regional </p><p>operations the branding consultancy had set out to achieve in its first </p><p>year of operations in the region. Next on its agenda is a presence in </p><p>India, a target it has set for next year. "There is strong interest from </p><p>large Indian companies. India seems quite sophisticated in its </p><p>understanding of branding, more so than the other Asian countries." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>FutureBrand is undertaking its expansion through organic growth and </p><p>acquisitions, which included its purchase of Mebourne's FHA Image </p><p>Design. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>FutureBrand's expansion comes at a time when other international </p><p>branding companies have been equally busy plugging operational gaps in </p><p>Asia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But compared to rivals like Enterprise IG and Landor, FutureBrand is a </p><p>relative newcomer to Asia-Pacific. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It only established a physical presence here at the end of last year, </p><p>when de Villiers relocated to Singapore from the UK to spearhead the </p><p>expansion. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But de Villiers said the company had been active in Asia for the past </p><p>three to four years, handling Asia-Pacific assignments out of its New </p><p>York and London offices. Along with Shanghai, it has a presence in </p><p>Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It was encouraged to move into the region based about USdollars 15 </p><p>million worth of business achieved each year on the back of what de </p><p>Villiers termed as opportunitist projects from long-term relationships </p><p>with clients. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>