In an exclusive interview with Media, Stephen Gatfield, the global CEO of Lowe Worldwide and executive VP of network operations at IPG, said that the group is making considerable investments in three areas: people, activation and digital.
“We are expanding our regional activation business. Using the strength that we have in India, the long history that we have with our company Linterland, we are marrying the skill to Thailand, to Indonesia to Vietnam and the Phillippines so we build a strong activation platform.”
Even though Lowe has activation capabilities in most markets in Asia it is looking to formalise it through a new identity. Gatfield declined to give the details of this activation platform, saying only that it will have a “distinct” identity and is still under registration.
In addition to this Gatfield also mentioned that the agency would be announcing a “high profile deal” in Asia, which will expand its “capabilities in new channels of marketing” in the region.
Gatfield also emphasised that Lowe will be focusing on Asia primarily due to the network’s strong performance in the region.
“We are strong in India, have sorted out China, we are the number one agency in Indonesia and Thailand, number three in the Philippines and have a strong profile creatively in Malaysia.”
Gatfield added that Lowe’s Singapore operation has doubled in the last 12 months with about 80 permanent staffers in the agency now. The expansion follows the shift of Unilever’s regional hub to the market.
