Jakarta-based Moonfolks has entered Brunei with a new office in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. Timed to coincide with Brunei’s National Day on February 23, which marks the country’s 42nd year of independence, the launch positions Moonfolks as the first international independent agency to establish operations in the Sultanate. The Brunei office will be led by Sheikh Idham Abas, who joins as managing partner. Abas brings more than 15 years of experience running a film production business across Southeast Asia.
Anish Daryani, founder and CEO of Moonfolks, told Campaign Asia-Pacific the expansion builds on a long-term regional strategy following the agency’s decision to buy back its independence from M&C Saatchi Group in January 2024.
“Regional expansion was always on the cards, and one of the key reasons that led to our decision to buy out our independence. We wanted our business in Indonesia to stabilise following our rebranding to Moonfolks before investing in regional expansion. The last two years have given us that stability.” Daryani said.
Explaining the choice of market, Daryani described Brunei is a compelling economic outlier.
“It’s an incredible country with ambitious brands and a population of under half a million people, which changes the economics of business entirely. It's very different from the more populous countries we do business in across SEA. Despite its small size, it ranks 7th in the world in terms of GDP per capita by PPP. We see it as a high-value market. Moonfolks can offer strategic direction and creative solutions of international standards to brands in Brunei, who are extremely deserving of it,” he added.
Abas echoed the sentiment: “Brands in Brunei have truly come of age, and with Moonfolks, they can have brand solutions of the highest class made available to them. I have always been associated with the creative industry, and I’m glad that with Moonfolks, I can play an active role in uplifting the creative standards in the country.”
Moonfolks will offer its proprietary ‘Accelerated
Growth’ model to clients in Brunei, integrating Branding &
Advertising, Social & Digital, Influencer Marketing & PR, as well as
Shopper & Brand Activations to drive commerce.
At launch, the Brunei office will begin with a five-person team. The agency will adopt a hub model for regional expansion, with Jakarta serving as the central support base.
“Jakarta will serve as our regional hub, with satellite offices across the region,” Daryani told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “In Brunei, we will have a team of five to begin with and scale according to business needs. Through the year, our Jakarta team will grow by 20-30% to support regional growth.”
Moonfolks confirmed it has secured pilot clients at launch, though details remain under wraps. Daryani said the agency is currently working on banking, insurance, automobile and tourism briefs, with government, aviation and local FMCG among its priority categories.
Daryani added that further expansion across Southeast Asia is under consideration.
Source: Campaign Asia-Pacific
