Ogilvy unifies social media offering in 16 APAC markets

As part of WPP’s ongoing consolidation efforts, which recently saw Grey absorbed into Ogilvy and GroupM agencies unified under a single P&L, Ogilvy has announced the unification of its social marketing capabilities under the Social@Ogilvy banner in APAC.

Campaign Asia understands that the move streamlines Ogilvy’s expertise across social media research, campaign development, content creation, media planning and buying, influencer marketing, social commerce, and CRM. These capabilities, which previously sat within individual agency brands such as Ogilvy Advertising, Ogilvy PR, and Ogilvy One, will now operate as an integrated model. 

Effectively, operations across 16 markets will be combined, with 550 social specialists unified into a single vertical. The consolidated team will deliver fully integrated solutions to clients, combining paid and organic social, influencer marketing, social commerce, and content production expertise.

Ogilvy clarified to Campaign Asia-Pacific that "this is a unification of service offerings, not a business merger," and confirmed that no headcount loss was involved. The agency stressed that the restructure is a response to increasing client demand for comprehensive social marketing solutions; it responded by hiring over 200 new employess across the region to support the initiative.

Ogilvy stated that one of the core objectives behind Social@Ogilvy is to maximise the impact of its talent pool by working in a more connected and collaborative way across disciplines and markets. “This ensures we bring the right people to the right tasks, improving alignment, increasing effectiveness, and delivering a more streamlined, integrated service to our clients,” the agency explained to Campaign.

To that effect, content production hubs will be set up in Bali, Manila, and Wuxi to serve as operational centres for the creation, execution, and delivery of social campaigns across multiple markets. 

The revamped offering (key visual below) is built on the principle of ‘Connected Social,’ which Ogilvy says is designed to tackle a persistent challenge for regional brands: fragmented social marketing strategies. 

Chris Reitermann, co-CEO of Ogilvy APAC, explained the rationale behind the move: "Social media is one of the most powerful cultural forces shaping how people connect, communicate, and consume. Brands can no longer afford to simply 'do social' as a tactic; they must become social at their core by embedding cultural relevance, community, and conversation into every touchpoint. Our unified offering empowers clients with an integrated, seamless approach that drives deeper impact, greater efficiency and results from creating brand value, consumer engagement to social commerce sales." 

Jeremy Webb, currently the VP and head of content and social across Asia, has been elevated to lead the offering across APAC. Webb will continue to report to Kent Wertime and Reitermann, co-CEOs of Ogilvy APAC.

In addition to its talent expertise, Ogilvy will tap into the AI capabilities of WPP Open to strengthen audience insights, optimise campaign performance and enhance operational efficiency. The agency is looking at Meta and TikTok for aid in talent training and bespoke projects. 

Webb notes: “The way brands show up on social media in APAC needs better connection – with culture, with brand, and with business. Our in-house creators, media buying, influencer and commerce specialists, as well as content production and operation centers in Bali, Manila, and Wuxi, allow us to execute at scale and consistently, across every market in the region.”