The move follows the company’s recent launch of a Southeast Asian hub in Singapore.
Managing partner Sandy Burns (pictured), formerly regional planning director at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, explained that Hong Kong would form the base for work across China, adding that the agency planned to station representatives in Beijing and Shanghai at a later stage.Burns continued that Red Spider would seek to develop a portfolio of local clients and build up-and-coming Chinese brands on the global stage, as well as maintaining relationships with global accounts such as Diageo in the region.
In spite of the rapid growth of many domestic companies, he noted that China still lacked experience when it came to brand building. “Things move very quickly,” he said. “There’s lots of competition, so clients often focus on short-term gains. Establishing a culture where clients build brands over the long-term will be a challenge, but one that Chinese brands recognise they must overcome to compete on the global stage."
Red Spider is currently working with Shanghai-based qualitative research organisation Jigsaw Research.
