As Arc Singapore’s chief strategy officer, Varma will be responsible for integrating Burnett’s and Arc’s engagement planning units. This specialist division will bring consumer insight back into the heart of the marketing solution, according to Arc general manager, Nick Handel.
The division was launched to fill a planning gap within the digital agency environment, he noted. “The solution our competitors create are usually drawn from technical insights, but our clients have told us they want a marketing-focused digital agency,” said Handel. “We’re technically savvy, but the solutions are based on consumer need, not digital innovation.
“Planning functions at digital agencies have always been poorly-defined and reserved for the account management department. Creative planning is usually very messaging-focused, while media planning tends to be broadcast-focused. We are about content and context, not one or the other.”
Arc has also appointed its first digital analysts to support Varma, Handel added.
Varma said: “Consumers do not live lives in the CRM space, the web space, the brand space. They just live their lives; mostly in a continuum. They seamlessly move from an online world to an offline world in a single breath. The challenge for us is how to distribute the big idea across various disciplines and audience.”
Separately, Arc Singapore has also appointed nine new staff to cope with the doubled amount of work it has received from current clients, namely HP, Courts and Visa International. Most senior of these hires is Michelle Ong in the role of digital business director.
“With these new hires, we’re on track to become the lead digital and CRM agency in Singapore,” said Handel.
“We’ve experienced a fantastic year to date - demand for digital and CRM services has doubled over the past six months, and the quality of our creative output remains second to none.”
