72andSunny expands to Asia Pacific with offices in Singapore and Sydney to drive global growth
Adding to its existing offices in Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York, 72andSunny has today announced a new global office structure with the launch of two new offices in Singapore and Sydney. The newly created Asia-Pacific (APAC) offering will be led by partner and managing director Chris Kay, and newly hired executive creative director Johnny Tan (left).
Kay, who previously ran 72andSunny’s Los Angeles office, came to the company more than four years ago from BMF Sydney where he was a managing partner. Prior to his first move back to Australia, Kay was head of marketing at Manchester City Football Club, where he helped the team expand its footprint in Asia.
Says Kay (bottom, left): “I am beyond stoked to help grow a dynamic and diverse creative company that can operate at the pace and energy of New AsiaPac.
“Collaborating with smart, modern partners, both internally and externally across both offices, is already pretty inspiring, and no doubt will allow us to create game-changing ideas as we grow.”
Tan, a native Singaporean who spent the past 10 years in Shanghai, joins 72andSunny from BBH China. There, Tan was chief creative officer, sat on the global board, and was one of the founding members who launched the agency in the region over 11 years ago. Previous to BBH, Tan was the executive creative director at BBDO China, and a creative director at Y&R New York.
Says Tan: “Joining the 72andSunny family and taking a swing at a new way of thinking on home turf is the perfect combination of opportunity, excitement, and a little bit of nerves. I can’t wait to get started.”
Other key members of the APAC team include Ngaio McCreadie (picture above, top right), director of talent and operations, and Mollie Hill (top, left), strategy director, who both bring global and local experience to the team.
A kiwi, McCreadie mostly recently held the role of partner and strategic business lead at BBH London. Previously, she was a regional account director out of BBH Singapore, and worked at Colenso BBDO in New Zealand. Hill is a Tasmanian strategist who has held roles at Wieden & Kennedy in Brazil, JWT in Singapore and Australia, and The Monkeys in Sydney, before joining 72andSunny.
Operating as one company with five doors, 72andSunny Sydney and Singapore will work with the 72andSunny offices in Los Angeles, New York and Amsterdam, collaborating on behalf of brand partners while fostering its unique culture globally. The APAC team will continue to build on 72andSunny’s mission and brand citizenship practice, participating in and supporting initiatives that expand and diversify the creative class, as well championing the company’s purpose of being a platform for personal growth and creative self-expression.
72andSunny Sydney and Singapore will be opening with key founding clients and project partners eBay, Google, and Dropbox. The company will also be making deeper connections with the local creative and cultural communities by collaborating on projects with Semi-Permanent, Sea Shepherd, and AFTRS (Australian, Film, Television and Radio School).
Says John Boiler, founder and creative co-chair, 72andSunny: “Since our inception, access to talent has always been our motivation for growth. The radically diverse cultures and innovative spirit across this region inspired us to to finally jump in. In Sydney and Singapore, we’re building with a mixture of homegrown and local talent to create a unique and regionally relevant expression of our company and culture. We look forward to finding some like-minded partners to share this opportunity with.”
Says Tim Mackinnon, CMO, eBay Australia and New Zealand: “We are already impressed with how smart, down-to-earth, fast and fun 72andSunny is. We are excited about what we’ll create together to get the other half of Australia using eBay.”
Says Murray Bell, director/founder, Semi-Permanent: “If you’re going to make an entrance, make it like these guys… It’s been a pleasure meeting the 72andSunny team and sinking our teeth into an exciting and meaningful collaboration for our headline Sydney event in May. The enthusiasm to sincerely get involved in the local creative community and the quality of work that I’ve already seen means only exciting things to come.”
Says Neil Peplow, CEO, AFTRs: “We are excited that a new organisation entering the market like 72andSunny, much like AFTRS, has a real commitment to developing the next generation of creative entrepreneurs who can make a real impact, and it’s been huge fun collaborating together on this project.”
72andSunny has had a robust new business performance within the last year, expanding its client roster to include General Mills, Seventh Generation, Comcast Xfinity, Instagram, eBay, LA2024 (Los Angeles’ Olympic bid), Piaggio and Lipton Ice Tea. Famous for driving brand transformations through culture-shaping work, 72andSunny also expanded its product innovation endeavours with the opening of Sundae, an influencer network that unites people with brands through purposes they care about to create positive impact in the world. Some of 72andSunny’s most recognized creative work in the last year includes AXE’s “Find Your Magic” brand repositioning, adidas’ “One in a Billion,” Seventh Generation’s #ComeClean, and Coors “Climb On.” In November 2016, 72andSunny Amsterdam office launched its first product innovation, RAYNSIE, a weatherproof performance-driven coverall designed for urban movers and shakers.
6 Comments
But the work that came out of BBH Shanghai were all rather awful.
Let’s hope that 72andsunny will not join the list of brand name shops like Fallon who are famous out of Singapore and discover than their approach and product isn’t what local clients want.
Good luck!
Have a feeling this will be another strawberry frog. Noticeably weak team especially in the strategy and creative departments.
99% of clients with sizeable budgets haven’t heard of shops like 72andsunny, strawberry frog and even Fallon.
It’s the people and not the name on the door.
When M&C Saatchi reopened, they chose proven operators to head up.
BLK J isn’t a brand name shop but the track record of their partners are sterling.
The verdict is already out. Take a look at Anomaly, CP+B, Fred & Farid China, all achieved nothing worthy so far. BBH China worse of the lot having been there for almost 12 years.
72sunny is originally a spin off of Wieden Kennedy. As WK found out in their China office, they need WK alumni to lead their shop to success. Similarly 72sunny will bring in their people sooner or later, these people here are unknowingly just placeholders. Not everyone are capable of operating a shop like 72 or WK. They don’t tolerate hacks.