M&C Saatchi Indonesia launches M&C Saatchi Shopex: appoints Michael Forster as MD

In line with its hypergrowth plan, M&C Saatchi Indonesia has launched a new specialism called M&C Saatchi Shopex. This division is designed to deliver omnichannel shopper and brand experience solutions to clients.

M&C Saatchi Indonesia was launched in January 2018, by the three cofounders, Anish Daryani, Dami Sidharta and Elki Hendria. Since then, the agency has seen stupendous growth, growing to a strength of 130 people, making it one of M&C Saatchi Group’s fastest growing offices.

The agency has brought on board Michael (Mike) Forster as Managing Director of M&C Saatchi Shopex. Prior to his appointment, Forster was CEO of Geometry Global Korea. In 19 years at WPP agencies he has held end market, regional and global leadership roles. In his 12 years in Asia he has run businesses in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea and Indonesia

Daryani (pictured left)  said: “Given the omni-channel environment in which consumers interact with brands, every consumer touchpoint is an opportunity for brands to create an experience. We are launching M&C Saatchi Shopex to meet that very need. As a specialism, we will map and curate customer journeys, online, offline and everything in between. Not only do we have the capability of creating memorable experiences, but also measure their impact with respect to how they contribute to commerce.”

“We have put together a team of specialists that have mastered the art of shopper and experiential marketing across markets. In Mike, we see the leadership and experience to make M&C Saatchi Shopex one of the most profitable verticals of our business, while delivering value to our clients at many multiples over their investments.”

Forster (pictured middle) said: “I was seduced by the stupendous growth story of M&C Saatchi Indonesia, and was eager to be a part of it. Indonesia is far behind its consumers’ expectations around brand experience, and I’m here to pioneer a new commerce and brand experience movement in the country through M&C Saatchi Shopex. With the growth potential in South East Asia’s biggest economy, in a country of 171 million internet users that loves its malls too, now is the perfect time to launch our commerce-focussed specialisms.”

Moray MacLennan (pictured right), Global CEO and Chairman, M&C Saatchi Group, said: “Indonesia has been one of our best performing businesses. Innovation and capacity creation has been key to their growth. The launch of M&C Saatchi Shopex delivers on our commitment to offer connected creativity to our clients.”

The scope of services from M&C Saatchi Shopex includes: Shopper strategy, retail design and production, shopper technology, planogramming, interactive display technology, events and activation, metaverse solutions, ecommerce integration (O2O) as well as shopper performance research and analytics, among others.

The agency has developed a proprietary tool that measures the “Experience Gap” in consumer journeys across omnichannel landscapes for any given brand. Through its services, the agency aims to create a net-zero experience gap, where consumers experience delight through synergies in their brand experience. Measures of success, according to the agency, are metrics that improve the Net Promoter Scores (NPS) after every brand interaction, as well as improved ROAS, as every brand experience translates to commerce.

Through this vertical, M&C Saatchi will work with retailers and ecommerce platforms on the supply side, and with brands on the demand side.

M&C Saatchi Shopex has a network of 0ver 60 execution partners, including 20 partners that cover all 34 provinces across Indonesia, with the ability to provide 24/7 brand support in nation-wide outreach programs. To date, 17 shopper technology partners have empanelled themselves into M&C Saatchi Shopex’s roster.