The m25 Global Creative Series Episode 8: Leo Singapore’s Asheen Naidu talks Creativity, Culture, and Singapore’s creative evolution
Episode 8 of m25’s Global Creative Series features Asheen Naidu, Group Executive Creative Director at Leo Singapore – a highly-awarded and respected creative leader whose career has spanned South Africa, New York, Australia, and Singapore. With accolades including a rare D&AD Black Pencil and a Cannes Lions Grand Prix, Naidu has a strong belief in the power of impactful ideas and is steering his journey through shifting industry landscapes and the changing evolution of Singapore’s advertising scene. As the city continues to assert its role as a global creative hub he’s leading a new generation of creatives to fuse human intelligence with emerging tools to create work that resonates across borders.
Can you tell us about your journey to the Group ECD role at Leo Singapore. What inspired you to pursue this career in Advertising and what challenges you faced while carving your niche?
Unlike a lot of creatives, I’ve wanted to be in advertising since I was 13. A bit nerdy, I know. I was lucky to grow up in South Africa, where there was an abundance of fun, entertaining and memorable ads everywhere you looked. Or at least it seemed that way to me. I had my favourites, but I couldn’t help but feel I could do a better job at most of them. I went to the library and learned about what it would take to get into advertising and my mission was set. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to work in my native South Africa, New York, Australia and here in Singapore.
In terms of challenges, country-specific differences, technology, changing media landscapes, and the evolving role of ad agencies are just some that have popped up. But no matter the change, a good idea and a surprising solution to a problem will always win.
Which project stands out as the most memorable for its impact on your market or region?
My favourite piece is for NRMA Insurance in Australia, where we built a car out of all the extras that competitors didn’t automatically cover. It was the perfect example of how a surprising solution can really stand out and get people’s attention and engagement.
How has the Singapore advertising market transformed over the past decade, and what factors have driven this change?
I think Singapore has always been solid when it comes to hard-working regional work, but has typically struggled to tip that over into category-redefining or world-first type of work, which really captures people’s imaginations. Global fame and freshness of ideas used to only come from smaller clients. However, over the last few years, with the likes of “Vaseline Verified”, Heineken’s “Trust Bars” and some of the global Samsung work from BBH, we’re seeing Singapore punch well above its weight on big, global brands.
In what ways is Singapore positioning itself on the global advertising stage, and what unique strengths does it offer that resonate with international brands?
Singapore is a regional hub for a lot of global brands. Besides the obvious advantage of geography, I think the biggest strength lies in the fact that it’s a melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions. In our small Singaporean advertising community, we have people not just from the region but from all over the world. So, there are creative minds here that, when working together, can speak to cultures locally as well as all across South East Asia and the world, with a very fresh approach. As a Global brand, you have a wide variety of perspectives, seeded in rich, diverse backgrounds. Pair that human intelligence with AI and the technology Singapore is so adept with, and you have a really exciting and potent offering.
How do local cultural values and creative storytelling influence advertising strategies in Singapore?
Besides the iconic “Singapore Girl” for SIA, which has been running since the 70s, more recent work like “It’s not crazy. It’s the Navy” has stood out as good examples of how to tap into national pride in a really cool way. And a recent example from Leo Singapore is the McDonald’s LoveSG campaign, where we identified McDonald’s Garlic Chilli Sauce as the national sauce of Singapore and sent out 40,000 sachets to Singaporeans in 10 cities across the world, giving them a taste of home on National Day. On the whole, I feel like Singapore does tap into local insights well, but perhaps we could see that brought to life in more unexpected ways.
With the rapid adoption of digital tools and AI, how is technology reshaping creative
processes and outcomes in the Singapore advertising industry?
I’d like to think we’re embracing it as a country. We certainly are at Leo and Publicis Groupe. I think AI can help us get to great, much faster, which is helpful when our turnaround times have shrunk so drastically. The combo of human and artificial intelligence is where it’s at. But, as in other markets, we’re still trying to figure out how to really get the most out of it.
There are lots of examples of hyper personalisation and scaling, but not many beautiful pieces of creativity that have come out as a result of it. I think the opportunities lie in connecting those two aspects. I think of ‘Shah Rukh Khan My Ad’ from India, which brought together those two things so beautifully. Those are the kinds of spaces we can and should be exploring more.
What role does social media play in the advertising strategies of Singapore brands, and how are these strategies evolving to meet global trends?
Singapore has one of the highest social media penetration rates in the world. Beyond that, Singaporeans love having an opinion on social media. So, you have a really engaged audience, which is great for marketers and brands. At the moment, social media strategies still feel very transactional, with expected approaches like trend jacking very popular. I haven’t seen many brands feel big in the social space. That’s something we’re putting a lot of effort behind. Everything is social these days, so brands should make their presence felt in a big way.
What advice would you give to young talent aspiring to enter the advertising industry in Singapore?
My main piece of advice would be to care deeply about what you do. I find a lot of people are getting into advertising for the wrong reasons these days. It’s just one of many things they’re trying out to see if it fits. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I encourage anyone who wants a long, enduring career on the creative side of things, to study the industry and in particular, some of the great work that has been done over the years. The modern creative needs to be knowledgeable about the past but very open-minded about the future. Tools like AI are amazing and should be embraced rather than feared or frowned upon. Human + Artificial Intelligence is the sweet spot.
How does the creative landscape in Singapore encourage innovation compared to more traditional markets?
I see so much creativity and embracing of innovation in Singapore – especially in the food and architecture scene. It’s an incredibly inspiring city when you look around and dive into it. But I feel that advertising has some catching up to do in that regard.
Can you describe an early moment in your career where a pivotal experience or mentor changed your perspective on advertising?
I’ve always been inspired by the work. There were a few pieces along the way that really made me reconsider what advertising “could be”. I clearly remember sitting on my couch as a junior, watching the latest SHOTS reel and seeing Ikea “Lamp” for the first time. When the Swedish guy broke the fourth wall and spoke to the audience, I literally fell off my couch. Being so junior, I didn’t know you were “allowed” to do that in advertising. It really freed up my thinking.
Another was “Meet Graham”. I love how the team took the same brief that has landed on thousands of desks over decades, and by just asking a different question, came up with something so fresh. By simply switching the question from “What do you need to do to prevent a crash” to “What would your body need to look like to survive a crash?” it opened up a whole new world of thinking.
What are the key challenges that agencies face when expanding into the Singapore
market, and how have they overcome them?
Being a regional hub for most agency networks, there’s always going to be a lot of competition. The way a lot of agencies have tackled this problem is by specialising in certain areas and outsourcing the rest to other partners in the region, which can really help with costs. We’re also talking to quite a diverse audience in Singapore itself, so getting local nuance right is crucial. Diverse departments made up of a mix of local and international staff help to ensure you stay locally relevant, but deliver strategies and creative executions that stand apart from the sea of sameness.
A lot of work created in Singapore is intended to be rolled out across South East Asia, so finding that fine balance between local relevance and regional scalability can be a challenge as well. This is where network agencies have the advantage, as they can easily tap into colleagues in those offices to help guide the roll-out in their market-relevant way.
Looking to the future, what trends do you predict will shape the Singapore advertising industry in the next 5 to 10 years?
I’m hoping AI and technology in general will be used to add emotion rather than just efficiency. As an industry, we’re so consumed with targeting people, which is, of course, important. But we should ensure that what we’re targeting them with adds value. I hope that AI can help make hyper-personalisation, hyper-personal in the right way.
Somewhere along the line, we stopped putting value on brand love and making sure people enjoy their time spent with our brands. I hope that in the next 5-10 years, we use all these wonderful technological advancements to bring a bit of that wonder into people’s lives.
m25’s Global Creative Series highlights international creativity and the impact of local cultures and technology on creative production. The series features interviews with exceptional regional creatives, showcasing how individual efforts, cultural understanding, and teamwork shape successful, purposeful advertising campaigns.