Singapore ad agency The Local to close
Independent Singapore agency The Local is closing after five years in business.
Founder Shaun Quek, a former DDB, Bates and McCann copywriter confirmed the news this afternoon, telling Mumbrella that operations would cease by the end of the month.
Ten of The Local team will be joining Y&R, including ECD Kirsten Ackland. Key clients Popeye’s and Al Futtaim Group are also moving across, Y&R has confirmed.
On his plans for the future, Quek, who set up The Local as a “non-conformist” agency that understands Singapore better than its rivals, said it was early days and he would be taking “time to reflect”.
Melvin Kuek, MD of Y&R Singapore, said in a statement: “We are delighted that Kirsten and her energetic team have joined us to further strengthen Y&R’s burgeoning talent pool. Together with newly-appointed Chief Creative Officer Komal Sonal Bedi, Planning Director Yousuf Rangoonwala and Y&R Labstore we have added depth and expertise to every department in the agency, to better service existing and new clients, including retail giants Al Futtaim Group, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, Lend Lease and Shiseido.”
Ackland added: “It’s great to be returning to the Y&R family and to continue The Local’s essence and winning mentality within Y&R’s global boutique ethos – the strength of a global network combined with remarkable in-depth local understanding.
The news come less than a year after The Local was named Rebel Agency of the Year at the Singapore Hall of Fame Awards with campaigns for MediaCorp, Goods of Desire, Endeavours Documentary Film Festival and The Local Shop.
Wasn’t this the company whose main business pitch was that they were ‘local’?
ReplyThe Ren Partnership, ICE INC (after losing ION Orchard) and now The Local. All these small shops began with so much promise but in the end, still bit the dust.
ReplyYet there are other local shops who are doing well:
ReplyPaying bonuses, winning substantial accounts in pitches against MNCs, collecting creative and effective awards, giving pay rises and providing staff with a decent work life balance.
True, some bit the dust.
But some are eating cake.
Any agency that isn’t built on solid fundamentals (i.e. the ability of its founders to do decent work on real briefs) is destined for failure. You can delay it but you can’t prevent it. All the agencies that closed down…their founders have a long list of awards…awards that came from doing what sort of work…hmm….you know i know you know, right?
ReplyLooks like the failure rate is high for founders who are from creative backgrounds
ReplyThe entity known as ‘The Local’ is closing but the other directors (with the exception of Kirsten) are spinning off the business. If I’m not wrong, Shaun still has another company within The Local, Shaun & Co, and another director is “setting up her own shop” with former employees and bringing over some current clients as well. So
Reply@Anonymous, mate, you seem to know everything. ICE Inc lost ION? Where’s the press release on that?
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