SPH rebrands content marketing studio once again, this time with the new name ‘Sweet’
Singapore Press Holdings has once again rebranded its content marketing offering. Previously called ContentStudio, then BrandInsider before getting the new label of SPH Content Lab in May 2017 – the division will now be known simply as Sweet, although BrandInsider will still exist as a “publishing platform”.
Despite this, the Singapore publishing house told Mumbrella there would be “one brand and one operational team” for the studio – with another acquired offshoot Brand New Media also being retired.
A spokesman explained: “This is the first time the advertising creative unit and the content marketing unit have been brought together as one team. The bringing together of the creative and content units is to evolve capabilities and best practice.”
Sweet will now look after existing clients including BNM and Content Lab as well as looking to attract new business both from brands and agencies by providing “top-of-class client solutions”.
The team at Sweet will include 125 people and SPH said there had been no job losses as a result of the restructuring, although it is understood that Brand New Media managing director Joanne de Rozario resigned in order to take up a new role elsewhere.
Half of the remaining 125 Sweet staff will be advertising creatives and the remainder will be made up of planners, strategists, inbound marketing specialists, the leadership team and others.
Outlining the inspiration for the new name, the spokesman told this website it came from: “The Sweet taste of success – the essence of great marketing.”
In an unusual move, former Brand New Media CEO and industry veteran Damien Bray will take on the new job title of ‘chief sweet officer’.
Bray is excited about the rebrand
“This is an exciting time as we bring together the combined talents and experience from Brand New Media, SPH Content Lab and CreativeLAB, as well as THINK Inc., to add value and support to clients, as well as complement and partner with the capabilities of their agencies,” he said.
“I’m super excited to be leading such an amazingly talented creative and content team. We will also be introducing additional resources to help drive client ROI as well as expand the creative possibilities in areas such as immersive media and brand films.”
SPH chief marketing officer Ignatius Low, who took on the CMO role just four months ago, said: “With Sweet, we are able to maximise our considerable pool of resources in the creative and content marketing areas, ensuring that we give the best possible experience and outcomes to our clients.”
It’s all about client outcomes, says Low
The team at Sweet have apparently been in discussions with industry professionals at Dentsu Aegis Network, OMD/PHD, Group M, IPG and Publicis since mid-June over the future of content marketing.
Explaining why the firm chose to involve the agencies when developing the new model, a spokesman for SPH told Mumbrella: “Agencies continue to be key partners as they have always been.”
Asked if the move was designed to placate agencies, which might be worried that SPH would compete with them and take away some of their business, the spokesman said: “Not at all. Agencies have been using these services for many years as separate units. They can now do so as one unit.”
Dean is the general manager at Mumbrella Asia. He is an experienced British journalist, who has worked in a number of international markets including Singapore, Australia, Dubai, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. As well as his media work, he is also a published academic.
Won’t compete with agencies? Who are they kidding? The good part is no “real” creative types would ever want to [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyI would think SPH has to do something because right now their competition isn’t Mediacorp and their monopoly of tired radio talents passing off as low-end content actors to save the group money through diversification. Right.
Regardless, SPH would be smart to enlist some top talent from the agencies or production houses. Their secret plan of staffing up with cheap millennial influencers won’t be enough to tip this. As good as these kids look in pictures, they can’t speak proper English or hold a microphone.
In any case, these guys at SPH will compete with ad agencies, content marketers, social agencies and anybody else just like Mediacorp does. So yes folks, they both are as talented and talentless as the rest of us so watch this space. And this is the real story here Mumsters, the monopoly that sells us media here in Singapore are the very same people who sell your clients creative services.
The good news is, Brand New Media, in my opinion, make [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] online content.
We should have hired a local for this job who isn’t from the ranks of BNM, Mediacorp or SPH but here we are anyway. Now SPH acquired a stake in this aussie outfit BNM for upwards of 6 million huh? From the looks of it, SPH better stick to printing newspapers.
If you don’t believe me, have a little look for yourselves at their impressive media portfolio of what’s to come:
Replyhttp://www.tv4me.sg/
@Harry presents some very valid points. Well, I worked with [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] on two occasions. Regrettably, it was not up to scratch and I think I would have a right to say so. The bandwidth for creativity is so narrow, any client will need to carefully evaluate what they are doing before engaging with [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] hawking their services via ST. I am very unsure what ST is doing investing in this organisation when the fundamental concept is to look forward not backward. The only creative offering ST has right now is Hardware Zone and Stomp. They are no Washington Post that’s for sure. Newspapers need to be the voice for the governed in any republic. Why are they chasing content entertainment anyway. Another clear example of the bland leading the bland. Just check out their creative work and see for yourselves. Good luck to all, goodnight.
ReplyIs it a coincidence that SPH names their new content venture after [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]? Seriously, this SWEET is nowhere near the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Think somebody in M/A needs do a little more homework before starting and re-starting new SPH subsidiaries. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] Can’t wait to see what kind of creative work these guys start doing. I just saw the Brand New Media website folio posted above. These are the guys who do the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyThe Mumbrella edited portions in the comments above are hilarious. I can just imagine what the authors were saying, or maybe my imagination is worse than it actually is. I did have a look at the brand new media website. If this is any indication of what’s to come from SWEET, you lads don’t worry one bit because you’re jobs are safe. If we are talking about the creative vision of [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. I didn’t see any Cannes Winners. SPH what are you [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyHard hitting. Insightful. Not-old fashioned at all. LOL. You guys crack me up. Nice slogan. Did [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]?
ReplyI just read this little gem after I met some friends laughing about it at a lunch recently. I wondered what is ST really think they are investing in? The trend these days seems to be to employ anybody who has been in the webcasting space the longest. Yet, even with all the resources and “clout” that SPH has in its hands, it chooses to [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] instead of going for top talent with some proven creative content account wins and programming experts with proven results in the space like at YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, HBO, NBC, STAR, BBC, NETFLIX, FOX and more. Another way to go is to hire the show creators or directors of content development that are all over asia. Maybe somebody who actually won a Cannes Lion and not [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. What SPH needs is to have their board [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. I’ll give it until quarter three 2019 before they [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] and change the name again.
Reply‘The team at Sweet have apparently been in discussions with industry professionals at Dentsu Aegis Network, OMD/PHD, Group M, IPG and Publicis since mid-June over the future of content marketing.’ This is such an odd quote. Is this supposed to lift our hopes up for something? If the Denstu Aegis Network wanted content they will use their own legion of content teams and not go to yet another middleman and [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] production outfit owned by the monopoly we all know and love called SPH. Let’s face it, these networks above only agreed to meet these guys because of the SPH relationship, not because of the rating metrics from BNM. The opportunity to use Brand New Media is more for local clients who want to avoid spending too much money on a production solution and nothing more. In the end, it’s about the media revenue and not the production, but I do agree with some of the sentiments expressed here by others. They really could have [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] being SPH.
ReplyOkay we tried it and we learned. Use an agency if you need to make anything involving a video camera. These guys just want to sell media and deliver [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Buyer’s remorse. Avoid if you can. Don’t be [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] by the SPH behind them people. It’s a [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyDid some work over there. I think I know what job you are talking about. Your name is so subtle. Regardless, the SWEET is no Sweet Shop. It is so weird to borrow the name of such a famous production house. Very weird. I don’t know what drove SPH to invent in such a thing but pulling it all together so last minute just rattled the egos amongst the vets here at SPH. No it isn’t as rosy as it looks. Damn it, he won’t last long at this rate. The product is inferior. Totally parody rip-offs of advertising done in the 80s. But that is what we all the house style gunslingers. Anyway, as long as the cheque clears I will go back for another job. The watch TVC I saw here on Mumbrella was terrible.
ReplyWhy is this guy on top pictured with a Cannes Lion poster behind him? As if BNM or Sweet ever won a Cannes Lion. This is a certifiable fact that they didn’t. I guess I will stand next to an Oscar in my next press release. That should put some cred in my spin. lol. Love ya.
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