‘If a client makes fun of Greta Thunberg, I won’t work with them’ – One Kind Ideas founder Calvin Soh
Veteran ad man Calvin Soh has left R/GA where he was executive director of growth for Asia-Pacific. He has started One Kind Ideas, a consultancy that will focus on projects both professional and in areas that Soh is personally interested in. Speaking to Mumbrella, Soh denied rumours that he will be working with his former partner Francis Wee who recently left Ogilvy Singapore as ECD.
Elaborating on One Kind Ideas, Soh said: “I am exploring a model where I can work for anyone, depending on the function and the role that the client wants. I can do it at a consultancy level and then hand it over to the agency. I am not competing with them.”
One Kind Ideas originated from ‘One Kind House’ – an urban farm and restaurant project Soh built for his mother, a former teacher, as a way of keeping her engaged post-retirement. Explaining the concept, Soh said: “One Kind Ideas came about as an evolution of One Kind House – the need to create an ecosystem of kindness and champion one of a kind ideas.”
He added: “Meetings happen here in a relaxed atmosphere. We come up with business ideas; not ad ideas. One of the projects is how to monetise a brand: how do you build value so that it can sell itself at a premium?
“Another one is for a charitable organisation in Singapore where the top 10 charities take 90% of funding. So how does a charity that’s not in the top 10 survive and create new business revenue sources?”
Speaking about the sort of clients he would avoid, Soh said: “If a client makes fun of Greta Thunberg, I wont work with them. If you are deliberately selling guns, if you are mean – I have fired clients who were mean to my people in the past. The world is hard enough as it is. Let us try to work with kind people on kind projects that are good for everyone.”
Some of the personal projects under One Kind Ideas include Soh prototyping a tool for measuring pain and helping his 13-year-old daughter set up her jewellery business.
Speaking of his motivations for looking past the advertising side of the business, Soh said: “We can all do the creative stuff. But frankly, people are buying less ads. Exponential change in technology is disrupting business. If your business is disrupted, and the agency suggests that you redesign a logo – for instance – that solution is of no use. Marketers need someone who looks at the fundamental business structures and models, and determine what this can evolve into.”
Soh had previously quit advertising as vice chairman and chief creative officer at Publicis Asia-Pacific in 2011 and taken a five year sabbatical, running an enterprise called Ninety Nine Percent. He had outlined his reasons for the break in a widely shared post on social media and through the course of it, worked on several projects including creating a book with his son.
Asked about the impulses that brought him back to the business and R/GA in particular in 2017 he said: “While I was working a bit through my five year sabbatical, we were living off my savings. I had to cut a deal with my wife, since at some point, I had to put money back in the bank.
“There were a few offers but I took R/GA because of their reputation for being an innovation company. In Asia, they had been through a few false starts. I initially joined as ECD and then they made me regional head of growth, selling business solutions which was up my alley.”
Reflecting on his tenure at R/GA, Soh said: “We worked on Uber but full credit to the team – I only bought wine for them. We did a Chinese New Year app called Huat The Face which scans your face and tells how much you should get as ang bao (cash given on Chinese New Year). It got passed around quite a lot with no advertising or influencer marketing.
“I helped pivot the agency. I was ensuring we recruit people with multiple skill sets or at least an open mindset and a propensity to learn. We didn’t hire people who said ‘This is how I do things’. We won new business like SingLife, Schroders and UOB.”
He was also proud of a brief from the ministry of health which commissioned the agency with the task of designing the hospital of the future.
Asked why he believed it was the right time to leave, Soh said: “There’s never a right time. To be fair, when you are comfortable and making money, it’s hard. But in my last five year break, I spent a lot of time with my son. I thought it was only fair that I spend time with my daughter. I took her to the ‘See It Be It’ mentorship programme at Spikes and want to expose her to more of this.”
“We never hired people who said ‘This is how I do things'”
So you hired people who said “Show me how you’ve always done things and I will do the same”? Sounds like a recipe for groupthink.
ReplyI am quite certain we all read this story already, and again, and again. How is this even news anymore my discerning Mumbros? “His quote, above saying “I only bought wine for them…” was telling. As insiders at R/GA once mumbled under their breathe, the one thing we don’t need is a sommelier. A very nice lad, the agency [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Good luck to him anyway.
ReplyWe need more free spirits like Calvin and his family. The best way to future-proof yourself for a whole new world. Kudos.
ReplyU call that free spirit? By not allowing people to have their own opinion is consider free spirit? Free spirit keep things open.
ReplyThree years in an agency and the only projects worth mentioning — are work [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Hmm.
ReplyTake a tired proposition.
ReplyThrow in some trending memes like Greta and Guns.
Make it sound like all job changes [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
Chuck in some pseudo trendy, zero impact references
ideas like “ang pao facial scanning”.
Sprinkle gratuitously with family photos.
Yeah, we’ve been here before.
‘If a client makes fun of Greta Thunberg, I won’t work with them’. Calvin so stunning, so brave.
ReplyHaters gonna hate. So much bitterness. Look, let Calvin and others do their stuff based on their principles, and you do your thing based on yours. Time will tell wether you show up pitching for the same client – and who wins.
ReplyYou need to be able to do demonstrate that you can do actual work to win a client. The days of talking your way to the top are over. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]
ReplyIt’s not hate if you disagree with Greta. She is (along with Trump) rejecting the Paris Climate agreement. OK, trump rejects the targets as unnecessary, while Greta wants them in half the time. But, both are out of step with reality signed up to by nearly all the earths Governments. If, disagreeing with stopping all flights in 5 years is hate, then you have a strange view of the world!
ReplyThis guy again. Didn’t he do all this four or five years ago only to go back to an agency? [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]…
Anyway, the proof will be in the work. Not optimistic. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
Reply“He was also proud of a brief from the ministry of health which commissioned the agency with the task of designing the hospital of the future.”
Oh yeahhhh? I’d love to see some credible facts that support this.
If I was seriously commissioning the hospital of the future I would be talking to a million other experts before I turned to you know who.
Like Norman Foster…or maybe even Sloane Kettering.
Unless this was a contest open to suggestions from the public.
ReplyI’ve worked with Calvin and in my estimation is one of the best thinkers I’ve encountered in my 25 years in the business. Advertising needs less [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] writing to impress each other and more interesting ideas. Calvin inspires creative work that is distinctive. That missing ingredient often missing from today’s work.
[Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] in the comments section always look like jealousy to me.
Ah bugger it, [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]s.
ReplyI personally think Greta Thunberg is an ill-mannered child who has chosen drama, histrionics and internet notoriety as a stepping stone to success rather than putting in the hard work. Perhaps her parents should have taken her to their work place so she could see how adults interact and discuss serious issues.
I too would refuse to work with any agency that thinks this sort of poor behaviour is acceptable.
ReplyHer father is an actor and mother an opera singer, grandfather a famous actor/director … so absolutely no chance of a real-life upbringing for the poor girl.
ReplyHere’re two ideas for measuring pain.
Reply1-The number of press releases one has to read.
2-The number of unkind comments resulting from said press release.
“The world is hard enough as it is. Let us try to work with kind people on kind projects that are good for everyone.”
[Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Without stepping on mumbrella’s commenting policies, let’s just say there is a strong element of “I’ve worked for Droga so everything I say must be correct”.
“Some of the personal projects under One Kind Ideas include Soh prototyping a tool for measuring pain and helping his 13-year-old daughter set up her jewellery business.”
Sounds like the sort of routine stuff people do when they’re [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] TBH.
ReplyYou all fell for a Calvin Soh Press release once again:) [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. This is a fact. And the more the trolls come out of the woodwork the more he wins. I would not say he is the sole agent of R/GA, they were well in play before this man ever joined the agency kiddies.
ReplyDon’t know the guy, but wanting to have a positive impact and spend time with his kids. What the hells wrong with that?
ReplyListening to the coffee shop poles I’d dare say that people feel like [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. That’s why people get a little weirded out that’s all. It isn’t wrong, it is just rare in this industry to push your family out there over and over again to sell your agenda.
ReplyAlways interesting to see what Calvin is up to. A guy who pays attention to the way the world is and will be, and with the guts to act and live on his insights too. A genuine creative spirit.
ReplyHe has nothing to lose, this is his usual [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] with a 10-year old press picture. You can talk about the same topic over and over again until somebody believes you may actually know something. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] for obvious reasons but I am sure he will dance along saying otherwise. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] And his opener is to piggy back the Greta story? OMFG
ReplyKeep up the good work! Wishing you exponential success.
ReplyAt least he’s taking on projects, while you trolls comment away on your keyboard.
Well done guys!
ReplyWhat project is that exactly? Would love to see it. Would love to see anything in fact. He will have to learn to write a quotation first and open a real company with ACRA. As of now, nothing is listed. These are facts. Let’s just look at the facts.
ReplyI cant speak for anyone else but nothing turns me off faster than
some dude who goes on and on about certain new age beliefs
without putting down any work that clearly demonstrates the benefits of that thinking.
Hard pass.
ReplyThere you are! What the hell happened?
ReplyIt’s actually a good question, but I do remember Calvin Soh opening Fallon Singapore. The agency was [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. He didn’t have a junket on that one boy. And I disagree with the troll above in the comments, this forum is not bitter as there are some very revealing questions and comments here to a much bigger story. We will not always believe everything we read one okay.
ReplyWe have our own personal opinions as clients too. Creative whiners do not hold the patent on morality. There are many people very tolerant of Greta, and some may laugh sure. Some may take it all very seriously too, how naive is it to say such a sweeping statement as if one client or one employee in a company speaks for the entire brand. If you want to talk moral values I’d be very careful before you start swinging your toy sword around.
ReplyIn today’s social media age where people share just about everything, spinning a new narrative is a waste of time.
Let’s start with the basics. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]? Did Calvin ‘depart’ from Publicis or RGA in his own true free spirit-style? The industry is small Dude.
But screw all that.
What is wrong with just shutting the hell up and getting down to good old fashioned hard work that bears fruit for yourself, your family and yeah, the world if need be?
Why must there be a Press Release here, an interview there etc to state some lofty claim and ambition etc
Try this Calvin. Keep quiet, keep your nose clean, stay off the grid, don’t turn up in an agency near you anytime soon and let others talk about the if-when-what a wonderful whatever you are working on.
You cannot, cannot be THAT starved for validation. You are [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Good luck mate.
ReplyI was going to say that! But, well said.
ReplyWanting to spend time with your kids, to do the kind of work that they can be proud of and to show them the kind of impact that an idea can have on the world isn’t something to be sneered at.
Calvin is too rare a soul in the industry. And I won’t join the anonymous trolls knocking him.
Instead I’ll just say “Calvin, if you ever need a helping hand, you know where to find me”
ReplyI think it is fair to say that when one man does a press release here he knows he is opening himself up to the trolls. That is the fun for Calvin Soh. Calvin wants noise, the magazine is a vehicle. It is the one thing I can say [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Making noise out of absolutely nothing. When you start using pics of your lovely family, you’re short on things to say, but okay, nobody is attacking his family lah. Newsjack Greta? Sure, why not. Legalising Canabis? Maybe not in this town. R/GA was just another train for [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. Truth is, agencies can’t afford to hire senior keynote speakers anymore. Clients need work done and they can’t afford it either. So let the Mumbrella Trolls be Trolls. This is their party not ours.
ReplyHis exponential views are a few years behind. Apparently it’s obvious to many of us. But to some people it takes them awhile to realise. How long did it take [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]?
ReplyAn earlier commentator hit the spot for me. People are weirded out because his ‘new’ narrative isn’t new at all. It’s just [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] in general. Piggy backing off Greta? Classic clickbait material. Using his family to front his next moves? It’s been done every single time he’s left an agency. When something is repeated enough for people to pick up an uncomfortable pattern, the gig is up.
Don’t get me wrong. Calvin is a creative spirit for sure. But is he still in sync with the industry? Ask the RGA folks.
ReplyFor a free spirit, maverick, unicorn, mustang, pioneer, Calvin sure doesn’t wander far from his usual stomping grounds.
To discover the New World, Columbus had to first leave the safe waters of Portugal.
ReplyStill driving the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] bro?
ReplyI see so many Calvin’s detractors here. He has stood for something noble and let him do so. Proud of your Calvin and dont let any of them to stop you.
Many of you who are complaining or whining away are just industry scumbags who are selfishly looking for your personal interest by bringing him down and spewing your inner frustrations.
Many of you work for clients that sells baby powder that has asbestos in it, O&G companies that destroys the oceans, clients who avoid taxes with the e-commerce or OTT platforms, pharma who sells their meds at astronomical amounts, companies who discriminates women and LBGTs and many more. So cut your hypocrisies short and start reflecting what you have done for this world we live in.
Live and let live
ReplyI am pretty much against the comfortable stagnant status quo for what passes for a fairly stale advertising environment in Singapore but I have worked with Calvin Soh. He is part of the older generation of advertising professionals in Singapore but he sincerely tries to go out of the box to push interesting takes on the work during his Publicis days and afterwards. He is also not part of the scam school bred creatives who no longer cares about the real work.
ReplyHe is not part of the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]?. I worked with him too. And I have his name next to campaigns in award books. He and Francis Wee at Saatchi [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. He’s been trying to PR like he wasn’t ever since but the guys who know the history like I do won’t forget.
Reply[Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. As a result you either exponentially love him or hate him. It is exponentially laughable to suggest that he is not [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines]. That’s what exponentially propelled him into the cloud and he would seize the chance to exponentially make them if he could, if he knew he could exponentially get away with it. To those in the [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
Reply“He is part of the older generation of advertising professionals in Singapore but he sincerely tries to go out of the box to push interesting takes on the work…”
Age has nothing to do with it…except perhaps being a red flag for agencies who want to hire people for peanuts. I wonder if Patek Philippe hires 22 year old kids to make their watch movements. Each of those artisans have 30-35 years of experience under their belt.
Now, about the other thing, can you provide some examples of his out of the box work?
ReplyDear Ten & Exponentist, you all are either super famous and are shy about attracting more attention or anonymous nobodies. I think Calvin has more than enough work to justify himself while you have yet to show your own credentials to pass judgement on him. I neither love nor hate him as a person. I am only here as I am amused to see Singaporeans tearing down one another in Singapore’s advertising industry without making any effort to change or disrupt the status quo. Instead of aspiring to be great in advertising, the low road to become a troll online seems to be a path more easily travelled. If you truly think you are a talent, leave Singapore or do something no one else here can do. Just disparaging an older generation adman who have done nothing to you should not be the limits of your professional ambition. Or is it the limits of your talent. Have the last word here as I had my say already.
ReplyCame across a phenomenal piece of [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] by the subject of this piece…is this considered to be a ‘one kind idea’? Not funny, memorable or even intellectually inspiring….just a poor version of a hallmark card.
https://www.boredpanda.com/immigrant-worker-comic-kindness-singapore-father-and-son/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
ReplyHave your say