The events of the past year have driven major shifts in the industry. We are seeing more brands break down silos in marketing and communications because they recognise that what they say, do, and believe are intertwined to an unprecedented degree.
To address this shift and create more strategic value and business impact for our clients, we have been accelerating our commitment to strengthening our offerings here at AKIN. A key part of that journey involved working closely together with fellow independent consultancy RICE, whose expertise in reputation management complements our data-driven martech capabilities.
Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re taking that partnership to the next level.
Marketing and communications designed for business growth LAB360 is a new business unit by RICE and AKIN, set up with the aim to help organisations accelerate business growth through marketing and communications. Our areas of expertise around brand strategy, digital marketing, reputation management and media relations all come together in a unique way under LAB360.
Through a consultancy approach that is open and collaborative, LAB360 will be hyper focused on helping brands map out all earned, paid, and owned channels in one place while identifying data-led interventions. Through this, we hope to work with clients to co-create and tell multifaceted stories and engage their audiences with personalised precision, throughout the customer journey.
We will mainly operate within three pillars of capabilities: Insights, Brand, and Future. Clients will have flexibility in working with us across all or some areas, depending on their business objectives.
1. Insights: Deriving clarity on addressable opportunities and gaps by deep diving into audience behaviour, competitive landscape, channel effectiveness and attribution, among others. The LAB360 team draws on combined experience in data, research and consulting for multinational clients in diverse industries from technology, public affairs, and agribusiness to oil and gas, and fast-moving consumer goods.
2. Brand: Enhancing credibility and deepening engagement with communities of advocates through content that is delivered across different channels. This marries AKIN’s Human Brand Methodology with RICE’s expertise in reputation management through strategic media and influencer engagement, and industry relations.
3. Future: Helping businesses future-proof their offerings by consulting on digital-led business models and customised marketing strategies. A big focus is on designing martech infrastructure for automation and integration across platforms, to improve revenue acquisition.
Human-centred approach to marketing and communications From left: Arvin Tang, Partner; Elizabeth Tan, Insights Lead; James Brasher, Partner; Miranda Yeo, Brand Lead; Agung S. Ongko, Head of LAB360 As two independent consultancies coming together, we are excited about the possibilities that LAB360 represents. The collaborative magic that comes with cross-disciplinary synergy will ensure that there are plenty of innovative and uncharted opportunities not only for clients, but for our AKIN and RICE teams as well. After all, one of the biggest drivers behind LAB360 is people.
Culturally, RICE and AKIN have always been aligned in our commitment to foster employee growth. Ours is a constant effort in creating environments that are both inclusive and progressive, while offering various opportunities for meaningful career development.
We’ve always known this to be true: earnest work shows when the people behind it enjoy themselves and get to learn from one another. Together, we are thrilled to be bringing clients on board this brand new journey with us.
Learn more about how LAB360 can help your brand get the most out of your marketing and communications efforts here .
Written by Agung S. Ongko
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