DDB Worldwide Launches 'Equator' in Singapore

DDB Worldwide network has launched Equator, a global centre of excellence for creative technology and innovation. Based in Singapore, Equator is the first such centre for DDB globally and will provide end-to-end technology solutions for DDB’s clients worldwide.

 

Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the launch of Equator in Singapore signposts the country’s rising role as a global hub for digital innovation.

 

With the set-up of Equator, Singapore will be an important office for innovation and best practices for the DDB network globally. Equator, under the leadership of Jeff Cheong, President of Tribal Worldwide Asia – DDB’s digital arm, will develop, pilot and integrate innovative products and services for DDB clients in areas such as Platform Engineering, Experience and Ecosystem, Mobility Solutions, Omni-channel Commerce, Data-driven Marketing and the Internet of Things (IOT).

 

Equator will be led by over 50 technologists from Tribal Worldwide Asia, further increasing its pool of digital specialists based in Singapore. In the last six years, DDB and Tribal Worldwide in Singapore have put together a team of specialists for Mobile Technology, User Experience, E-commerce, and Enterprise solutions consulting. They have delivered enterprise products and solutions for clients worldwide, as well as achieved international recognition on the global level at the Cannes and Effie Awards. 

 

Damon Scarr, Director of Partnerships at Adobe Digital Marketing APAC said: “Equator is a great model of consultancy, innovation start-up and digital business optimisation. Our partnership allows Equator to empower the world with best-in-class digital marketing solutions.”

 

Beyond enhancing the talent pool in its Singapore office, Equator will also contribute to the development and grooming of young creative technologists in Singapore. It will set up a satellite office in Temasek Polytechnic (TP), a tertiary education institution, by the end of this year.

 

Equator@TP seeks to tap diverse talents from the School of Informatics & IT, School of Design, School of Engineering, and School of Business to create prototype concepts for commercial and community needs. The participants will also go through an agile learning programme and work on several live projects.

 

Commenting on the collaboration, Peter Lam, Principal and CEO at TP said: “Temasek Polytechnic looks forward to Equator@TP, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between DDB Worldwide and a tertiary institution in Singapore. It will give our students valuable opportunities for authentic learning as they work in multi-disciplinary teams, on real-life projects, with leading practitioners from the creative industry, right here on our campus. Having access to our 15,000 campus community will also benefit all parties involved, as it can be tapped on to test-bed new ideas and concepts.”

 

EDB’s Assistant Managing Director, Kelvin Wong said: “We are excited about this partnership with DDB Worldwide. Equator’s establishment of a multi-disciplinary team of digital technologists reflects the transformation of Singapore’s advertising industry – from providing purely communications services, agencies are now adding greater value to clients by building consultative expertise and developing marketing solutions based on creative technologies. The upshot is that there is demand for diverse skillsets across UX, data analytics and m-commerce.”

 

“With Equator’s global capability hub in Singapore, we look forward to frontier marketing innovations being pioneered out of DDB’s office here. We are also heartened by DDB’s efforts to develop our students into digitally savvy talent,” he added.

 

David Tang, Chief Executive Officer of DDB Asia said: “We are creative marketers at DDB, and technology is the new power of creativity. Equator is a new tripartite for tech innovation – putting together the best technology talents, the support of the Singapore government and the most innovative brands – to embrace disruption and create breakthrough marketing solutions ahead.”

 

For more information on Equator, please visit: www.equatorgroup.sg