Constant Bets Big on The Future of Asian Brands

• For two years, the agency has worked to pivot from traditional branding and design agency to creative consultancy and venture studio to make the push for Asian companies.
• Team believes that coronavirus levelled the global playing field and the opportunity is now for Asian lifestyle brands to take the global spotlight.
• Since 2012, Constant has helped modernise and launch over 40 brands in the region including New Balance, SOGO, Eu Yan Sang, Nikon, Sino Group, Swire Properties, Raze, Bird, Steelcase and Calvin Klein.

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 16 June 2020 - Against some of the biggest changes in history, independent creative agency Constant^[2], with offices in Hong Kong and Copenhagen, is making the transition from branding and design agency to creative consultancy and venture studio.

Since 2012, Constant has helped create and modernise more than 40 brands across the region. In those eight years, founders Tim Ho and Tem Hansen have seen a major shift in how CEOs and CMOs work with creative agencies in the region.

"When we started Constant, a lot of our work was repurposing global assets or stories to make them relevant for audiences in the region," said Co-Founder and Strategy Director Tem Hansen.

"As the spending power in Asia becomes stronger and the market more diverse, this is no longer enough, and why as a company we decided to change our offering back in 2018. Now, with a global reset, the timing is ripe for Asian brands and businesses to be pushed to the forefront."

The new agency direction has been in the works for two years, with the senior team honing their skills and offering for clients including SOGO, Swire Properties, Steelcase and New Balance. While the past year has been a trying period for business in Hong Kong, the agency believes that now is the time for the axis to tilt in the region's favour. Headquartered from Hong Kong, but with an office in the design capital Copenhagen, the team has ambitions for Chinese owned brands and businesses to compete on the world stage.

"New wave lifestyle brands from the US have disrupted and dominated in recent years," said Tim Ho, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer.

"As a region, we have the production, resources and innovation to put the spotlight back on Asia. Now our agency has the know-how and network to build global brands and businesses to see this vision come to life. Now is the time for Asian-owned brands to be consumer facing and go global. We don't need to operate behind the scenes anymore."

With experience working in Copenhagen, London, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Hong Kong, the multinational team hopes to see a new wave of China and Asia-owned businesses target global audiences. Recent work for meditation studio Bird demonstrates this approach to their design thinking. "Our ambition is to design with purpose and beyond just the cosmetic process. We aim to help businesses create brands that can be grown globally through establishing unique brand propositions. Bird could just as much sit in Tai Koo as it could in Austin Texas,"said Tim Ho.  

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Constant (www.weareconstant.com)