Serviceplan, Hakuhodo and Unlimited have signed a strategic alliance to provide clients and prospects with a genuine global offering based on locally rooted insight.
This announcement follows the appointment of Markus Noder as the new Holding Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group, effective 1st January 2019.
The global alliance between Serviceplan (headquarters Munich, Germany), Hakuhodo (headquarters in Tokyo, Japan) and Unlimited (headquarters in London, UK) will mean that the Serviceplan, Hakuhodo and the Unlimited Group alliance can meet the increasing need for fully integrated communication services in the UK, Japan and South East Asia.
Furthermore, the alliance will add more locations in Asia to the Serviceplan Group in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, in addition to the Serviceplan Group’s own locations in China (Shanghai and Beijing) and Malaysia.
Together, the UK, German and Japanese agencies are building joint teams to provide data driven, customer-centric, integrated solutions that will transform clients’ business around the world, with a presence in all major markets. The alliance will enable the three to serve existing clients and pitch for global business as a single unit, with a flexible approach to working together. Unlimited, Serviceplan and Hakuhodo have already teamed up for a pan European pitch due to take place in the first quarter of 2019.
The Serviceplan Group has experienced fast international expansion over the past ten years. In 2006 CEO Florian Haller first started to bring to life his vision of creating the world’s first independent global agency group originating in Germany.
Since 2011, as Managing Director of Serviceplan International, Markus Noder has been responsible for elevating the agency group to an international level.
Like Unlimited Group, Serviceplan network, through its “House of Communications,” joins a number of specialist agencies across CRM, digital, research, PR and advertising. Hakuhodo has offices in 20 countries and regions across Asia, employing 10,000 people.
Renowned for its creativity, Hakuhodo has twice won the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and was the only agency headquartered in Asia to be awarded a Special Lion commemorating Cannes Lions’ 50th anniversary in 2003.
Florian Haller (CEO of the Serviceplan Group) said: “We are really excited about collaborating with one of the key players in South-East Asia. The affinity with our philosophy at Serviceplan was clear from our initial personal contact. As a result of this unique alliance between agency groups rooted in Germany, Japan and the UK, we can offer our clients the best service in the major economic region of South-East Asia”
Building on previous alliances
This new strategic alliance with Hakuhodo Group is based on an existing partnership between Serviceplan Group and Unlimited Group.
UK-based Unlimited, and Europe’s biggest independent network Serviceplan, which has more than 4,000 employees in offices across Europe as well as in New York, Dubai, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, have both worked on BMW for a number of years.
Unlimited Group is an award-winning digital agency group offering seven core disciplines, each led by a core agency. Unlimited Group have 850 people based in London, Bristol, Winchester and New York.
In Europe, UK agency Unlimited completes the Serviceplan Group’s service offering. The aim of this partnership is to offer global companies an integrated service offering. Unlimited and Serviceplan first signed a partnership agreement in 2014.
This partnership also offers mutually beneficial expertise internationally across the alliance in the fields of creativity, media, data and technology.
Tim Bonnet (President of the Unlimited Group) commented: ‘We have had a relationship with Hakuhodo and partnership agreement with Serviceplan for a number of years and as this grew in success, we are delighted to formalise this into a global alliance. We are really excited about the expanded offering and capabilities this will bring to our existing clients as well as the agile, innovative and data lead offering we can offer new clients on a global scale.’
Masayuki Mizushima (Hakuhodo President and CEO ) added: ‘In a time where our clients are faced with change as never anticipated before with the dramatic evolution of technology and acceleration of globalization, this strategic alliance with our longtime friends, the Unlimited Group and Serviceplan, is based on a firm belief and respect for the “sei-katsu-sha,”or living consumer, always taking on a central role where human emotions, thoughts and dreams reside. This belief leads us to an alliance that is built beyond the data driven approach and elevated to reflect our “sei-katsu-sha” Consumer Driven – Data Proven positioning.’
Image over the headline.- Left to right: Florian Haller (CEO of the Serviceplan Group), Masayuki Mizushima (Hakuhodo President and CEO ) and Tim Bonnet (President of the Unlimited Group). © Serviceplan Group.
