Douglas Lin to lead Digital Arts Network China

Douglas Lin (pictured left) has been appointed Managing Director of TBWA’s Digital Arts Network China.

Lin, who began his career at AKQA in San Francisco, worked for BBDO Proximity in New Zealand (Colenso/Clemenger), Singapore and most recently was leading Proximity China as Managing Director.

“The move to TBWA and Digital Arts Network was ideal for me. There’s an expectation throughout the entire organization to do great, iconic work,” Lin commented. “The business landscape in China is evolving at a phenomenal rate, and with the additional complexities of digital based communications, the Digital Arts Network model allows us to leverage best-in-class resources and develop local specialist LABS to focus on the most appropriate technology to solve our clients’ business problems and deliver iconic work.”

As part of the launch of Digital Arts Network China, TBWA will introduce it’s first LAB offerings with the launch of DIGITAIL® and SMARTS.

DIGITAIL, is a division of The Integer Group® that specializes in digital retail and leverages their in-house retail and shopper marketing expertise.

Morgan McAlenney, Senior Vice President – DIGITAIL, said, “As the worlds of retail and digital continue to converge, Digital Arts Network has both the competencies and capabilities to provide retail-based solutions that engage shoppers at various decision points and influence higher rates of conversion.”

Lin added, “The explosive growth in China’s retail and shopper marketing industry coupled with increasing digital integration makes the DIGITAIL LAB a natural starting point for us.”

TBWA’s Digital Arts Network China will also introduce a SMARTS (social media arts) LAB in Shanghai, an extension of the existing Hong Kong SMARTS LAB that already serves clients across Greater China.

In Shanghai, SMARTS will be led by Sue Su, Planning Director, and will be dedicated to uniting and strengthening expertise already present in the network and the agency, including social media strategy development and implementation, community management, monitoring, measurement and optimisation.

TBWA’s global Digital Arts Network is the unification of TBWA’s proven digital talent, encompassing over 700 digital specialists within the network and initially in eighteen markets, a global network footprint to rival any pure-play digital shop. The formation of Digital Arts Network creates a formal global structure for how TBWA approaches digital and integration, rooted in TBWA’s Media Arts philosophy that everything between a brand and an audience is media and that, increasingly, those touch points are digital.

Digital Arts Network provides the TBWA group with extensive competencies, from creative technology and UX, through social media and mobile, to content, IP, search and analytics. Digital Arts Network also includes specialist LABS that serve as centers of excellence in each area of expertise. Clients will get access to the best of local and global talent, best-of-breed specialists, resources and IP, through one local entry point.

“Digital Arts Network is disrupting the digital conventions in the market,” explained Ian Thubron President, TBWA\Greater China. “Digital Arts Network’s unique positioning and network of specialty LABS equip it perfectly for the modern world, and with it, equip TBWA for the digital future.”