CB Exclusive: Arcade to launch in Jakarta led by CEO Gary Caulfield and ECD Alfa Aphrodita
CB Asia Exclusive: Arcade is launching an office in Jakarta signaling a new stage of growth for Southeast Asia’s leading independent agency.
Indonesia will follow Arcade’s trademark agency model – a compact and nimble creative agency built around a core of very senior people arranged flat and lean with extensive experience creating and deploying world class advertising campaigns and content.
The senior group will be led by two advertising superstars in Jakarta – Gary Caulfield (above right) and Alfa Aphrodita (above left) – who are co-founders and will take the agency forward as the CEO and ECD respectively.
Caulfield is a 20 year veteran of Asia holding ECD positions around the region at McCann and Leo Burnett as well as global creative director roles for Singapore Airlines at Batey Ads, amongst others. In recent years Ogilvy Jakarta became the most awarded agency in Indonesia and won multiple Agency of the Year awards with Caulfield at its creative helm.
Aphrodita is a highly awarded creative director in the Indonesian advertising community. Before co-founding Arcade Indonesia, she held the roles of creative director at McCann and creative group head at Ogilvy. Her creative achievements span the worlds of traditional advertising, digital media and content.
Arcade will work with both international clients looking to market their brands in Indonesia, as well as local entrepreneurs and brand owners seeking to grow in Indonesia and abroad.
The founding client of Arcade Indonesia is Unilever. Says Adeline-Ausy Setiawan, Country Media Director for Unilever Indonesia: “It is great to have Arcade opening in Indonesia. Arcade is a global agency of record for Unilever and its strong strategic and creative reputation is backed up by the quality of their work. We look forward to working with them closely for Close-Up and Pond’s in 2014.”
“We are delighted to launch Arcade in Indonesia with two people as talented and experienced as Gary and Alfa,” says Arcade Group CEO Nick Marrett. “It gives us tremendous satisfaction to help these two step out, become creative entrepreneurs and own what they do in the future.”
Says Caulfield on what he believes will set Arcade apart: “Arcade believes senior clients want to deal directly with the creative people who do the work and when it counts, make the brave decisions together. That belief is at the heart of the Arcade model. It simplifies the work process, leading to better work that gets to market faster”.
17 Comments
Hey Unilever agencies- Be afraid. Be very very afraid.
This is really going to shake up Unilever agencies.
Two of best CDs in Indo competing against Unilever big agencies. Arcade will win.
Welcome Gary and Alfa!
It’s so exciting to have such a talented team spearheading Arcade Jakarta.
Looking forward to some stunning campaigns.
A great team and a great agency! Good match!
Is this how Ian strikes back?
Great news Arcade! Awesome
Peter Dean Creative have also just opened in Indonesia.
My Indonesian office is in Bogor.
Arcade maybe we can work together??
Can anyone explain why and how is Arcade regarded as a GREAT agency? Or are words such as GREAT and LEGEND cheap to throw around these days?
Congratulations Gary, well done mate.
You’re the only one who has used the words ‘great’ and ‘legend’ to describe them Jim.
I did not come across those words used in that context anywhere in this story.
It’s GREAT to have an agency like arcade around…just so people can see what a local agency should aim to be..instead of becoming scared little groups of people who are afraid to challenge clients, put out shit work and exist just because they are CHEAP.
Congrats guys. Great stuff.
They get to work on Unilever?
And Ponds to top it off?
Wow, so envious!
Not many creatives relish working on Unillevers or P&Gs.
Maybe that’s why the quality of the work reflects their snobbish attitude.
But I can assure you that not a single agency boss or bean counter ever regrets having such a ‘bread and butter’ income line on their spreadsheet.
How else are their scam teams , bonuses and award entries funded?
@marc is right…
And since the revenue arcade earns on unilever is very likely not going towards scam teams or awards entries, we assume that the bulk of it goes to reward the people busting their asses on difficult accounts, and into the pockets of the founders….where it rightly belongs.
While most mncs pay their creatives peanuts while killing them on unpaid overtime…and blowing huge amounts on creative seminars for ECDs, cannes travel arrangements, delegate fees and parties….i think the arcade way is so much better and the right thing to do.
Congratulations Gary & Alfa.
Success breeds success and I look forward to seeing you guys kick big goals.
Go Arcade Indo!!!
Well done Gaz, at last you will own the rewards for your efforts and not just build some other pricks bean stalk. Lins
All the sacrifices for you and Alfa are now paying off, GO GET EM LOVE, all the best for all you Arcadians, love from your very proud mum xx