Happiness Saigon says bye bye advertising agency and hello to creative connectivity agency

In 2014 Happiness spread its wings to Vietnam, setting up Happiness Saigon. Now the agency announces its new Creative Connectivity Agency vision launched with a 1-2-3 Creative Connectivity Agency event exclusive to clients, and partners. How did the independent agency get there and why is the industry changing towards a Creative Connectivity sector?  Let’s look back so we can move forward.

2014: The introduction of Happiness in Vietnam, and South East Asia

In 2014, Happiness set up its operations in Vietnam. The founders Karen Corrigan, Alan Cerutti and Thuy Tran knew that the time was right for a brand new kind of agency in Vietnam. And so “Happiness Saigon” was born, an agency that aimed to be a “brand”, a brand with, as all brands, a real purpose: helping brands spread Happiness. From small contentment to intense joy. Because brands that spread Happiness matter. And brands that matter do better.

Even though Happiness as a name has a kind of lightness in itself, the purpose of the agency had a very rational ambition: creating an economic lever by spreading happiness and positivism. Which was very important for the guidance of the creative work. Work that always has to start from a positive angle to create positive, feel-good vibes around the brand. The Coat of Arms was chosen as logo to add some “weight” to the lightness. The colours white, gold and black would determine the branding. And all Happiness people would wear a “Happiness in the Rain” rain coat during the rainy season in Vietnam.

Two kind of agencies could be distinguished today.

1) The traditional creative agencies, almost all organised in 360° silo’s. Silo’s that all have their managing directors and own business responsibilities. And their creative department, with their creative responsibilities. Ego’s and money stand in the way to make the integration really work for clients who asked for a “brand- and consumer-centric thinking”, that would be executed in the most appropriate media, according to the KPI’s.

2) At the other hand of the spectre, there are the digital agencies focussed on creating digital experiences, social amplification practices, mobile/desktop websites and software.

Happiness understood that there is a market gap right in the middle. Use the strategic and creative skills of the “creative agencies” and apply them in an “everything and everyone is media” philosophy where there are no more walls and where you no longer think media-centric, but web-centric and put technology as an integral part of the creative process. This thinking is applied to brand work on NIVEA, Bosch Southeast Asia, Coca-Cola, Mead Johnson, UNICEF among others today.

2016: The introduction of the Creative Connectivity Agency vision

For the next years Happiness is planning to proof its unique responsiveness to change. And this time it will not only be about adapting the thinking and producing iconic work. That will be the Olympic Minimum. This time it will be about re-inventing the category and even the business itself. This time it will be about saying goodbye to the old era of advertising. Both in the work and in the way we work.

By saying “Bai” (Vietnamese for bye bye) to the advertising agency and Xin Chao (hello) to the Creative Connectivity Agency, whose role it is to turn big data into big insights. And big insights into big ideas and content that makes the difference for brands. An agency that thinks “consumer journey centric” versus “consumer centric” and generates happy content along the whole consumer journey. Which has all been made possible through the exponential growth of technology and data.

With “creativity” remaining at the core. Because it’s creativity that will make sure that brands will not only pay “Share of Voice” but will also earn “Share of Choice”.

A new kind of agency that will work in a new kind of way.

Where KPI’s and dashboards will be at the core of the whole working-process.

With slow, fast and real-time content that can be adapted here and now if needed.

With Co-Creative Management where the triangle client-agency-consumer will be in constant interaction to get the creative concept and the content first right and then great.

On 03/06 Happiness Saigon organised a first 1-2-3 Connectivity seminar to launch this new vision to the market. An exclusive event for clients, and partners, consisting of an interactive session on how to code, and the launch of the Creative Connectivity vision presented by Co-founders Karen Corrigan, Geoffrey Hantson and Alan Cerutti. During the event Happiness Saigon organised a survey to identify what advertisers value most from an agency, details of the survey will be released soon.