Telum is looking to highlight the diverse and vibrant agencies in the Southeast Asian PR agency landscape in upcoming editions of our PR Alert. We want to encourage networking, business opportunities, and to celebrate the great initiatives being worked on around the region. If you'd like your agency to feature, get in touch.

Telum caught up with Julie Chiang, Director at APRW to share more about the agency as they celebrate 25 years in the industry.

What services does the agency offer?
APRW incorporates keen business acumen into strategies to deliver successful and bespoke solutions in various fields of communications such as corporate communications, digital communications, marketing communications, media relations, public relations and risk and crisis management. The agency also expanded our public relations services to build an in-house digital team in 2015, so we can provide a comprehensive suite of services to offer integrated communication strategies. Our clientele is distributed across a wide array of sectors and industries, ranging from fast moving consumer goods, food and beverage, consumer technology, start-up firms and education to the government and public sector.

Where does your agency have an office?
Our head office is located in Singapore (86A Amoy Street, Singapore 069905). We also have an office in Indonesia (Chubb Square Lt. 9. Jln. MH. Thamrin No. 10 Jakarta Selatan 10230) that we opened in early 2020.

Do you have a particular area of focus?
I specialise in consumer and lifestyle PR. I have always pivoted towards this sector as I find that it gives me a great form of satisfaction to be able to meet and service clients from different industries. In consumer and lifestyle PR, I am able to keep abreast of the latest trends with a majority of my clients from the FMCGs, healthcare, and food and beverage industries.

Who is the founder and why did they start the agency?
My partner, Ms. Cho Pei Lin and I founded our own company, PR Werkz, back in 2003. A year later, we did a joint venture with Asia PR.comz, a technology-focused PR company that was set up in 1996 and founded by Ms. Celene Lim, to become Asia PR Werkz. As founding directors, we had a common goal - which was to take our experience and expertise in different fields to service a wide variety of clients and strengthen our presence in the local PR scene.

Tell us about the leadership team.
Our agency is uniquely led by a team of owners-directors who combine our business acumen and wealth of experience to the best design and deliver transformational communications solutions and successful marketing campaigns for our diverse clients across the Asia Pacific region.

What is next for your agency? What is the five-year goal?
The agency celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. After a successful rebranding, APRW has also set its sight on the regional market, aiming to enter new markets including Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam within the next five years. The firm is also currently in the final stages of a partnership discussion with one of Singapore’s leading universities. Detailed information will be announced in the coming months.

In a sentence, describe your ideal relationship with a journalist.
We may not be the best of friends and stay in touch all the time, but a good amount of trust and respect forms the foundation of every relationship.

Tell us about a campaign you are currently working on or are particularly proud of.
I had the opportunity to work on the inception of habitat by honestbee, which was the world’s first tech-enabled, multi-sensory grocery and dining experience, back in 2018. The launch was particularly memorable because that was the future of shopping. At that time Alibaba just launched their offline retail store Hema, and I was extremely excited Singapore was going to have our very own habitat by honestbee. This was definitely something that will change the landscape of shopping in the future! And a double bonus for me because two of my favourite things were part of it - shopping and retail technology!

Any key PR trends your agency is keeping an eye on?
The communications and media landscape in Singapore is always revolving and we are always trying to keep a lookout and to experiment what we can do to add value to the industry and our clients. The digital space will continue to grow and we are always excited to explore and learn. APRW just launched our own podcast on Spotify and we do feel this is one space that's growing!

What skill sets do you look for in new hires?
Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and accountability. Since the launch of our Graduate Recruitment Programme in 2011, we have seen many young and aspiring PR practitioners come through our doors to get a taste of what working in the communication industry is like. The ability to communicate effectively is also key as PR is not just about 'Public Relations', but also people relations! The industry is rapidly evolving - being flexible and receptive to changes are crucial.