In April, the Grey Group announced a strategic alignment with WPP sister company, Batey. While continuing to run independently, Batey will now be a part of Grey Group and will be housed within Grey Group Singapore, alongside Grey (brand advertising), G2 (activation marketing) and Grey Healthcare. Later that month, former ECD Andrew Hook resigned, and was replaced by long-term Grey creative director Koh Hwee Peng.
Owned by WPP and previously part of JWT, Batey is a homegrown Singapore agency and one of the most awarded in Asian advertising history. Founded in 1972, the agency is best known for its iconic creation, the Singapore Girl. Current top clients include Qatar Airways’ global business, Mitsubishi Motors and METRO Department Store.
These and other clients will benefit from access to Grey’s resources, global network and specialist arms such as G2. Meanwhile Grey Group gets to increase its Singapore presence and strengthen its total communications offering.
“In today’s competitive environment, it is critical that a creative agency has a breadth of resource which meets the needs of a changing marketplace”, said Batey CEO Alan Fairnington. “Being part of the Grey Group gives Batey direct access to these resources and enhances our brand building capabilities.”
