Shanghai – Global experience agency Imagination, today announces the appointment of John Steere as Managing Director for China.
In the new role, Steere will be responsible for helming Imagination’s continued growth across China, in addition to leading the company’s ongoing commitment to the innovation of technology-enabled brand experiences.
Steere brings over 30 years of experience in marketing across various disciplines including PR, digital, shopper marketing, activation and eCommerce. Prior to joining Imagination, Steere was President at MyMM, a luxury fashion e-commerce platform in China owned by Lane Crawford Group and Wharf Holdings HK, and has held leadership roles at Yooya, McCann, Saatchi X, Visa and Gartner.
Steere’s appointment, effective immediately, follows significant growth for the experience agency, with wins including Chinese smartphone company Vivo and Porsche China, and the continued development of their digital offer for Ford across APAC. The company has also launched a technology innovation lab to solidify Imagination China as a leader in delivering technology enabled brand experiences through the seamless connection between physical and digital.
Commenting on the new role, Steere noted the increased desire from consumers to bring a seamless connection between offline experiences in physical environments with online channels.
“Our desire is to bridge the gap between online and offline customer experiences, by truly integrating the digital and physical environment. We’ve seen a recent growing demand for these connected experiences, particularly for brands looking to engage Chinese consumers. Experience design needs to be thought of exactly in these terms, and is something Imagination has paved the way in like no other,” he said.
“I am thrilled to bring my knowledge and understanding of this space to help our clients design and deliver authentic consumer experiences, that make people genuinely and viscerally connect with your brand,” he continued.
Based in Shanghai, Steere will report to Patrick Reid, CEO of Imagination Group. Reid commented, “John’s experience underpins both a strong understanding of the Chinese consumer, and a deep knowledge of what it means to bring to life a connected brand experience, seamlessly incorporating digital into the physical world that immediately resonates with Chinese consumers.
As Imagination continues to sharpen its wide range of experiential capabilities, I look forward to working with John to build upon the successes we’ve achieved so far.”
