Asia Major
MANILA, Philippines - We live in an increasingly flatter and more connected world. With the rise of e-commerce platforms and the digital democratization of fashion, becoming a player in any market (be it local, regional, or ever-global) becomes less about having the loudest voice in the field, and more about having a convincing product that cuts through all the noise.
Public relations in the digital age is becoming more and more about telling a good story, delivering a good narrative — that’s something Medium.Asia founder Denise Svensson knows a lot about.
Founded in 2011, Medium.Asia is a boutique public relations agency that specializes in providing services for the fashion, jewelry, travel and luxury industries in the Asia Pacific region. Human-sized and creatively-driven, the agency prides itself in conveying each brand’s unique story to the appropriate medial channels.
Medium.Asia celebrates their five years in operation, having expanded to Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, and most recently, to Los Angeles, offering both traditional and digital marketing to brands that come from a regional perspective, and to those bigger labels seeking to gain a foothold in our emerging markets.
Denise Svensson got her feet wet in political PR, servicing the Mayor of Pangasinan in the early stages of her career. She eventually moved to a bigger opportunity in Thailand, an introduction to the world of luxury and lifestyle PR, servicing the boutique hotel brands in the country. Svensson expatriated again in 2011, settling down in Hong Kong with her entrepreneur husband. Uprooted and once again in an unfamiliar market, she goes on to establish Medium.Asia on the premise of representing her Thai-based hotel clients on a larger regional basis.
A newcomer to what could be described as the most competitive market in Asia, “it wasn’t all smooth sailing,” says Svensson, “it was tough in the beginning. Hong Kong, I would say, houses the cream of the crop in terms of regional talent and connections — it was a lot of hard work, and 16-hour days; a lot of networking and building rapport with a lot of brands.” She recalls those first three years, where a constant stream of ignored proposals and outward refusals were par for the course at the agency — Svensson counts those days as the integral growing years for the company. “I knew with enough time and perseverance, we’d prove ourselves eventually. We directed our company to engage in a lot of projects, big and small, some pro bono and charity events — everything we could do to build our portfolio. After the small success of some of our independent brands, we started to create a sense of curiosity in terms of our competitors and some of the bigger, more established brands in the market. It all started from there; word of mouth, referrals, and five years later, luckily we’re still here.”
In the relative youth of their company, Medium.Asia has gone on to collaborate with a diverse roster of clients; from Dinh Van Paris, Charlotte Olympia, La Perla lingerie to home fragrance label Diptyque Paris, to name a couple. The agency has garnered a reputation as the go-to company when seeking a human-sized company that can guarantee results with reasonable package prices. “I’d say in this business, it doesn’t matter so much as to whom you know, at the end of the day, clients choose to work with agencies that deliver. If they’re given that special kind of service, I knew Medium.Asia had something to offer in that department.”
Medium.Asia began the year with the milestone of establishing one of their partner brands, Stefere Haute Joaillerie, in the U.S. market. Having assisted their press relations in the country, the label’s unique jewelry designs have gone on to appear in a wide range of American publications; counting Marie Claire and the foremost industry trade publication, WomensWearDaily.
On the prospect of strengthening their presence in the U.S. and to champion local independent brands from the Philippines — to reach an even wider audience, be it regional or global – YStyle sits down with Medium.Asia’s founder Denise Svensson and talks shop.
YSTYLE: Having established your company in 2011, you’ve worked with a few prestigious clients despite the relative youth of Medium.Asia. Can you walk us briefly through some of your highlights?
DENISE SVENSSON: 2013 was the year I felt we were able to properly introduce our agency. It was the year we started getting inquiries and opportunities from fashion and lifestyle brands (both local and international) in Hong Kong. We’re honored to have worked with clients such a Dinh Van Paris, La Perla, Palais Royal Paris, Stefere Haute Joiallerie, homegrown brand S.Nine by Susanna Soo, Elite Models and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, to name a few. We were able to establish our brand DNA and positioning in the market.
After two years of quietly exploring the market, the first quarter of 2016 saw our jewelry client Stefere Haute Joaillerie (who has been our partner for 3 years) generating press features in the US. It was a combination of luck, timing, hard work, and of course their fabulous jewelry designs, we proposed the idea of breaking through that market: a highlight for me was seeing Stefere in reputable American titles such as WomensWearDaily, Marie Claire, Latina Magazine, among others. Ending the year with that exceptional milestone is a personal highlight for me. In 2017, we’re looking to launch two more Asian brands to the US.
Can you talk to us more about your experiences working with the US market?
Breaching the US market with a Hong Kong-based brand, there was a completely new approach we had to undergo. It was definitely a learning experience. It took some time to get responses but after some trial and error, adapting the way we spoke and approached each particular editor, we managed to establish our client in the market.
Working with US publications has its similarities, but it’s on an entirely different pace — be it being on top of your e-mail at all times, having the collaterals ready and on alert; they work extremely fast. The same could be said with styling houses and agencies, we would pitch products we thought would suit their clientele and if the pieces aren’t ready to be shipped within the same day, you can miss that window. I would say it takes a lot of targeting, knowing who you’re speaking to, who’s in and out — that was key to getting a foot hold in the market.
You’ve spoken about how before an Asian brand can go global, they first have to make it regional. What would you say are the key characteristics an aspiring label needs to have, to succeed in the region/break through to other markets?
I believe that it is highly advisable to establish your brand locally and regionally first, before trying for the global market. That sounds obvious, but it needs to be said.
Although the world is a more connected market place today, as opposed to 10 years ago, you can never forget the power of real human connection when it comes to a brand. The impact of brand heritage on perception is also key. Establishing your brand locally generates a following for your products, which you can then translate to expansion to the region — if you’re recognized regionally, that allows your label to attract the interest of a bigger market. You can only grow from there, I find a solid foundation for brand to root themselves is very important.
As an aspiring Asian label, or a Filipino label at that, growing your brand at a moderate tempo is key — not too fast, not too slow — allowing the label the breathing room to evolve and grow. Building your heritage, creating stories to tell, getting your name out there, establishing a good reputation and product recognition — that all takes time and it has to be earned. As the saying goes, “It’s a marathon and not a sprint.” Be patiently impatient; it’s a long journey. Think global, consider global trends, connect the dots, focus on the customer, and take risks. That’s my advice.
In the current luxury and retail climate, do you think it’s high time for regional brands to make a break for more global markets?
I’d say there are pros and cons to global expansion, that’s a given, but based on our client experiences, the advantages definitely outweigh the risk. Expanding and reaching out to other markets increase brand exposure to “new” eyes. Thinking global allows the brand to be more innovative, to adapt to different cultures and locales.
Do you have plans of helping local Filipino brands breach other markets?
I really hope we’re given the chance to help Filipino brands get regional and global exposure. We feel there’s a handful of labels in the Philippines who are ready to make that next step, but are lacking an agency that “speaks their language” in terms of understanding their needs and potential in that arena.
Since 2013 we have partnered with one of the Philippines’ leading boutique digital marketing agency, Carbon Digital with the vision to provide aspiring and even established brands from Philippines an agency that is close to home for homegrown brands providing a one stop shop marketing arm in where we can provide them with the tools they need from branding to digital marketing, public relations to assist them get the attention and exposure they deserve. We hope that we can be the medium of such brands to debut in region and the U.S. market.
Where do you see Medium.Asia going next? What’s next for you?
Keeping Medium.Asia’s boutique experience and scale, we aim to continue evolving and adapting to new trends. As a Filipino, I hope that we get the opportunity to work with local independent fashion and jewelry brands — a point of introduction for their labels to regional or global markets. We aim to continue building our reputation as the go-to agency of Hong Kong-based brands who need that push to expand internationally. We’re looking to set a higher standard for ourselves, to continue our niche expertise and to be able to serve our clients better than ever.
As for me, I’d really like to see our gifted designers in Asia get that break, for a bigger audience to see their products — to bring home that sense of achievement that will inspire them to keep going, and to inspire others talents to do the same.
Photo by JL JAVIER
Makeup by JACKIE C. RODRIGUEZ
