In October of 2009, Upstream Asia—an independent network focused primarily on the technology and business-to-business sectors—was acquired by Bite Communications. The deal provided the Next Fifteen-owned agency a significant footprint in the Asia-Pacific region to complement its established presence in the North America (where it has offices in three major US markets and in Toronto) and Europe (offices in London, Sweden and Paris) as well as additional expertise in financial and consumer PR (supporting Bite’s ambitions to expand beyond the technology space) and a blue-chip client list in the region, including longtime Upstream accounts such as HTC, Jumeirah Hotels, Linksys, Siemens PLM, Skype, and SWIFT. It provided Upstream with access to a global network and the financial strength to continue its expansion in Asia.
For Upstream founder David Ketchum, the acquisition was the culmination of a strategy that began in 2006, which saw the firm list on the London’s AIM market. The flotation brought funds for investment and acquisition - and gave Upstream an edge over its competitors in the Asia’s crowded tech PR market. Founded during the dotcom boom in 2000, Upstream’s progress has not always been serene, given the fluctuations in the technology sector, but the agency has always displayed an innovative streak. Much of this is due to Ketchum himself, who remains one of the region’s most compelling PR voices. Ketchum now sits on the Bite group board as Asia-Pacific president, and also oversees Bite’s global digital and social media development. In Asia he is supported by long-time business partner and EVP Paul Mottram, a business marketing specialist and former vice president of corporate marketing at Global Sources who joined Upstream in 2001.
Upstream has not always been able to surround this duo with a strong, stable regional leadership team, but it is clear that investment from Bite has already upgraded its capabilities substantially. The most obvious evidence of that is the pioneering acquisition of digital agency OneXeno, which brings in a set of CRM and marketing skills that can only complement Bite’s existing earned/social media expertise. OneXeno also brought some useful client relationships, with the likes of Coach, eBay, PCCW, Smartone-Vodafone, Toys R Us and Swire Group. OneXeno founder Michael Zung joined Bite as regional managing director of digital, after a stint launching HSBC Direct in Taiwan and Korea.
Bite’s Asia-Pacific presence now numbers more than 70, led by its Hong Kong and Singapore offices but also counting a presence in Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. The firm’s approach is based on its proprietary Viewpoint Communications methodology, which was also adopted by Bite globally in 2010, and attempts to integrate offline and online conversations to develop powerful, credible points of view.
After a slight dip in 2009, mitigated by the expansion of Bite’s global HP business into Asia-Pacific, Bite grew by 11 percent in Asia-Pacific in 2010, putting the agency in the US$6 million range in terms of fee income. The firm increased its existing business with HP and HTC, and also saw an upturn from its integration of new digital marketing services into its portfolio. New clients included Adobe, Caterpillar, China Telecom, HDS, Jawbone, Lexar Media, Stride Rite, Sino Land and Turner. They join a client list that already features Citi, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Motorola Qantas Airways, SAP, Skype, Siemens, SWIFT and Trend Micro.
In terms of campaigns Bite’s Asia-Pacific credibly demonstrated its improvement in capabilities. For HTC, the firm devised corporate and product positioning to support the company’s attempt to shift from a Taiwanese device manufacturer to a global lifestyle communications device brand. The agency also launched the Stride Rite shoe brand in Hong Kong and Singapore, integrating traditional PR with social media influence and digital marketing techniques. Other important work included assisting the Isle of Man secure a key tax treaty with China, supporting Trend Micro’s integrated digital and PR marketing push, and counselling China Telecom on its international expansion ambitions. Bite also netted its share of Shanghai Expo work.
“Bite’s campaigns have been a resounding success, driven by core principals of delivering direct and measureable impact – from increased share of voice and market share, to stronger relationships across multiple media and stakeholder ,” said Anthony Petts, sales and marketing director at HTC ANZ.
Added SWIFT Asia-Pacific head of communications Beth Smits: “The Bite team in Asia Pacific has been working with SWIFT across the region for three years now, and has progressively become an integral part of our communications team. Bite’s contribution ranges from high-level industry messaging to on-the- ground media relations, from China to Australia to Singapore and beyond. Bite has been particularly effective in helping our executives articulate strong points of view about the development of the industry we serve.”
The Bite acquisition means that the firm’s presence in Asia is now supplemented by offices in London, Stockholm, Paris, San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. And to provide comprehensive coverage of the region, Bite continues to work with independent partner agencies such as Rantau in Malaysia and Briman in Korea. —AS