TMD Bangkok celebrates 3 years of building successful international brands

Bangkok, October 22, 2008: TMD (The Marketing Department) Bangkok, an integrated marketing and brand development firm, is celebrating its third anniversary on Wednesday as well as its expansion into Japan, with the opening of its new Bangkok office and the launch of its new Tokyo branch.

While many companies nervously await the impact of the current global financial crisis, some are casting fears aside, already looking for innovative new marketing strategies to not only help them survive, but also forge ahead of their fear-stricken competition. This determination by forward thinking businesses to stay ahead of the curve has increased the demand for TMD’s twenty-first century approach to brand building and marketing.

Economic downturn or period of opportunity?

“Normally, when industries fall into crisis or global markets experience down-turns, marketing budgets are the first thing to go,” says Kirk Bentham, TMD’s Founder and Managing Director. “Ad agencies and media suppliers are always the first to feel the pinch, but TMD is fortunate not to be your typical advertising agency, one that relies on our clients’ big media spending to be profitable. We’ve been the “anti-agency” from day one.”

TMD sees itself as a client’s strategic partner, assisting in business and product development, and most importantly according to Bentham, developing better ways for brands to communicate and utilize their best assets – their people. “Advertising and media buying make up just a very small percentage of what we offer,” he adds.

Comprised of a uniquely experienced talent pool, TMD is able to get beneath the skin of a client’s business and leave nothing un-explored when developing strategies. It’s with this approach that they have been offering top companies something much more valuable than campaign planners and creatives for the past three years.

“Even before the current financial crisis made the headlines, we had been enjoying a new wave of clients looking for a more holistic approach to marketing and branding. We’ve had many clients come to us from big agencies this year, not to cut back on their spending but to get more for what they pay for,” said Bentham.

This wave has also brought some very high-level talent and new market opportunities for TMD. Former Interbrand VP Eric Peterson felt this shift in outlook and left his position as Brand Strategy Director at local agency In-house to join Bentham, award-winning designer and art director Jeff Williams, and their new powerhouse team of local project specialists. Peterson was joined by former Brandcom Sr. PR Consultant Pemika Wongaiyara, who provides extra clout to TMD’s PR services. The team was rounded out by Jeff W. Richards, a writer/journalist and Tokyo event specialist.

“Tokyo has always been a tastemaker market for all things hi-tech, fashion, and nightlife oriented,” says Richards. “What TMD has going on in Bangkok – at the corporate level – hits all the right notes with what companies are looking for now.” He adds that Japanese businesses are no different. “Japan Inc. is looking for its own powerful brand stories to energize expanding business and keep the fears of recession at bay. Many of today’s largest brand conglomerates are Japanese, instantly recognized the world over. With ever increasing expansion into SE Asian markets, they can see huge opportunities to move ahead of their competition if they utilize different ways to communicate – especially with proper English messaging in new markets.”

Such is the grip of the global financial crisis that it will be today’s forward thinking companies – the ones who change the way they think and communicate – who will see the greatest gains. Working with these visionary businesses, TMD and its team of innovators aims to sweep away the “ad pushers” – the weaker and inarticulate competition – to help them find new ways of thinking and future-investing in the new post-advertising age.

Located in the heart of Bangkok and Tokyo's metropolis, The Marketing Department (TMD) borne from the vision of creating a company that can handle all aspects of marketing: from brand strategy, design and creative to public relations, advertising and special events - all done in-house using one team of specialists with a unified understanding of the client's brand and objectives.

Mr.Kirk J Bentham, Ms. Pemika Wongaiyara
kirk@tmdbangkok.com

TMD Communications Co. ltd.
13/48 Sukumvit Soi 23
Ocean Tower 2, 23rd Floor

Tel. 0-2661- 6848
www.tmdbangkok.com

This release was published on openPR.