A blog article detailing valuable insights from our managing director, Angela, was planned as a wrap-up of the year that was 2020, and a forecast of the year to come. The content team strategised early, booked the boss’ time for a quick chat, scheduled the appointment into the calendar, set several alerts… but something cropped up every single time. A client’s call, a staff meeting, a business pitch that overran, a trainer from an online course who delayed the lunch break, a networking session… she simply had no time.

“I don’t even have the time to drink water,” she mused as she hurriedly poured a glass for herself when we finally caught her on a Friday evening as the rest of the staff were packing up and heading home.

We gave her a pause to chug a few mouthfuls before shooting our questions. Time with Angela was right in front of us, and we grabbed it.

Finally, we’re speaking to the managing director of ENCE Marketing Group, who has obviously not had a slow or quiet 2020.

ENCE Marketing Group was established on 13 June 2007, and 2021 marks 15 years of this SME in the business. That is no mean feat for a homegrown marketing agency that has weathered various storms, and now the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re not really affected by the pandemic,” Angela asserts. That is a bold statement but one that can only be declared by a company that is agile, efficient, innovative and driven. The onslaught of Covid-19 has affected events, work arrangements, company budgets, marketing channels – in general, everything that was normal to us. Yet, the company adapted easily, and life went on.

Of course, it only seemed smooth on the surface. Since seven years ago, Angela, ever the advocate for transformation, was already introducing cloud-based processes and systems into the company’s SOP. Instituting change within the company, especially when there was no external force like a pandemic driving the change, was not easy but she was firm in her vision.

“The future is mobile and agile. Inertia is probably the worst thing to have as a marketing agency,” she observes.

With the company’s cloud-based processes, organised filing system and agile system in place, shifting to a work-from-home arrangement proved to be a smooth transition. She never imagined a fully remote work environment mandated by a global pandemic, but she ensured that the company’s agility always allowed for any situation.

“Communications is a difficult thing to systemise. You would imagine that it was more based in ideas, than numbers; reach than value; relationships than strategy; but it can be done and it has brought us, and our clients, to where we are today.”

“We see many examples of SMEs and PR firms remaining as boutique agencies where the team is kept small and business growth is always limited by resources. With the mindset of agility, we are able to cater work for a bigger team with an emphasis on communication and teamwork to get everyone on the same page.”

A team rowing the boat towards the same direction together is an analogy that she always uses.

“Over the years, we have managed to build an ENCE community where the staff share similar ideals despite vastly different backgrounds,” she says with pride.

In 2020, ENCE Marketing rolled out various schemes to help new and existing clients cope with the uncertain times.

The PR arm, Affluence PR, offered retainer clients a complimentary contract extension of two months, to help shoulder some of their clients’ business costs during the circuit breaker period.

In an act of solidarity for SME clients, the firm decided to offer as much support as they can to their clients in the most badly affected sectors, in retail and F&B.  In April 2020 when the Circuit Breaker first kicked in, Affluence PR had already offered deferred payment schemes to clients that needed to conserve cash to keep their businesses afloat.  Towards the end of the Circuit Breaker and after assessing its own finances and business continuity and viability, Affluence PR ascertained that it is in a stable position that will be able to support its clients and to help other SMEs tide over this period. 

ENCE Marketing Group also launched a no-risk, guaranteed sales and new leads marketing package only for SMEs. This package is exclusively for SMEs that need to pivot their business to go digital, but lack the funds to do so.  

“Our team is also fully committed to put in our maximum effort to help SMEs go digital,” Angela says. “Despite the perceived time savings of not having to travel to work, our team has actually been putting in longer hours to upgrade ourselves, learn new technologies and then pass on this knowledge to our clients.  Besides the daily operational work, we are spending more time now to help clients build their online and digital marketing infrastructure.  Government support in the past year has also been very helpful, and has enabled us to extend this help to clients.”

When asked for her predictions in the marketing, PR, events and design landscape for 2021, “digital branding” comes up frequently. “Brands are looking to create new identities for the online marketplace. They are motivated to innovate, create a new brand name, refresh their logo… it’s all about taking risks in 2021.”

One thing that stays the same, however, is her goal for the year ahead. “To do better” – which is something that she looks forward to doing every year.

We notice the time ticking away and her phone buzzing with more incoming messages and notifications. We decide to end our conversation here and dangled a last question on a somewhat more personal note.

“What was your biggest takeaway from 2020?”

“Always look for the silver lining.”

And that’s it. We think back about how we were worrying about the timeline of the article, but felt comforted by the fact that maybe it came at the right time. It all fell into place like how 2020 did.

The post A Message from Our Managing Director appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

Over our 12 years in business, we have seen so many women enter, take charge and rise up the ranks to become influential leaders who have shaped ENCE Marketing into what it is today. We are staffed with a good number of women marketers, most of whom are in leadership positions. With no intention to stereotype, we notice that women bring with them a certain meticulousness, attention to detail, ability to multitask, nurturing nature and innate ability to mediate and sooth ruffled feathers – all key qualities for anyone at the workplace, especially in a marketing agency.

It’s not everyday that the power, strength and grace of all women are celebrated, so use this special day to show your appreciation to your female customers and women in your life!

How are some marketing ideas for International Women’s Day 2020!

1. Treat the ladies to special deals and discounts

We all love a good bargain!

Promote special deals on your social media channels and put a time period to encourage more participation. To leverage on user-generated content, get your audience to submit content or share snippets on their own channels while tagging the women they are showing appreciation to. Make it a contest or reward everyone with a small gift to spread the love and the virality!

2. Women, only

Depending on your brand and its suitability, consider running on women-only promotional campaign as a gesture of appreciation for your female customers! To make it more targeted, filter only the female demographic in your social media campaign, or email database, so that your target audience will receive your message and feel acknowledged and rewarded.

3. Acknowledge your staff

A personal touch always makes content that much more interesting. Post a picture of your female employees, but you do not have to neglect the guys! Use this opportunity to show appreciation to all your staff and let them be seen by your customers. Your brand will come across as a fun and accommodating workplace, and a brand that cares and makes an effort to connect with their staff and audience.

4. Launch a CSR Campaign in the name of International Women’s Day

In today’s day and age where a small act of kindness or an effort to give back to society is crucial to show that your brand is still rooted in human values, consider running a CSR campaign that is linked to women. It could be donating funds to a charitable organisation that roots for women’s rights, or volunteering with an organisation that is in line with a cause that your brand is compatible with, such as breast cancer awareness or support for single mothers.

We wish all our staff, clients, friends and family a happy International Women’s Day 2020!

The post Happy International “WomENCE” Day! appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

The staff who made the party possible

Party’s just getting started!

And it has started!

The mega winner of the night!

You can find more snaps of the night here:

To each and every one of you who have been a part of our journey, this party is for YOU!

Till the next one!

The post Office Warming Happenings! appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

These practices and values are rooted in the belief to make our workplace like a family environment. Our employees’ concerns and the factors upon which their financial and social well-being depend are truly our concerns and responsibilities. And so, we make it a point to not just focus on the extrinsic rewards and professional growth opportunities but also a well-structured and balanced life for our employees.

At ENCE Marketing, we value people and view employment as an essential commitment based on fundamental values, shared vision, goals and objectives, and a continuous sense of improvement and personal progress. Clearly, such a commitment cannot be a one-way street. It’s reciprocal and voluntary in nature.

Women at ENCE Marketing make up a great portion of our workforce. We are an inclusive, extra-carrying and socially responsible company that believes in work-life balance in its true spirit. We are conscious of the fact that the only way we can ensure that working parents succeed in their careers and still lead a meaningful family life is by putting in place programmes and policies that are supportive, enabling and inclusive as far as the challenges working parents face are concerned.

The post Women And Working Parents At ENCE Marketing appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

As part of the Marketing Monday programme on Money FM 89.3, Angela spoke about what a marketing plan is. She expained how a new business might go about setting it up. She also touched on methods to measure the return on investment of your marketing efforts.

Angela also discussed ENCE’s proprietary framework, marketing for returns, and how to spend your marketing dollars in the best possible way. Accordingly, she gave examples of successful campaigns run by ENCE marketing group and how to emulate them. As one of the leading marketing agencies in Singapore, we are proud to have lent our wisdom to Money FM listeners. To listen to the full interview, click here.

Angela Sim is the managing director of ENCE Marketing Group. She has 16 years of marketing and 7 years of PR experience. Having been a pioneer in kickstrating marketing for lifestyle brands like Nakamichi and Whirlpool, she understands how to create positive PR for her clients. She now heads her team of marketing specialists at ENCE to create positive PR in Singapore for her clients.

ENCE Marketing Group is a SIngapore based marketing agency providing a full-suite of marketing services. We provide PR services in Singapore for retail, F&B and medical companies. Our design and digital marketing teams bring your vision to life, whilst our events team connect you to your target audience. To discuss your company’s marketing plans, get in touch with our team today.

Watch the full interview here:

https://omny.fm/shows/money-fm-893/marketing-monday-setting-and-measuring-the-returns

The post ENCE is on Money FM 89.3! appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

CMO stands for Chief Marketing Officer. In this segment of Marketing Mondays, they discusssed the role of CMOs and how it fits into an organisation. With the recent announcement of CMOs stepping down at major corporations, it was a natural question to ask – are CMOs still relevant today? Listen to the interview below to hear what our managing director, Angela, had to say about this.

As one of the leading marketing agencies in Singapore, we are proud to have lent our wisdom to Money FM listeners. For Angela’s previous appearance on Money FM, talking about ROI in marketing, click here.

Angela Sim is the managing director of ENCE Marketing Group. She has 16 years of marketing and 7 years of PR experience. She was a pioneer in kickstarting marketing for lifestyle brands like Nakamichi and Whirlpool. Angela understands precisely how to create positive PR for her clients. She now heads her team of marketing specialists at ENCE to create positive PR in Singapore for her clients.

ENCE Marketing Group is a SIngapore based marketing agency providing a full-suite of marketing services. We provide PR services in Singapore for retail, F&B and medical companies. Our design and digital marketing teams bring your brand vision to life, whilst our events team connect you to your target audience. To discuss your company’s marketing plans, get in touch with our team today.

Watch the full interview here:

The post ENCE is Back on Money FM 89.3! appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.

Over 50 of our closest clients, vendors, partners, media friends, colleagues (old and new!) and friends joined us on Christmas Eve for a cozy lunch party held at our office in PLUS Building. Did you know that this was also our first Christmas party at our year-old office? Yet another thing to celebrate! *clinks wine glasses*

In case you missed it, we rounded up some shots of the day to commemorate this special occasion!

Food lovingly prepared and catered for by My NoNNa’s!

Geri (Founder of My NoNNa’s) and two Champions from My NoNNa’s easily fed all of our guests – with a smile and electric saw in hand, of course! Big thanks to My NoNNa’s for the delicious food!

Woodstock Beverages and their various types of Sake

Guests were also treated to a sake tasting courtesy of Woodstock Beverages, perfect for the festive season!

Comedy Ventriloquist Joseph Then and his “puppet”

You don’t get to see a professional ventriloquist every day, but guests had the pleasure of enjoying a hilarious segment by local ventriloquist Joseph during the party! Joseph’s friend “Ah Beng” made an appearance (much to the distress of some female guests…). Also, a special appearance by one of our guests who got pulled up (or sabo-ed!) to be part of the performance!

Santa Snatch to end of the party!

A salad spinner, chocolates, and a jazz album… we hope everyone went home happy with their lot!

As our Managing Director, Ms Angela Sim, put it, Christmas is a time of giving thanks, and we appreciate each and every one of you who were part of our journey. To an even greater 2020!

Check out more event photos well as event happenings on our Facebook page.

If you’d like to find out more about My NoNNa’s Gift of Giving, Woodstock Beverages or future ENCE events, hit us up now!

The post ‘Twas an ENCE Purple Christmas! appeared first on Marketing Company Singapore | Branding & Advertising Agency |ENCE.