GUT Singapore: “Asia Is a Region of Possibilities”
Marking the third office launch of the year, global creative network, GUT, has opened in Singapore as the company’s tenth location. Led by Jessica Davey as managing director, Carlos Camacho as chief creative officer and Belynda Sim-Mak as head of strategy, the latest expansion follows the launch of GUT New York just a month prior and GUT Madrid earlier this year.
To get to know the team and their vision, LBB’s Sunna Coleman sits down with Jessica, Carlos and Belynda, who chat through GUT’s growth success, their philosophy for creating brave work and how they tackle ‘moving at the speed of Asia’.
LBB> Congratulations on the tenth GUT office opening! What has led to so much growth in such a short amount of time?
Jessica> Thank you – as an agency, we are incredibly proud and humbled to have experienced such massive growth and momentum over the last six years. It is amazing to have 700+ gutsies across ten offices in seven countries after such a short period of time. It has by far exceeded all expectations.
The agency was founded on three priorities: people first, work second, and clients third. If our people are happy and nurtured and doing the best work of their lives, the work will be fantastic and the clients will be happy. It's a win-win for both our talent and our clients.
As we have grown, the most critical thing for us has been continuing to find the right gutsy people to join our team across the GUT Network who also share our core values and creative ambition. We want each of them to do the best work of their careers here at GUT. This isn't just important for GUT's future but also for each individual's career. This is a key part of our people-first priority.
Another major reason we were able to expand so rapidly globally is the trust we have built with our clients. We are a brave agency for brave clients. But bravery is not something you wake up with one day and go from zero to 100. It's a journey; it's a scale. We like to be the partners who help take our clients on that journey because we know that bravery means business because it leads to better results.
LBB> We’d love to get to know the team heading up the Singapore base better – what do each of you specialise in and what is your background experience?
Jessica> Originally, I am from Melbourne and I actually grew up in advertising (my mother was a creative director and my father was a business director, then CEO) so I was brought up surrounded by lots of amazing creative, artistic passionate people in the 80s and 90s Australian advertising scene.
I moved to Shanghai in 2003 as a big adventure with one suitcase and definitely not enough experience but I learned fast. That is one of the things I love so much about Asia, the possibilities to forge your own path, learn at speed and create at scale. From there it was to Hong Kong, Singapore, then London and now back to Singapore, where I have been for nine years.
I have worked across local, regional and global roles, partnered with a lot of big brands like Google, L’Oreal, Dove, Mars, Coca-Cola and Heineken, just to name a few. I have been fortunate enough to work on campaigns that have won Cannes Lions, Effies, Spikes, Adfest and D&AD.
Asia is a high-pressure region, it is hugely diverse and nuanced, it moves fast and it is innovation hungry. I think the most powerful and important thing I can do as the managing director is create an environment where people can do brave work and have fun doing it.
Carlos> I was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and started my career in Bogotá before quickly taking my work global, spending most of it abroad in Asia. In 2013, I moved to Ho Chi Minh City as ECD which then led me to take on the same creative leadership role in Shanghai with JWT, then JWT Hong Kong, and eventually WT Amsterdam after nearly a decade in Asia. My open and collaborative spirit has allowed me to connect with diverse teams and people across Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.
Two years ago, I returned to Latin America, answering a call from DAVID, where I leveraged my global experience across three continents. I've driven projects for brands like Unilever, HSBC, Vodafone, Bayer, Amazon, IKEA, Netflix and ABInBev. I earned a spot on Campaign Asia’s ‘40 under 40’ and have been recognised by the world’s top advertising awards, including a Titanium at Cannes, D&AD, Clio, Grand LIA, One Show, Spikes Asia and a Grand Prix at Dubai Lynx. I've also had the honour of serving as a judge at major creative festivals across the USA, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Belynda> I’m a true-blue Singaporean always looking for ways to bridge the gap between the man on the street and the boardroom. Asia is constantly witnessing transformation and having spent the last two decades working on brands across the APAC region, it’s ever more important to drive an insight-led culture. As an ex-qualitative researcher at Flamingo Research and head of cultural intelligence APAC at TBWA, I’ve always believed planning is an outside job – bringing in diverse and fresh insights outside the adland bubble and challenging conventional assumptions around people’s experiences and needs in the region today.
Some of the key brands and work over the years include destination branding for Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Hilton. I’ve taken APAC/ AU brands like Tiger Beer and Toll Group out to the world and driven cultural relevance across Asia for global brands like Spotify, IKEA, Heineken, Guinness and Unilever, some of which have picked up both creative and effectiveness awards at New York Festivals, Spikes, Ad Fest, AMEs and APAC / local Effies.
LBB> Part of your company philosophy involves having the guts to do something that hasn’t been done before. How do you plan to bring this ethos to Asia? What is your vision?
Jessica> Anselmo [Ramos] and Gaston [Bigio] founded the agency with a clear philosophy. The name GUT is our North Star. GUT is a brave agency for brave clients. We exist to inspire the world to follow their gut. It's a daily reminder of the kind of work we want to do: emotional work that makes you feel something in your gut because your gut is quite literally your second brain.
Historically, our most creative and effective work was visceral and intuitive – feelings that come from the gut. For that, of course, you need brave clients. Or, at least, clients that have a desire and are willing to learn how to become brave. It's definitely not for everyone. We always say, ‘When in doubt, remember the agency's name’. We love the fact that clients can use our name both in our favour and against us. Following an initial meeting or presentation, we have found that clients either say: ‘Oh, now I understand why the agency is called GUT’ or ‘Well, I thought the agency was called GUT’ – both are extremely motivating.
Our values are very important to us and come through in our people and our work: courage, transparency and intuition. We always ask potential new clients if they are aligned with those values to make sure we are a good fit. We have a philosophy called ‘Open Kitchen’ which is all about working collaboratively with clients. We will do whatever it takes to understand a client's business, identify communications needs and opportunities, and proactively bring bold ideas to the table. Our clients are always invited into our creative process. In fact, one of our core principles is ‘clients are creatives’. We have a big table, and all are welcome. Our name reminds us to be brave every single day. Bravery is the opposite of safety; we know that becoming brave doesn't happen overnight. So, the ‘Open Kitchen’ is one way we bring clients along this journey with us. The journey towards bravery is better together.
Carlos> I believe that building a team in Singapore that truly shares our values and our vision for brave, boundary-pushing work is essential. Creating a safe, inclusive and friendly environment will be key to enabling people to pursue bold and ambitious ideas without fear. Our business is about making things happen and to truly make an impact in Asia, we need to be an agency of makers and doers, bringing our best ideas into the world with determination and excellence. As one of our founders, Anselmo, puts it: ‘Life is too short to do shitty ads’.
Talking about bravery is easy, but acting bravely is a different story. As Joe Lewis once said, ‘Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.’ This means we have to be committed to pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones to deliver work that’s not only creatively ambitious but also impactful for our clients and inspiring for our team.
LBB> Now for the bigger picture. How will the Singapore office collaborate with the rest of GUT globally? And in what ways will you differ?
Jessica> Well, time zones are always a challenge, but we are already partnering with GUT Amsterdam and Madrid on some opportunities, which is really exciting.
We like to say we are ‘100% agility and 0% bureaucracy’. We have a talented, lean structure. We are ad nerds with a massive and diverse collective repertoire and we're here to make things – the ads, the industry, the culture – better. We have an independent spirit and autonomy, so we are very fast in adapting to the best way of working for our clients.
A common phrase in the region is the need to ‘move at the speed of Asia’ and that can be a challenge for some agencies when they land here. GUT is already fast moving because of the kind of work we do, focused on cultural impact and business performance so that has been really impressive.
GUT’s DEI commitment is to always make sure the agency is reflective of the culture and markets it is in, so we will always make sure we are supporting and empowering our talents across the region.
LBB> Every region in Asia has its own culture, ways of working and style. How will you use your intuition to deliver work that resonates across differing regions?
Belynda> This is a team that has either grown up in the region or spent many years working across APAC – and that certainly has its advantages when it comes to navigating cultural nuances.
You pay attention to what happens around you and recognise how others from different cultures view things. It’s almost autopilot when you feel something’s off or if it’s spot on. But intuition can only take you so far – what has always worked best is working hand-in-hand with local experts and teams in markets from the get-go.
LBB> How do you utilise the diverse range of skills within the team to help come up with creative solutions?
Carlos> We are a team with many different talents, and our mix / blend of cultures, skills and experiences helps us work in a unique way that brings out the best in everyone. By understanding each person's strengths and creating a space where we can connect and share ideas openly, we encourage teamwork. A culture where everyone feels heard and free to contribute is the key to finding great creative solutions
LBB> What do you most love about the work and talent that comes out of this market and what are you most excited for?
Jessica> Asia is a region of possibilities. It is so dynamic and diverse, both in the kind of work that is made and the people who make it. One of the biggest ambitions we have is to create the kind of work that makes people say, ‘Oh that is so GUT’ and ‘only in Asia’ in the same breath.
We don’t just want to create campaigns that work ‘in’ a market, we want it to work ‘for’ a market. We want to reflect human experiences and emotions in a deeply respectful and resonant way for cultures and people.
LBB> Anything else you’d like to share?
Jessica> We recently had a VIP party with our founders here in Singapore and, afterwards, one of our guests posted that what had resonated the most with her was our founders talking about bravery being a combination of confidence and humility. That is especially important for us as we come into Asia for the first time, we believe in ourselves and our mission, but we also know we have a lot to learn.
