How social agency heads are coping with the slew of govt led social tenders

This January is looking busy for social media agencies as a slew of government led social pitches fill the mark. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE found that these entities include National Library Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, People's Association, National Heritage Board and government boards Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Manpower.

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While it is fairly common for the agency reviews to happen in the first quarter of the year, what seems to be particularly interesting is the sheer number of pitches being called at the same time, with submission dates hot in the heels of each other.

With social media being one of the most critical channels for public engagement today, the shift to calling for social pitches, with longer contract periods than in the past, show that the government and statutory boards are putting more emphasis behind social and digital communication.

Moreover, this year, with SG60 celebrations set to happen – potentially in a big way – perhaps respective government agencies are looking for a fresh perspective with the upcoming national celebratory milestone, said Kelvin Kao, founder and CEO of Protocol.

Kao added that a decade ago, social media was deemed pretty low on the priority list when it came to launching campaigns.

“A lot of times the approach for the social media team was to simply adapt key visuals - basically resize and optimise for the newsfeed. Post-covid, we now see campaigns not just simultaneously launched on social, but built for social as well,” he said.

Seconding Kao’s comment was Kristian Olsen, founder and managing director of social agency Type A who added that the influx of social pitches in the government sector is a clear signal that the public sector is continuing to take social media more seriously than ever.

“The days of dipping their toes in are gone; they’re fully committed to using social to reach the public now,” he said.

Deciding what to go for

When asked how Kao and his team at Protocol are managing these pitches with dates being so close to each other, Kao said the biggest factor for the team is to have the right cultural fit of where clients would want to take the work.

This is oftentimes communicated through the verbal brief, including both what was said as well what was implied. “We consider it a vibe check of sorts as creative work is ultimately a matter of taste, and the brand’s voice matters on social,” he said.

Protocol takes the stance that what the right tone might be for the agency’s work may not necessarily be what the ministry or statutory board is looking for. “If we get the sense that we’re not quite aligned there, we’ll pass,” he said.

Agencies, at the end of the day must take care of their own folks and understand what drives them, said Matthew Zeng, co-founder and managing director of DSTNCT. “We stand strongly by the belief in selecting what we want to be a part of based on the kind of problems we get to solve with our clients. The more interesting the problem, the more we relish the challenge,” he said.

Most importantly, what this means for agencies is that the bar is raised said Olsen. Having worked in the agency scene for numerous, he says that pitches are undoubtedly part and parcel of the business.

“While the volume can get overwhelming like it is now, we’re very intentional about what we go for. I’m lucky I have a team that somehow sticks together even more when the deadlines get white knuckle close,” he said.

Interestingly however Olsen questions what its like for these government entities having to evaluate a large volume of agencies partaking in the pitch process.

“Every agency puts in hours upon hours, late nights, weekends to build great, winning proposals. What I’d really love to know is how these boards handle the sheer number of proposals. Twenty, thirty, sometimes more come in for a single pitch briefing. How is the best judged when there are simply so many quality options?”

Keeping teams motivated amidst crazy periods

The advertising scene is not new to high turn over rates and churn, and period such as these don’t make it easy for social media agencies to retain their best talent.

According to Kenny Yap, chief operating officer at Havas Play, having integrated services and diverse projects, allows his teams to continuously learn new skills and push boundaries which then differentiates their experience in the market.

“We embrace challenges, see failures as opportunities to grow, and celebrate the journey of learning and self-improvement,” he said.

“By creating a safe and supportive work environment, we empower our team to focus not only on impactful work but also on cherishing meaningful personal and family moments. Together, we embody harmony, purpose, and innovation in all that we do,” he said.

What really matters, Olsen shares candidly, is the work that leaders put in when it is not a busy period. “It’s the little things such as rolling up your sleeves to do the work, chatting about life, goals and families that matter and make them feel seen. Leaders must carve out time to share their learnings gained over the years,“ he said.

“It helps us connect so that when we do head into battle, we have people who fight beside us because they want to, not behind us or because they are given orders to.”

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