Luxury hospitality focused branding agency opens in Singapore

Singapore is first Asian office for the agency, which also has teams in London, Dubai and Vancouver. McCall will be supported by a team of three. The agency plans to grow the team locally with additional account service and creative staff by the end of 2014.

McCall has 30 years of experience at agencies and as a freelance brand consultant. He has spent considerable time at Landor, Fitch and Distillery, working on luxury retail and hospitality.

“We embrace Singapore with great enthusiasm and excitement as we continue to grow and strengthen our presence and recognition as a specialist global luxury lifestyle branding agency,” said Mark Jory, Latitude's founder and CEO.

Singapore has become a hotspot for consultancy firms over the past couple of years. Last year, UK-based firm JKR, opened its doors in Singapore, led by managing partner Emily Kousah. Independent agency Arcade also entered Singapore with a joint venture with Hiroshi Harada, the former regional head of Dentsu Asia. More recently, Singapore-based independent branding agency Bonsey Design partnered with Sydney’s The Jaden Group to launch a new digital tieup Bonsey Jaden.

According to a spokesperson for Latitude, Singapore provides the agency with a base to build relationships with existing clients while also raising its Asian profile and growing business with new clients. Latitude is currently working with Pontiac Land Group, Patina, Raffles Hotel, Arch Capital, Coco Collection, Asia Standard International, Haevichi Hotels and Resorts and Marriott International.

While there are many reputable branding agencies in the market, Latitude is very much a specialist in luxury lifestyle branding with a strong portfolio of both global hospitality brands and a history of launching new brands to the market, the spokesperson said when asked about the competitive landscape. “We see ourselves as unique within this sector, with key directors having had experience on both client and agency sides of the fence.”