The Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA), a regional network of independent marketing agencies, officially launched its Philippine chapter at Dusit Thani Manila on Tuesday to offer Filipino brands with easier access to Southeast Asian markets.
The alliance serves as a single local partner that connects businesses with independent agencies in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. As a substitute of working with large global agency networks, firms can tap local expertise in each market while keeping a consistent regional strategy.
SAMA Country President Enya Reyes said the alliance brings together independent agencies without taking away their local strengths.
“What if the independents simply organized? Not by merging into one giant network, not by giving up what made each of them local, but by linking arms and forming a trusted alliance, a network, a platform, an ecosystem. That is actually what the SAMA Alliance is. The region’s best independent agencies, each strong in its own market, coming together to bring the most effective of what may be offered,” Ms. Reyes said throughout the launch.
“And now, the Philippines takes a seat at this table. This comes at a time when the Philippine market is beginning to look outwards,” she said.
Ms. Reyes said Filipino firms can now access the alliance’s partner agencies across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore through the Philippine chapter.
The launch comes as many Philippine businesses proceed to deal with the domestic market despite the country’s large base of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which generate thousands and thousands of jobs and contribute as much as 40% of the country’s gross domestic product. Expanding overseas has often required either hiring expensive international agency networks or navigating unfamiliar markets with limited local support.
The Philippine chapter was introduced under the theme “Sama-Sama, Halo-Halo,” reflecting SAMA’s model of bringing together independent agencies that keep their very own identity while working together across the region.
Its founding members within the Philippines include BBX Collab, Blogapalooza, Curiosity, Evident Integrated Marketing and PR, Inventie Marketing Services, LiveCatch PH, M2.0 Communications, and RedAnts Media Inc., offering expertise in creative marketing, influencer marketing, design research, public relations, digital marketing, media production, and events.
Management Association of the Philippines President Donald L. Lim said businesses should see ASEAN as a bigger growth market.
“We take into consideration serving 120 million Filipinos. But what if we start fascinated with serving nearly 700 million ASEAN consumers as an alternative? That straightforward shift changes every business decision we make. And since every business grows in proportion to the dimensions of their vision. Why this matters to the Philippines? Because this conversation is greater than marketing, than promoting. It is greater than business,” Mr. Lim said.
“When Filipino firms expand across ASEAN, they create more jobs back home. They create home recent ideas. They attract investments. And so they encourage the subsequent generation of entrepreneurs. Every successful Philippine company overseas strengthens our country’s competitiveness. To be honest, we only have only a few,” he said. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba