Agency Category: Japan Korea Agency 2024

Hoffman Agency Korea is a leading tech-storytelling organization with a team of 28. Despite our -medium-small size, our professional fee has achieved sustained double-digit growth over the past three consecutive years and do so this year as well increased by12% through active innovation, upselling and new business, which resulted from increasing fees and leading big-tech client onboarding. We also implemented enhanced people management, improving team engagement. Our people retention is 86% which is much higher than another PR agency in Korea. We demonstrated our commitment to providing exceptional services to key clients including LG Energy Solutions, ZOOM, ASML, Lam Research, TSMC, Discord, Ripple, etc. We’ve strived to provide better service and fully support clients in solving their business problems through integrated communication. Our meaningful results are a source of pride, and we remain committed to delivering services that exceed client expectations.

KPR, established in 1989, today is a leader in the South Korean PR industry with business revenue up 27.8% on-year in 2023 to US$30,202,212, a very strong corporate reputation, number of clients that have been with us for 5 years or longer (19, over 24% of the total), and the percentage of client renewals (nearly 80%) over the past year. Considering the rapidly changing domestic business environment, KPR has responded proactively with a strategy that includes the strengthening of digital services, making technology, infrastructure and organizational changes accordingly. In particular, in addition to SNS channel operation and video content production, KPR quickly transformed into a digital services provider and became an industry frontrunner in the utilization of artificial intelligence, resulting in the digital sector accounting for almost 40% of business revenue in 2023.

In 2023, Starcom Korea achieved an impressive net growth of 9% and secured the #1 position in Korea for overall activity volume, as reported by RECMA, which is driven by new business wins and organic growth. Starcom Korea’s strategic vision, “”Move People, Move Business,”” encompasses initiatives such as monthly leadership meetings, media days, and collaborative pitch work. This strategy has enabled the agency to consistently meet KPIs for esteemed clients like ABI, McDonald’s, and Kellanova, while also attracting new clients such as Spotify, PepsiCo, and LEGO. The agency has executed notable campaigns, including ABI’s “”Cass Beer”” during the Olympics and McDonald’s “”Mom’s Bed,”” which garnered prestigious awards such as the Grand Prix (Outdoor Media) at ADFEST and Silver (Outdoor) at SpikesAsia. Furthermore, Starcom Korea is dedicated to fostering an innovative and progressive working environment. Through various team-building activities and educational programs, the agency has received positive feedback from employees.

In a landscape where in-house agencies dominate and integrated pitches are the norm, we have dedicated ourselves to success as a global disruptive agency. We are proud to have maintained our position as a leader among independent agencies, delivering advanced media services with an “Always in Beta” mindset. By seamlessly integrating online and offline media planning, exploring new targeting technologies, and forming strong partnerships, we have continually enhanced our offerings and recently begun handling top-tier brands in the luxury jewelry industry as well. Our focus on innovation, collaboration, and practical solutions has allowed us to successfully navigate the evolving media landscape, and we believe that this dedication will make us an even stronger agency over time.

UM, the industry’s leading impact maker, leverages both AI and human insight to facilitate businesses’ successful shift from data-centric to intelligence-focused strategies, anchored by its holistic approach and distinctive value proposition. UM Korea added a total of USD 27M in billings by welcoming 10 new clients and retaining our long-standing clients with a high retention rate of 94%. This led us to achieve the #1 position in RECMA’s Quali-Report and win two Silvers for Campaign Asia’s Korea Media & Digital Agency of the Year last year. UM Korea’s accomplishment is attributed to our holistic approach integrating five pivotal domains – content, influencers, platforms, commerce, and data – which allows us to laser focus on nuanced creativity and innovation while we use AI in our daily operations. This consequently enhances client growth by refining their brand narratives and delivering measurable outcomes.

Having over five decades of unbroken reign as Korea’s top agency, Cheil Worldwide is the industry’s true pioneer and living history. From developing its own tech solutions to creating ground-breaking works, Cheil Worldwide has made a real impact on clients’ businesses through creativity, innovation, and seamless integration of all touch points. As a result, Cheil Worldwide has retained all of its top clients and added big global names to its client roster, while creating some of the bravest and culture-shifting works that were recognized internationally. We strongly believe that our efforts will continue to bring advancement to the industry and inspiration to people.