BlueCurrent expands to Hong Kong

The operation will be headed by James Hacking (pictured left) and Max Sim (pictured right) as joint vice-presidents. Both formerly held senior digital roles at Fleishman-Hillard Hong Kong. Hacking was vice-president and head of digital integration, and Sim was vice-president and digital reputation strategist.

The Hong Kong branch of BlueCurrent is expected to complement BlueCurrent Japan, which opened in Tokyo five years ago to focus on influencer marketing-based solutions. The agency will specialise in social and search platforms to offer services such as crisis preparedness and management, reputation and brand perception monitoring, search optimisation, content creation and distribution and community management.

The office will focus on Greater China, but will also provide services for clients in Southeast Asia. According to Lynne Anne Davis, president and senior partner of Fleishman-Hillard Asia-Pacific, BlueCurrent Hong Kong “will meet the growing need for forensic-based communications that combine insight and intuition to create powerful results for clients who want to build brand value or improve their reputations”.

Hacking noted that the majority of clients still lacked the ability to integrate their communications strategies across digital and social platforms. Rather than looking at online and offline separately, he said, BlueCurrent would aim to provide “innovative and integrated communications solutions that deliver concrete results.

Sim added that where search is often seen as a standalone discipline unrelated to public relations, it should be a fundamental part of any communications strategy. “Integrating search into communications strategies from the outset gives clients more control over their brand’s reputation,” he said.

The agency’s portfolio currently includes clients in the travel and tourism, manufacturing, healthcare and group buying sectors. BlueCurrent plans to launch additional offices in the region in Greater China and Korea in the near future.