ASIA-PACIFIC – SINGAPORE, MARCH 15, 2013 – Conceptualized and created by Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, the Institute of Behaviour is making its debut in Singapore with the potential to be rolled out in strategic hubs globally.
The Leo Burnett Institute of Behaviour is founded on the belief that understanding the behavior of people is the key to the future of communication. It taps into Leo Burnett’s propriety suite of quantitative and qualitative tools that includes ‘What If Mapping’ (which re-invigorates brands by re-imagining product categories) and ‘HumanKind Quotient’ (maximizing brand and shareholder value through the HumanKind approach).
Based in Singapore with an Asia-wide remit, it will offer companies competencies focused on behavioral knowledge and insights across brand consultancy, research and innovation for their brand building efforts that will reframe how contemporary brands are built.
“In an age where the face of brand communication is changing ever so rapidly, we aim to deliver future-facing, relevant brand counsel for local and multinational companies through The Institute of Behaviour. 21st century sees the shift of the control over brands from marketers to people who are empowered by technology and Internet. Key result of this is that corporations no longer ‘own’ brands, people do. In our business, there is a lot of focus on digital which is necessary but we must also remember it is ultimately people and their behavior that are at the core of these changes. We see the understanding of people’s behavior as the way forward for brand communication and the Institute of Behaviour underscores our commitment to help brands arrive at contemporary brand building solutions”, said Jarek Ziebinski, president, Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. “Given our regional and possibly global aspirations for the Institute of Behaviour, Singapore, with its large base of Asian and multinational companies, its status as a gateway to Asia and its conducive business environment is a natural choice for us to launch this initiative.”
“We are delighted to celebrate this launch with Leo Burnett. The Leo Burnett Institute of Behaviour is a welcome addition to our pan-Asian consumer insights ecosystem,” said Kelvin Wong, Executive Director, Professional Services, Singapore Economic Development Board. “Companies can now leverage Singapore’s strong consumer insights ecosystem, skilled talent and proximity to Asia’s growth markets to generate insights and develop effective marketing and communications campaigns for the region and beyond.”
Saurabh Varma, chief strategy officer, Leo Burnett Asia Pacific will oversee the Institute of Behaviour while branding specialist and author of “The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding”, Joseph Baladi has been named to head up the consulting unit. The search for the heads of research and innovation divisions is currently underway.
Leo Burnett Institute of Behaviour has also announced leading food and health supplements enterprise, Cerebos Pacific Limited as its founding client.
Commenting on the decision to work with the Institute of Behaviour, Pauline , vice president, regional strategic marketing, Cerebos Pacific Limited said: "BRAND’S is pleased to be partnering with the Institute of Behaviour. Overall, we are impressed with its contemporary approach to building brands. Using cultural fuels and tensions to define the purpose of our brands is something we are excited about; we look forward to using the insights to provide greater meaning to our brands and consumers.”
