Kuala Lumpur, 13 January - Leading startup public relations agency SYNC PR has been awarded Best Startup PR agency Southeast Asia at the 2021 APAC Insider Business Awards. This caps off a strong year for the PR and content marketing startup that has continued to expand and grow despite a slow recovery from the pandemic. The agency was chosen from a competitive pool of PR agencies in the region.
Terng Shing Chen, Founder and CEO of SYNC, said “While we do not measure ourselves by awards, this is a reflection of the team’s strong dedication to bridging the gap between PR and Southeast Asia's startup and SME industries. Despite the challenges that we have all faced, the team has continued to focus on what’s best for our clients and partners, which has culminated in another award for the company.”
SYNC's accomplishment can also be attributed to their bold approach to innovation and new PR methods, which has enabled them to stay significant in the digital age and make PR more accessible to businesses. The agency has amassed a client base of over 250 companies, and built a strong recurring list of clients. The team has also grown by 20% with new team members added in Singapore and Malaysia primarily.
Malaysia remains a hot growth market despite the pandemic
Though the recovery has been slower than expected, SYNC is seeing a lot of potential and growth opportunities in Malaysia. With initiatives announced with the 12th Malaysia Plan, they identified specific untapped and underserved segments in the SME and startup industries that require support from companies like SYNC.
Terng Shing shared, “There has been a surge of interest from Malaysia-based startups looking to scale their marketing over the last six months. We have had dozens of new business requests since the start of 2022 alone and we’re confident that interest will only continue to grow in the market.”
Currently 30% of their portfolio comes from Malaysia, which they expect to grow to over 40% by the end of 2022.
Despite the pandemic, SYNC has continued to show resilience with growing investment in the region. The agency is committed to constantly striving to push and develop their capabilities, especially with more businesses now willing to engage with digital-first teams and travel.
Building a holistic solution for startups
The needs of the Southeast Asian startup have evolved beyond “just PR” and in order to stay ahead of the change, SYNC has invested their resources into expanding their product and services. This includes video production solutions that are targeted at businesses that require affordable production and editing of virtual content to connect with their communities. In addition, SYNC has also continued to innovate in their PR and content strategies to keep up with the changing business landscape in Southeast Asia.
