WHAT'S IN MY PORTFOLIO

What's In My Portfolio: Jakeena Malli

Photo courtesy of Culture Group
26 Sep 2022

Jakeena Malli is the Managing Partner of Culture Group

“My professional journey working for creative agencies like Mullen Lowe and Wunderman Thompson, as well as GroupM and Mindshare Singapore, mirrors the evolution in the marketing landscape and it’s an exciting time to be with Culture Group as Managing Partner. As Gen Zs gravitate towards the convergence of everything they love, brands are now embracing the undeniable value and role of pop culture marketing in driving relevance and thriving commercially, and I’m thrilled to help shape that in this role.


(Related: What's in My Portfolio - Dione Song)

Over the last six years, Culture Group has grown and has been successful in breaking the mould of the traditional agency offering. Anchoring our business on ever-changing trends and demands means we’re always needing to be a step ahead in understanding and packaging how youth culture can translate to a platform and program that delivers success for brands.

Sources of pride for me in Culture Group would be the work that we do with the likes of Spotify and Mastercard, and our team that delivers it for them. We're very fortunate to have a union of client partners from globally recognized brands and a team of eclectic multi-hyphenates that share in the hunger for experimentation and speed for delivering real-world value.

Southeast Asia's Gen Zs have a cultural hyperawareness and share a deep desire to form borderless micro-communities that are just one of many ways they are shaping the consumer landscape, but also makes it challenging for brands to capture their attention. As a result, brand marketers will need to increasingly rely on nimble, culture-led partners to identify and shape opportunities for them, but also have an agency that has the capabilities to decipher Gen Z language and preferences authentically.

This year, we’ve bolstered our leadership team and we’re looking to grow the agency talent even further to continue to meet the subject-matter prowess and the unique ability to connect the dots that pop culture marketers require today. Our ongoing work with Globe Group, the largest digital communications company in the Philippines, is also interesting to note, as it entails the formation of a multi-year partnership with international parties leveraging on technology and pop culture to help end food insecurity in the country. This is not what a traditional agency does, and it’s one of many verticals we succeed in at Culture Group.”