Singapore, August 12th, 2021

Based in Singapore, We! Interactive is a holistic creative collective with digital and social engagement as its core strength. The agency is made up from people of different cultures, skill-sets, inspirations and thinking.

Among its main services, We! offers digital production, social media marketing, data and analytics and media planning.

Matthew Lim is the Group Managing Director at WE! Interactive. In an interview with TIA, Lim describes his role at the agency and the challenges it represents.

He highlighted the features that make We! stand out and described today’s technological landscape, celebrating the adaptability of humans. 

To kick things off, what do you love the most about your country?

I love the rich culture that Singapore has. It is a mix of various cultures and has been adapted beautifully in this fast-paced city. Though Singapore has plenty of places to visit, my personal favorite is the hawker center. It showcases the authentic food and local culture of Singapore. 

How did you find yourself being the Group Managing Director of WE! Interactive? 

It is a very challenging role but I enjoy it every day. Learning is a part of the journey and with each passing day, with each campaign, I feel I get to learn a lot and evolve in so many ways.

What makes the agency stand out?

The fact that we customize each and every campaign as per our customer’s needs and take their detailed brief. We deploy our tech to engage with each target audience. That makes us stand apart, making personalized outreaches depending on the demographics. The use of prospecting tools, like social media marketing, automated email scheduling, and business analytics enables us to access hyper-personalized outreach sequences to attract leads and generate quick results. 

Do you have a particular methodology to help others achieve their goals? 

Treat every project as if it is our own and have a stake in it. 

What was the toughest challenge you faced when growing a business?

Human resources have always been a challenge. From choosing the right talent to budgeting for it and also when to expand the team to take on more work. There is always never a right answer until we actually proceed with it.

What is some recent work from WE! Interactive that you’re most proud of?

It is hard to identify work that I’m most proud of because every work is unique and has its own challenges. It is never an apple-to-apple comparison. I’m however proud of the team who overcame all difficulties to get the work done. 

When looking at the technological landscape today, what makes you think “wow”?

Progression, evolution and adaptability. Ten years ago this would’ve all been pretty unheard of and some 20 years ago computers were finding themselves. Yet here we are today not knowing what living without software and APIs is like. WE! is also evolving each day with each client and campaign, and this pandemic has taught us so much. Efficient work can make changes and create wonders. So, this adaptability of humans and the consistency of evolving everyday makes me go wow.

In an era of nearly exponential technological growth, what defines innovation?

Technological growth can be linked with creative growth too. As technology advances, we make progress in the field and come up with new services and products. In this day and age, innovation is something that is unexpected, a thought that has the potential to alter the way things work, something that inspires to think beyond a certain capability. Without innovation, there isn’t anything new, and without anything new, there will be no progress. If an organization isn’t making any progress, it simply cannot stay relevant in the competitive market.

What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry in Singapore?

The fear of change. Digital and tech have evolved at such great speed that people have to change the way they work almost every time they start to get used to something. Also, ROI is definitely one of the most important factors every business looks at. Before any business can justify the investment, a new piece of technology will come around and render the existing tech to be outdated. Hence adoption rate will then limit the growth and innovation of new technologies.

In this industry or in life, have you had any particularly influential mentors?

No particular individual in general but I’ve learnt a lot from all the clients and partners that I worked within the last decade. Every business has its own unique challenges and it is always very insightful to understand where everyone is coming from and putting it into consideration for ourselves moving forward.

Can you name a fun-fact people would be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve never had any formal training in advertising.

Three things I wish I knew when I left school…

How to run a business. While school definitely provided us with the technical skills, It is the soft skills that really matter and it is something we can only learn along the way (and by making a lot of mistakes).

Thanks Matthew!

Learn more about We! Interactive

Follow Matthew on social media:

LinkedIn

culturesSingapore