July 2017

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Above photo: Mark Plungy, in one of his more celebratory moods during his days at Hoffman. 20 years? Can it really be 20 years since The Hoffman Agency opened its first office in Singapore? It seems like just yesterday that Lou was announcing to the Agency his vision for how one [...]

December 2016

호프만에이전시, 아시아 진출 20주년 맞아

세계적인 테크놀로지 전문 PR회사 호프만에이전시는 2016년 11월, 아시아 진출 20주년을 맞이했다고 밝혔다. 호프만에이전시는 1994년 현대전자산업(현 SK하이닉스)의 아시아 프레스 투어를 계기로 1996년 11월 싱가포르에 첫 오피스를 열며 아시아 지역에 진출했다. 아시아, 유럽, 미국에 위치한 오피스에서 약 1천1백오십만 달러(한화 약 136억) 상당의 수익을 창출했으며, 2012년부터 매년 평균 9%의 성장률을 기록하고 있다. 특히, 총 [...]

October 2016

Reflections on My Time at Hoffman

Walau eh, we have known each other that long ah? Gila! (Translation: Holy Cow, we have known each other that long? Crazy!) Yes, as you may have guessed, I used to live in Singapore. Yes, I have been known to hang out with only Chinese, Malays and Indians, not with Ang [...]

A Ticket to Hong Kong with a Side of Waffles

After two plus years with The Hoffman Agency, as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed AE, I found myself sitting across from Lou at a classic American diner early in the morning. Eating waffles and talking PR. Lou’s surprise proposal? To take part in Hoffman’s Building Bridges program. Leave for Hong Kong [...]

September 2016

The CNBC Advertising Campaign in Asia

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The Agency actually ran an advertising campaign on CNBC Asia in 2003, sharing the stage with the likes of Credit Suisse and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. In the spirit of full disclosure, landing CNBC as a client in Asia included a “door” into broadcast advertising. [...]

August 2016

How We Roll in Asia, The First 20 Years

Creating a timeline covering 20 years is fraught with peril. On the pragmatic side, how much does anyone really remember from, say, 1999? If we had known back in 1996 that we would be putting together a timeline in 2016 commemorating 20 years in the region, we would have systematically captured [...]

Inc. Magazine Features Agency’s International Expansion

The Agency’s global operation caught the attention of Inc. Magazine in 2007. Focusing on Asia, the journalist examined the different approaches used by the Agency in opening up international offices. The following is the original article as it appeared in Inc ("enhanced" with a few links). Six Ways to Open an [...]

July 2016

The Tale of Two Tucson Boys in Asia

Lou and I have history and a friendship that goes back to the 1970s. Lou, his brother Jerry and I wrestled in high school. Jerry and I were inseparable. Throughout wrestling season we were on strict diets. During the off-season when we could eat freely, chicken seemed to be the main [...]

The Phrase that Often Wrecked the “Mood” During Press Interviews in Asia

Back in the early days of Hoffman Asia Pacific, U.S. clients asked us to provide tour support for their executives visiting Singapore. They wanted us to set up meetings with media and local leadership, create schedules and provide chauffeur service. Eventually, we responded to those requests this way: “Hold on, you [...]

June 2016

Asia Pacific Reunion in Silicon Valley

Maureen Tseng’s visit to Silicon Valley late last year — Mo was AP employee No. 1 joining the Agency in early 1997 — was cause for an impromptu reunion. Mo’s sister and brother-in-law, who also happen to be the parents of one of our account managers in Hoffman’s Silicon Valley office, Lauren [...]