Integrated Agencies Gain Ground as APAC Brands Seek Fewer Partners

Two former Williams Sonoma executives have launched a new integrated marketing consultancy in Sydney, entering a regional agency market undergoing significant structural change.

Lexi Kentmann and Chantal Jesson announced the launch of Lennie, a boutique consultancy combining public relations, social strategy, content creation, and brand marketing under one roof. The agency focuses on interiors and lifestyle brands.

Founders Bring Complementary Backgrounds From Premium Retail

Jesson spent nearly a decade in senior marketing roles at Williams Sonoma before founding influencer agency Clectiv in 2022. Kentmann served as Head of PR and Brand Marketing at Williams Sonoma for five years before establishing her own PR consultancy, Alexandra Kentmann Comms.

APAC Influencer Campaigns Shift to Performance: 42% Now Measured by Sales

Performance-driven influencer campaigns in APAC jumped from 28% to 42% in two years. AnyMind Group data shows nano and micro-creators now outperform larger influencers on ROI, delivering engagement rates up to seven times higher and capturing over 40% of total campaign impact across the region.

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"The conversation is shifting. We're meeting more brands who want to invest in something deeper than the transaction, building genuine connections with their customers, earning trust rather than just buying attention," Jesson said in a statement.

Kentmann added: "Brands can expect us to work as an extension of their team, genuinely invested in their objectives. We're known for our infectious passion for our work; that energy drives outcomes."

Agency Consolidation Reshaping the Asia Pacific Market

Lennie's launch comes as the Asia Pacific agency market faces pressure from two directions.

Two-thirds of marketers in Asia Pacific plan to consolidate their agency partnerships by 2027. Brands are seeking fewer relationships that deliver more combined output, rather than managing multiple specialist vendors.

At the top of the market, the Omnicom-IPG merger created the world's largest holding company, eliminating agency networks FCB, MullenLowe, and DDB while cutting an estimated 4,000 positions and targeting US$750 million in cost savings within two years.

This restructuring at the holding company level has opened space for boutique integrated agencies serving mid-market lifestyle brands. In August 2024, the Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA) launched as a federation of independent agencies designed to deliver regional work at network-level scale while maintaining local market knowledge.

Integrated Campaigns Producing Measurable Results Across Southeast Asia

Case evidence from the region supports the commercial case for integrated agency models in lifestyle categories.

A Skin Inc campaign across Malaysia and Singapore, combining 300 micro-influencers with user-generated content and localized messaging, achieved 5.8 times its target reach and US$720,000 in media value. A Royco cooking community campaign in Indonesia, integrating influencer partnerships with cultural storytelling, achieved a 19% engagement rate, significantly exceeding industry benchmarks.

Pizza Hut's 360-degree integrated campaign across Asia, combining PR, influencer engagement, and content creation, sold out product within two weeks and exceeded sales forecasts.

On the client side, PHD consolidated media planning and buying for Menarini Asia-Pacific across seven markets beginning January 1, 2026, illustrating the active demand for unified agency relationships across the region.

AI Pressure Adds Further Urgency for Agencies to Demonstrate Strategic Value

60% of US senior marketing leaders reported spending less on agencies in 2025 as a direct result of generative AI, which now performs tasks previously requiring copywriters, designers, and media buyers. This trend is expected to extend globally.

"The most effective work happens when everything moves together. Lennie is how we do that properly, seamlessly integrated, built for the long term," Jesson said.

Lennie has not disclosed its current client roster or revenue targets.