We recently spoke with Doron Fetman, the CEO and Founder of EFF Creative about what the agency has been up to, their ‘think East act West’ approach, his upcoming seat on the jury panel at the APAC Stevie Awards, and more
What’s been keeping you busy lately?
Over the course of the last four years, we have been focused on the financial industry. Our largest client, Ticker Tocker, engaged Eff Creative in 2016 to identify retail opportunities for market expansion and ongoing feature development of their institutional trading products. After months of research and planning, we advised them as a client on a central vision of combining their trading expertise and intellectual property together with our experience in innovative design, software development, and PR/marketing.
Execution on that vision saw Eff Creative and Ticker Tocker engineer the most sophisticated, transparent and robust trading platform, which then evolved into the world’s only regulated social trading marketplace on the market.
Eff’s philosophy is to become an extension of our client’s team, and in three short years, we became an integral part of every aspect of Ticker Tocker’s company. We started with the product name and branding. We then moved on to the user interface design and software development, managing a team of software developers for both front end and backend including sophisticated trading systems.
In the US, creativity is what is driving forth product development whereas in Singapore and Hong Kong, ingenuity and technical development are driving products.
In January of 2019, the platform’s beta program was launched, growing a user base of leaders and investors month over month as our team continued to steadily develop new and improved features. Since then Ticker Tocker has entered into many strategic partnerships and integrations with most major brokerage firms, exchanges, and technology partners. Ticker Tocker is now ready to reach the masses and has plans to aggressively launch to a wider audience through a multi-million dollar marketing campaign in the coming months as well as expanding into other global markets and territories.
Back in 2018 when EFF opened in Singapore you said that you saw “a need for creative services in the region”. Tell us more about that and how that goal is coming to life.
Since the launch of Eff’s branch in Singapore, we have been proudly bringing our creative services to the region with our most significant project based in India. In late 2018, we were approached by a notable beauty conglomerate who was looking to launch a large beauty retailer that spoke to the traditional Indian consumer on a basic level.
With Eff’s ‘think East act West’ mentality and creative vision, we launched a beautiful brand that began with thorough research phases and then culminated with a comprehensive brand strategy that took them through the website and app interface design.
This brand strategy then extended to the retail store design, with stores expected to open to the public this spring. We are proud to have been involved in this project as it represents the ideal case study for how we are bringing our goal for bringing creative innovation to the entire Southeast Asian region.
How do you compare the markets in Singapore and Hong Kong compared to those back in the states where EFF is based?
We see a lot of similarities and differences within these markets. All three markets are similar in the sense that they are thriving and filled with opportunities for creative innovators.
The differences lie in the fact that the Singapore and Hong Kong markets are primed for creativity, which was lacking in this area for the past few years. In the US, creativity is what is driving forth product development whereas, in Singapore and Hong Kong, ingenuity and technical development are driving products. This is where we see the opportunity to infuse these markets with creativity.
You’re a judge this year for the Stevie Awards. Why do you think award shows are important for the industry?
Award shows continue to be a driving force for all industries, especially the creative one. We have participated in the American, International AND Asian-Pacific Stevie Awards as winners, judges and as a chairman. Winning these awards gives you the distinct advantage of being amongst some of the most innovative companies in the world. Having the title ‘global award-winning’ company gives agencies like Eff Creative Group an edge to compete globally.
What are you looking for from the work that you judge that will set it apart from the rest?
Creativity. When judging campaigns, it’s not about the budget that is spent, since anyone can spend money. It’s about unique messaging and marketing methods that set a truly successful campaign apart from a forgettable one.
For more info on the APAC Stevie Awards go here.
