INCA, GroupM’s brand-safe influencer marketing solution, has appointed Samuel Vanel as its first director of South East Asia.
In his new role, Sam will oversee INCA’s operations across Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore; working closely with key stakeholders within markets to actively support the development of INCA’s roadmap, increasing its capabilities for sustainable success and growth.
INCA is GroupM’s proprietary solution for data-powered influencer selection and content creation, enabling brands to run content marketing campaigns across and beyond social channels to achieve real outcomes for marketers.
Commenting on the appointment, Sam said: “I am beyond thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to lead INCA in SEA and challenge myself to embed the INCA model within markets while allowing for the unique requirements of individual markets to be met. INCA has allowed GroupM to offer a compelling influencer marketing solution to some of the world’s biggest brands. I look forward to building on this success to stay at the forefront of change while simultaneously ensuring we remain focused on delivering the very best quality service to our clients.”
With more than 20 years of experience in digital media, content and technology, Sam’s SEA adventure started with Netbooster Philippines in 2011. As a production and operations director, he built the team that now makes up the backbone of INCAtech’s development. INCAtech is INCA’s proprietary A.I. platform. In 2013, he moved to Jakarta to lead GroupM digital where he successfully introduced a range of new services, including social and web content creation, analytics and social listening, SEO, sponsored content, and e-commerce, driving a fivefold increase in content revenue. In 2016, he started to develop influencer marketing solutions for Unilever in Indonesia and many thereafter.
“Samuel brings the perfect balance of media and technology experience. His passion, belief and knowledge on Influencer Marketing is inspiring. His elevation is well deserved as he embodies a strong focus on product innovation and creative lateral thinking, which is required to meet clients marketing challenges. I’m confident that he will be of great value in propelling the INCA brand forward. I’m excited to have him on board,” Atique Kazi, APAC lead, INCA.
“Social media platforms are rapidly evolving and there is a rising demand in the content and influencer-driven ecosystem, particularly in Asia Pacific. With Sam’s appointment, we can now expand the reach of our powerful solution to our clients in the market. Advertisers can now have peace of mind in knowing that they are working with the most trustworthy and relevant influencers and publishers, at a scale that can deliver the outcomes they need. With our transparent, data-validated process, we will help to shape the influencer marketing ecosystem for the better,” Dafydd Woodward, global lead, INCA.
