Wattpad Brand Partnerships, Wattpad’s advertising and partnerships arm that helps brands build deep engagement with Gen Z consumers, has brought on Culture Group, Southeast Asia’s leading pop culture marketing agency as partnership Agency of Record. Culture Group will offer content-based opportunities for brands to connect with Wattpad’s massive Gen-Z audience through the power of storytelling.
Joining forces with Singapore-based Culture Group as their partnership agency of record will allow Wattpad Brand Partnerships to expand its presence and profile among brands and marketing leaders in the Southeast Asian market. The move will offer advertisers more opportunities to tap into Wattpad Influencers, original stories, and thriving Southeast Asian fan communities for innovative brand campaigns and activations. Brands will be able to create content-driven marketing programs in a variety of formats, including audio and video content, associated with fan-favorite Wattpad’s stories.
Chris Stefanyk, Head of Wattpad Brand Partnerships said: “We’re thrilled to expand our presence in Southeast Asia, helping more world-class brands connect with the millions of Gen Z Wattpad users across the region. Southeast Asia is home to some of the largest and most engaged communities on our platform, and there’s enormous potential for brands to tap into the Wattpad Stars and long-form Influencers that have found international fame on Wattpad. We’re excited to work with more brands in Southeast Asia to tell their stories in a culturally relevant way that resonates with today’s youth.”
Culture Group’s Founder & President, Michael Patent, added, “We believe firmly that Gen Z is the world’s ‘creation generation’ and nowhere is this more apparent than on Wattpad, where amazing stories are told. We’re thrilled to be partnered with Wattpad in creating immersive, multi-format partnerships through content and fan communities in Southeast Asia.”
Wattpad boasts a massive global community of over 90 million people, including more than 22 million users in Asia-Pacific countries. Wattpad’s audience is largely made up of Gen-Z users and typically spend an average of 52 minutes a day consuming content on the platform.
Wattpad is known around the region as the home of incredible new voices in storytelling online, on screens, and in bookstores. The company’s studio division, Wattpad Studios, has produced hit projects like Slow Dancing, a six-episode series from Mediacorp and Wattpad in Singapore; and Turn On from Wattpad, Vidio, and Screenplay Entertainment in Indonesia. Wattpad also works with Anvil Publishing, Inc., one of the leading book publishers in the Philippines, to bring Wattpad stories to bookstores. The companies have partnered to create Bliss Books, a ground-breaking YA imprint for Filipino booklovers.
Wattpad Brand Partnerships has worked with some of the world’s biggest consumer brands to create integrated campaigns meant for Gen Z and young adults. Brand Partners have included H&M, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Unilever, and National Geographic, among many others. Wattpad’s innovative campaigns offer a unique mix of in-story advertising, engaging writing contests, sponsored stories from Wattpad Influencers, and branded adaptations. In Asia-Pacific, Wattpad Brand Partnerships has successfully produced branded story and video content commissioned by blue-chip clients such as Unilever and Globe Telecom.
Wattpad recently announced that the company will be acquired by Naver, South Korea’s internet conglomerate and home of WEBTOON™, a leading global digital comics platform. Wattpad joins a remit of brands that are part of Culture Group’s portfolio including Charmee in Philippines, Cellcard in Cambodia and now the agency welcomes Wattpad regionally.
