Pete Lin, formerly general manager and chief marketing strategist at Gravity Group Asia, will lead Shanghai operations as managing director, with Ying Chang leading creative.
We Are Social Shanghai will initially service the likes of global beauty brand L’Oreal, international conglomerate Liebherr and GMAC (owner of the GMAT exam).
The office's team of 15 employees will be expanded with five new roles in the near future.
Lin said: “The social landscape in China is maturing, platforms are becoming more sophisticated and brands are increasingly seeking tangible benefits from their social presence in China.
“While there are obvious differences between social media in China and the West, We Are Social’s focus on human insight and creativity, not platforms, translates in any market.
We’ll bring this approach to the Chinese market, and with it, we’re confident we’ll attract forward-thinking brands and the best talent to service them.”
Robin Grant, global managing director, We Are Social said:
“China is an extremely important market for our global clients, but just as importantly, is increasingly leading the way in social media innovation.
It was clear we needed to establish a presence here.”
The Shanghai expansion marks We Are Social’s second office opening, setting roots down in San Francisco in January.
The agency now has a team of over 550 in ten offices across five continents.