“Don’t do it!”
Said Teng Chan Leong, Founder of Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA), when asked about SMEs rushing into regional expansion. It’s not discouragement — it’s wisdom. “If you want to expand into a new country, that conversation should have started three years ago,” he said. “You need context. You need relationships. You need someone on your WhatsApp.”
This is the kind of grounded advice that defines SAMA’s philosophy: purposeful, long-term, and built on trust. Founded in 2024, SAMA unites top-tier independent marketing agencies across Southeast Asia to provide a new alternative to traditional network agency models. But this isn’t just a story about marketing — it’s a story about a new regional business model, one that is reshaping the future of work, growth, and collaboration across borders.
David vs. Goliath, A New Take
SAMA was born out of a fundamental shift in the way creative and marketing entrepreneurs want to do business. “It’s no longer David versus Goliath. It’s a bunch of Davids working together,” said Chan Leong, not one to mince words; noting that in the past, business was survivalist and territorial. Big players dominated through acquisition or elimination. Smaller players either adapted, merged, or disappeared.
Chan Leong shared that a growing number of independent founders aren’t aiming to be bought out; they’re building for purpose, not just profit. “They would have left their agencies to start their own because they wanted to do good work, free from the bureaucracy and commercial pressure. They’re not chasing scale.”
But independence, while freeing, can be isolating. Without scale, many agencies find themselves unable to access regional clients, especially multinational ones. The result? Great work that never reaches beyond its borders.
Trust + Discoverability
That’s where SAMA comes in. “SAMA isn’t just trying to solve the trust issue. We’re solving discoverability,” Chan Leong explained. Every agency within the alliance is rigorously vetted and already successful in their local market.
“These are agencies that don’t need SAMA to be good. They’re already good. But without SAMA, clients from another country may never find them.”
Traditionally, brands expanding to a new market lean on global network agencies because they seem like a safe bet. But these networks are often disconnected across markets. For example, a Malaysian client working with a global agency might find little synergy when extending their work to Thailand. “You’re working with the same brand name, but the team, culture, and insight is completely different.”
By contrast, SAMA’s model is grounded in accountability. “If I connect my client in Malaysia with my partner agency in Indonesia, my reputation is on the line. That’s why we hold each other to such a high standard.”
“Not Dropping the Baby”
In the world of marketing partnerships, there are consortiums that form to chase big contracts. They assemble, pitch, and dissolve. SAMA, on the other hand, is perpetual. “The baby is the client. Don’t drop the baby,” Chan Leong said. “We don’t just hand over a brief. We stay invested in the outcome.”
That sense of mutual responsibility is built into SAMA’s DNA. It’s also why SAMA remains exclusive by design. “We don’t need ten social media agencies in Jakarta. We need a few really good, trustworthy ones.”
This approach has resonated. Since launching in August 2024 in Indonesia, SAMA has expanded to include 43 agencies across four markets — Malaysia-Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand — with Vietnam and the Philippines next. Thailand, though the most recent addition, is already its largest chapter.
A Talent Springboard
Beyond business, SAMA is deeply invested in growing regional talent. “Competency doesn’t equal regional readiness,” said Chan Leong. “You can be a brilliant strategist in Malaysia, but if you’ve never worked in or even visited Vietnam, you’re not going to lead a successful campaign there.”
To bridge that gap, SAMA launched a talent exchange exercise, starting in Malaysia. The program brings agency talent into new countries for two weeks, rotating across multiple SAMA partner offices. They participate in the culture, learn how local teams work, and build first-hand insight.
“We provide the housing, onboarding, even makan sessions,” said Chan Leong. “They’re still doing work for their home agency, but they’re getting social and professional context that’s priceless.”
In Indonesia, the initiative goes a step further. There, SAMA agencies conduct monthly university outreach to groom talent even earlier. “This is something large associations talk about, but because we’re small and nimble, we just do it.”
Start the Conversation
For SMEs considering regional growth, SAMA offers this advice: start small, and start now. Not by opening new branches or chasing immediate exports — but by building relationships.
“Don’t rush. Don’t try to force your way into a market you don’t understand. Just have the conversation,” Chan Leong said. He emphasised the importance of creating access: “If you don’t have a single contact in your WhatsApp from that market, the expansion won’t happen.”
SAMA facilitates that access through informal meetups, regional events, and shared business trips. It’s not about signing deals — it’s about forming connections. “When someone from Vietnam or Thailand visits, we host them. We invite local businesses to join the initiatives. There’s no fee. You just need to show up.”
Regional Fluency
Part of SAMA’s deeper mission is creating a generation of regional thinkers. Too often, even seasoned professionals remain hyperlocal. “There are agencies in Malaysia with 20 years of experience that have never done business outside the country. That limits both growth and exposure.”
By bringing agencies together across borders, and exposing their teams to diverse working styles, SAMA is subtly cultivating a new kind of regional fluency — one grounded in lived experience, alongside credentials.
“It’s not about being the best in your market anymore. It’s about being the best bridge to another one. That’s where future growth lies.”
Teng Chan Leong, Founder, Strategic Asia Marketing Alliance (SAMA)
Completing the Asia-Pacific Puzzle
SAMA’s expansion roadmap is deliberate. Beyond Southeast Asia’s “big five” — Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam — the alliance is also strategically targeting strategic markets like Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea, not necessarily for work, but for where decisions are made.
“A lot of global contracts originate from Hong Kong or Tokyo. They may not need local work, but they influence where the work goes,” he explained. SAMA’s vision is to eventually complete a ring of trust-based partnerships spanning Asia-Pacific.
Meanwhile, in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, or Laos, SAMA works with existing regional partners to offer spillover coverage without overstretching. “It’s about depth in the right places.”
A New Kind of Growth
At its core, SAMA represents a new kind of regionalism: one built on human connection, mutual accountability, and a shared belief that good work and good partnerships scale best together. For ambitious SMEs and agencies, Chan Leong’s message is clear: start the conversation, build the relationship, and the business will follow.
“Eventually, you will go regional. It’s inevitable,” said Chan Leong. “But when that time comes, you would have built trusting relationships with people you’ve been talking to casually for years. That’s how you start. That’s what we’re building.”
