Endi Asmira, global marketing director of Selleys, knows how to make an idea stick — if you’ll pardon the pun.
He’s been with the CPG brand for the past two-and-a-bit years, following a 12-year stint with P&G.
After starting his career in Malaysia and Singapore and spending a year in South Korea, Asmira has a deep belief in the power of storytelling — something he’s putting to work brilliantly in his revitalisation of the 87-year-old Selleys brand (it may have even scooped a couple of B&T Awards shortlistings, too).
Now into our third season of B&T’s CMOs To Watch, presented by Zenith, Asmira joins the ranks of visionary marketing leaders redefining the playbook. This series celebrates those who balance bold ideas with business impact and have a whole lot of fun along the way.
We caught up with Asmira to learn all about his career and his ambitions for the coming year.
1. Let’s get to know you… What three things would you take to a desert island?
Having watched every season of Survivor, I’d bring a flint to start a fire. I’ve also worked long enough in skincare to know sunscreen is a daily non-negotiable, especially on a desert island! Maybe a stack of paper and pens – there’s plenty of time to reflect and write letters to every loved one.
2. What is your passion outside of work? If you weren’t a CMO, what would you be doing?
We recently moved house, so there’s been a lot of renovation work, DIY projects, painting next… working in Selleys and Dulux has its perks! Outside of that, I love to travel, explore a new city and spend quality time with my parents in Singapore.
3. What was your favourite campaign of all time?
Nike’s Find Your Greatness comes to mind. I love SK-II’s Change Destiny campaigns.
But growing up in Southeast Asia, the ad that got me to marketing is Tan Hong Ming in Love – it’s a campaign from nearly two decades ago, grounded on such deep cultural and human insight, but told through a very simple story by the brilliant late Yasmin Ahmad.
4. Now let’s talk shop. What is your brand’s top priority for the next 12 months?
Almost every Australian home has a Selleys product, but Selleys is often the invisible hero. It’s the superglue that repaired your broken toy, the sealant that protected your roof from storm, or the Spakfilla that covered the cracks on your wall. Our consumers trust if it’s Selleys, it works. However, they don’t always think about our brand until something needs fixing. On the back of “If You Can Take It, It’s Yours” success, our job is to continue making Selleys as visible and top-of-mind as it is trusted.
We’ve also just launched a new innovation: the glue you can undo. It’s a commitment-free glue (that comes with hooks) so you can decorate and re-decorate your home without the worry of damaging your walls.
5. What channel is exciting you the most and how do you split your marketing budgets between long/short and channels mix?
I guess every channel has the potential to cut through.
Take OOH. It could’ve been overlooked as an incremental reach driver. But we turned a billboard into a real-time product demonstration for Selleys Liquid Nails, then orchestrated it across channels to amplify the impact.
The question to ask is not about what channel, but how do we use it to reach our audience to solve a genuine business or brand challenge? It’s finding the intersection of creative, consumer and commercial opportunities that makes our role as marketers so exciting.
6. What is the biggest challenge you currently face in the marketplace?
As we build our capability in AI and digital transformation, I’m mindful of what not to lose in the process. At the end of the day, authenticity matters. Selleys is a brand built on trust; we have over 85 years of history innovating products that work. Every new tool we learn and adopt should bring us genuinely closer to our consumers, not further away.
7. What are you most excited about in the marketplace?
The curiosity to hunt for insight and the creative bravery to act on it. You often don’t need the biggest budget to cut through – you need the bravest idea that is insight and purpose led.
8. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Growing up, I wanted to be an entertainment journalist but my parents wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer (of course).
I ended up selling sneakers, shampoos and sealants… with some of the most iconic brands! It’s been a marketer’s dream. I’d love to continue creating stories that matter, challenging people’s perceptions about a brand they underestimate, while championing marketing as a driving force for growth and good.
9. Speaking hypothetically what’s one brand, product or category you’d like to sink your teeth into right now as a marketer?
DuluxGroup has plenty of brands around the home to keep a marketer busy (from Selleys, Dulux, Yates, B&D) but the focus right now is launching our new Selleys Undo Glue.
I do enjoy binge-watching a lot of Netflix series, K-dramas, reality shows… so maybe not marketing, but hypothetically? I’d love to be a producer on Survivor in an alternate life. Imagine all the stories you could tell!
10. Zenith believe there is untapped media potential we need to uncover. What is your prediction for media this year?
Marketers will raise the bar on media efficiency and scalability. Amidst all that, I think it’s the brands that can build genuine human connections and solve real consumer pain points, through media as a platform, that will get people talking. It’s creativity grounded on real insight, backed by bravery and supported by technology, which will cut through.
