• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 6, 2015

Social media agency We Are Social has expanded to China market with an office in Shanghai. 

The agency has appointed Pete Lin, formerly general manager and chief marketing strategist at Gravity Group Asia, to lead its Shanghai operations as managing director. Creative director Ying Chang has also joined the agency’s team there to lead its creative offering. 

Shanghai is We Are Social’s second new office launch in 2015, following the announcement of its San Francisco base earlier this year. The agency now has a team of over 550 in ten offices across five continents.   

Commenting on the move, 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.” 

We Are Social’s Shanghai office is launching with back-office support from its parent BlueFocus Communication Group. The agency said it would be able to tap into the BlueFocus group’s resources and experience as required. 

Lin is a 17-year digital marketing veteran who helped build the digital practice at Grey in San Francisco, a while back. In China, he has worked as business director at Grey Shanghai, client services director at Publicis, and head of digital at JWT. 

Chang is a veteran of the China advertising industry, having worked at agencies such as Leo Burnett, DDB and most recently, AKQA where she was associate creative director. Chang has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Lion for Best Use of Mobile at Cannes for McDonald's "I See Fries" in 2014. 

The agency opens in Shanghai with a number of initial clients, including global beauty brand L’Oreal as well as international conglomerate Liebherr and GMAC (owner of the GMAT exam).