A glimpse into #LifeatOtterHalf: We ask the team what they do, exactly
What does OtterHalf actually do? It’s a common question we get. At OtterHalf, our team of 7 (and growing!) work together to produce innovative marketing solutions for our clients. We sit down with the team to find out exactly what their roles entail — plus, allow them to clarify misconceptions about the industry.
From left to right: Cass (Founder), Hayley (Lead Designer), Nicole (Social Media Strategist), Mel (Partnerships Lead), Sam (Community Manager), Shu (Content Lead) and Aiman (Performance Marketing Strategist)
Q: What do you do at OtterHalf?
Cass: Apart from actual design work, I do everything else.
Hayley: All the design work, everything visual you can see.
Nicole: Anything social media, as well as some campaign planning when relevant.
Mel: I establish and nurture strategic partnerships with other companies in the tech industry.
Sam: I manage influencers and service clients.
Shu: I develop brand concepts, content strategies and copywriting.
Aiman: I help OtterHalf get more eyeballs on both organic and paid searches.
Cass (left) and Mel (right) packing the OtterHalf gift boxes for clients and the media
Q: What’s one misconception about your role that you’d like to address?
““Oh that’s just posting stuff”. “It’s just TikTok”. In reality, managing social media involves a lot of research and observation to ensure the content you publish is relevant and note-worthy. ”
Cass: That the moment you are a business owner, regardless of how early-stage the business is, you are elevated to a different status where you are right most of the time and money rains on you. Obviously, this isn’t true. I am only human, and I am not always right. Therefore, I appreciate people who challenge me and provide a different perspective.
Hayley: No designer comes up with random things off the top of their head. Everything has to be researched and sketched before we come up with a good concept. Design is about storytelling and how we visually solve problems.
Nicole: “Oh that’s just posting stuff”. “It’s just TikTok”. In reality, managing social media involves a lot of research and observation to ensure the content you publish is relevant and note-worthy. On top of that, you need to be strategic, and in some cases when an in-house designer isn’t present, you have to design the graphics on your own!
Mel: My role goes beyond making deals and signing contracts. I also focus on building long-lasting relationships, understanding our partners' needs deeply, and collaborating to create mutual value.
Sam: It takes a lot of time to research and ensure that the follower profile of influencers is aligned with that of a brand. It’s not only about who looks the best and who has the most number of followers! In fact, influencers with fewer followers may sometimes have a higher engagement and conversion rate if their followers are the target audience of the brands that engage them.
Shu: “It’s just 4 or 5 words.” In fact — as any copywriter would attest — the smaller the word count, the more challenging it is. We’ll need to make sure that every word is packing a punch and working hard to deliver your key message. For copywriters, that means endless research and dozens of iterations before we arrive at the final ‘4 or 5 words’.
Aiman: A common misconception is that SEO is too technical, boring and has nothing to do with SEM. SEO is constantly evolving and recently has taken headlines in the marketing sphere because of AI. SEO and SEM should also be aligned and always work in tandem.
Q:What’s the most memorable project you’ve ever worked on in your career?
“ I had the chance to meet both influencers and people from the community who shared their stories about their mental health. That’s when it struck me even harder that everyone has their own battles they fight, no matter how perfect their life may seem to be online, and also how important it is to not be an asshole to anyone!”
Cass: My first job was at Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest private real estate developer. I was a project marketer who was tasked to entice people to buy Far East homes. I clearly remember a marketing collateral we sent out telling current Far East homeowners that they get 3% off their next property. Unfortunately, I added a “0” behind “3” and carelessly wrote 30% instead. In Singapore, private homes cost millions, so you can imagine the horror in my then-boss’ eyes when she saw the mistake after the collateral had been sent out. She even had to call in a lawyer to deal with a buyer who insisted that the deal be applicable to him or her. I remember fearing for my job, but more than that, I felt very guilty for putting her through the trouble. From then on, I learned to triple-check everything, especially promotions on big-ticket items.
Hayley: Years ago, when I was an intern in the Netherlands I got to create the brand identity for a sustainable restaurant called ‘The Greenhouse’. I got to draw everything from scratch and come up with all the ideas, concepts, and designs. I even created my first hand-illustrated wallpaper and watched the whole brand come to life. To this day the restaurant is still running and as successful as ever.
Nicole: It was a small campaign I did back in 2020 during COVID, where I founded a small organisation called Hope from Home to help an elderly home that was stranded during the lockdowns. Through organic social media efforts, I was able to raise enough money with my team to purchase their needs and even have extras to provide 2 months' worth of groceries for them.
Mel: I was at Chope and partnered with Tripadvisor for a #LoveYourLocalSG campaign to drive traffic to local F&B outlets during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a strategic digital campaign, we utilised technology to enhance online visibility and foster community support. This collaboration boosted revenue for the outlets and highlighted the resilience of businesses in challenging times, leaving a lasting impact on both the industry and myself.
Sam: A campaign called “Let’s Get Personal” that I did for mental health awareness month. I had the chance to meet both influencers and people from the community who shared their stories about their mental health. That’s when it struck me even harder that everyone has their own battles they fight, no matter how perfect their life may seem to be online, and also how important it is to not be an asshole to anyone (which is one of OtterHalf’s core values)!
Shu: Conceptualising the NERF Action Xperience attraction. It’s not every day that you get to launch an award-winning attraction for a world-famous brand. I was part of the team that developed the original concept, pitched it to the Hasbro licensing team, wrote up multimedia scripts and user-tested all gameplay. Ngl nothing compares to the exhilaration you feel when a concept you’ve worked on only on a computer screen comes to life in reality.
Aiman: In my first job, I had to lead SEO efforts for a website migration which led to severe impostor syndrome for me. Due to how technical and fragile this process can be, I had to be meticulous and understand the inner workings of an entire website within months. It was definitely out of my expertise but I had to fill in the gaps. Thankfully, all went well with the support of the whole team. I only realised how monumental the achievement was after gaining more experience in the search marketing field. Definitely one to remember for my career.
From left to right: Mel, Sam, Shu, and Cass on OtterHalf Singapore’s first night out
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
Cass: Back-to-back meetings with potential clients, and partners, 1-1s with my team members, constant problem solving and loads of admin work.
Hayley: Usually, I have multiple tabs open with all my different software. I check out any new briefs written by the team and check any new feedback from existing clients.
Nicole: As much as I want a social media detox, I still find myself online looking for the latest trends and industry news. You can also find me working on client decks and spending long hours editing TikTok videos.
Mel: Meetings with potential partners, catching up on industry news, researching tech trends and identifying potential partners that align with our goals.
Sam: I’m always online on social media stalking the latest trends. Constantly on Telegram and WhatsApp too because client servicing and influencer management requires a lot of messaging.
Shu: Concepting, writing and editing on Google Slides and Figma. I’ll tackle any new briefs and revise any assets requested by existing clients.
Aiman: Checking on the health of websites and the performance of pages on search engines. To add, I am constantly collaborating with other teams as SEO touches almost all pages on a website.
The OtterHalf team at one of many virtual meetings. It was also Mel’s first week at work.
Q: How do you think your role will change in the next 3 years?
Cass: I can probably do more with less in the next 3 years, looking at this trend towards generative AI, and how I’m already leveraging on it in my day-to-day work.
Hayley: I think AI will be woven into the software more making it easier to create certain images if needed (Instead of spending hours creating it yourself).
Nicole: Social media platforms are likely to change. Social media roles are also starting to be divided into 2: a manager for strategy (scheduling, content creation) and another for execution (graphics, video creation, posting).
Mel: There is likely to be an increased emphasis on identifying and nurturing partnerships in emerging technologies such as AI and Web3.
Sam: Trends would change entirely! Diversity and inclusion will increase :)
Shu: I’m looking forward to more tools that help writers write and conceptualise faster.
Aiman: AI is at the forefront of every conversation but the true shift will be applying SEO tactics to new apps like TikTok or whichever app that succeeds it.
From left to right: Cass, Mel, and Sam posing with the OtterHalf plushies
Like what you’ve read above? We’re always on the look out for people who share our belief that businesses have the power to contribute to a better world. Whether you’re looking for your next internship, freelance gig, or even a full-time job ottertunity, we would love to hear from you.