Who we are
A globally-acclaimed, proudly Southeast Asian communications consultancy.
Ruder Finn Era understands the mosaic of Southeast Asia's diverse communities and how trust and influence are formed across them. Unrivalled cultural insight and end-to-end ownership of campaigns in markets where relationships, not global templates, determine success.
Who is Ruder Finn Era?
Ruder Finn Era is a public relations and integrated communications consultancy built in Southeast Asia, for Southeast Asia, and since 2025 part of Ruder Finn, one of the world's largest independent communications firms. We understand the mosaic of the region's diverse communities and how trust and influence are formed across them.
What sets our work apart is unrivalled cultural insight and end to end ownership of our campaigns, in markets where relationships, not global templates, decide whether a brand, a reputation or a business succeeds. Our own teams work in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and serve Brunei from the region.
Why does Ruder Finn Era own every market instead of using affiliates?
We are the only firm with a fully owned, on the ground footprint across Southeast Asia. No affiliates, no white label partners, no hand offs. Strategy, creative, engagement and delivery are done by our teams, in market, every day. No outsourcing, no excuses: control, speed and accountability.
That means faster execution, fewer errors, real time optimisation as partners, tighter coordination, cost effectiveness and outcomes we truly own. In complex markets, time spent executing beats time spent coordinating different partners, so clients get genuine partnership at every level of the work, as an extension of their own team.
How does Ruder Finn Era manage the complexity of Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asia is not one market. It is a mosaic of communities, histories, sensitivities and power dynamics, and most organisations underestimate this and pay for it later. We turn that complexity, and your relationships, into competitive advantage: insight, sophistication, risk intelligence and skill.
We understand how reputations are built, changed and defended across these lines. We do not localise global templates; we design strategies that align client goals with local realities and keep clients out of trouble while others learn the hard way. No one else combines local insight, creative firepower and outcome driven strategy at our level.
How does Ruder Finn Era engage the communities that decide a reputation?
We are Southeast Asia's people problem people. Over more than a decade we have watched organisations succeed and fail here, and failure nearly always stems from a loss of trust, credibility or stakeholder support. Depth, emotional intelligence and differentiation are how we prevent it.
We are built from the ground up and embedded in the communities that matter to our clients, acting as cultural ambassadors on their behalf. That proximity lets us anticipate backlash, shape the right narrative early and win hearts and minds, saving precious time on the path to success in our markets.
The secret? Best fit. Not best agency.
Agency of the Year means nothing if our clients don't think so. We strive to be the best fit for our clients more than the best agency in each market - but both would be nice.
Regional leadership
Southeast Asia's most award-winning consultancy
175+award wins and recognitions
- Asia-Pacific Agency of the YearPRovoke Asia-Pacific Awards 2026, Winner
- PR Agency of the YearAgency of the Year 2022, Silver
- Independent Agency of the YearAgency of the Year 2022, Silver
- Creative Agency of the YearAgency of the Year 2022, Gold
- Creative Consultancy of the YearSABRE APAC 2022, Winner
- Southeast Asia PR Consultancy of the YearPR Asia Awards 2021, Winner
- Creative Consultancy of the YearSABRE APAC 2021, Winner
- Independent Agency of the YearAgency of the Year 2020, Bronze
- Creative Consultancy of the YearGlobal SABRE Awards 2022, Shortlist
- In-Country Consultancy of the YearGold Standard Awards 2022, Shortlist
- Multi-Market Consultancy of the YearGold Standard Awards 2022, Shortlist
- Creative Consultancy of the YearGlobal SABRE Awards 2021, Shortlist
What clients say.
“It was delightful to work together with RFERA, and our team has praised them as the top agency they have worked with so far in the region! Well done to the team and we are happy to refer more work to them in the future. It was always a pleasure to work with RFERA!”
“RFERA have been a great partner in our journey, and we are very impressed with their creativity, their attention to details, understanding the modern marketing concept with integrated digital and offline marketing approach, and most appreciated is that they always strive to do their best to meet our needs even with very short notice. We tried several agencies in the past and they were good, but not a committed partner. We are very glad that we got to know RFERA. They are passionate, dependable, and most importantly they work very well together. It all shines through. We look forward to have a deeper partnership with them in the future.”
“Working with the RFERA Vietnam team has been an absolute pleasure. Beyond their expertise in PR and strategic communications, what truly sets them apart is their unwavering support and agility. No matter how last-minute or unexpected our requests are, the RFERA team always finds a way to make things happen, efficiently and seamlessly. Their proactive approach and willingness to consult us on the best-fit solutions make them not just an agency, but a true partner we can always rely on.”
“For the past two years, RFERA Vietnam has been a trusted partner in building Yandex Ads' presence in the Vietnamese market. Their deep industry knowledge, strong media relationships, and strategic approach have been instrumental in driving awareness and engagement for our brand. RFERA's proactive and results-driven mindset ensures seamless execution, making them more than just an agency: they are an extension of our team.”
“Working with the RF Era Communications team on our market entry into Cambodia was a fantastic experience. Their expertise and dedication were instrumental in making this grand opening our most successful yet, with unprecedented media attendance and exceptional news coverage both before and after the event. I highly recommend the RF Era team to any brand looking to elevate their PR presence in the Cambodian market.”
“Working with RF ERA has been a truly positive experience. Their flexibility makes collaboration seamless, while their responsiveness ensures that our needs are always addressed quickly. What stands out most is their strong sense of ownership and responsibility in every project they take on. These qualities are exactly what we value in a trusted partner, and RF ERA consistently delivers on them.”
“RF Era has been an invaluable partner in the successful introduction of Pernod Ricard's S&R Roadmap to 2030, including the E-Label initiative launch in Vietnam and Cambodia. Their dedication, expertise, and seamless strategic planning and execution played a crucial role in making this year a resounding success in terms of corporate communications. We truly appreciate their commitment to excellence and impactful media engagement.”
“We have had the pleasure of working with ERA for our first ever UHT Milk Products Awareness Campaign in 2018 and 2019. ERA came with good proposal supported with insights, statistics and facts that met our brief and requirement. They were also agile in reacting to ad hoc changes due to unforeseen circumstances.”
“I owe many thanks to ERA for helping us. We never feel like we are working with an "outside" PR firm while working with ERA Myanmar Team. The team brings the same commitment, engagement and passion as ourselves. Plus, we never had to worry about their performance.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with the ERA team. The team is very responsive and committed to supporting our initiatives. RFERA helped us to distill useful information and provided valuable insights. The most important is that their team provides the service with all their hearts, which makes me really appreciate ERA team and consider them as a key communication partner in long term.”
Questions people ask us
- Which markets does Ruder Finn Era operate in?
- We have our own teams in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and we serve Brunei from the regional team. Every market is run by our own people, not affiliates.
- Is Ruder Finn Era part of Ruder Finn?
- Yes. Ruder Finn acquired Era Communications in 2025 and the firm now operates as Ruder Finn Era, the Southeast Asia arm of one of the world's largest independent communications firms, with global reach through the Ruder Finn network.
- What does Ruder Finn Era do?
- Four practices: Corporate Leadership and Reputation, Brand and Creative Communications, Social Impact and Purpose, and Communications Intelligence, which includes AI visibility through our RFE GEO platform and reputation measurement through Grapevine.
- How large is the team?
- More than 90 full time communications professionals across Southeast Asia, with strategic, creative, digital and public affairs specialists shared across the network and 800 or more colleagues across Ruder Finn in Asia.
- What recognition has the firm won?
- Ruder Finn Era is the most awarded Southeast Asian communications firm for client work, with more than 70 trophies including SABRE, PR Asia and Campaign recognition, Southeast Asia Campaign of the Year three years running, and a top three ranking in APAC on the PRovoke Global Creative Index.
- How do we start working together?
- Send us a brief through the contact page or the assistant on this site, or write to the lead for the market you care about. Briefs reach the right market lead directly, and we reply within one working day.
What's Next
Southeast Asia's next generation of communicators.
Succeeding for our clients means succeeding on behalf of our nascent industry in Southeast Asia. We take that responsibility seriously.