Purple Asia

What Purple Asia does

PurpleAsia is a privately-held, founder-owned strategic branding, design, and public relations consultancy headquartered in Thao Dien, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Founded in May 2002 by Matt Millard as a representative office in Saigon (previously operating as 'Purple' before rebranding to PurpleAsia 2.0 in February 2019), the firm specializes in strategy-led branding for premium and luxury brands across three primary verticals: luxury hospitality and hotels, premium real estate developers, and food and beverage brands. The company also serves global brands entering Vietnam requiring cultural localization, with documented project execution extending into the UK, South Korea, and Kenya.

The firm operates as a B2B professional services consultancy with 11-50 employees, generating revenue through project-based consulting engagements. Service offerings are integrated rather than modular: strategic branding (positioning, naming, visual world development, brand architecture) forms the core capability, complemented by visual identity design (logos, typography, packaging, collateral) and PR consultancy (localized media relations, influencer strategy). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with fees determined by project scope and complexity. Notable client relationships include Four Seasons, AccorHotels, Raffles, MGallery, The Caravelle (since 2003), Le Meridien, Sonkimland, Vinacapital, Ducati, Bacardi, and Lazada. The firm has received four accolades at the Transform Awards Asia and is recognized in Condé Nast Traveler coverage of Vietnam properties.

PurpleAsia's go-to-market is relationship-driven and content-augmented. The company invests heavily in thought leadership, publishing 2-3 blog posts per week on branding philosophy, luxury positioning, and market trends, and participates in industry conferences such as VDAS Design Summit 2021. Client acquisition combines direct enterprise relationships, referrals, and inbound interest driven by visible project work. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no M&A activity, operating as an independent consultancy 100% foreign-owned under Matt Millard's leadership. Geographic scope covers Vietnam as headquarters with international project delivery rather than full international office expansion.

Name

Purple Asia

Legal name

PurpleAsia

Website

https://purpleasia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PurpleAsia is a Vietnam-based, founder-owned strategic branding, design, and PR consultancy serving luxury hospitality, premium real estate, and F&B brands across Asia, Europe, and Africa with 24 years of brand stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy & Planning (MPAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Strategic branding
• Brand identity design
• Public relations consultancy
• Luxury hospitality branding
• Creative agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ho Chi Minh City

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Branding and Design Consulting: Purple Asia generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements for brand strategy, visual identity design, and public relations. Services include brand positioning, naming, visual world creation, campaign development, and ongoing brand stewardship for hospitality, real estate, and F&B clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Purple Asia is a strategy-led creative consultancy that builds brand strategy, visual identity, and public relations for premium clients across hospitality, real estate, food & beverage, and tourism sectors. The firm delivers integrated brand transformation engagements covering positioning, naming, visual world creation, campaign development, and ongoing brand stewardship. Headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City with project execution across Vietnam, London, Seoul, and Nairobi.

Product overview

PurpleAsia is a strategy-led creative consultancy offering integrated branding, design, and public relations services primarily serving the hospitality, real estate, food & beverage, and tourism sectors in Vietnam and internationally. The firm operates as a unified service offering rather than a modular platform — strategic branding forms the core capability, with design and PR consultancy as complementary disciplines delivered together for clients. Projects span luxury hotels (The Caravelle, Four Seasons, Le Meridien, MGallery), residential developments (The River Thu Thiem, Holm Residences, Eaton Park), F&B brands (Cooper's Cut, Annam Gourmet, BUBLX), and destination/tourism properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Branding Services Strategy-led branding consultancy building brand identities, positioning, naming, visual world development, and brand architecture for clients across hospitality, real estate, F&B, and tourism sectors.
• Design Services Visual identity design, logo creation, typography, color systems, graphic design, packaging design, and collateral materials including brochures and promotional assets.
• Public Relations Consultancy Localized PR strategies, media relations, influencer marketing campaigns, and communications support tailored for the Vietnamese and broader Asian markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• MGallery Hotel de l'Opera Hanoi recognized in Condé Nast Traveler's 5 Best Hotels in Hanoi
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Saigon Children (saigonchildren)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurple Asia has partnered with Saigon Children's Charity for years, using their creative expertise to support the organization's mission of changing lives through education. The firm contributes to the annual saigonchildren events and initiatives, demonstrating commitment to social responsibility beyond commercial work.
• VDAS (Vietnam Designers Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurple Asia participated as a speaker at VDAS Design Summit 2021, an event organized by the Vietnam Designers Association in collaboration with ITPC with support from ConceptD, focusing on creative power themes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Interbrand: Global brand consulting firm with established presence in Asia and a long track record in hotel/luxury branding. Competes for premium rebranding engagements and brand valuation work.
• FutureBrand (Interbrand Group): Global brand consultancy under Interbrand/Omnicom, providing strategy, design, and brand experiences for premium and hospitality clients. Competes for the same enterprise brand transformation mandates.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Global brand consultancy specializing in brand strategy and identity, with a strong track record in luxury hospitality and consumer sectors. Larger scale but directly competitive for premium branding mandates.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy with offices in Asia, serving hospitality and lifestyle brands. Larger scale but overlapping service offering in brand strategy, identity, and transformation.
• Landor & Fitch: One of the world's largest brand strategy and design consultancies, with deep hospitality and luxury credentials. Competes for the same enterprise rebranding briefs as PurpleAsia at a global level.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Japan's second-largest advertising agency group with creative, branding, and PR capabilities across Asia. Relevant Asian incumbent competing for premium and hospitality brand mandates.

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Independent design consultancy with partners across global offices (including Asia), known for visual identity and brand design. Overlaps with PurpleAsia on identity design and luxury/hospitality clients.
• Dragon Rouge: Independent global brand consultancy with strong luxury, hospitality, and F&B portfolios, including naming, identity, and strategy work. Similar boutique positioning and client verticals as PurpleAsia.
• Minale Tattersfield: Singapore-based boutique brand consultancy with a similar size and offering - strategic branding, naming, and design primarily for hospitality, F&B, and lifestyle clients across Asia. Closest functional and geographic comparable to PurpleAsia.
• JKR (Jones Knowles Ritchie): Independent brand design and strategy agency with strong F&B, hospitality, and consumer credentials. Similar boutique spirit and integrated strategy-design model to PurpleAsia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/purpleasia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purpleasia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Purple Asia