Tag: APAC

Singapore – DoubleVerify, a software platform for digital media measurement, data, and analytics, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Scibids Technology SAS, a global AI-powered digital campaign optimization.

With the help of Scibids’ AI technology and media quality and performance data, along with DV’s product real-time campaign optimizations, advertisers will be able to accomplish real-time campaign optimization without the use of third-party cookies because of the acquisition. The transition from a performance proxy to observable business results is in line with advertiser goals.

Scibids creates AI technology that improves programmatic digital ad campaign buying for advertisers. Scibids AI develops personalised bidding algorithms that are in line with the advertiser’s particular KPIs and intended results by using DSP impression level data, first-party data, and measurement data from brands or agencies.

Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said, “The acquisition of Scibids is a decisive step in our journey to power superior campaign outcomes that started with developing and delivering the industry standard in media quality insights and has evolved into putting that data to work for advertisers.” 

He added, “The combination marries DV’s proprietary data with Scibids’ AI-powered optimization technology, letting us empower brands with unparalleled insights and control over their advertising performance.”

Speaking about the partnership, Remi Lemonnier,CEO and co-founder of Scibids, remarked, “DoubleVerify is a company that shares our commitment to independence, innovation and maximizing media performance, and we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level.” 

“This partnership will amplify the capabilities of our customizable AI technology and expand its impact across the digital advertising ecosystem to strengthen the open web. We look forward to working with the entire DV team to deliver new opportunities and maximize campaign outcomes for our global advertisers and partners,” Lemonnier added. 

Singapore – NCS, a provider of technology firm services, has appointed Dentsu Singapore as its brand agency of record. The appointment expands dentsu’s remit as NCS’s incumbent lead agency partner since 2021.

As the official brand agency of record for NCS in the Asia-Pacific region, Dentsu Singapore will make use of its B2B solutions and integrated marketing knowledge to innovate for NCS. Dentsu is charged with providing strategic advice and recommendations across all brand touchpoints, and this assistance will be essential in elevating NCS during its upcoming stage.

Speaking about the appointment, Prakash Kamdar, CEO of clients and solutions, SEA, and CEO of Dentsu Singapore and Indonesia, commented, “As a network that takes a people-centered approach to business transformation, we are delighted to be able to support NCS’s vision to harness technology to advance communities and shape society.” 

He added, “This is an enduring relationship that has sparked remarkable brand outcomes in the region, and we are confident of scaling the NCS brand to new heights as we embark on our expanded partnership with this appointment.”

Meanwhile, Abigail Crosby, managing director, Merkle B2B, CXM Group, dentsu Singapore, expressed, “We are deeply appreciative for the opportunity to continue our work with NCS, helping to evolve the brand in the region. The best brand experience can only be delivered when it is thought through every touchpoint of the client journey, agnostic of the platform and content format.” 

“Our dentsu team is able to provide and demonstrate this holistic expertise and consultancy and we are thrilled that this shone through and enabled us to renew the partnership with NCS,” Crosby said. 

Singapore – Asian food and grocery delivery network foodpanda has partnered with Singapore-based AI provider TabSquare to introduce new digital solutions for restaurants, including QR code-based ordering and AI-enabled predictive analytics.

Under parent company Delivery Hero, the two brands are working with restaurants in Asia starting with Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan in digitising their orders, payments, and customer engagement-related processes.

Using TabSquare, foodpanda’s restaurant partners can digitise analog items and automate tasks, enabling restaurants to be more time-efficient in the ordering process as customers can use digital menus to browse, order and pay at their pace and convenience.

Restaurants within foodpanda’s range also get a competitive advantage in customer engagement and retention thanks to TabSquare’s AI analytics, offering useful insights using a ton of aggregated data from customers’ shopping histories. The trends in price sensitivity, volume, and menu choices can be applied in a variety of situations once they have been found.

Commenting on this new venture, Jakob Angele, APAC CEO of foodpanda, comments that with this technology, they want to play a part in as many of their customers’ food interactions as possible.

“Moving into QR ordering in restaurants was therefore a very natural choice for us. It allows us to offer great benefits to our 500,000 restaurants, helping them with their profitability by serving their customers better. I am absolutely convinced that in five years from now, restaurants worldwide will be using QR code-based ordering and paper menus will be a memory of the past,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Anshul Gupta, co-founder of TabSquare, also said: “TabSquare has always tried to be at the forefront of innovation in the industry by bringing AI-powered solutions to boost restaurants’ revenue, streamline operations, and offer a better dining experience to their guests. With foodpanda, we will be bringing many new innovative features to the industry, for example, restaurants working with TabSquare can now promote themselves to foodpanda’s large customer base and attract new customers.”

Dallas, USA – Global data company Dynata has appointed Mark Lepine as the new managing director of its Asia-Pacific (APAC) business. Lepine, who has extensive experience in both the region and market research, will be in charge of managing the company’s APAC operations, fostering Dynata’s market presence and growth.

Lepine brings nearly 30 years of regional expertise to his new role, including four years as managing director of APAC at Survey Sampling International (SSI), which merged in 2017 with Research Now and later rebranded as Dynata. Previously, he served in regional management positions at Gartner, WGSN and Forrester.

Speaking on his own appointment, Lepine expresses that he is thrilled to join Dynata and lead the APAC team during this phase of growth.

“Our unmatched capabilities and advanced solutions are truly differentiated assets, presenting us with endless opportunities to drive innovation, unlock transformative insights and deliver unparalleled value to clients across the vibrant and diverse APAC market,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chris Watson, the international managing director of Dynata, said, “At this pivotal moment in our industry, Dynata stands proudly at the forefront of the first-party data ecosystem and Mark’s market research experience, abilities to lead and drive growth align perfectly with our strategic goals. Mark will have a pivotal role in expanding our reach, elevating our market position and driving continued success across the APAC region. We have complete confidence in Mark’s ability to deliver outstanding results for our clients.”

Singapore – UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced its sixth global Impact Day, ‘Building a Better Future.’ 

Impact Day launched in 2016 and expanded globally in 2018, with volunteers across 50 offices in 40 countries. The yearly event, which was first introduced in 2016 under UM’s corporate social responsibility division, Better World, shows the organisation’s goal of dedication to the values of community and care. 

On Thursday, July 20, UM closed its offices across APAC, EMEA, LATAM and North America to partner with local charities, NGOs and community organisations. 

UM’s partners for this event include the Special Olympics Shanghai Team from China, FareShare, OzHarvest and Our Big Kitchen from Australia, the Indonesian Children Creativity Park Elementary School, Ecokaari from India, Free the Children Japan, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang from Malaysia, Young Focus Organization from the Philippines, MINDS from Singapore, the Goodwill Store from South Korea, NangKang Harmony Home from Taiwan, and Precious Plastic Bangkok from Thailand. 

Kasper Aakerlund, the president for UM APAC, said, “As we continue to focus our efforts around the three key pillars of equity, sustainability and wellness, it’s truly heartening to see the very real impact that our people are making in their local communities. Many of these relationships with NGOs and social service programs have been building over a number of years now, and the impact of connecting and collaborating at a human level within your local community is incredibly powerful.”

Meanwhile, Eric Guzman, vice President, global operations and head of Better World, also commented, “At UM, we are on a constant quest to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work, and Impact Day is a meaningful part of that commitment. We’re honoured to partner with community organisations around the world that are driving genuine change through the lens of equity, sustainability and wellness.”

Singapore – ADA, Axiata Group’s digital group, joins with Meta to launch a business messaging hackathon, improving WhatsApp’s use as a route of communication between individuals and organisations across the APAC region.

ADA and Meta will launch the ‘ADA Business Messaging Hackathon 2023: Building the Future of Conversations’, with the goal of providing 1 million APAC enterprises with said solutions. Over 10,000 digital talents from Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, including students, developers, and entrepreneurs, will collaborate to create chatbot solutions on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Paul Kim, VP of Telco Ecosystem Partnerships APAC at Meta, said, “With increasing number of customers communicating with a business or service account on WhatsApp in APAC, business messaging has become one of the core growth pillars of Meta and we are delighted to cement our partnership with ADA, which will also include the integration of ADA’s best-in-class CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) solutions – ADA’s Business Messaging Platform & APIs with WhatsApp Business Platform. This will enable businesses to seamlessly communicate with their customers and offer more personalized experiences”.

Meanwhile, Srinivas Gattamneni, CEO of ADA, said, “As seamless Customer Experience (CX) and stronger customer relationships continue to become the focus of businesses, ADA is proud to strengthen our strategic relationship with Meta by contributing to the growth of this ecosystem. This hackathon will be anchored on the WhatsApp Business Platform for our clients and businesses across APAC.”

Singapore – With brands nowadays catering more and more to the trend of digital ads, digital ad spend waste in the April to June quarter is down more than $30m on the first quarter of 2023, but advertisers still continue wasting nearly half of their advertising dollars each quarter, according to data revealed by independent digital media agency Next & Co.

Last quarter, advertisers threw away $77.1m from their ad spend budgets, which represents an average of 40% wastage across total audited media spend, compared to more than $104 million between January and March 2023.

The report found that retail brands were responsible for wasting the most in digital ad expenditure, with a figure of $25.4m. It was followed by finance at $22.3m, insurance at $12.3m and health at $7.7m. Education and real estate brands had the least waste at $5.3m and $3.8m respectively.

Across digital media channels over the last quarter, most digital ad spend was wasted on Google at $33.9m, followed by Facebook at $31m, LinkedIn at $7.7m and Bing at $3.8m.

John Vlasakakis, co-founder at Next&Co, said, “As we enter the new financial year, many brands will be taking stock of their advertising budgets, particularly amid ever-increasing economic and inflationary pressures. The latest data shows there is still plenty of room for improvement in terms of how brands are spending their advertising dollars. As we head into campaign planning for the biggest retail events of the year, with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, businesses need to get a sound understanding of the efficacy of their digital ad spend, and a better measure of return on investment.”

He added, “An independent audit of overall planned spend and past spend can reveal insights into where wastage is occurring, how to get better campaign optimisation and results, and how dollars can be best spent. The new financial year will be about businesses working smarter, not harder, particularly as budgets come under pressure, making every ad dollar count in the coming months.” 

Singapore – Global beverage company Coca-Cola has joined forces with ‘League of Legends’ game developer Riot Games to release ‘Ultimate Zero Sugar +XP’, a limited edition soda flavour catered to gamers – especially players of League of Legends. 

This collaboration between Coca-Cola and Riot Games marks the first time that Coca-Cola has partnered with a gaming company to create and release an all-new flavour, bringing both industries together to produce a soda aimed to give players a beverage to suit their tastes. 

Accompanying the product’s release, in-game and digital experiences will bring the interactive experiences of the Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar collaboration to players across the globe. In-game, players can log in to League of Legends and unlock a set of limited edition ‘Ultimate’ emotes by completing a set of missions. 

Outside of in-game interactions, players and fans can scan a QR Code on the can to be transported to the Coca-Cola Creations Hub wherein they can access an Instagram filter allowing players to view themselves in the style of League of Legends emotes for social sharing.

Talking about the collaboration, David Mulhall, head of business development and partnerships at Riot Games said, “We’re excited for players to taste the new +XP flavour, a unique and bespoke collaboration with Coca-Cola, a globally recognized brand loved by millions. Coca-Cola shares many of the player-focused values we have at Riot, and we are honoured to be the first gaming collaboration for Coca-Cola Creations.” 

Rina Surya, frontline marketing director at Coca-Cola ASEAN & South Pacific commented, “Partnering with Riot Games enables us to enhance the Coca-Cola Creations experience by introducing a fresh flavour that represents our shared commitment to putting fans and players at the forefront of everything we do. 

The product showcases a striking packaging design, with shades of black and various shades of gold. The Coca-Cola Creations logo is also complemented by a bespoke ‘Ultimate’ crest and energized with a magical blue Hextech glow, a reference to a type of magic found in the game. Moreover, the design also showcases a unique expression of the recognizable Coca-Cola font, inspired by the Nexus Crystals in League of Legends.

Singapore – With more consumers embracing the culture of the metaverse, latest consumer research by Yahoo reveals the expectations of consumers towards the phenomenon – from the aspects of virtual social communities, avatars, immersive entertainment, and creative freedom.

The survey covered 15,000 respondents from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which are mostly Millennials and Gen Z that make up the ‘metaverse generation’.

The study found that Gen Z and Millennial demographic want distinctly different things from the metaverse whilst aiming to enhance and upgrade experiences. In addition, both generation sees different realities or digital avatars, which gives a cue for marketers that free creation is essential. 

Furthermore, the study found out that the said cohort of consumers focus on the appeal of digital assets, embracing virtual collectables such as artworks, profile pictures, gaming goods, limited-edition cards, videos, and music pieces. With these, the metaverse generation is also more receptive to brands that aren’t afraid to jump into the metaverse for their marketing or advertising campaigns and, therefore, pay more attention to a brand’s events and products.

Moreover, security is also a concern of these consumers where they try to find for a safer and more accessible space to protect their privacy and personal information in the metaverse.

Zoe Cocker, director of innovation and creative studio at Yahoo, says that despite the hype towards Metaverse, there is less knowledge about the expectations of consumers.

“This hyperlocal level of detail and insights goes beyond wider trends you are seeing in the press, making them actionable for brands wanting to build in this space and create real value for divergent audiences,” she added.