Tag: Partnership

Beijing, China – Following the company’s commitment to inspire brands with sustainable climate communications solutions, global advertising, marketing, and public relations agency Ogilvy has recently entered into a partnership with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ICCSD).

With this agreement, the two are expected to advance the international image and profile of the institute by putting ICCSD’s valuable academic research and Ogilvy’s global branding expertise at the forefront of the campaign.

At the same time, they also intend to help corporations across industries leverage data-driven insights to inform their strategic decisions in regard to climate change and sustainable transition.

In particular, Ogilvy will serve as a global brand planning and communications partner, assisting in the conceptualization and establishment of ICCSD’s integrated database, which compiles their extensive collection of data and research. Through this platform, the institute sets forth a commitment to support China’s sustainable development and economic transformation objectives.

Zheng Li, president at ICCSD, commented, “Climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time, and requires urgent action. This cooperation between our Institute and Ogilvy aims to accelerate and facilitate the adoption of sustainable solutions by corporations across industries, through a new type of data platform powered by our world-class research resources and Ogilvy’s branding capabilities.”

Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer at Ogilvy APAC and greater China, said, “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, and are grateful for ICCSD’s trust in Ogilvy. We look forward to leveraging our branding expertise to raise awareness around Tsinghua University’s contributions towards global climate governance and are excited about the prospect of collaborating closely on sustainability-related thought leadership and research projects. 

“Most importantly, we see this collaboration as a fantastic opportunity to bring more visibility towards ICCSD’s research assets, and better support our clients with their sustainable transition ambitions, ” he ended.

China – Global travel service provider Trip.com has announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the China International Culture Association (CICA) to promote the country’s inbound tourism.

In this new partnership, Trip.com becomes the official partner of CICA for its newest ‘Nihao! China’ campaign. The MoU covers the strategic framework agreement for the implementation of the campaign, including the filming and production of global promotional videos and the digital communication campaign.

As the official partner, Trip.com Group will promote the campaign on its platforms across various markets. Partnering with Chinese cultural centres, tourism boards, and other organisations, it will curate engaging content to showcase specific offerings and services showcasing the unique attractions, experiences, and beauty of China.

Additionally, the partnership also looks into building a service platform for inbound travel and organising activities agreed upon by both sides. Over the next three years, Trip.com Group plans to invest in platform technology, marketing and promotion, and product integration to accelerate the development of inbound tourism in China.

The partnership agreement between Trip.com and CICA aims to foster and promote cultural exchanges and establish friendships between the country and visitors from around the world. It looks to position China as a unique and welcoming destination rich in history and cultural heritage.

Prior to this MoU, several measures to boost tourism were also announced by the Chinese State Council, which include optimising visa and customs clearance policies and increasing international flight capacity and routes to key destinations. The new partnership is expected to further promote the internationalisation of China’s inbound tourism.

James Liang, co-founder and chairman at Trip.com Group, shared, “With the aim of boosting inbound tourism, Trip.com Group will leverage its technological expertise to enhance the ease of access for incoming visitors. Additionally, we will consolidate resources to foster tourism promotion while highlighting the distinctive tourism attractions of China to draw in global visitors.”

Singapore – Leading multi-attraction pass provider Go City has officially signed a memorandum of understanding with Weixin Pay, a widely recognised payment function in the Weixin app, in an event today at the Capitol Kempinski Hotel, Singapore.

Such first-of-its-kind collaboration marks a significant milestone for the two as it will boost the global tourism sector in the country, allowing Chinese tourists to immerse themselves in a wide variety of visiting places across 30+ cities in Go City’s portfolio.

This also includes a three-year joint marketing plan in which both parties will allocate resources to adopt the usage of both the Go City Weixin mini programme and Weixin Pay.

Neville Doe, group chief financial officer of Go City, shared his enthusiasm for this partnership, stating, “This exciting partnership with Weixin Pay is a testament to Go City’s commitment to revolutionising the travel experiences for our customers. We’re incredibly excited to team up with a world-class leader in digital payment solutions to better serve our Chinese customers.

“Our mini program is already enhancing the purchase and usage experience for these customers, and this partnership takes this incredible proposition to greater heights. Together, we’re set to open up a world of fresh possibilities, such as special deals and unique experiences, for these travellers across Southeast Asia and beyond,” he added.

Following this remarkable feat, Etienne Ng, regional director, Southeast Asia for Weixin Pay, commented, “We are excited to collaborate with Go City, a pioneer in the tourism industry. This partnership aligns with our aim to provide Chinese users with seamless and secure payment options, enriching their travel experience in Singapore and the rest of the region, and represents a significant step towards achieving that vision for our users.”

Meanwhile, Dawn Jeremiah, vice president, marketing and e-commerce at Go City, also said that the establishment of Go City last September has already brought exponential revenue growth from Mainland Chinese consumers month after month.

“We’ve seen a 1.5x growth in September and October versus 2019 and a 2x growth this month versus 2019. exponential growth particularly to Singapore, followed by London, Sydney, Bangkok, Oahu, New York, Barcelona, and Paris. This year’s Golden Week saw our pass volume sales grow to 4x, average basket size grow by 25%, and lower refund rates, all compared to that of 2019,” she ended.

For the next few months, this strategic partnership is expected to revolutionise the exploration of Singapore’s top destinations, ensuring affordability, accessibility, and an authentically enhanced experience.

Singapore – Cross-border payments network TerraPay has announced its global partnership with online payments account Maya to empower seamless money transfer services for Filipinos across the globe.

In this partnership, the Maya app will leverage TerraPay’s extensive global network and secure adaptable payments technology to provide its users with a seamless money transfer experience from Korea, the USA, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Maya will now also have the ability to expand its thriving network of customers, promoting global financial interoperability and inclusivity while opening new channels for customers to access convenient and safe payment solutions across borders.

The partnership comes as both companies aim to enhance the customer experience while ensuring the utmost safety and security of transactions, offering faster transfer times, competitive exchange rates, and affordable borderless payment options.

With this newly forged collaboration, Filipinos outside of the Philippines can have more accessible, convenient, and secure international remittances.

Commenting on the collaboration, Ani Sane, co-founder and chief business officer at TerraPay, said, “This partnership aligns perfectly with TerraPay’s mission of driving financial inclusion and revolutionising global borderless payments. By teaming up with Maya, we can serve customers in the Philippines with innovative solutions, empowering them with fast and affordable cross-border payment options. We remain committed to making digital transactions more secure and faster for remitters and customers in the Philippines.”

Khurram Malik, chief operating officer at Maya, also said, “We are pleased to work with TerraPay to make international remittances more accessible and convenient for our customers. Cross-border payments are integral to the increasingly global Filipinos with family or virtual work opportunities overseas. By leveraging the seamlessness of the Maya app, we are making it easier for them to receive money, save, and spend smartly.”

Singapore – In an effort to bolster their communications and storytelling engine, Singapore-based cloud data platform for decisions Human Managed has recently announced its current partnership with communications agency Milk & Honey PR. 

The collaboration intends to appoint a leadership role for the communication agency in organising their press office activities, thought leadership initiatives as well as fostering its brand awareness. 

This is in line with their mission to revitalise the enterprise service model tailored to the current trends in digital businesses that operate with complex data, siloed technologies and legacy architecture. 

As a platform for decision, Human Managed serves organisations of all sizes such as essential services sectors like finance, healthcare, education and government. They also offer outcome driven services, end-to-end accountability, speed and a cost-effective pay-as-you-go flexibility with its modular Intelligence Decision Action (I.D.E. A) platform. 

Following this significant milestone, Karen Kim, CEO at Human Managed, shared her thoughts on this affiliated appointment, saying “As we enhance our offerings, expand our product features and grow our portfolio of customers, we have an equally ambitious communications goal. We needed a PR partner that can translate our expansive products and services into media and customer-friendly messaging as well as build our communications and storytelling engine.” 

“The Milk & Honey PR team really took the time to understand our business, developed a strategy that will nurture our brand and bring the Human Managed story to life,” she added.

Meanwhile, Meilin Wong, partner and CEO at Milk & Honey PR Singapore, commented, “We’re very excited and proud to be supporting a company that puts innovation and impact front and centre of everything they do. We love that Human Managed is all about empowering their customers do better business, an ethos that aligns well with Milk & Honey’s own.” 

Headquartered in Singapore, the self-funded five-year-old tech start-up currently has a team of over forty employees and offices in the Philippines, India, and Hong Kong.

Australia – To embark on another transformative journey, ELMO Software has recently announced its strategic collaboration with It’s Friday, an independent creative agency based in Sydney. In this collaboration, the team is set to introduce a fresh chapter of its brand identity to drive ELMO’s distinctive qualities in the market. 

This move will engage in developing the brand’s new purpose, vision and values including the articulation of the brand’s reasons for their business practices, establishing a robust foundation for the company’s forthcoming phase of growth.

Beyond this strategic collaboration, the brand update also extends to embracing a bold and confident new look to reflect the big, bold changes within the HR community the company serves. This move is pivotal in navigating an increasingly competitive landscape, positioning ELMO as a distinguishable entity poised for a more impactful future.

Speaking about the brand revamp, Kate Jones, chief marketing officer at ELMO said, “The It’s Friday team have led us to a more distinctive and thought-provoking brand. At its most effective, our brand should encompass the perceptions, reputation, and experience that our clients have with us. Our new brand firmly does that.”

Vince Lagana, chief creative officer, and co-founder at It’s Friday said, “The new design system was inspired by all the amazing things that make ELMO a force in the HR world. It reflects the brand’s data and software capabilities in a bold and contemporary way that brings a breath of fresh air to the category.”

Singapore – With the success of the campaign’s first phase, Grab’s regional advertising platform GrabAds, alongside their collaboration with Japanese digital marketing solution provider Media Bank has recently announced the second phase of their tourism campaign for Japan Tourism Agency (JTA). 

For this phase of the campaign, they plan to engage Grab users across both offline and online touchpoints, from in-app ads to fleet car wraps and hangers.

It will be called ‘Discover the Incredible Gems of Japan,’ which highlights the country’s best-hidden secrets such as the picturesque landscapes of Awaji Island, Nagasaki, Hokkaido, and Aso in Kumamoto. 

Part of this project includes an in-app branded challenge, where a lucky winner can have the chance to receive a ticket to one of these incredible destinations. 

Previously, the two had already started the campaign earlier this year by featuring another side of Japan beyond its traditional tourist hotspot which includes scenic hiking trails and historical samurai districts. 

The said the project garnered a strong user engagement across four SEA markets with rates surpassing GrabAds’ regional marketing benchmarks. 

Talking about the success of the project, Patrick Ngan, director at Media Bank Inc. said, “We are delighted to see that the first phase of our campaign, designed for JTA, has resonated positively with travellers in Southeast Asia.”

“The campaign that leveraged GrabAds’ full-funnel ecosystem and hyperlocal insights has been effective in reaching high-value and ready-to-travel individuals across Southeast Asia. We are excited to further deepen our collaboration with GrabAds as we launch the next phase of the campaign that creates awareness of Japan’s secret gems,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dave Yang, regional head of sales and GTM at GrabAds shared, “We are humbled to receive the recognition and support from JTA and MediaBank to continue with the second phase of our partnership. The success of our campaign with JTA reflects the strength of GrabAds’ ecosystem, powered by Grab’s hyperlocal insights and offline-to-online retail media capabilities. The positive results demonstrate the promise of GrabAds as an advertising solution for travel and hospitality brands looking to tap into the Southeast Asia market when it comes to leisure travel.”

“Insights from our 2023 Southeast Asia Travel Insights report tell us that Grab’s high-value audiences remain eager to travel, including to Japan. It’s not too late for brands in the travel category to capitalise on the opportunity with GrabAds,” he ended. 

Following its success, GrabAds and MediaBank are determined to establish a significant stride in the same four markets: Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Singapore – Following the momentum of a two-year Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in April 2023, as well as their previous partnerships, experience and travel services platform Klook and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have decided to scale up partnership efforts with joint investments of over S$2m to drive inbound tourism to Singapore.

Through this initiative, Klook and STB launched an integrated events marketing campaign to raise awareness of the diverse range of leisure events in Singapore, and will be rolling out a second initiative anchoring on STB’s latest brand campaign ‘Made in Singapore‘.

With a vast array of events to occur in Singapore such as the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, Jumptopia, ZoukOut, and Singapore Comic Con, Klook introduces unique product bundles to enhance the overall experience and facilitate further discovery to encourage visitors to explore Singapore in a more holistic way, in turn driving strong returns for the local tourism and economy.

For the second initiative, the marketing and tactical partnership between STB and Klook in Southeast Asia will focus on digital content powered by Klook’s network of ‘Klook Kreators’, which are micro and nano content creators and affiliates that aim  to drive engagement and conversion.

By using its Kreator channel to create authentic content, Klook is planning to leverage the power of social media to connect travellers to the best of what Singapore has to offer. From beauty and fashion to food, this digital-led campaign aims to engage and inspire social media-savvy travellers in Southeast Asia to experience the unique local Singapore flavour for themselves.

Talking about the partnership, Sarah Wan, general manager of Klook Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, said, “Singapore has been a key destination leading travel recovery within Southeast Asia, and we’re excited to once again partner STB. We aim to inspire travellers by highlighting how Singapore makes unexpected, diverse and unique experiences possible.”

Meanwhile, Terrence Voon, executive director, Southeast Asia of STB, said, “We are delighted to team up with Klook to strengthen Singapore’s position as a compelling travel destination and leading events hub in Southeast Asia. Our new initiatives aim to drive tourism recovery and highlight distinctive experiences that make each journey to Singapore memorable. They will also complement STB’s new Made in Singapore campaign, which showcases how our city transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In an effort to create a revolutionary platform for outdoor advertising, pioneering car cleaning products company Armor All has recently partnered with global communications network Havas Malaysia.

This combined effort is set to leverage the use of abandoned cars as a medium to showcase the effectiveness of Armor All’s cleaning products. With Malaysia’s cars being neglected on several roadsides in the country, this particular campaign allows the restoration and renovation of the appearance of the abandoned vehicles.

Results of the project then observed that revival of the products was effective, with each of the vehicles displaying a vibrant orange sticker that says, ‘Ride Revived by Armour All.’ These stickers were positioned deliberately in the window showing the view of the car’s original condition. This created a compelling visual and drew attention to the transformation.

Following this campaign, Aaron Abner Ang, head of marketing for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia at Energizer Holdings Inc., said, “Armor All has always been committed to delivering innovative and effective cleaning solutions to car owners. While our products enjoy broad visibility through our retail partners, we sought a medium that would unequivocally prove the efficacy of our products. The use of tangible evidence proved to be an effective way to achieve this goal. Additionally, these revived cars offer us a unique opportunity to raise awareness and bolster our brand’s credibility.”

“We are grateful for Havas’s dedication to the campaign. The creativity and proactive approach from the Havas team have made this collaboration a truly inspiring journey,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Donevan Chew, chief creative officer at Havas Malaysia shared, “Armor All equips car owners with all the tools needed to achieve a professionally cleaned look. We believe that there’s no better way to convince car owners of the efficacy of their products than by showcasing the results right before their eyes. The use of old, abandoned cars helps to amplify and dramatise the efficacy of Armor All’s products.”

Singapore – In pursuit of bringing a hyper-personalised digital experience in the market, the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) has announced its recent affiliation with Personetics, a global leader in financial data-driven personalisation and customer engagement. With this joint effort, the two are set to improve the customer’s financial well-being including financial literacy using the latest introduction of BPI’s AI-powered track and plan app. 

This new app utilises self-services options for depositing funds, paying bills and other transactions. It also generates personalised recommendations for active digital users based on their unique financial transactional data. 

Furthermore, the collaboration with Personetics plays an essential role in enriching personal savings and debit card data for BPI customers. It categorises them and offers value-added advisory services and 20 out-of-the-box hyper-personalised insights, aiding customers in managing cash flows, making informed financial decisions, and saving.

Following this endeavour, Fitzgerald Chee, head of consumer platforms at BPI said, “As the first bank in the Philippines, BPI has a long history of industry leadership, and today, it provides the most advanced digital capabilities of any bank in the country. We are proud to be the first to empower our customers with rich, personalised recommendations and insights.” 

“Personetics is an ideal partner in providing our customers with the tools and direction they need to become more involved and active in shaping their own financial future,” he added.

Meanwhile, David Sosna, CEO and co-founder at Personetics remarked “We are delighted that BPI, the pioneer in providing advanced PFM for banking customers in the Philippine market, has chosen Personetics as its partner in this exciting endeavour. As a bank with a long and illustrious history of providing innovative services for both consumers and businesses, BPI is an ideal partner in ensuring that Personetics is spot on in addressing consumers’ unique banking issues and financial concerns. 

“We are fully committed to supporting the bank in its effort to advance financial literacy and well-being and welcome the opportunity to work closely with BPI to create even more value for the customers it serves,” he added. 

Future plans including integration of credit card data will also allow BPI to provide clients with more tools to improve personal financial management and wellbeing. By incorporating ACT auto-savings and sustainability analytics, the company looks forward to assisting more clients in creating and reaching savings goals, as well as connecting the back-office to Salesforce.