Tag: APAC

Indonesia – Content marketing agency Green Park Content (GPC) has won the digital and creative mandates for Indonesia’s snack brand Maxicorn and the Philippines’ telco giant Globe.

As part of the mandate with Indofood, GPC will be managing the full digital service, social media maintenance, campaign launch and creative production for the food distribution giant’s new brand Maxicorn in the Indonesian market. This account will be managed by Sophia Seddarassan, GPC’s associate account director for Indonesia.

Harry Wibowo, Indofood’s head of marketing for Maxicorn brand, shared, “Green Park Content went the extra mile when presenting their social media communication strategy, using multiple channels and touchpoints that were suitable for our bold target audience, as well as brand guidelines and visualisations in creating a strong brand identity.”

Meanwhile, GPC’s mandate for telco Globe includes branding, visual identity, and creative assets development. This account will be managed by Ish Reyes, GPC’s senior account manager for the Philippines, who also led the pitch.

GPC believes that these two new partnerships are a testament to its rapid and impressive growth across APAC and globally.

Fe Husaint, GPC’s creative and global brand head, said, “We are so proud that so many esteemed organisations have trusted us with the role of helping to build their brands, and we will continue to find new ways to engage audiences and create brand affinity as they assimilate to the new normal post-pandemic.”

Singapore – As technologies are converging to reshape human experiences, global professional services Accenture has launched a dedicated ‘Metaverse Continuum’ business group, a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities, and business models, aimed at building on the business’ existing capabilities in this space.

According to the Accenture Technology Vision 2022 report, at this early stage, 71% of executives believe the metaverse will have a positive impact on their organisation, and 42% believe it will be a breakthrough or transformational.

Accenture said that forward-looking companies are simultaneously navigating the uncertainty of today’s markets while beginning to compete in the Metaverse Continuum.

The new group will be led by Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s group chief executive and technology and chief technology officer, and David Droga, Accenture Interactive’s CEO and creative chairman.

Daugherty shared that the next generation of the internet is unfolding and will drive a new wave of digital transformation far greater than what we all have seen to date, transforming the way people all live and work.

“Our vision of the metaverse as a continuum challenges prevailing, narrower views and highlights why organisations must act today, or find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else,” said Daugherty.

Meanwhile, Droga commented, “Our new business group combines these capabilities with the creative strengths of Accenture Interactive, with teams of innovators and creators introducing new applications in the decentralised environment of the metaverse.”

Daugherty added, “As the line between people’s physical and digital lives further blurs, organisations have the opportunity and obligation now to build a responsible metaverse — addressing issues like trust, sustainability, personal safety, privacy, responsible access and use, diversity, and more. The actions and choices they make today will set the stage for the future.”

In addition, Accenture has also operated its own metaverse, the Nth floor, where the company’s people participate in new hire orientation and immersive learning or meet and socialise as teams. This fiscal year, the company expects 150,000 or more new hires will work in the metaverse on their first day.

Hong Kong – Interpublic Group’s public relations agency Golin has elevated Lottie Longford, former director at Golin Hong Kong, to step into the newly-created role of director of marketing and communications for APAC.

During her stint as director at Golin Hong Kong, Longford has led the team’s health & wellness accounts, having transferred from the agency’s London location in 2016. She has also previously held executive roles at PR agencies Surgery Group and Katch PR.

In her new role, Longford will be handling Golin’s agency brands – Golin and DeVries Global, to regionally drive brand positioning and initiatives for both, working closely with global, APAC, and market leaders. She will be reporting directly to Simon Ruparelia, Golin’s head of growth, and Darren Burns, Golin’s president for APAC.

Commenting on her elevation, Longford said that across her past eight years at Golin, she has always been energised by the smart, creative work they do, and is proud of what they stand for – as well as admiring the innovation and achievements of the DeVries Global teams. 

“I’m excited to bring my experience and ideas to the role in amplifying our work and people,” she added.

Burns shared that Longford is one of their key business leaders in Hong Kong and someone who has a palpable passion for their industry. 

“In her new role, she will help shape our growth by communicating to talent, clients and the wider industry about the change we drive in Asia,” said Burns.

Singapore – Global communications firm Edelman has appointed John Koay, former executive creative director of creative agency Ogilvy, to be its new regional executive creative director (ECD) for Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. 

Koay brings over 17 years of experience. He has worked at several of the large creative networks and produced award-winning disruptive campaigns that have resulted in business growth for brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Nike, Toyota, Panasonic, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Nestle, and Kellogg’s, as well as Johnson & Johnson, and Heineken.

In his new role, Koay will leverage his integrated thinking and channel-agnostic creativity to further enhance Edelman’s ability to deliver work that is rooted in culture. He will also be tasked with leading the firm’s creative team, as they develop earned creative for clients across its offerings.

Commenting on his new role, Koay said, “By embedding creativity and other integrated solutions into the core of its offerings, the agency’s work truly stands out in resonating with local audiences. I am looking forward to partnering with the talented team to continue pushing the envelope for what clients can achieve with the power of creativity.” 

Meanwhile, Tim Green, Edelman’s chief creative officer for APAC, shared Koay is an industry renowned creative maverick with an impeccable track record of delivering disruptive work.

“He joins us at a time when more and more clients are turning to us for creative solutions that swiftly respond to their business challenges and resonate with their consumers or audiences in a digital age. John is the epitome of multiculturalism and global thinking, while being fluent in the language of CMOs,” said Green.

Most recently, Edelman has also announced the appointment of Jamshed Wadia as its newest vice chair for digital in APAC, where he will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s growing digital practice and Edelman Studios’ operations in the region.

Singapore – Japan-based advertising agency, ADK, has acquired Rage Communications, the independent agency that specialises in digital experience design and e-commerce solutions. The move aims to combine both organisations’ capabilities in digital marketing, web design and development, analytics, and data-driven insights, as well as content narratives, to drive integrated end-to-end performance and brand campaigns for clients.

Moreover, the acquisition will see ADK becoming the major shareholder, while Rage’s founders, JRK Rao and Karthik Kumar remain as minority shareholders. As part of the agreement, Rage will be rebranded as ADK Rage, and Rao will continue to lead as CEO of ADK Rage, and he, along with Kumar, will be working closely with ADK global team to offer integrated solutions to clients. 

Yasuyuki Katagi, ADK Global Operations’ CEO, noted that this partnership marks their milestone entry into the India and Australia markets – two of the fastest-growing digital markets in APAC.

He further shared that with Rage, ADK will immediately gain traction at a brand consultancy level, providing a strong starting point for further growth in these key markets.

“We are also extremely excited at the collaboration opportunities to supercharge growth for our clients together. The new ADK Rage will offer clients with differentiated industry expertise, unparalleled partnerships, unique intellectual property, a full-service digital innovation offering and compelling scale,” said Katagi.

Meanwhile, Rao and Kumar commented that this partnership with ADK is a significant moment in the growth of Rage as it opens new horizons in a rapidly changing global economy, and they both share the same vision in the digital transformation of businesses and their interactions with consumers.

“It is our hope that our combined strengths will add greater value to our existing clients and reach out to the larger marketing community around the world. This also represents substantial opportunities for our respective staffs to work together in an increasingly technology-led multicultural world,” they said.

ADK said that the move follows its recent launch of Integrated Performance Platform (IPP), a data-driven marketing intelligence technology for brands and agencies in October. The IPP is designed to centralise the connection of all ad accounts for ad platforms and demand-side platforms (DSPs) in one place, enabling advertisers to scale their campaigns across multiple platforms efficiently, while gaining complete control and transparency of all digital media channels and regional teams at the same time.

Singapore – Beverage company Diageo has elevated Wilson Del Socorro, former global director of government affairs at Diageo, to be its new corporate relations director for APAC. 

In his new role, Del Socorro will be working with the regional and market teams to lead Diageo’s corporate relations agenda covering public policy and government affairs, communications, and responsibility and sustainability efforts. He will also be playing a leadership role in driving the company’s ‘Spirit of Progress 2030’ ambition in the region, Diageo’s 10-year action plan to help create a more inclusive and sustainable world. 

Del Socorro has been with Diageo for almost 10 years covering a range of roles in Asia and the UK. In his recent role, he led an international team of policy experts and economists to develop and implement the company’s global strategy on public policy, international trade, and regulatory affairs. Before joining Diageo, Del Socorro was with consulting firm KPMG Australia, providing public policy and government relations advisory services to multinational clients across a range of industries.

Sam Fischer, Diageo’s president for APAC and global travel, shared that Del Socorro brings with him extensive public policy experience and industry knowledge as well as a strong track record of leading teams beyond borders.

“I am confident that Wilson will be influential in helping to drive the next chapter of growth for us in [the] Asia Pacific supporting our markets and partnering with our network of stakeholders as we continue to deliver on performance and create a positive impact in the communities within which we operate,” said Fischer.

Singapore – Global data and AI company Databricks has expanded its availability on Google Cloud for customers across APAC, with availability on Google Cloud’s Singapore and Sydney. 

The move aims to help organisations across SEA to leverage Databricks on Google Cloud, creating a lakehouse capable of data engineering, data science, machine learning, and analytics on Google Cloud’s network.

The SEA expansion is a reflection of growing demand from customers looking to adopt an open, modern lakehouse architecture and accelerate their cloud data strategy. Databricks on Google Cloud in Singapore enables greater flexibility and data locality choices for customers, and delivers enhanced performance and scalability while guaranteeing local data residency requirements. It is tightly integrated with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Google Big Query, Looker, and Google Cloud Storage, as well as Pub/Sub, giving customers the freedom of flexibility and access to their choice of data analytics services. 

Moreover, the expansion allows businesses across SEA and Australia to extend their existing Databricks lakehouse capabilities and can cross-leverage Google BigQuery for analytics, simplifying their data investments with an open, modern data platform for all of their analytics use cases.

Andrew Martin, Databrick’s head of South Asia, shared that they will continue to make significant investments in building their local capabilities in Singapore to meet the future needs of SEA’s rapidly growing data and AI communities.

“From fast-growing digital natives to large global enterprises, we continue to see incredible demand across the region. We are excited to work with Google to help accelerate our customers’ data and AI journey in this region together,” said Martin.

Meanwhile, Amitabh Jacob, Google Cloud’s head of technology, ISV, and solutions partnerships for APAC, noted that cloud-driven transformation will underpin SEA’s growing internet economy that is expected to be at US$1t by the end of the decade.

“Our strategic collaboration with Databricks to deliver lakehouse architecture on Google Cloud’s regional, scalable platform, and combined expertise in data engineering and AI-driven analytics, will enable companies to harness the power of data and tap into evolving digital models,” said Jacob.

In addition, the partnership also has a comprehensive ecosystem of joint partners that deliver seamless integrations and expertise across the platforms, including Accenture, Cognizant, Deloitte, Informatica, Qlik, and Tableau, as well as TCS, and Trifacta, amongst others.

Singapore – Travel and leisure e-commerce platform, Klook, has launched its first end-to-end brand identity, aimed at signalling its commitment to powering the travel ecosystem from customers, travel operators, and partners. This comes at a pivotal time of change in the travel industry as the company gears up to champion a new future of travelling in 2022 and beyond.

The new brand identity, which was created in partnership with global brand agency Superunion, invites people to experience everything with optimism, joyfulness, and enthusiasm. At the heart of the new brand identity is the company’s refreshed brand purpose, ‘To inspire and enable more moments of joy’, reaffirming its pledge to revitalize the travel industry.

Moreover, the rebrand also features an all-new Klook icon, new wordmark, typography, colours, illustrations, and icons. Customers can also expect a more interactive and immersive user experience on the platform, with new rich media formats such as motion graphics, short-form videos, and more exciting content, including travel guides, live streams, and vlog reviews.

Marcus Yong, Klook’s vice president of global marketing, shared that the rebrand marks a fundamental shift in how they engage with their customers, and it means pushing the boundaries and constantly introducing new ways to deliver joyful experiences across all touchpoints of their brand.

“With travel gradually resuming, there is no better time than now to introduce everyone to a new Klook and assist customers in reimagining how they travel in this new environment,” said Yong.

Meanwhile, Ambrish Chaudhry, Superunion’s managing strategy director for Singapore, commented that they are very excited to have played a part in Klook’s rebrand journey. 

“Now more than ever, people recognize the positive impact that overseas travel and local experiences have on our psyche. Klook’s exuberant new brand expression is a celebration of these moments and the joy they provide,” said Chaudhry.

Singapore — GWI, an audience insights company, announced the appointment of Aditi Kohli as senior vice president for APAC as it plans to further its growth in the region. The company is set to jumpstart its ambitious growth plans after it successfully secured US$180m in Series B funding in February 2022.

Kohli will be based in Singapore and she is tasked to drive the company’s growth, working with enterprise partners to help them gain a deeper understanding of local consumers. The investments are being utilised to further advance GWI’s software-as-a-service platform, as well as hire new talent to support global expansion.

Prior to joining GWI, Kohli was managing director of Foursquare for Asia. Her other ventures include roles in Near, The Walt Disney Company, and MTV Asia.

Speaking about her appointment, Kohli said, “I am honoured to join GWI as we continue to revolutionise insights on digital consumers worldwide through technology. We’re seeking to bolster the APAC team, and looking to hire talented professionals (commercial sales and customer success) with a passion for market intelligence and innovation who can support the rapid expansion of our business.”

Tom Smith, CEO and founder of GWI, said, “We are deeply committed to Asia-Pacific. The size and breadth of the region mean it can be hard for companies to navigate and be able to make proper data-driven decisions. GWI is able to provide them with deep insights and allow them to create the right strategy. When we launched our new office in Singapore we knew that we would need to find the right person to lead this exciting growth opportunity and Aditi is the perfect person for this. Her breadth of experience will be instrumental in growing our presence, talent and customer base. We’re very excited for the future of GWI in APAC.”

Singapore – Global partnership management platform, impact.com, has elevated Ayaan Mohamud, former regional marketing director at impact.com APAC, to step into the newly created position of regional vice president of marketing for APAC.

Following this move, impact.com has also appointed Laurence Nelmes, former business development representative at impact.com ANZ, to the newly created role of marketing executive for ANZ. In addition, it has also added bench strength to its local customer success, partnership, and sales teams, namely Deborah Kan, the new partnership development manager for ANZ, Hayley Tse, the new customer success manager for ANZ, Kim Sippel, the new corporate account executive for APAC, and Diana Letran, the new pre-sales solution architect.

According to impact.com, the new hires and promotions aim to support its rapid growth across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, as well as to prepare for its launch into India in 2023.

Commenting on her appointment, Mohamud said that when she joined impact.com as their first regional marketing resource, she knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime to create a foundational APAC marketing strategy and build a local team to drive demand for a new category of marketing technology – partnership automation. 

“We’ve already exceeded our ambitious growth plans and I’m looking forward to leading our marketing team to new heights as we launch into Japan this year and India in 2023,” said Mohamud.

Meanwhile, Adam Furness, impact.com’s managing director for APAC, said that Mohamud has joined impact.com almost three years ago as their first marketing hire across APAC and has been a strategic and executional powerhouse since day one.

“She has been instrumental in helping drive our exponential growth across APAC with agile and innovative marketing initiatives that have helped raise awareness and understanding of the partnership economy. With more resources now available to her, the sky’s the limit to what she can achieve next,” said Furness.

In July 2021, impact.com has closed a US$150m round of funding at a US$1.5b valuation in preparation for an IPO, part of which was earmarked to enable the platform to double the number of its employees across APAC in 2022. To help nurture the significantly expanded team, Tanya Suna, former people development manager at impact.com for APAC, has been promoted to the newly created position of director of people and culture for APAC.