Tag: Platforms

Singapore – Carousell has partnered with car-as-a-subscription company Carzuno to offer the ‘Carousell Car Subscription’ in Singapore, a fully digital service that allows users to choose and return their automobile without leaving their homes, leveraging the recently announced Carousell Certified program for Cars.

Singaporeans who are new to car ownership are said to prefer more efficient options such as car subscriptions, which reduce concerns about costs such as insurance, road tax, maintenance, servicing, down payment, and bank loans, while also allowing them to switch between different car models to meet changing needs or test a model before purchasing, avoiding the inconveniences associated with traditional car rental and car sharing.

Users can choose a duration ranging from one to 24 months, benefiting from low monthly subscription rates. The website provides transparent pricing for all cars, catering to a wide range of budgets and needs.

Sanjay Shivkumar, Carousell Singapore’s head of autos, said, “Besides being known for being able to buy and sell second-hand cars, Carousell has the largest platform for rental cars in Singapore. In recent years, we have had more requests to offer car subscription services as well, and we have seen growing demand globally, especially among eco-conscious drivers who want to use electric vehicles without the hefty price tag. 

He added, “Hence, we are excited to partner with Carzuno launch a service that puts our users’ convenience first, and provides more choice.”

Meanwhile, Kim Jonsson, CEO at Carzuno, said, “Combining Carousell’s reach of 1 in 3 Singaporeans as monthly active users with our large fleet and variety of 50 car models, we are excited to give Singaporeans more flexibility and freedom in driving the car of their choice. It is as simple as filling in a three-minute form, uploading a copy of your driver’s licence, adding fuel to the car and enjoying your drive. Users can also have the peace of mind that the cars available are in tip-top condition from regular servicing and maintenance.”

Singapore – Threads, often referred to as the ‘Twitter killer’ by many in the industry, is the latest social media venture from tech giant Meta. Officially launched on July 5, has registered 100 million users in the five days it launched, making it the fastest-growing platform after ChatGPT. The influencer has also spread across markets in Southeast Asia, with Milieu detailing how the app launch rolled out in the region.

According to the data, Meta’s Threads app has already gained significant traction across Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. The study revealed that 3 in 10, on average, across these 3 countries have downloaded the app, with the highest adoption rate observed in the Philippines at around 41%.

Meanwhile, the study also unveiled a vibrant thread culture on Threads. Amongst users who have downloaded the app, 44% in Singapore, 63% in Thailand, and 60% in the Philippines have posted threads since the launch. These findings highlight the app’s potential for fostering user-generated content and encouraging discussions.

Unsurprisingly, the study revealed a skew toward the younger demographic in Singapore. Amongst those aged 16-34, 7 have heard of Meta’s new app, compared to the Singapore average of 61%. However, the study also highlighted that only about 1 in 4 of this demographic have downloaded the Threads app, indicating room for further growth among Singaporean youths.

Despite the immediate adoption of Threads, Twitter still remained as the preferred platform among both Threads and Twitter users, with about half of those surveyed (49%) across Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines indicating their preference –  highest in Thailand at 60%. Additionally, one in five respondents mentioned not having a preference.

San’tAgata Bolognese – Luxury and supercar brand Lamborghini joins the podcast world with their latest release, ‘Beyond: A Lamborghini Podcast’.

Starting on July 11, the podcast aims to offer listeners a deep dive into Lamborghini’s main base of operations and the expert team behind its vehicles. Hosted by Tim Bravo, Lamborghini’s director of communications and Giulia Salvi, Virgin Radio Italy broadcaster, the podcast hopes to challenge the norms of brand interaction to cover subjects such as music, art, design, science, fashion and more.

The first episode of the podcast featured Lamborghini chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann who reflects on Lamborghini’s success and the ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’ plan for the rest of the decade, as well as to explore some of his personal achievements. 

“You have a huge responsibility, because we are small, the investments are high, so you cannot afford to make any mistakes. Now we have to ferryboat the company in this transition phase, which is really a revolution, from internal combustion engine cars to plug-in and then maybe, with all the opportunities and challenges, to full electric cars. So being part of this is something which puts a lot of pressure and responsibility,” said Winkelmann.

‘Beyond: A Lamborghini Podcast’ is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and via the special podcast hub on Lamborghini.com/podcast. A new episode will drop each month.

New Jersey, USA – Global advertising technology innovator VDO.AI has announced the launch of its new division named VDO.AI Entertainment which aims to deliver immersive consumer digital experiences in the field of entertainment, gaming, and sports industries.

The new division will be led by Sean Black, who is also the head of North American business. It will be composed of a team of experts that specialises in entertainment, gaming, and sports who are committed to delivering innovative digital experiences. 

Moreover, the team will work closely with clients to create activations that maximises VDO.AI’s AI-powered technology and deliver personalised experiences that are align to the consumers’ preferences on platforms.

The establishment of the new division will also allow brands to access various digital experiences that revolutionises consumer connections across the next generation of digital environments. In addition, it will provide a platform to engage with consumers through immersive placements and intergrated creative solutions.

CEO Amitt Sharma said that the launching of the new division serves as an exciting chapter in the company’s evolution and they are thrilled to offer an innovative way to engage with their audiences and create unforgettable experiences for them.

“We believe that VDO.AI Entertainment has the potential to revolutionize the entertainment, gaming, and sports industries by providing immersive, interactive activations that truly capture the imagination of consumers while creating a story and connection to the brands,” Black added.

VDO.AI aims to build innovative and timely products, which serve as growth engines for both publishers and advertisers.

Singapore – Global e-commerce platform Amazon has launched European Expansion Accelerator (EEA) that allow active sellers to expand their business to nine EU stores through easier listing of products in all EU and UK stores whilst giving customers access to millions of products.

Through EEA, Amazon selling partners can access one page in seller central, discover the stores they are not yet selling in, and click to expand. Seller’s account registration, set-up, translations, listing, shipping setup, product eligibility checks and catalogue customisations will be executed within three business days. 

Moreover, EEA helps the sellers to reduce their time in navigating several different tools whilst running in multiple European stores. They can expand one store at a time or across all nine EU and UK stores at once. 

In addition, the new system will help in expansion of products through store-specific recommendations. It uses the selling partner’s preferences from their main store, replicating the same information across different stores.

For customers, they will be benefiting from the new products with attractive prices and faster delivery options.

Xavier Flamand, vice president of seller services at Europe, said that this new offer serves as their solution for their selling partners to grow and offer new products to Amazon customers in multiple stores.

“We’re pleased to be able to now offer this two-click step to sellers in Europe so that they can expand their businesses with Amazon,” Flamand added.

European Expansion Accelerator is free and available for all professional selling partners who already sell in at least one of Amazon Europe stores located in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium and the UK.

Singapore – Changi Airport Group has made its debut to the metaverse by showcasing ‘ChangiVerse’, a metaverse experience created to help audiences connect with Singapore Changi Airport and explore its notable sights through the digital space.

Created with global professional services Accenture, ChangiVerse is the first virtual experience created by an airport that has debuted in Roblox, a global shared experience platform with millions of daily users.

Changi Airport’s debut in the metaverse is also an effort to reach a wider group of digital users and fans who are interested to explore more travel destinations differently.

Moreover, the said platform digitally represents Changi’s physical airport where visitors can access fun activities, social experiences, and interactable spaces such as bustling café or festive glamping tent and minigames whilst earning unique collectibles to give their digital avatar some extra flair.

Hung Jean, group senior vice president of Changi Airport Group’s enterprise digital ecosystem & business division, said that the creation of ChangiVerse aims to strengthen the idea that the airport is more than just a transport node, but it’s also a fun and magical destination to create memories.

“ChangiVerse is also about engaging our customers and serving them better through innovation and experimentation, in line with our belief of customers being at the heart of everything we do,” Jean added.

Wee Wei Ng, Southeast Asia market unit lead for Accenture, added, “We are privileged to collaborate with CAG to drive digital-physical convergence through ChangiVerse. By combining digital and physical worlds, ChangiVerse can simulate the airport environment, creating immersive experiences that elevate human interactivity to new dimensions, enhance customer experiences, and drive innovation.”

In 2022, Changi Airport Group has dealt with Accenture to extend its partnership for the enhancement of travellers’ experience when visiting Changi Airport in Singapore.

Indonesia – As Indonesian consumers observed their ramadan plans, a latest research from market research company YouGov reveals that Jakarta-based Traveloka is the most preferred online travel company for bookings in the said season, with 42% of these travellers purchased their mudik transport tickets from the said company.

Meanwhile, 35% of mudik travellers used tiket.com for their bookings whilst 11% preferred booking.com.

The research also showed the most popular mudik travel period, with 45% of the respondents said that they prefer to do it 2-6 days before Eid al-Fitr/Idul Fitri. 14% preferred the dates during the time of Eid and 13% prefers to travel 2-6 days after Eid.

Moreover, it was revealed that 45% of the consumers who observe Ramadan plan to perform mudik travel back to their hometowns this year. 33% do not plan to travel back, while 22% are undecided during the time of polling.

The said study was conducted online on 2-6 March, with 2,067 respondents in Indonesia aged 18 and above, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov.

Australia – Tourism Tasmania, the tourism marketing firm of the Tasmanian Government in Australia, has unveiled ‘Discover Tasmania’ mobile application to let tourists customise and make their own travel experience unique when visiting Tasmania.

In collaboration with creative agencies Clemenger BBDO and Orchard, the application was made with features including real-time, location-specific notifications on insider tips and recommendations, itinerary builder, interactive maps, and other offline features which make it more convenient to use.

Clemenger BBDO led the app’s experience design, whilst Orchard helped in delivering a more connected and efficient digital experience for visitors.

Sarah Clark, CEO at Tourism Tasmania, said that they want the application to become the ultimate travel companion to help visitors explore the tourism offerings available throughout Tasmania.

Dani Bassil, CEO at Clemenger BBDO, added that this has been a truly collaborative project with the tourism marketing firm, and it’s rewarding to see that they made Discover Tasmania app possible.

Moreover, Wai Kwok, CEO at Orchard, added, “The Discover Tasmania App will help bridge the gap between digital connection and Tasmania’s products and experiences, delivering a seamless connected experience that Tasmanian travellers will remember.” 

Discover Tasmania mobile application is now available to download on the App Store.

Bangkok, Thailand – Thai media corporation T&B Media Global, in partnership with digital product company Two Bulls/DEPT®, has launched Translucia website, a metaverse project that combines interconnected multiverses to provide a space for users, creators, and businesses in accessing its products and services.

The platform is also built to promote prosperity and equity of access to all digital citizens, regardless of background whilst aiming to make Web3 and metaverse available to the public in an accessible and engaging way. 

The launching also marks the first milestone of the partnership between T&B Media and Two Bulls/DEPT® which was kickstarted last year. 

Jason O’Donnell, managing director at Two Bulls/DEPT® said that they are thrilled to be a part of the collaboration and development of Translucia Metaverse, whilst adding that it has the ability to change the way people engage.

James Kane, founder & CEO at Two Bulls/DEPT® added, “We’re proud to have found a partner in T&B Global that shares both our values and beliefs that with technology, we can create a better tomorrow. There’s immense opportunity to lead in the metaverse space right now, and we’re glad to see that Translucia is taking charge without losing sight of their values and the greater good for society.”

Other international partners for this project include Dogstudio/DEPT® for video creation, Accenture Singapore for copy and translations, Blackflame China for concept art, Sunovatech India for 3D assets, and Pellartech for Blockchain.

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.