Tag: Advertising

Mumbai, India – The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released its half-year report on complaints on the local Indian advertising scene, and has noted that healthcare emerged as the most violative sector, constituting 21% of all processed ads, followed by classical education and personal care at 18% each.

The report shows a 34% increase in complaints (4491) processed, coupled with a corresponding 27% rise in the number of ads processed (3501).

Moreover, Out of 3,501 ads processed, 564 (16%) were flagged as potential direct violations of the law, which represents a 22% increase over the previous year. 35% of the total ads processed were not contested and were promptly withdrawn or modified. 

A further 47% of ads were found violative of the ASCI Code and the advertisements were recommended to be withdrawn or modified. Only 2% of complaints were dismissed.

Meanwhile, of the 3,501 complaints processed, digital media remained the primary source of violations at 79%. Print media and television contributed 17% and 3%, respectively, while other mediums accounted for 2% of the reported violations.

Lastly, consumer complaints comprised 21.3% of the total complaints, indicating significant public engagement in upholding advertising standards. 75.4% of complaints were initiated suomotu by ASCI.

It is also worth noting that in the digital advertising sphere, influencers contributed to 22% of total ads complained against at ASCI. 99.4% of advertisements processed for influencer guidelines were found to be in violation. ASCI received compliance with its recommendations in 92% of influencer cases taken up v/s 86% in previous years, signalling greater compliance with ASCI’s CCC recommendations.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary-general at ASCI said, “ASCI remains committed to addressing the challenges posed by digital advertising. All stakeholders need to come together to tackle the issue of online safety of consumers given that they spend high amounts of time there, and where there is a proliferation of objectionable advertising.”

She added, “Our constant vigilance of the online space helps call out the advertisements and brands that violate the ASCI code requiring ads to be truthful, decent and safe. We hope that the various sectors recognise the breaches and commit to more responsible advertising.”

Manila, Philippines – Following the recent launch of their agency, Filipino indie agency Leron Leron Sinta has debuted its first agency film–and in true hilarious fashion features a tirade of various ad industry cliches most are familiar with now.

The film features local content creator Armando Loko as he wanders through the streets holding cardboard signs that pose clever questions about advertising tropes. In the film, he approaches people in wet markets, jeepneys, and parks to ask them these thought-provoking questions but none of the people seem to have a clear-cut answer. 

In the film, Armando spewed questions to the public like, ‘Why do commercials show menstruation blood in blue color?’, ‘Why isn’t there an ad for rice?’, and ‘Why are little people not shown in ads?’.

The film, and its other versions, garnered millions of organic views on TikTok without any paid media spend.

According to Dionie Tañada, co-founder and creative partner at Leron Leron Sinta, the partnership between Leron Leron Sinta and Armando Loko is a testament to the agency’s capability and commitment of championing the masses and Pinoy grassroots creativity.

In a previous exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, the agency noted that their roots of being catered to the masses is what makes them unique in contrast to other agencies.

“We’re the only agency that’s 100% founded by people with an attitude and perspective that came from the grassroots, streets, and rural settings. We’re masa, and we’re proud of it,” they explained, further adding, “Leron Leron Sinta specializes in work that is ‘pang-masa’ (for the masses) and is anchored on creative ideas that help businesses sell and grow,” they stated.

Australia – Kantar has announced the launch of its new proprietary attention framework. Marrying Kantar’s decades of creative evaluation expertise with the latest technology, the approach uses facial coding to uncover how well advertising content captures the attention of viewers on a second-by-second basis, an essential tool in marketers’ arsenal.

Part of the expansion of Kantar’s creative testing portfolio, the new attention framework gives advertisers a summary of an ad’s ability to capture viewers’ attention, gain a comparison to norms, and access a second-by-second trace to diagnose where attention is retained and lost.

The norms and benchmarks for this new framework are built using Kantar’s expertise in measuring attention and database of 50,000 attention ad tests. The attention framework uncovers whether people pay attention to ads in different media contexts and what creative strengths drive attention, giving advertisers the insights that they need to optimise their ad to improve its ability to engage viewers. 

Said framework is available in LINK+, Kantar’s automated, self-serve or serviced solution for testing and evaluating creative; and Context Lab, Kantar’s digital media optimisation solution.

As part of the newly-launched framework, Kantar is deploying significantly improved attention measurement. The upgraded facial coding technology now includes gaze monitoring components making it more accurate. Advertisers receive measures of both active and passive attention, giving them richer and deeper understanding of how their ads will perform in context. 

Ted Prince, global chief product officer at Kantar, said, “The race for attention is one of the defining challenges of our time for modern marketers. How to capture the attention of viewers amid the myriad of distractions is something that keeps many awake at night. At Kantar, we are using the latest technology in combination with our decades of expertise to tackle these thorny questions.”

He added, “With digital ad spend continuing to rise, it is key that marketers understand how their creative will perform in digital channels. The era of repurposing a TV ad and hoping for the best is over.”

Meanwhile, Sharon Hilton, head of media at Kantar Australia, commented, Attention is a big topic of conversation in Australia as local marketers continue to grapple with ensuring that campaigns cut through.”

She added, “Our 2023 Australian Media Reactions study found that the attention economy was in the top three list of priorities for marketers in 2024 with 41% stating it was a key priority. Almost half of marketers say that attention is an important industry debate (47%) and nearly three in five said that channels where consumers pay more attention was the key factor influencing how to allocate media budget (58%).”

Lastly, Irene Joshy, head of creative at Kantar Australia, stated, “The content maze that we live in has amplified the problem of ‘selective’ attention. Selective attention impacts creative effectiveness adversely. To help marketers navigate this, the development of this new attention metric built into in-context digital testing is revolutionising the way that we measure the relationship between playback, attention and engagement to drive stronger digital ROMI.”

Singapore – Global brand suitability and contextual advertising platform Channel Factory has strengthened their APAC operations, recently appointing Kevin Rooney to managing director for Southeast Asia and India, and Kriti Jetley to head of sales SEA.

In their new roles, Rooney will be assuming overall responsibility for SEA and India and collaborate with other APAC leaders, whilst Jetley will be instrumental in driving Channel Factory’s sales efforts and building on key client relationships in the SEA region. 

With an impressive career spanning over 20 years, Rooney brings extensive expertise in sales, leadership and marketing, having over 19 years across WPP agencies with his former role being APAC CEO for mSix and Partners. His notable achievements include winning Campaign’s New Business Team of the Year and setting two ‘R3 new business leagues’ records.

On the other hand, Jetley brings with her 14 years of experience in the dynamic digital landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently Head of Product Marketing at TikTok SEA, she has also held senior sales roles at Criteo and Outbrain, bringing with her an extensive knowledge of the digital ecosystem. 

Speaking on his appointment, Rooney said, “I am honoured to join Channel Factory as Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India, and I look forward to driving the company’s growth in these vibrant markets. Channel Factory’s commitment to transforming the media landscape through brand suitability and advanced technology aligns perfectly with my passion for innovation and business development.”

Speaking on her appointment as well, Jetley also mentioned, “I am proud to now be a part of Channel Factory, a company that is at the forefront of revolutionising brand suitability by aligning content seamlessly with advertisers’ needs.”

“In the era of burgeoning User-Generated Content, reaching in-target audiences at scale has become a challenge for brands and the demand for effective brand suitability solutions has never been more critical. I am thrilled to extend my expertise across the digital landscape and contribute to Channel Factory’s mission in this regard,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Alex Littlejohn, managing director of APAC at Channel Factory, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Kevin and Kriti to the Channel Factory team. Their wealth of media and industry experience will contribute significantly to our growth in the APAC region, and we look forward to achieving great success with this robust team.”

Singapore – The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore has awarded to Stellar Experience its road assets advertising operator (AO) tender, effective for 10 years starting from January 1, 2024.

Through the tender, Stellar Experience will be managing and operating the advertising spaces at LTA-owned bus and taxi shelters as well as designated pedestrian infrastructure, with an option to extend for another six years.

LTA has been appointing AOs to manage the advertising spaces, as well as the general maintenance (such as cleaning) of bus and taxi shelters since 1999. This approach allows LTA to select best-in-class AOs to manage these assets and introduce creative campaigns to boost advertising revenue, which is then shared with the Government through a concession fee model.

This mandate marks the first time that LTA has consolidated the advertising concessions for bus and taxi shelters under our purview into a single contract. Bus and taxi shelter advertising spaces were previously tendered out as two separate AO contracts, specifically to Clear Channel Singapore and JCDecaux Singapore, and will expire in December 2023 and March 2025 respectively.

“Consolidation of bus and taxi shelter assets, and the inclusion of additional advertising assets into single contract will provide the AO with greater scale and enable the AO to sell across multiple platforms. This will help to boost advertising revenue, and in turn the concession fees,” LTA said in an online statement.

LTA had received a total of seven proposals from four tenderers for this tender. Proposals were evaluated on their quality, whether tenderers are able to maintain the bus and taxi shelters per LTA’s requirements, as well as their ability to generate non-fare revenue from these road assets.

Singapore – Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has announced its appointment of Omar Sotomayor as its regional executive creative director in Southeast Asia.

In his new role, Sotomayor will oversee the agency’s creative vision and strategy in the region, lead creative excellence, and manage a creative team of more than 30, in locations including Singapore and Indonesia.

He will collaborate with clients, including Samsung Mobile, Netflix, and Google, to deliver innovation and effective creative solutions, while spearheading creative efforts across We Are Social’s specialist offerings in the Southeast Asia region. This includes the agency’s future-tech and innovation arm, .XYZ, which is led by the team in Singapore.

Sotomayor brings 18 years of experience in the advertising industry, and previously was executive creative director & regional community lead at Edelman Singapore, where he helped lead the transformation of the creative department and integrated solutions while driving growth through new business wins.

Speaking on his appointment, Sotomayor said, “I’m excited about We Are Social’s in-house capabilities, talent, and innovative spirit. They have a unique socially-led vision that combines tech and culture, opening doors to creative possibilities. I look forward to learning from the team and helping to reimagine our clients’ businesses.”

Meanwhile, Christina Chong, CEO of We Are Social in Southeast Asia, commented, “I was immediately drawn to Omar’s approach and dedication to his work, his way of thinking, and more generally, his passion for innovation and creativity.His exceptional knowledge and creative experience, alongside his deep understanding of the social and digital landscape, will be invaluable to our clients.”

“His leadership will take our creative teams in Singapore and Indonesia to the next level, all while driving forward the creative offering for .XYZ and in new markets for We Are Social in Southeast Asia,” she added.

Singapore – Global outdoor advertising enterprise software provider Moving Walls has announced the launch of its environmental, social, and corporate governance initiative called ‘Moving Hearts’. This initiative aims to connect charities and community organisations to last minute OOH media inventory in an automated manner.

According to Moving Walls, ‘Moving Hearts’ seeks to break through with the power of out-of-home media to spotlight social and humanitarian causes. Often, charitable organizations face difficulties in gaining visibility, while owners of OOH media have unused inventory that could be leveraged to create a lasting impact. 

This initiative presents a mutually beneficial opportunity for all parties involved, allowing philanthropic campaigns to flourish and reach a wider audience.

‘Moving Hearts’ uses Moving Walls’ advanced technology to automate the matching of registered charities to last minute DOOH inventory and also the DOOH content serving.To begin, causes are recruited on the Moving Hearts website and are validated individually. Participating publishers then have the discretion to select the causes they support. 

Srikanth Ramachandran, group CEO of Moving Walls, said, “Moving Hearts enables access to the widest reaching media channel to those who need exposure the most. With Moving Hearts, we bring social sustainability to the forefront of our work in the DOOH ecosystem.”

He added, “Moving Hearts has been consistently achieving the goal of reaching 100,000 hearts (impressions) for every CSR campaign it has amplified. We look forward to working with all our media partners to reach a billion hearts.”

Singapore – Nearly 4 out of 5 APAC consumers agree that companies should do a better job at capturing Asian people’s true lifestyle and culture in advertising, a report from Getty Images revealed.

The new research showed that stereotypical and inauthentic visual representations of various Asian communities are still present in the Asia-Pacific advertising scene.

According to the data, only less than 10% of the most popular visuals for Australasia, Japan, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan accurately represent Asian people and their lived experiences. Instead, the findings revealed that the most commonly used imagery tends to lean heavily towards perpetuating common stereotypes.

The common stereotypes in the Asian advertising scene include depicting Asians as youthful, slender, having lighter skin tones, and predominantly portrayed in work-related contexts. Furthermore, popular visuals all portray the same underlying messages, styling, and emotion, which is often overly happy and has little to no connection to each culture.

Getty Images’ research report also showed that nearly 4 out of 5 consumers across APAC agree that companies also need to do a better job at capturing people’s true lifestyles and cultures. They felt that simply increasing the representation of individuals from diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, and appearances within advertising and media was insufficient.

Additionally, a striking 3 out of 5 also shared that they’ve felt discrimination based on body size, lifestyle choices, race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, and sexuality.

The report identified a number of representation gaps that are specific to APAC, which include disparities in depicting cultural specificities, underrepresentation of older adults, a lack of diversity in gender representation, limited portrayals of Asian working life, a prevailing preference for Eurocentric beauty standards and body types, and an absence of individuals with disabilities, among others.

The representation gaps and lack of diversity in imagery limit the opportunity to showcase Asia-Pacific’s extensive span of cultures and demographics.

These concerning findings underscore the importance for the media and advertising industry to recognise the intricate diversity and multidimensionality inherent in Asian cultures and align their strategies with consumer expectations to deliver authentic and meaningful portrayals of Asian identities.

Yuri Endo, creative insights manager at Getty Images, said, “Despite the region’s diversity, everyday images and videos that aim to capture Asian experiences often fall short, perpetuating harmful stereotypes or missing the mark entirely. This misrepresentation and underrepresentation in TV shows, social media, and advertising has led to significant gaps in consumers’ understanding of the region’s realities.”

“By sharing these guidelines, the report takes a significant step towards helping brands serving APAC customers promote accurate and respectful portrayals of Asian communities, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and equitable visual landscape,” she added.

Seattle, USA – Amazon Ads has launched image generation in beta—a generative AI solution designed to remove creative barriers and enable brands to produce lifestyle imagery that helps improve their ads’ performance. 

For example, an advertiser may have standalone images of their product against a white background, like a toaster. When that same toaster is placed in a lifestyle context—on a kitchen counter, next to a croissant—in a mobile Sponsored Brands ad, click-through rates can be 40% higher compared to ads with standard product images.

According to the company, the solution is helpful for advertisers of all sizes—enabling those that do not have in-house capabilities or agency support to more easily create brand-themed imagery, while also supporting bigger brands, who are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient around creative development. 

In the Amazon Ad Console, advertisers simply select their product and click Generate, with the tool leveraging generative AI to deliver a set of lifestyle and brand-themed images, based on product details, in a matter of seconds. The image can then be refined by entering short text prompts, while multiple versions can be quickly created and tested to optimize performance.

According to Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president at Amazon Ads Products and Technology, with the launch of their image generation capability, any advertiser can now use a simple tool to create unique, lifestyle creative assets that make their campaigns more compelling, and at no additional cost.

“Producing engaging and differentiated creatives can increase cost and often requires introducing additional expertise into the advertising process. At Amazon Ads, we are always thinking about ways we can reduce friction for our advertisers, provide them with tools that deliver more impact while minimizing effort, and ultimately, deliver a better advertising experience for our customers,” she said.

Aubrey added, “Providing tools to make image generation simple and easy is another way for us to support advertisers while also making the ads our customers see more engaging and visually rich. It’s a perfect use for generative AI—less effort and better outcomes.”

India – Outdoor advertising company Times Innovative Media Ltd. (Times OOH) has announced its successful acquisition of exclusive advertising rights for Chennai International Airport across all the terminals.

The contract will run for seven years and marks a significant milestone for Times OOH’s growth journey. This strategic addition reinforces the company’s commitment to providing a metro airport network that covers all regions of India.

Times OOH’s contract includes exclusive rights for all of the airport’s four terminals. It would include an inventory offering covering multi-media options both inside and outside each terminal.

Chennai International Airport is among India’s busiest airports, handling over 18 million passengers every year. It serves as a hub for a diverse and captive audience base, from business travellers to tourists and locals.

With this advertising partnership, Times OOH can offer brands a remarkable platform to connect with and engage with their target market. This is in line with the company’s commitment to providing world-class quality in media assets at the airport.

The contract acquisition underscores Times OOH’s long-term vision of delivering high-impact advertising solutions that captivate and influence audiences within the airport premises. It will also strengthen their position and reputation in the airport advertising space.

Shekhar Narayanaswami, president at Times OOH, shared, “We are thrilled to embark on this journey of strategic collaboration with Chennai International Airport. It paves the way for innovative, engaging, and memorable campaigns that connect brands with their target audience. It represents a significant transformation in the airport advertising landscape, and we are committed to establishing new benchmarks in this field.”