Tag: Airasia MOVE

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Andrea Chuang has recently moved from Carro to AirAsia MOVE as its campaign marketing head. In an exclusive conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Andrea notes that in her new role, she will cover the main markets in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore for all the AirAsia MOVE platform campaigns.

“This range from branding campaigns, tactical across integrated channels – driving more brand awareness post-rebranding from AirAsia Superapp to AirAsia MOVE, driving conversions across multiple line of businesses – Flights, Hotels, Hotel+Flights (H&F) bundles, Rides, Asean Explorer Pass, and many more, by leveraging on the app functions like Loyalty (Rewards), Payment (BigPay) as well as Chat (in-app messaging feature),” she explained.

When asked about her particular focus in leadership for AirAsia MOVE, she noted that she will be focusing on hotels and their hotel and flight (H+F) bundle offerings.

“The business is prioritising Hotels & H+F bundles to further drive home the idea of the app being the Asean’s favourite travel app that goes all the way with our consumers. With this, we will be pushing more attractive value-added services & offerings across our services in the app,” she said.

Andrea was most recently the head of marketing for MyTukar Malaysia before it recently rebranded to Carro. This was also not her first time with AirAsia as she was the company’s head of marketing and growth for in-flight and features for two years.

Speaking on her most recent leadership at MyTukar, she said, “During my tenure with myTukar, I learnt that rebranding is a long game – we used 2 years to successfully rebrand to Carro. This is a strategic move to improve its original brand perceptions and credibility by improving internal processes and communicate about its business progress & successes while changing the color from turquoise to orange.”

She added, “Meanwhile covering the consumer segments with campaigns that resonated with the locals like Raya, Merdeka, and many more. These were the building blocks that assisted with the rebranding transition, and set the foundation for the change.”

Andrea also notes that the travel industry has seen a surge post-COVID, and the revenge spending has slightly tapered down. Moreover, consumers are looking for unique experiences and more personalised plans during their travel.

“With this, we’re in a space where it’s opportune for us to address this challenge, so keep your eyes peeled for interesting collaborations and launches to come on AirAsia MOVE,” she added.

She also added, “Our tech & data team is working on better studying this behaviour in preparation to build and launch app features that’ll address these personalised experience with the help of AI.”

Andrea’s move into AirAsia MOVE follows the recent appointment of Ravi Shankar Mallavarapu as its chief marketing officer.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Ravi Shankar Mallavarapu, most recently with Carsome, has been recently appointed as the chief marketing officer of AirAsia MOVE, airasia’s travel and lifestyle app–and formerly known as airasia Digital.

In an exclusive conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Ravi said, “I am entrusted with shaping and implementing our comprehensive branding and marketing strategy. This strategy is designed to enhance brand recognition and become a top-of-mind travel companion for ASEAN travelers, aligning with our business objectives.”

He also noted his particular interest in adopting AI strategies to AirAsia MOVE’s marketing strategies, stating, “I am particularly keen on leveraging AI in our marketing strategies. This includes leveraging AI across multiple marketing functions to increase productivity; prioritising the adoption of AI will help us stay competitive and relevant in the rapidly evolving travel market. The other priority is to build a community of creators who are loyal to the brand and keep generating content for us.”

Prior to this new role, Ravi was recently the chief marketing officer at Carsome for over two years, where he handled the brand’s marketing, digital, social media, public relations, growth, market research and customer experience. He also worked closely with Derek Tan, chief brand officer at Carsome, on brand, creative, production and sponsorships.

It is also worth mentioning that this marks Ravi’s return to the airasia ecosystem. He was with AirAsia for five years, where he had served various leadership roles that included group head of digital marketing and chief growth officer.

“My tenure as CMO at Carsome taught me how difficult it is to build a brand and that it is not just a marketing responsibility. I’m looking forward to working with the fantastic team [at AirAsia MOVE] and working on the vast amounts of data,” he stated.

When asked about challenges and opportunities related to AI-integrated marketing strategies, Ravi said that adapting strategies in Gen AI presents both opportunities and challenges, and it depends on how fast the industry leverages and implements them in daily work.

“In 2024 and beyond, I foresee a continued emphasis on personalised travel experiences. At AirAsia MOVE, aligning with these trends involves adopting more sustainable practices in our operations and marketing and utilising technology to tailor unique travel experiences that meet evolving consumer expectations,” he concluded.

Malaysia – Airasia MOVE, an Asian travel booking platform, announced a partnership with the international payment brand UnionPay, with the goal of providing users with expanded incentives and perks. Nicole Tan, head of Airasia Rewards, and David Chong, assistant general manager of UnionPay International Southeast Asia, signed the agreement. 

During this partnership, airasia MOVE members will have their status upgraded to Platinum membership in their airasia rewards account when they use their UnionPay cards for flights, hotels, or SNAP (Flight + Hotel combo) purchases totaling RM300 or more. They will also be eligible for free airport transfers* via airasia ride, which includes transportation to and from any airport in Malaysia, Bangkok, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia.

Members of Airasia MOVE Platinum receive exclusive perks such as up to 15% off hotel stays, privileged access for flying services, and seven times the number of airasia points on transactions.

The exclusive offer is available to UnionPay and airasia MOVE customers living in any Southeast Asian nation through November 30, 2024.

Speaking about the partnership,Tan said, “We are pleased to announce this partnership with UnionPay International which offers their cardholders a new avenue to make the most out of their card. We are happy to offer UnionPay cardholders airasia MOVE’s best value flights, hotels and other offerings with top-tiered benefits that will suit all their travel needs.

She added, “We believe that this will add value to both UnionPay cardholders and our members alike, which will bring us closer to our vision of making airasia rewards a loyalty programme platform with the best value and widest array of offerings.” 

Meanwhile, Chong commented, “Prepare for a holiday season like never before as UnionPay and AirAsia unite to offer an unrivaled travel experience for UnionPay’s SEA cardholders. From soaring through the skies with AirAsia to indulging in top-tier privileges such as upgrade to Platinum membership, priority baggage handling, priority boarding and more, this synergy is set to elevate every traveler’s journey. UnionPay and AirAsia, where every voyage becomes a celebration.” 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Travel platform airasia MOVE teams up with pan-regional OTT video streaming service Viu to enhance its brand visibility and engagement through the latest Viu Original series, ‘From Saga with Love’. 

With the title being ranked first in Viu Malaysia, airasia MOVE and AirAsia X will be featured prominently in the new rom-com series, which will be made available to over 65.5 million local and international monthly active users in 16 different markets.

‘From Saga With Love’ follows Karma, a budding social media influencer who bluffs her way into becoming an interpreter for A-list actress Bianca Rozario during her trip to Saga, Japan. Juggling her deception and a secret task from Bianca’s mother, Karma, along with videographer Bob and mysterious Sham, navigates a humorous whirlwind of problems, solutions, and romantic complications.

The partnership is part of airasia MOVE’s latest efforts to enhance its brand visibility and engagement as a travel superapp. Other initiatives include its community platform airasia Chat, digital radio station RedRadio, gaming hub RedGames, and Vtuber platform Project Kavvaii.

This initiative also follows the rebranding of airasia Digital to MOVE Digital, which the featured superapp also adopts, being seen and depicted as airasia MOVE within its appearances in the show.

Malaysia – Nadia Omer has been named as the new chief executive officer of Airasia MOVE, effective October 26, 2023. She succeeds Mohamad Hafidz Mohd Fadzil, who has been acting CEO of airasia MOVE since April of the same year. 

Omer has a track record in category conversion, consumer habit change, and ecosystem value creation, with her early career at P&G as well as roles at Nestle and PepsiCo. Prior to joining airasia MOVE, she was the chief business officer for Cars24 Southeast Asia. Her experience qualifies her to guide airasia MOVE toward its goal of becoming the region’s preferred travel platform that provides the best value. 

Speaking about the appointment, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A and executive chairman of MOVE Digital, said, “We are excited for the future of airasia MOVE, as we welcome Nadia into what we will say is a pivotal moment for the organisation. I have been actively interacting with Nadia since the initial announcement of her appointment back in September and have no doubt that she will hit the ground running the moment she officially steps in.” 

He added, “As announced last month, we are entering into a new era of travel innovation, and I believe that Nadia’s multifaceted background has uniquely positioned her to lead airasia MOVE forward as Asean’s preferred one-stop travel platform. She will also be working closely with BigPay, led by Zubin Rada Krishnan to offer seamless access to travel and financial services on one single platform, with integrated financial features.” 

“I would also like to thank Mohamad Hafidz for his contributions as the acting CEO of airasia MOVE for the past six months, as he moves on to another role within the Capital A Group,” Fernandes remarked. 

Meanwhile, speaking about her appointment, Omer said, “It’s a privilege to take the helm of airasia MOVE, and I look forward to working with Allstars across the region to create the next growth curve in our journey. I’d like to thank Tony Fernandes for putting his trust in me and count on his continued mentorship to MOVE the business forward. 

She added, “My first priority and commitment is our airasia MOVE customers, always offering best-in-class value and industry-leading products to make travel that much easier, safer and fun. I count on our teams to make every trip a delightful one so that we can win our customers’ hearts to make airasia MOVE the travel app of choice in Asean.”