Tag: Artificial Intelligence

San Francisco, California, USA – Marketing technology company Kenshoo has announced its acquisition of market intelligence company Signals Analytics, which entails enhanced accelerated e-commerce adoption for their clients in the midst of the pandemic.

As businesses are facing the need to rapidly transform engagement from physical to digital, there is a rise in the emergence of disruptive direct-to-consumer models and increased sensitivity to consumer privacy. Through the establishment of an AI-powered platform that connects internal and external data sets to surface insights across the entire marketing value chain, Kenshoo will empower enterprise clients to make stronger predictions and unleash their growth potential.

“Given the exponential growth we are experiencing in performance marketing, specifically around e-commerce, Kenshoo sees firsthand how brands make decisions to bring products to market online. The channel discussion is changing from media platforms to distribution types—direct-to-consumer or retail—and we are relied upon to support those decisions,” said Kenshoo CEO and co-founder Yoav Izhar-Prato.

He also added, “We looked for a powerful platform that best captured holistic consumer and market insights by connecting external data sets layered with cutting-edge, advanced analytics capabilities, and we found both in Signals Analytics. With a proven record in curating and augmenting external data and utilizing unique assets in artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to infuse decisions with relevant, actionable insights for very prestigious brands, the team wowed us.”

Through the acquisition, the combined company assets will help create a connected knowledge graph across brand, consumer, product, campaign, publisher, and market data silos. This then allows consumer insights and analytics teams to streamline trend analysis in order to identify white space opportunities; provide marketers the ability to build more effective strategic plans, and give social, retail, and publisher partners access to broader cross-channel intelligence to generate value.

“Signals Analytics was founded on the premise that more sound, timely market intelligence could improve business outcomes as a critical bridge to fast-moving customers. My co-founder Kobi Gershoni and I recognized that the way to get there was by extracting available market signals from the noise that were often missed given the sheer volume of data constantly generated online,” said Gil Sadeh, Signals Analytics co-founder, and CEO.

“By connecting these signals in a robust, configurable data fabric using patented AI and natural language processing, we have helped some of the world’s most discernible consumer brands accelerate product innovation, improve launch metrics, support marketing teams, and ultimately drive growth. Joining forces with Kenshoo means we can advance our collective mission of enabling smarter, faster go-to-market decisions in the current, highly dynamic digital commerce era,” Sadeh added.

Kenshoo has established its presence in Asia Pacific and Japan back in 2014, with its regional headquarters located in Hong Kong and two satellite offices in Singapore and Japan.

Hong Kong – Media investment company GroupM is continuing its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, this time launching INCA, an influencer marketing company, to the Hong Kong market.

With this regional expansion, INCA will then allow brand-influencer partnerships to leverage content-driven campaigns. Furthermore, as more brands are reallocating their influencer marketing budget to social media brand engagement, INCA upholds brand safety across using AI technology leverages.

As a study from data company Nielsen shows that economic and social uncertainties have affected brand advertising by means of audience impact, brands have since then ventured out into strategies that are efficient and will have return of investment in no time. Hence, INCA in Hong Kong aims to provide influencer marketing to the local brands by allowing them to collaborate with genuine influencers in spreading the brand, benefiting Hong Kong-based brands from the leveraging strategies from INCA.

“We are committed to helping brands in Hong Kong create the best possible outcomes through our data-driven and brand-safe approach to influencer marketing. Our AI-powered solutions and thorough influencer and content approval processes ensure their investments in influencer marketing inspire their customers, protect their brands, and achieve results that are directly tied to business results,” said Michael Woo (right of banner picture), associate director for Product & Operations at INCA Hong Kong.

INCA is also allowing brands to check the authenticity of their influential marketing strategies through INCATech, a platform that allows brands to check unique creator and audience insights, workflow tools, content amplification, and detailed campaign reporting dashboards which includes Genuity Score.

Screengrab of INCATech Platform
A screen grab featuring the dashboard of INCA’S INCATech platform that monitors partner influencers (Photo Courtesy of INCA)

“Advertisers are faced with the challenge of finding authentic and relevant content creators while ensuring cost-efficiency in their marketing campaigns. Our technology will help equip advertisers, not only in Hong Kong but globally, with data-driven tools that will connect them to genuine influencers and leading publishers in order to achieve their marketing objectives,” said Andy Chung (left of banner picture), head of programmatic at GroupM. 

Singapore – India-headquartered IT and consulting firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has partnered with global technology company Zoho to adopt its solutions in customer relationship management, IT service management, and e-commerce for its global-wide businesses.

Within the partnership, TCS will utilize Zoho’s technological application stack in data analytics, AI business leverage, and unified search to help improve their clients’ approach to CX strategy, design, and customer insights as well as in marketing, sales, and service transformation.

“TCS has a business-led approach to consulting and enterprise transformation. Zoho takes the same approach to its technology, offering a vertically integrated platform of leading business applications and services. We are confident that through TCS’ reach and influence in the market across 46 countries, more enterprise organizations globally will experience the benefits of Zoho’s deep technology stack and world-class applications,” said Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation.

Furthermore, the alliance will allow future business clients to explore new revenue opportunities and gain operational efficiency, whether from remote or in-office locations.

“Enterprises are adopting best-of-breed product suites for customer service functions, because they provide the digital power and flexibility required to create the right engaging customer experience at the right moment,” said Aarti Devi, global head of customer experience management and enterprise application services at TCS.

Hong Kong – Digital creative agency AnalogFolk announced the launch of Bigup.Ai 2.0, an AI tool that aids to empower women, especially about societal issues and influence-related success. 

Having launched a beta version in the past eight months, the agency said the AI tool features a much bolder and visually-appealing interphase.. Concept questions such as “Tell us about a strength?” act as motivation starters, and can be improved or “bigged up” by using more confident and assertive language. The AI tool also features a quote suite, updated by the AnalogFolk team. Topics such as job rejection and COVID-19 burnout are covered, all with a positive note. The quote suite can be accessed through Analogfolk’s social media pages and their own Pinterest board.

The tool, which is developed by  Microsoft LUIS Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning technology, ‘reads’ skills found on the user’s uploaded CV and analyzes it to deliver a more expressive and assertive personal brand for the user.

Anna-Louise Gladwell, managing director at AnalogFolk and leader of the Bigup.Ai 2.0 development, commented that tool’s development is a response to many women in their leadership and work roles feeling ‘small’ due to failures of getting a new job, and hopes that the tool will aid such women to boost their professional image and their overall persona.

“COVID-19 has exacerbated a systemic social issue of female confidence, self-promotion and career advancement. So BigUp.AI is here to remind women of their value and help them find the words to express it,” Gladwell stated.

For Chris Ryan, managing partner at AnalogFolk Asia, the recent tool launch speaks about gender gap issues such as pay gap across Asia, and should be improved in every way possible.

“We feel that with more confidence and assertiveness, that picture can change in the months and years to come, starting with how women talk about themselves. AI is a powerful tool which can help to support this,” Ryan commented.

Created by an all-women team in the course of eight months, AnalogFolk’s newest AI tool launch coincides with the International Women’s Day 2020, and hopes to create more tools in the near future for women empowerment.

India – India-based software development company XcelTec recently announced Ample, the company’s answer to sales automation in businesses using personalized bots.

Ample, which can be personalized by every user, is powered by artificial intelligence. This feature ensures the removal of any complexity that may arise in showing product demonstrations online. With the latest video bot release, XcelTec expects that business users will move towards online media for their business’ sales team, ensuring them to engage with customers online, with aid of the sales automation bots.

The recent software release is part of the company’s goal to simplify website chatbots, which has seen a 50% increase in sales activities online. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ー United Overseas Bank (UOB) Malaysia has launched Mighty Insights, a mobile banking app based on artificial intelligence (AI)ーa first in the countryーto create simpler banking transactions for customers of the said bank.

Said app features a dashboard for the customer’s monthly expenses based on their credit card spending, app alerts for third-party subscriptions, merchant payments, or insufficient balance. A Quick Response (QR) code payment function has been also added to the app to ensure safer fund transfers or payments. 

The app also features advanced data analytics, machine learning, and pattern recognition algorithms to help customers provide financial guidance in terms of spending, life age, and lifestyle priority variances. 

Driven with the same analytics as UOB’s AI-driven predictive analytics engine and TMRW, a mobile-only bank designed for ASEAN millennials, Mighty Insights is second in the line which launched AI-driven mobile banking.

Ronnie Lim, managing director and country head of personal financial services for UOB Malaysia, expressed that the recent mobile banking app launch is just one of the bank’s strategies to further harness the technological capabilities for banking and finance for customer-centric experience.

“As technology continues to improve the way we manage our finances, we designed Mighty Insights to anticipate our customers’ banking needs and to offer them the most suitable financial solutions to help them save and spend wisely. Each insight is personalised based on the customer’s spending habits and banking behaviour. Driven by AI and machine learning, Mighty Insights enables customers to track their day-to-day spending conveniently and to view easily the categories they have been spending on the most,” Lim stated.

The app is available for download at the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, or at Huawei AppGallery.

Kuala Lumper, Malaysia – Hermo, a beauty and fashion e-commerce player in South East Asia, has chosen martech solutions Netcore to boost its omnichannel customer engagement and retention. 

According to an announcement by Netcore, it will be assisting Hermo through AI-powered personalization, omnichannel marketing automation, and AI-powered email delivery.

Netcore said that prior to the partnership, Hermo had a siloed approach to its engagement strategy with data scattered among tools and teams working in isolation. According to the company, during the proof of concept stage, it was able to increase the eCommerce’s revenue by 7% as well as a 50% lift in its add to cart.

Chief executive officer Ian Mok and cofounder of Hermo said, “We believe in a numbers-driven approach to marketing and our philosophy perfectly aligns with Netcore’s way of working with brands. The personalization module has been a game-changer for us, and we have the same level of confidence in Netcore’s marketing automation and communications cloud.”

Meanwhile, Group CEO of Netcore Solutions Kalpit Jain commented, “Delivering personalized experiences across all user touchpoints is a core mission of all our offerings. The team at Hermo is as cutting-edge as it can get and we are excited to arm them with the best possible Martech stack for customer engagement and retention. With our unique expertise of serving brands in the beauty and fashion niche we are confident of achieving astronomical results in an expedited time frame.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group has announced a partnership with the gaming, hotel, and resort company Genting Malaysia Berhadto deploy the Virtual Queue (VQ) Solution at the Resorts World Genting’s upcoming outdoor theme park, Genting SkyWorlds. 

The newly developed VQ Solution will integrate Alibaba Cloud’s advanced technology with a reservation system for individual rides to provide a seamless and engaging entertainment experience from start to finish.

The VQ solution will allow visitors to plan their entire theme park experience from start to finish even before they reach the location. Visitors will be able to download the Genting SkyWorlds’ VQ Mobile App and purchase their tickets online at their convenience. Once the tickets are booked, the app will allow visitors to plan their itinerary or provide them with an alternative optimized recommended itinerary to offer them a customized experience based on their preferences.

Alibaba Cloud’s VQ Solution is a comprehensive system that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and integrates five algorithm modules – Dynamic VQ Slot Prediction, Dynamic Gamification Management, Itinerary Planning, and Incentive Recommendation as well as Crowd Analysis and Prediction. These modules combine to enable more efficient crowd management and to reduce waiting time dynamically. 

By continuously evaluating the supply and demand for each attraction, the VQ Solution will allow visitors to see available VQ slots and the waiting period for each ride in real-time. It will also enable them to advance to the fast lane and skip queues. Visitors will be able to receive a recommended itinerary which offers suggestions on suitable attractions they can enjoy while waiting for their turn. Visitors who purchase their tickets offline can download the app upon their arrival or use the VQ kiosks within the theme park to enjoy a similar experience.

 Through the solution, Genting SkyWorlds will be able generate gamified incentives to help divert patrons away from overcrowded areas to non-ride attractions and facilities, such as eateries and retail malls. Incentives will be provided to visitors who continue to use the VQ Mobile App to reserve VQ slots and follow the recommended itineraries.

“At Resorts World Genting, the enjoyment of our guests has always been our utmost priority. When Genting SkyWorlds opens next year, guests will be fully immersed in a world-class theme park boasting many rides, attractions, shows, and experiences unlike anything seen before in this region. Through Resorts World Genting’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the VQ solution will reduce the need to wait in line and allow more opportunity for our guests to enjoy their time at SkyWorlds and beyond within the resort. We look forward to adopting this advanced VQ solution to provide a more efficient and rewarding experience, unique to Resorts World Genting,” said Greg Pearn, vice president of the theme park, Resorts World Genting.

Meanwhile, Jordy Cao, general manager of Malaysia, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said, “We are delighted to support Resorts World Genting on their journey of digital transformation to revamp Genting SkyWorlds’ visitors’ experience with the powerful, stable, and secure solutions and products from Alibaba Cloud. We hope this partnership will bloom positive results once the theme park opens and paves the way for future innovation. As the only global cloud provider operates local data centers in Malaysia, Alibaba Cloud will continue to work closely with partners and customers on their way of digital transformation.”

Alibaba Cloud is the biggest public cloud service provider in APAC and is ranked third globally, according to research and advisory company Gartner. It operates 63 availability zones in 21 regions globally.

From the rise of the micro- and nano-influencers to the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in ensuring brand safety and delivering data-driven insights, new influencer marketing trends continue to emerge this year.

While exploring the ins and outs of influencer marketing space, we have observed the top 10 trends that will be huge this 2020. These trends are anticipated to guide brands in strategizing for campaigns that are sure to generate ROI.

1. Expect more influencers across content, experiential, and social media marketing strategies.

Since audiences see influencers as more authentic and credible, 89% of marketers think ROI is comparable or better with influencer marketing.

Brands will turn to confluence marketing strategies to amplify campaigns and social commerce by boosting or repurposing influencer-made content for example.

Brands are also expected to expand influencer marketing budgets and we can expect more exclusive invite-only influencer events.

2. No longer will micro- and nano-influencers be underestimated.

With a more dedicated niche following, micro- and nano-influencers are more engaging than celebrity and top influencers. More brands will plan campaigns with a mix of nano-, micro- and macro-influencers.

Brands can reap the benefits of both worlds. While one targets a specific niche audience, the other has a wider reach and potential to spark large conversations.

3. Brands will seek deeper, long-term influencer partnerships.

No longer do brands think a single influencer post or story is an effective conversion strategy. More are opting for long-term influencer partnerships through custom product lines or ambassador programs.

This helps brands achieve business outcomes, build authentic audience loyalty, and identify the marketing strategies that work best for them.

4. Industry will be streamlined by tighter regulations and pressures on influencers to comply.

Past controversies and issues on fake followers have motivated brands and audiences to demand more influencer transparency. To ensure compliance, social channels are stepping up such as, Instagram putting up a ‘Paid Partnership With’ feature.

Following these new regulatory measures will enhance an influencer’s perceived authenticity and strengthen campaign performance.

5. More airtime for audio-based content.

Audio content, especially podcasts, has risen in popularity. Audio influencers hold listeners’ attention for extended periods, allowing native ad formats to be easily integrated.

In 2020, it is estimated that podcasts alone will account for $863 million in ad revenue. While the market for audio influencers is still blossoming in APAC, advertisers and brands should anticipate, appreciate, and plan for audio in future marketing strategies.

6. A growing fascination with CGI-Influencers.

Virtual computer-generated Instagram (CGI) influencers are shaking up the industry. Uniquely, CGI- influencers give brands full creative control over campaigns.

Appealing to techy Gen-Z audiences, CGI influencers like digital AI-avatar Lil Miquela are shown to have engagement rates almost 3x higher than real human influencers. Evidently, users are fascinated by this blend of fantasy and reality.

7. eSports influencers uniting fans and brands.

With ½ of fans being millennials, ages between 25-39, and more than 1/3 are women, eSports influencers have an especially wide and engaged following.

It is not surprising then that the number of influencer campaigns with eSports athletes has tripled in the past five years, with non-endemic brands increasingly getting in on the action.

With the eSports industry predicted to exceed 1.62 billion in revenue in 2021, advertisers and brands should consider eSports influencers in their marketing strategies if they want a piece of this winning streak.

8. Brands are recruiting employees and customers to build advocacy.

Audiences believe employees have a deep understanding of a brand’s culture. This makes their endorsements seem more reliable and authentic.

Brands like H&M, L’Oreal, Reebok, Starbucks, and MasterCard have launched advocacy programs motivating employees to become influencers. Social Media Today reports that these employee advocacy programs result in an average 26% increased revenue YOY.

For this same reason, customers are also being recruited as brand ambassadors. For advertisers and brands looking to amplify both retail and social commerce efforts, leveraging existing employees and consumers effectively capitalizes on the power of word-of-mouth to raise brand awareness.

9. AI is helping brands ensure brand safety.

Advances in AI are allowing marketers to derive more meaningful insights about campaign performance from vast data sets. Performance-based metrics like unique reach, actual impressions, and video views can now be verified and consolidated onto all-inclusive influencer marketing solutions that help streamline campaign workflow with image recognition and natural language processing (NLP).

Allowing social listening and the flagging of inappropriate content, brands can also shortlist the best influencers to fulfill campaign outcomes. Facilitated by automated booking tools, these developments let brands better optimize marketing strategies and ensure brand safety.

10. New highly shareable platforms and content are emerging.

Younger generations want engaging, authentic, and rapidly consumable content. With the adoption of technologies like drones, 360 video applications, AR and VR, influencers can enhance their storytelling abilities and produce higher-quality, innovative content. Rising social platforms such as TikTok and Twitch have also adopted these trends.

This article was written by Madeleine Mak of INCA APAC.

INCA is an influencer marketing solutions which helps brands to run brand-safe content campaigns through creators and influencers across digital platforms. It is owned by media company, Group M.