Singapore – Bray Leino Splash has announced the launch of a new bursary program at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) as part of its commitment to advancing higher education and supporting the aspirations of young talent. The goal of this initiative is to help students who are less fortunate.
Made possible through the donation from Bray Leino Splash, a sum of eight Bray Leino Splash Bursaries will be presented over the next four years. This will ensure that promising students have the opportunity to achieve their goals of earning a bachelor of science with honours degree in digital communications and integrated media.
Speaking about the program, Lee Kuok Ming, group chief executive officer at Bray Leino Splash, said, saying, “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to support students in need. At Bray Leino Splash, we believe that learning is one of the most effective ways to uplift the welfare of the workforce in general and our employees in particular.”
He added, “Therefore, the bursary award fits ideally with our philosophy. We hope that our contribution can, in some small way, help to support the learning journeys of needy students within SIT and help them achieve greater success in their careers.”
Meanwhile, Professor Tan Thiam Soon, institute professor at Singapore Institute of Technology, expressed gratitude, “We wish to thank Bray Leino Splash Pte Ltd for its impactful giving to make possible a new Bursary for less privileged students who are pursuing the Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Digital Communications and Integrated Media at the Singapore Institute of Technology. A total of eight Bray Leino Splash Bursaries will be awarded over the next four years, enabling the recipients to realise their aspiration of becoming degreed professionals in the Communications and Media sectors.”
“At the same time, Bray Leino Splash Pte Ltd’s gift will also help build a talent pipeline for the industry. Our heartfelt appreciation once again,” Soon added.
Singapore – Research institute Earth Observatory Singapore (EOS) has partnered with creative and technology digital marketing agency Bray Leino Splash (BLS) to launch its revamped website, which used essential sustainability principles. This move aims to push forward the commitment of the two companies to promoting decarbonisation.
Dedicated to conducting research on natural hazards and climate change in and around SEA to help create safer and more sustainable societies, EOS at Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) has engaged BLS to redevelop its website, enhance the user experience, and make it more sustainable and in-line with the organisation’s ethos.
After an in-depth analysis of the existing website, BLS has re-engineered the site from the ground up, using default dark mode, efficient typography, and streamlining dynamic content and media optimisation of video files to lower data consumption. This revamped website allows visitors to access content smoothly without compromising user experience.
Joshua Lee, managing director at BLS, commented, “We are tremendously proud and extremely excited at the possibilities of using our expertise and know-how to help reduce the carbon footprint of our clients’ websites and promote a greener way to do business”.
Meanwhile, Andrew Krupa, CPO and director of advancement at EOS, said, “We’re very proud of the new website and feel it is a fantastic representation of the work we undertake here at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. I would like to thank the team at Bray Leino Splash for their dedication in partnering with us for this project.”
Singapore – Bray Leino Splash (BLS) Singapore, creative and technology digital marketing agency, has been recently appointed by Far East Hospitality (FEH), one of the leading hospitality operators in Singapore, as its web development and user experience agency for the next two years.
The mandate entails enhancing the existing digital experience of FEH customers. BLS said that in accomplishing the project, it will be leveraging its Sitecore expertise in order to create a best-in-class user experience for FEH customers.
Aside from FEH, BLS has also announced a couple other notable newly acquired accounts. BLS has also been tapped by SG Enable, an agency dedicated to building an inclusive society and enabling persons with disabilities in Singapore, for a remit that includes work in UX and design development for its corporate website.
In addition, BLS will also serve as the digital and social media agency of Far East Organisation (FEO)’s newest luxury development, The Cairnhill. The engagement will see the agency take the lead on establishing and maintaining digital brand awareness and lead generation across Singapore and Indonesia.
Joshua Lee, managing director of Bray Leino Splash Singapore, commented, “2021 was a standout year for BLS Singapore. We feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to work with these new brands in creating experiences that serve their customers’ needs well. We remain bullish about 2022 with a great team in place and will continue to be focused on leveraging our enhanced UX and Digital Experience offerings.”
Singapore — The Malaysian arm of e-commerce platform ZALORA has tapped digital marketing agency Bray Leino Splash to revamp the user experience of its Community Influencer Program, a reward system for influencers and customers.
ZALORA’s Community Influencer Program encourages influencers and ZALORA customers to endorse and earn via their social media platforms, rewarding them a commission on sales. Bray Leino Splash was tasked to improve the user experience design of the site and make it easier for interested customers to sign up.
Efrain Lopez, executive creative director at Bray Leino Splash, commented on the steps the agency took, saying that they identified the previous version of the site did not succinctly communicate the USPs of the program hence customers found it harder to sign up right away.
“To this end, we stripped down the design of the site and put up the USPs upfront, & also created a straightforward FAQ section. This was fronted by a neat calculator tool to allow interested customers to calculate how much revenue they could earn simply by keying in the number of followers they had without the need to fill in a web-form,” Lopez said.
According to Zalora, its sign-ups garnered a 150% Increase after the UX revamp. Leonard Chang, regional affiliate marketing lead atZALORA Malaysia, commented on the optimization of the program.
Chang said, “We have strong confidence in the new look of the program which has now recorded a 150% increase in the sign-up rate and a 90% increase in time spent on the site. This is the first key milestone and we hope to achieve a much better user experience through continuous optimization moving forward.”
Last October, ZALORA Philippines in partnership with Rizal Commercial Banking Corp launched its fashion and lifestyle credit card.
This month of March, we’re looking at a diverse list of the top 5 stories. The rise of digital experiences and online e-commerce amid this unprecedented period in the lives of both businesses and consumers is evidently shown in the stories that nabbed the highest readership for the month. As you will see in the rundown, brands, and organizations that took the top spots are those that launched new partnerships and announced new initiatives that are a response to surging online activity and adoption.
This month, a Hong Kong-headquartered fintech has just partnered with a new Buy Now Pay Later payment channel. A global adtech has also expanded its services to Vietnam, while a Singapore-based agency hires a new UX director.
Meanwhile two rising consumer ecosystems – esports and influencer marketing – grace this month’s list with a content platform launching a new community for parent influencers and a Philippines-based gaming league mounting a virtual event that engages music fans.
Take a look at the top stories. Stories were sourced from Google Analytics from the period of 16 February to 15 March.
Top 5: Singapore-based Bray Leino Splash names new UX Director
As the number of brands adopting digital experiences increases at a faster rate amid the pandemic, Singapore-based DX agency Bray Leino Splash’s appointment of a new UX director comes at a rightful time.
The newly named Jaffry Jalal has previously worked with TBWA\Singapore and Havas as its UX design lead and was most recently a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic. He has previously worked with brands such as Singapore Airlines, MasterCard, and Michelin to help them create digital products and immersive experiences.
Jalal shared to MARKETECH APAC that as he takes the helm at the agency, he looks to start with the basics – straightening out and unifying the language of ‘design’ for the whole agency – in order to serve clients better and deliver an excellent UX.
“[I’m looking at] broadening the definition of design within the agency. That it is about moving something from its current state to a better-preferred state, whatever it is that we are doing. In creating that mentality internally, I hope we can transform where the whole agency becomes the design team for the client,” said Jalal.
Jalal also shared what he believes to be one of the most important metrics of a good UX, and that is when people “talk less” about the UX, which means the agency has done its job in creating a seamless experience.
“That’s the strange thing about UX design is that you won’t really notice good UX when it’s designed well. It’s transparent and invisible. The most effective experiences help the customers get the job done and they get on with their life; they come to a website or an app, they get what they need, and it helps them then they move on,” shared Jalal.
“This pandemic, as an agency, [we focus on] how we can help [clients] move from a current state to a preferred state [of digitization]; and [when] the whole agency can speak the language of design, then we can spot opportunities for our clients,” added Jalal.
Top 4: theAsianparent launches VIP parents platform for parent influencers
Influencer marketing, with its relatable appeal to consumers as well as being a less cumbersome strategy for brands, has been all the rage with more brands and used-to-be consumers jumping into the ecosystem. Products and services targeted at parents are no different and this is what parenting-focused content platform aims to leverage with the VIP parents platform.
In the platform, proactive parents are given the opportunity to step into the limelight and use their influence and voice for brands which also becomes an avenue for them to earn.
Officially launched in 2020, the platform has already garnered a base of over 40,000 moms and dads. For brands, the platform serves as a channel to easily tap parents to implement engagement and brand amplification activities such as participating in surveys or polls, creating original and meaningful content, and even have parents review products and attend brand events.
MARKETECH APAC spoke with the two Co-Founders of VIPP Heena Lulla Singh and Jessica Tremel to know more about the platform. Singh said that the parents on the platform are different from the broad influencer groups with their genuine experience and knowledge as their top edge.
“What truly differentiates these parents from broad influencer groups is their parenting journeys, their experiences, and know-how, which actually enable them to provide authentic amplifications for consumer brands,” said Singh.
Tremel said that VIP Parents is not just an influencer marketing platform, where the community also takes branded campaigns from posting on social media, reviews and reviews platforms, attending events, and downloading apps, and many more activities that parents can do for brands.
“Through our platform, these everyday parents to micro-influencers, have been able to deliver better engagement rates through the genuine feedback that captures audiences which leads to higher client conversion rates,” said Tremel.
Top 3: Adtech Criteo partners with Vietnam-based MediaDonuts
Digital advertisers in Southeast Asia country Vietnam are set to see a new solution provider in the market for their marketing and advertising strategies as adtech Criteo partners with Vietnam-based advertising and technology company MediaDonuts.
Criteo is a global advertising platform that provides a full-funnel marketing solution for online advertisers, retailers, brands, and agencies to serve relevant online advertisements. The partnership with MediaDonuts will take in the form of the Ad Sales Partner Program, which provides brands with performance marketing solutions aimed at driving profits and sales.
Speaking to MARKETECH APAC, Mark Gubbels, head of commercial for SEA at Criteo, said that the company specifically chose Vietnam for the expansion being one of the fastest-growing markets in online advertising.
“We see a great opportunity, especially in the performance-based marketing to work with local businesses in Vietnam and evolve their advertising and marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage in the market,” said Gubbels.
Gubbels also shared that part of Criteo’s offering to brands will be education and training on performance marketing.
“While we are seeing great potential for market adoption within Vietnam’s industry, we still [see] that there’s a lot of room for growth, mainly in terms of education around performance marketing. As more Vietnamese consumers turn to e-commerce and seek an online channel experience, we really need to establish strong relationships with their customers both offline and online,” said Gubbels.
The training and certification layer aims to provide and equip teams with practical courses to harness data effectively and to gain actionable insights to effectively manage and measure campaigns.
Top 2: Hong Kong-based AsiaPay adds Singapore’s Atome as Buy Now Pay Later partner
Hong Kong-headquartered Asiapay has announced a new partnership with Singapore-based Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform Atome, adding it to its current BNPL payment partners, to enable seamless, flexible installment payment options to online and offline retail businesses across the APAC region.
AsiaPay is a digital payment solution and technology vendor in Asia aiming to bring advanced and cost-effective electronic payment processing solutions and services to banks, corporate and e-Businesses in the worldwide market. Meanwhile, Atome partners online and offline retailers to increase conversions and grow average orders and customer segments.
Through the team-up, both companies intend to remove the complexity for merchants and retailers of all sizes, to benefit from greater BNPL payment convenience.
Atome has partnered with over 2,000 online and offline retailers in six markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong with key merchant partners and e-commerce platforms in a wide range of verticals including Sephora, Agoda, Zara, and Marks & Spencer, and JD.ID and Sendo. Meanwhile, AsiaPay’s platform connects over 100 banks and a broad roster of alternative payment methods in 11 country locations.
MARKETECH APAC spoke with Ernest Lo, AsiaPay’s executive director for AsiaPay, and he shared that the decision to tie up with Atome is due to the parallels between their business landscapes, such as being able to serve the same markets like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. aside from Singapore.
“We see how Atome works in Singapore, [and] we want to work with a partner that’s aggressive with whom we can work out something together; we hope that our merchants in different countries can enjoy this BNPL product,” said Lo.
Top 1: Philippine Pro Gaming League engaged music fans roping in MNL48 for a virtual match
For our top story this month, we have esports league Philippine Pro Gaming League in the Philippines. For a one-time event last 8 March, the Philippines Pro Gaming League (PPGL) managed by esports organization Mineski Philippines, hosted a virtual match, where it roped in Philippine pop idol group MNL48 to engage and play with fans for the popular mobile game League of Legends: Wild Rift.
PPGL is the largest multi-game esports in the country, and has been running for about 3 years in partnership with Globe telecom. Before the pandemic, the league seasonally conducts its massive onsite grand finals where it directly engages with players, teams, and the gaming community, at the same time, serves as an opportunity to promote gaming to a larger audience. Come the pandemic, Mineski was finding a way to bring the same engagement and experience, and thus, launched the virtual ‘PPGL Takeover’, where it invites personalities, esports influencers and streamers, and TV personalities to connect with gamers and fans.
Nadine Nora, campaign manager at Mineski Philippines, shared that it has been partnering with people from the music industry and that when it approached MNL48, the collaboration was a perfect match, with the all-girl group being gamers themselves.
MNL48 is a Filipino idol group, originally established in 2018, known to be a part of the larger J-pop genre scene based on its mother group AKB48. They have since released a total of six singles, including ‘Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie’, ‘High Tension’, and more recently ‘River’. The quintet comprises Cole Somera, Abby Trinidad, Sheki Arzaga, Gabb Skribikin, and Coleen Trinidad.
“MNL48 was very excited with the event as it is an added avenue for them to interact with their fans. [MNL48 and PPGL] just have the same mindset, we were both striving in engaging the community, and everything just fell into place perfectly,” shared Nora.
This is in collaboration with Malaysia-based media company The Full Frontal.
Singapore – The Singapore arm of digital experience agency Bray Leino Splash has announced four new hires for its country operations, including a new user experience (UX) director.
Jaffry Jalal takes the helm as Bray Leino Splash SG’s UX Director, who has previously worked with TBWA\Singapore and Havas as its UX design lead, and most recently a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic. He has previously worked with brands such as Singapore Airlines, MasterCard, and Michelin to help them create digital products and immersive experiences.
“I’m excited BLS continues to invest in experience design capability and I’m thrilled to be at an agency who has the technical chops to bring good design to life,” Jalal stated.
Other hires include Kein Wai E, who joins as the agency’s technical project director and is from technology company Deltatre; Stephanie Holzhuber, who is the agency’s new senior account director and is from advertising agency Cheil Worldwide; and Jamie Phua as the new account director and is from ad agencies Y&R, TBWA, and Digitas.
Speaking about their appointments, Kien Wai stated, “Joining BLS Singapore is like a homecoming of sorts as the marrying of creativity with technology is definitely something close to my heart and that I’ve missed in recent years.”
Meanwhile, Holzhuber commented, “BLS is an agency who are able to deliver truly seamless customer experiences for their clients by bringing data, technology, and creativity together. I look forward to our exciting future ahead.”
Lastly, Phua stated, “In the last few years, It’s become apparent to me that the pillars of UX and technology are critical if agencies are to really help brands create relevant solutions for present-day consumers, so being able to leverage these capabilities at BLS is what excites me the most.”
These new hires are welcomed by BLS Singapore’s managing director Joshua Lee.
“Each of these hires has ‘runs on the board’ when it comes to connecting technology, creativity, and business results for their respective clients. I couldn’t be happier welcoming such wonderful talent to the team. Not only are they at the top of what they do, but they are passionate and hardworking to boot,” Lee stated.
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