Tag: Digital

Singapore – Asia’s OTT video streaming platform, Viu, has launched a series of digital and out-of-home activations inspired by the latest Viu Original K-drama series, ‘Again My Life’, to bring Singaporeans back in time and immerse themselves in this new series.

Premiering today, ‘Again My Life’ is a fantasy crime thriller based on a popular webtoon and novel of the same title. It revolves around the life of ‘K’, which is starred by Korean actor Joon-gi Lee, a righteous and hot-blooded prosecutor who has no qualms about standing against corruption and tyranny. His investigations eventually led him to be brutally murdered, but the grim reaper offers him another chance at overthrowing his powerful adversaries.

To build excitement for the show, Viu Singapore is hosting an exclusive screening event at Zouk that will showcase the very first episode of ‘Again My Life’ today of its premiere in South Korea. It is expected to bring together K-drama fans in an action-packed festival filled with photo opportunities, trivia, goodie bag giveaways, and unforgettable moments. Registration was carried out on a first come first served basis and the event was fully subscribed in a week, with over 200 registered guests.

Moreover, in celebration of Joon-gi Lee’s birthday on 17 April, Viu Singapore is giving out his favourite ice cream mint chocolate chip ice cream for free. To be a part of the celebration, fans can simply drop by the ice cream cart located at 313 Somerset Orchard on April 17 from 12 pm to 8 pm, flash the Viu app on their mobile device, and enjoy the sweet icy treat, while stocks last.

Meanwhile, fans can keep a lookout for Viu Singapore’s upcoming ‘Time Bolt’ activation from 18 April to 8 May, which is inspired by time travel, one of the central themes in ‘Again My Life’. Viu Singapore is bringing Singaporeans an immersive motion visual experience located at Waterway Point, Basement 1, where fans will get to ‘travel back’ in time visually, and ‘see’ their younger selves again, at the click of a button. This new immersive reality experience is brought to life by Neuromeka’s flagship collaborative robot, Indy. Normally used by B2B industrial manufacturers to do pick and place for precision work, ‘Indy’, equipped with grippers, and vision sensors will be used for the first time in Asia to be programmed and work alongside humans, for this motion visual experience.

In line with the time travel and crime themes of the show, Viu Singapore is also creating an augmented reality filter contest on Facebook and Instagram, showcasing a crime scene from the past. The top three players per week to spot the five pieces of ‘evidence’ around the room in the shortest amount of time will stand a chance to win a $100 Shopee voucher each. This contest runs from 20 April to 11 May by simply snapping a photo showcasing the fastest time and share it on Viu’s social post to win.

Cheryl Lim, Viu’s country head of brand, marketing and communications for Singapore, said that they wanted to create a series of different activations that would bring to life memorable elements from the show so that it will be immersive and fun for fans and the public alike. 

“We see every activation as a touchpoint for us to give Viu-ers an escape from their daily grind and into the world of Again My Life,” added Lim.

In addition to the events and activations, Viu Singapore will also be launching a month-long integrated campaign supported by themed social media postings on Facebook and Instagram, display and social advertisements, influencer engagement, content strategy, and out-of-home single-decker big top bus advertisements to engage with consumers through various touchpoints across different channels.

Hong Kong – Global clothing brand ESPRIT has announced a slew of digital and marketing leadership appointments to boost its international expansion. The new appointees are namely Edwin Pak as chief technology officer; Maximilian Wang as vice president and head of marketing and communications; Calvin Wang as vice president and head of brand strategy, innovation and partnerships; Ivy Au as vice president, head of digital marketing; and Tiffany Chu as vice president and head of e-commerce and CRM.

These seasoned professionals will lead ESPRIT’s e-commerce expansion, creating a seamless experience by integrating physical and digital businesses across its online and retail stores worldwide, bringing customers closer to its refreshed offerings. All new appointments report to Larry Luk, chief digital and marketing officer at ESPRIT, who was recently appointed in March this year.

With over 20 years of international experience, Pak will spearhead the development of ESPRIT’s digital offering by leveraging his extensive experience in enterprise systems development and creating game-changing digital solutions for industry giants including Hitachi and ABB.

Meanwhile, Maximilian Wang has more than 17 years’ experience including senior lead roles in both in-house and in agency, and will oversee branding, corporate communications, brand & loyalty marketing, and visual merchandising to cement ESPRIT’s impression and relevance to new and existing customers worldwide.

With over 12 years of fashion retail, editorial and brand management experience, Calvin Wang will steer the co-creation of ESPRIT’s brand strategy to meet international business ambitions and rejuvenate its fashion presence.

On the other hand, Au arrives with over 17 years of experience across APAC, and will bridge brand marketing and e-commerce to drive channel deployment efficiency, and amplify the effective use of data to locate and reach the right audience with messages that drive sales conversion.

Lastly, Chu joins boasting over 10 years of experience in e-commerce, and will be responsible for expanding ESPRIT’s digital footprint and accelerating the establishment of e-commerce touch points, as well as working together with the product, brand marketing, digital marketing and technology functions to ensure the brands’ digital success.

Speaking about the appointments, Luk said, “I am pleased to have such an array of experienced and sophisticated talents joining us in this exciting mission to breathe new life to the ESPRIT brand. The team’s regional expertise will add significant value to the rollout of our eCommerce expansion strategy. I look forward to leveraging their passion and expertise in brand building to continue to bolster the ESPRIT brand across key international markets.”

Mumbai, India – Media agency dentsu X has won the digital mandate for multinational consumer goods company Reckitt in India, which includes strategy and planning across offline and digital. The media agency has been handing the offline media mandate for Reckitt India since 2020.

Speaking on the win, Divya Karani, CEO for media at South Asia at dentsu commented, “This win certainly reflects our client’s confidence in dentsu’s ability to make a meaningful difference to their businesses.”

Meanwhile, Roopam Garg, CEO at dentsu X, said that their long-term partnership underlines Reckitt’s confidence in their expertise and that they look forward to working with the brand on driving consumer centricity and innovations.

“With a distinct viewpoint on the evolving communication landscape, dentsu X believes in providing experiences that go beyond conventional media exposures. This consolidation certainly empowers us to drive the desired seamless consumer experience,” Garg said.

Lastly, Gaurav Jain, senior VP for South Asia at Reckitt, commented, “We’re excited to expand our relationship with dentsu X. They understand our brand, our vision and our way of working. We are confident that dentsu X will continue to assist us in engaging with our audience while also contributing to our commercial objectives.”

Hong Kong – China-based social commerce solution provider Azoya has announced the launch of its turnkey social commerce suite to assist retail brand K11 to amplify its digital presence in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), including in Hong Kong.

As part of the solution, Azoya assisted K11 to launch the K11 Go HK WeChat mini-program using proprietary technology of Azoya SaaS, and fully integrating with WeChat Work, where customers can interact directly with tenants and smart sales consultants. 

The mini-program leverages K11’s strong portfolio of tenants and capacity of acquiring customer traffic both offline and online to increase overall brand awareness, customer loyalty and revenues for tenants, including Beyorg, Carbali, Champion, Kids 21, L’Occitane, Penhaligon’s, Thann and a dozen more brands who are also available on the physical premises.

“The escalating COVID-19 situation continues to affect Hong Kong retailers. Shopping malls, pharmacies and duty-free businesses cannot get access to foreign customers and tourists, while local customers must continue to comply with social distancing. In response, retailers are turning to digital methods to continue their operations and serve customers whose demand for merchandise remains strong,” the company said in a statement.

In addition, one of the key features of the mini-program launched by Azoya is to integrate deeply with K11 membership system KLUB11. The fully-customised solution allows K11’s private domain customers to earn and burn points in the same mechanism as in offline stores.

Davy Huang, director of business development at Azoya said, “Consumers want to form a closer relationship with brands in WeChat according to our study and practice. Our data shows over 34% of customers that participated in group chats have made at least 1 purchase in the past year, and we think the number will continue to increase.”

He added, “We are working with our retail partners to transform a large amount of idle sales reps into smart digital beauty advisors, who can interact with customers in WeChat groups, and convert interpersonal connections into deeper customer relationships.”

Singapore – Global communications firm Edelman has appointed Jamshed Wadia as its newest vice chair for digital in Asia-Pacific, where he will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s growing digital practice and Edelman Studios’ operations in the region.

For his role, he will be reporting to Tristan Roy, global chair of digital at Edelman; and Stephen Kehoe, APAC president and CEO. He takes the role over from Matt Collette, who returned to Canada in January to take on the role of head of digital for Edelman Canada, as well as global managing director for digital growth at Edelman.

Wadia brings over 20 years of experience to his new role, having led businesses through digital transformation and reinvention, established marketing centres of excellence, acted as an advisor to start-ups and multinational organisations, and served as a guest lecturer on digital transformation and marketing at prestigious universities and management institutes, including INSEAD.

Previously, in his 17-year stint at Intel Corporation, Wadia rose through the ranks of the sales and marketing team to serve as APJ marketing director, as well as serving in digital marketing and media. He was responsible for establishing and leading the company’s strategy in Asia-Pacific across modern marketing, media, content, web, social and performance marketing.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “Edelman has built up impressive digital capabilities across the Asia Pacific region, encompassing a robust offering that has delivered innovative digital work for its clients. I am excited to be joining such a talented network of practitioners in the region, working with them to further develop and elevate the digital agenda for clients, and deliver truly integrated solutions that take their marketing and communications to the next level.”

Meanwhile, Kehoe, commented, “Over the past two years, our digital practice has undergone significant growth and transformation under Matt Collette’s leadership, allowing our clients to benefit from industry leading offerings. With Jamshed’s impressive track record and leadership skills, we will continue to build on our strength in this domain and provide clients with leading expertise to unlock new growth opportunities with digital.”

New Delhi, India – Advertising agency RepIndia has recently bagged the digital and creative mandate for Sleepwell, a flagship brand under bed foam company Sheela Foam. Through the agency mandate, RepIndia will be driving Sleepwell’s consumer marketing initiatives across online and offline channels. In addition, RepIndia will partner with the brand’s growth through innovative and disruptive marketing and communication strategies.

The brand has a pan-India presence with over 110 distributors, over 5000 exclusive dealers, having a web and omnichannel presence supported by over 10 manufacturing units in India, and has become a ubiquitous name for sleep products in every Indian household. 

According to Vishal Sharma, head of marketing at Sleepwell, they have found RepIndia to be exactly the right fit and a partner with the right mindset that will help them translate their strategy and vision into this new reality for their consumers. He added that they are in particular love with the team’s young energy and fresh original approach to their business, going on to say that this partnership shall propel both companies to create a winning formula for the consumers.

“With the fast-changing nature of consumer outreach, emerging new business opportunities and in line with our new strategy of being digital-first, we are very excited to partner with RepIndia and take forward our brand building and communication strategy to all our consumer touchpoints. The Sheela Foam Group on its journey to becoming a multinational [company, and] Sleepwell with its Pan India presence has embarked on a journey to redefine the consumer journey of discovery, trial, buying and post-purchase services in an experiential manner led by digital transformation,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Nikhil Kashyap, AVP for strategy and business at RepIndia, commented, “Sleepwell is undoubtedly one of the biggest brand success stories of our time. It is, therefore, an honour to now be associated with them and help unfold & partner the next level of consumer experience journey that they have embarked upon. The team is super excited for this big win, and we are looking forward to connecting with the audience on a deeper level through a blend of clutter-breaking strategy and creativity.”

Singapore – Ride-hailing platform Grab has signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Digital Industry Singapore (DISG) to support the development of Singapore’s tech ecosystem. 

The signed MOI will see Grab working with IMDA and DISG to grow its core product and engineering teams’ capabilities through the support of talent development programs like the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), seeking to enhance professionals’ technical skills and to provide hands-on training opportunities to individuals in the tech sector.

Meanwhile, Grab will also be creating new job opportunities, hiring around 350 employees in Singapore this year. This move covers the expansion of products and services to support the digitalization of micro SMEs, the delivery of digital financial services across Southeast Asia, as well as the development of the upcoming ‘digibank’, which will be managed by a Grab-Singtel consortium.

New job opportunities will come from areas of AI, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Software Engineering, as well as Product Management and Design. Some of the new hires will be involved in projects that aim to develop merchants’ products, and improve the user experience of the merchant app, which will be an all-in-one solution featuring modularized Grab services to select from.

A majority of the new hires, on the other hand, will be involved in powering Grab’s innovation engine that uses deep tech to build and enhance services for its users. Besides tech roles, Grab will also be offering employment opportunities in areas such as finance, operations, legal, public affairs, and business development. 

Co-founder of Grab Tan Hooi-Ling commented that despite the challenges brought forth by COVID-19, the tech industry continues to hold promise for new and renewed opportunities for talent. 

“As a Singapore-based tech company, Grab fully supports the development of the tech ecosystem here. We are building products that positively impact millions across Southeast Asia, and we want to continue deepening our R&D capabilities and push the boundaries of innovation, right here at our strategic base,” said Ling.

Meanwhile, Lew Chuen Hong, chief executive of IMDA, said that to secure a digital future, Singapore must be the place where companies choose to build unique digital products that cater for global markets.

“We are pleased to partner Grab, to strengthen Singapore’s tech ecosystem in these two key areas – to build our local talent in product development, and grow Singapore as the base for high-end R&D in tech,” Hong added.

Vice President and Head of DISG Ang Chin Tah also commented, “We are excited that industry leaders like Grab are stepping up to deepen their R&D activities here while providing more job and skills development opportunities for Singaporeans. Together, we will continue to build a vibrant and sustainable tech ecosystem to drive innovation and capture growth opportunities.”

Singapore – A new survey by social media app Snapchat found that majority of its users, or 7 in 10 of Snapchatters highly value their authenticity online, feeling the need to be recognized, seen, and heard for ‘who they are’ and for their presence on digital media to ‘reflect their true selves’. This is compared to 58% of non-Snapchatters.

Furthermore, the study showed that the ‘Snapchat generation’ is not confined to traditional methods of communication, given the emergence of a variety of digital communication tools today.

The top five ways Snapchatters in APAC use to communicate without words are photos (78%), emojis or emoticons (75%), videos or video messages (59%), video calling (58%), and stickers (57%).

Director of Market Development for Snap SEA Anubhav Nayyar commented that they found that the Snapchat Generation is particularly unique in Asia-Pacific.

“They are identified by a strong desire for authenticity in their offline and online personas. They are also highly mindful of the social issues of today, and look towards harnessing their creativity, empathy, and digital tools at their command to impact the change they want to see in this world,” said Nayyar.

Further, the survey touched on users’ intentions toward virtual experiences. Snapchatters in the region are 1.5 times more inclined than non-Snapchatters to gravitate to immersive video and mobile games, including Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. This has manifested in how Snapchatters use AR to try on products virtually, compared to non-Snapchatters.

The biggest difference is seen in Japan, where 27% of Snapchatters use AR for product try-ons, compared to just 2% of non-Snapchatters in the country. Malaysia, on the other hand, has the smallest gap where 17% of Snapchatters and 9% of non Snapchatters are already using the technology to try products.

Snapchat surveyed more than 8,200 users across five APAC countries, such as Malaysia, Japan, and Australia as well as Indonesia, and India.

Malaysia – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia’s national agency tasked with leading the country’s digitization, has announced its latest virtual expo titled Go-eCommerce Expo, with the main theme “Unleash the power of live streaming e-commerce”.

MDEC said following the success of its nationwide e-Dagang Expo (eDX) in May 2020, which gathered SMEs to discuss the transition from offline to online selling, the new expo aims to continue the agency’s efforts in educating local businesses on why they should be selling online.

The Go-eCommerce Expo, which will take place from December 8 to 10, aims to promote the adoption of live streaming e-commerce as a new sales channel for Malaysian businesses. Another agenda of the expo is to also encourage live selling by imparting the latest skills, techniques, best practices, and platforms in line with it.

Among the speakers are Nur Azre, community and government relations manager from e-commerce enabler ShopLine; Jerry Hang, founder and CEO of MODEN, the first academy in Malaysia in training professional KOLs and a KOL marketing service for brands; as well as MDEC professionals themselves such as Mohd Fazreen bin Maslan and Mohd Zullutfi Abd Razak who are PeDAS heads, MDEC’s one-stop digital learning centers for MSMEs.

With logistics and payments also among the expos’ focus points, MDEC has gathered speakers from e-commerce fulfillment company TresGo Janio Asia, end-to-end electronic payment MPAY, and Visa among others.

MDEC said the event will be concluded with a LIVE Selling Carnival, featuring PeDAS participants, where viewers can purchase locally made products at deals and discounts.

Singapore – Singtel launched its annual festive tribute today, an uplifting short film depicting the staunch determination of seniors who refuse to let COVID-19 upend their lives.

Titled “Seniors go digital too!”, the film tells the stories of three seniors as they head back to “school” to pick up digital skills to help them stay connected and overcome the social distancing brought on by the pandemic.

The weekly attendance of seniors aunty Lilian, aunty Shirley, and uncle Andrew at Singtel’s digital clinics under its Digital Silvers program are documented in the film. Through Singtel staff volunteers, the seniors learn the use of smart devices, to surf the internet, stay in touch with loved ones online, and make cashless payments. 

Held at Senior Activity Centres (SACs) across the country, the Digital Silvers initiative is designed to foster digital inclusion and help ease the sense of isolation that the elderly have experienced as COVID curtailed peoples’ ability to socialize. 

It’s been a tough year for everyone, but the elderly are one of the more vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic. While most of us can easily access the plethora of online channels and apps for communication and entertainment, the older generation may not have the requisite digital skills to do so. This is what we’re trying to address through our digitalization initiative

Lian Pek, Vice President of Group Strategic Communications and Brand, Singtel

In the film, viewers see the conclusion of the seniors’ digital boot camp, with all of them finding a new sense of confidence and purpose: Aunty Lilian learns how to further her singing hobby and learn songs with the aid of apps on her device; Uncle Andrew learns how to use Zoom to stay in touch with friends and family, and Aunty Shirley becomes a “messaging expert”, connecting with her children as well as learning to use the contact tracing app TraceTogether.

Singtel shared that moving forward, the Digital Silvers program will see S$1M worth of assistance go towards transforming SACs into digital hubs to help more than 10,000 seniors build confidence in using digital devices and platforms. This involves tech upgrades including Wi-Fi connections, Singtel TV content, and tablets to facilitate virtual engagement as well as digital clinics and one-to-one tutorials run by Singtel staff volunteers. 

In addition, Singtel has also set aside priority queues for seniors at stores and hotlines so that they can be given digital guidance and served more expediently. 

Commenting on the program, Jeannie Ho, head of social enterprise NTUC Health’s senior cluster network said, “We’re very heartened to see many seniors from our Senior Activity Centres excitedly pick up new skills in the past month, as they realize that going digital is not as difficult as they imagined. This program and the digital workshops by Singtel have greatly empowered seniors to become so much more comfortable with using technology, enabling them to remain connected with their friends and loved ones amid the pandemic and especially during the festive season.”

Lian Pek added, “Even before COVID-19 and the pivot to online channels and tools, digitalization was already happening at breakneck pace, and for the elderly left on the wrong side of the digital divide, this can be very overwhelming. We believe that seniors can benefit from the digital revolution and that the process of picking up tech-related skills, no matter how basic, can also go a long way in helping their active aging.”

The short film is the final film in Singtel’s year-long brand campaign encouraging Singaporeans to keep their spirits up in the current climate through the feature of the lives of ordinary folks. This includes “This Is The Year”, Singtel’s annual National Day film which paid tribute to the Majulah spirit, and “Keeping The Spirit Of Hari Raya Alive” which documented how the Malay Community kept the spirit of Ramadan alive during the circuit breaker period.

The six-minute film will air on Singtel TV and on various social media channels from 3 to 25 December 2020.