Tag: Entropia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people into lockdown restrictions, making way for prolonged work-from-home setups and social distancing protocols, media consumption in Malaysians have seen some significant change, statistics from a recent study from marketing consultancy Entropia shows.

The report stated that radio, streaming media which includes audio and video, reading online news, watching television and checking social media are the ‘gainers’ from this newly-found media consumption, while out-of-home (OOH) media, cinemas, newspapers and physical events have downplayed to become the ‘losers’.

Spending more time on Facebook and Instagram ranked first in media activities to which respondents engaged in during the country’s movement control order (MCO) with 58.6% followed by listening to radio while at home and working (34.6%), watching YouTube while exercising (34.2%), and spending more time streaming on Netflix and watching with friends and family (26.7%). 

In terms of age profiles and media behavior, the study noted that there has been an overall marked increase across age segments for Facebook and Instagram, with over 25% of all segments between 21 to 55 years indicating increased time spent on these platforms. A higher increase in radio consumption has been also among those over 45 years, while young adults under 24 years showed higher consumption of YouTube and Netflix. Meanwhile, those over 55 years showed the greatest increase in time spent on news channels.

The report said that increase of media consumption across all age groups can be attributed to increased need for news where viewers turn to channels they perceive as credible. 

“As people around the world sought to remain updated on the rapidly changing crisis, consumers’ reliance on media also increased, resulting in a more captive audience. Here’s where media companies and advertisers can benefit most – the opportunity to leverage this enhanced engagement, grow their subscriber base, and expand their reach,” said Syahar Khalid, partner for integrated media at Entropia.

“Our clients’ universal objective is to make an impression on audiences and break through the clutter. Going forward, media strategy will require retaining consumers’ attention where they’re most likely to spend their time – be it for leisure, career, education or wellness,” added Khalid.

“The Malaysian government has just announced MCO 2.0 and with it, brands in some categories will again face challenges owing to adverse market forces. Some have already made significant moves towards continued investment in advertising, and we hope this study will provide some clarity on the media channels appealing to their specific target audiences,” Syahar concluded.

Manila, Philippines – Asahi Beverages has collaborated with marketing consultancy Entropia in the Philippines in its first-ever immersive virtual launch in the Southeast Asia region.

Asahi Beverages’ product, Goodday Cultured Milk, was launched on the platform MootUp for Zoom, where press, dealers, and the brand teams all over from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines are connected in an immersive virtual event.

Over 200 participants joined the event, and were treated first to virtual worlds such as  Japanese-inspired Airport Terminal, an outdoor-themed conference hall where the main presentations were held, an intimate Zen garden, and a mini Japan town. By utilizing Moot, the event did not only engage participants, but also unified them, mimicking a physical gathering with people moving around and interacting with one another.

According to Hemalatha Ravagan, Asahi Beverages Philippines’ CEO and head of international business development and exports, the Goodday Cultured Milk virtual launch was the brand’s first foray into the Philippine market.

“After more than two years spent on research and development to perfect the formulation for Goodday, we are elated to introduce a cultured milk drink that we believe every Filipino would enjoy every day. Since COVID-19 has placed restrictions on face-to-face launches, we had to adapt and tap into consumers’ changing habits as well as their curiosity to connect in the digital space,” Ravagan stated.

Online participants were also treated to performances brought by Filipino bands Up Dharma Down (UDD) and Autotelic. 

“Goodday is a proud product of Japanese innovation, and we want to launch it here in a big way. The challenge for this launch is to get people from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines together for a fun and different experience. Thankfully, our partners in Entropia Philippines knew what to do,” said Karl Bustos, Asahi Beverages’ head of operations.

In a statement, Kaye Enriquez, partner and chief analytics officer of Entropia Philippines said the recent virtual event is an experience that responds to ‘people missing traveling and bonding with other people’.

“Through the use of available technology, we wanted to create that experience – one that is immersive where they could actually feel like they are traveling and having a good day, while learning about the new Goodday brand,” Enriquez said.

Meanwhile, Entropia Philippines’ Principal for Creative Services Hans Malang added, “While the platform is readily available via the use of Moot, we had to add new 3D layers to complement the immersive experience of this created new virtual world.”

Entropia Philippines is the first international expansion office of Entropia Global based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Marketing consulting-meets-agency, Entropia, has launched three new services under its eCommerce arm MEDICI – MEDICI Live, MEDICI Engage, and MEDICI ROI to optimize each stage of the commerce funnel and maximize sales conversion for its clients.

Together with international technology partners mobile live video streaming Bambuser, end-to-end conversational commerce and shopper engagement platform Jumper.ai, and eCommerce selling solutions Split Dragon, the new eCommerce services are aimed at converting brands’ leads to customers – from demand generation to demand capture – helping brands stand out from the saturated Southeast Asian digital marketplace.

Considering consumers increasingly rely on live video to assist in their online shopping decision process, MEDICI Live aims to drive a digital brand experience by integrating live stream shopping and utilizing live selling via influencers or KOLs, an increasingly-popular sales strategy. Relevant to high context categories such as cosmetics, education, and infant nutrition as well as financial services, or even electronics, with this technology, viewers can become paying customers, all without missing the show.

As one of the top-ranked countries globally in mobile social media penetration, it is not surprising that about 80% of Malaysian consumers obtain information on products and services from social media. MEDICI Engage will leverage the power of conversational commerce and shopper engagement platform, to tap into social media’s massive, yet cost-effective reach.

Meanwhile, MEDICI ROI will help brands optimize shops on eCommerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee. Simply featuring products on marketplaces and spending money on direct marketing channels is not enough for brands to attract the evolving consumer, and through the service, MEDICI aids brands in improving product visibility, storefront design, and search ranking.

In the Malaysian context, considering there are more than 55,000 sellers across marketplaces in Malaysia alone, brands need more than deep discounting, free shipping, and special event campaigns to stand out from the crowded digital marketplace. And now, equipped with MEDICI’s data-driven approach, these new services and partnerships offer just the right measurable solutions for our clients looking to reshape their commerce transformation.

Sourabh Agrawal, partner at Entropia

Tasked with leading MEDICI, Kelferd Hor, added, “Part of our mandate is to bring best-in-class technology partners on board to implement clients’ direct-to-consumer trade strategies – helping marketers up their ‘See Now Buy Now’ game, capitalize on impulse purchases and increase conversions. We’ve also made great strides in ensuring a seamless and consistent eCommerce experience for users across devices and platforms.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Leveraging the Extended Reality (ER) technology, Dumex Dugro, food company Danone’s growing up milk brand, has teamed up with Rouge by Entropia to launch a web-based Augmented Reality (AR) packaging for its new formulation, NextGen NUTRI. 

As opposed to the usual WebAR technology which requires access to a user’s smartphone motion sensors and camera, NextGen NUTRI’s AR packaging can be experienced without the need to install a specific mobile app.

Consumers will be able to access the new reality and immerse themselves on the journey to learn about Dugro’s product information; these include RTB’s and key ingredients among others.  

At the end of the journey, the technology allows moms and kids to interact and have a photo taken with Dugro’s well-loved characters, the Dugro Buddies: Aiden the Leader, Jolly Jane, Big Sis and Brainy Ben which they can save and share on different social media platforms. This also allows moms and kids to try out a sample or to register and get Dugro Rewards for existing customers.

Originally, the schedule for the launch of the campaign was in March of this year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand had to look for a contactless alternative to engage customers. 

According to Samuch Ongsulapa, Danone’s senior category and channel development manager, the collaboration “marks a new era in product detailing and engagement with their consumers.”

“Our vision at Danone is to be a truly people-powered brand, and our partners at Rouge by Entropia embrace that in every piece of creative communication. With this vision at the forefront, we set out to reconnect with Millennial mothers – to better understand their insights and behaviors, to innovate our NextGen NUTRI nutrition formulation, and redesign our consumer experiences. In line with this big idea, we launched Dugro®’s innovative AR packaging experience.” Samuch said.

Ramakrishnan CN, Entropia’s head of EXR, stated that “The quantum leap in the processing power of mobile phones and their mass availability, have made the deployment of such experiences more cost-effective than ever before. We are excited about the possibilities of this technology.”

“The biggest challenge for any marketing campaign is to engage consumers to change their desirability of the brand. And XR technology solves this for Dumex Dugro® by offering them the opportunity to create interactions with prospective customers in the most engaging way possible – through a full brand and product story told via Augmented Reality on the packaging. It is one of the most fun and innovative approaches we’ve taken to reach consumers.” Ramakrishnan said.

For the month of August, marketing leaders had it big, with the top stories that took most of your attention are those that have spotlighted marketing experts.

One was a retelling of a Filipino corporate communications head’s success story, another was an Asian eCommerce platform’s appointment of a new chief commercial officer, and also, a point-by-point marketing measurement plan authored, none other than by a tenured player in the field.

The latest on virtual and augmented reality also made heads turn this month. The strike of the pandemic made for hardened and limited times, but with tech, it was an opportunity to ride on the connective powers of VR and AR, unleashing the best of the digital experience to carry on a new normal.

Here, we’ve made a run down of all of them. Based on Google Analytics from July 20th to August 16th, these were the top 5 stories for the month:

Top 5: The PR expert of the holy grail chicken brand in the Philippines: Mark De Joya

In the premiere of our interview webisode, #MARKETECHMondays, we featured Filipino marketing expert Mark de Joya who shared the journey he trailed before finally becoming the head of corporate communications of Max’s Group, the company behind the country’s most sought after restaurants.

Although, like any other head start, his first foray into marketing can be said to be “humble,” it is still a stint with that of consumer product behemoth Unilever, its Philippine leg. Since then, what he had was a meaningful immersion to the industry of advertising having worked thereafter with international creative agency McCann Worldgroup.

Truly a self-made man, Mark was revealed to be overflowing with personal formulas and borrowed wisdom from his mentors. One of them, he got from then McCann chief strategy officer Gino Borromeo, which spotlights a different side of creativity, that is, creativity isn’t just being artsy, but the ability to solve problems.

His advice to young marketers, “A lot of people might not feel that they are built for the marketing [or] advertising industry because they don’t think that they are creative enough. I will say, creativity is important, but the one thing that enables that is curiosity. The best marketers I’ve met are also the most curious.”

Top 4: Digging into the ropes of marketing measurement with Salesforce Datorama CMO Leah Pope

From whom is it better to acquire insight into the importance of marketing data than from a marketing maven straight out of the field of extracting marketing insights?

Chief marketing officer of data insights platform Datorama, Leah Pope in July lent her thought leadership piece on this important feature of marketing management, and not just marketing measurement on any normal day, but crafting a strategy at this time of uncertainty.

She imparts four steps: Harmonizing the often siloed marketing data into a single source; setting up a set of standardized data for data hygiene; rechecking goals and benchmarks to track marketing progress amid a new normal; and finally, aligning a single system of record of marketing data to collaborate the now branched out remote setup of marketing teams.

Top 3: Malaysia’s Entropia and manufacturing firm UMW’s virtual museum

To imagine within our thinkable minds a museum of virtual experience will always, for the meantime, send us all in awe. And that is exactly what judges from the fourth International VR Awards have felt with Malaysian tech innovator Entropia’s virtual museum of company UMW, granting them a nomination for the award-giving body’s social impact award.

The immersive experience offers six degrees of freedom to move through manufacturing firm UMW’s artifacts, enabling teleport from one scenario to the next. Users are able to view the very first products UMW had assembled: the Toyota Corolla KE 10 in 1968, the first Komatsu bulldozer, as well as an education on the Rolls Royce engine casing manufacturing and assembly that was accomplished right in Malaysia.

The museum isn’t just nominated for any category, but a social impact category, one described to shine on companies and individuals that produce products that have made a significant social impact on the world around them.

UMW said, “We used VR as a platform [for the company] to impress [and] attract talents both young and old, and above all, [as] a testament on how a corporate legacy can be kept alive using technology.”

Of course, winners of the award will be announced virtually, slated to take place in November.

Top 2: Another Entropia news, but now, an augmented reality car showroom

In latter July, BMW Malaysia unveiled its all-new BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sports model, but that wasn’t the only exciting part. For the first time, the marque in Malaysia ran a model launch via an augmented reality (AR) experience, courtesy of the ingenuity of Entropia’s experience design unit, Entropia Extended Reality (EXR).

Countries’ lockdowns amid the pandemic made it nearly impossible for consumers to visit showrooms, let alone attend a car launch, and this is where EXR comes to the rescue.

EXR Head Ramakrishnan CN said the usage of extended reality (XR) for marketing and advertising is no longer a niche, and that the COVID-19 has definitely accelerated the pace of demand.

Entropia explains how the AR works: “By just clicking the link [on BMW’s app], the users will be able to get a virtually realistic 3D model of the car, and by just tapping the screen, they can reposition the car, [view it] at different angles, pinch and resize it, and slide in any direction for a 360° view.”

Talk about a fusion of innovation.

Top 1: The month of August puts Keepital’s appointment of CCO to top story

For the top story of the month, people news is at the heart of it. By July, congratulations have been in order as Asia-focused B2B eCommerce platform Keepital announced that they have appointed a new chief commercial officer, sales veteran Arthur Ng.

Arthur’s seasoned experience in B2B digital advertising sector matches the core offering of Keepital: bringing together buyers and suppliers in a central location; boasting a directory of B2B sales executives to put through businesses on a forum where they can network with each other.

Arthur has been a staple player in the function of business development since 2008, having worked with companies such as publisher The Green Book, supply chain Singapore Post, online media Purple Click, and the similar-natured Innity.

His responsibilities were as specific as it gets: ownership of the customer and the customer interface with the product or service offering, where he’s charged with making sure that all functions of the organization are aligned to meet strategic commercial objectives

MARKETECH APAC caught up with Arthur and he shared, “My past weeks with Keepital were pretty amazing and fulfilling. [I’ve been] going in-depth to understand the platform’s enclosed system, speaking to SME bosses to understand their marketing pain points and requirements.”

Watch the MARKETECH APAC REPORTS of these top five stories, with exclusive appearance and commentary from the newsmakers themselves.

If you have interesting stories, thought-leadership pieces, and case studies in the area of marketing, technology, media platforms and SME, please send us an email at [email protected]. Who knows your story could be part of our top 5 next month.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Digital solutions Entropia founder and senior partner Prashant Kumar, has been appointed honorary advisor by the International Advertising Association (IAA) Malaysia at its recently held annual general meeting. 

Earlier this year, Kumar was awarded the IAA ‘Champion’ Compass award, having been the only honoree from the Asia Pacific region.

As honorary advisor, Kumar will leverage his two decades of experience to handle industry matters while continuing to support the IAA’s activities in the region.

“It is an honor to be in the company of highly respected marketing and communications industry leaders. I’ve been a member of the association since 2017 and I’m proud to play a more active advisory role going forward,” said Kumar.

Kumar will form part the executive committee of IAA for the new term 2020-2021, which comprises President John Chacko, Vice President Omar Shaari, and Honorary Secretary Prabha Nayar among others. 

In announcing the appointment, Chacko remarked, “As one of the recognized leaders in the APAC marcoms community, Prashant is instrumental to the IAA – both in providing independent advice on how to elevate relevancy, and filling the vacuum of global shared experiences in the local industry.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – BMW Malaysia recently unveiled the All-New BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport in a first-ever live stream event on their social media channels. And now, in collaboration with Entropia Extended Reality (EXR), consumers will be able to explore the timeless trailblazer anytime anywhere, in an action-packed Augmented Reality (AR) experience.

Consumers were stuck at home for months due to the lockdown and weren’t able to visit showrooms, which made it near impossible for automotive brands to launch a car. Bringing the ultimate driving machine home, BMW partnered with Entropia to allow users to see, hear, feel and experience the all-new second-generation X5 through their smartphone – an extraordinary feat achieved through cutting-edge web-based Augmented Reality technology – all without the use of a specific mobile application*.

Ramakrishnan CN, Entropia partner and head of EXR, commented, “Having a future-focused partner like BMW, is what inspired us to delight their consumers through this immersive brand experience. WebAR is a fast-evolving tech and it marks the evolution from app-based generation to ubiquitous web-based one. This opens tremendous opportunities for progressive brands like BMW to add a layer of personalized augmented information over every conceivable touchpoint to engage their consumers.” 

“We opted to bring the joy of The Boss to life in full AR. And, ultimately, that’s our differentiator at EXR – strategic digital transformation solutions for brands through the use of Extended Reality, i.e. AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality).” 

The AR experience presents a virtually realistic 3D model of the All-New BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport that users can tap to place in any location seen via their phone camera. Utilizing a few easy steps to experience the X5 at their convenience, users will be able to click a link on their mobile phone https://app.bmw.com.my/AR/X5 to create a showroom at home, tap on their screen to position the car, pinch to resize it, and slide in any direction for a 360° view. Tapping on the vehicle hotspots allows users to learn more about the model. On top of that, swiping up will change the car exterior to different colors like Phytonic Blue, Black Sapphire, Mineral White and Artic Grey.

BMW Group Malaysia appointed Entropia as their media agency of record in December 2019.

BMW X5 Web Augmented Reality Experience

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Entropia Extended Reality (EXR) and UMW’s interactive virtual museum has captured the judges’ attention at the Fourth International VR Awards 2020, where they were announced as a finalist in the VR Social Impact Award category – granted to companies or individuals that produce and execute either an experience, product and or service which has rendered a significant social impact on the world around them. 

The virtual awards ceremony will be held in November 2020, and EXR’s GALERIKU – A VR MUSEUM LIKE NO OTHER will compete with three other finalists in the category: Washington-based AARP Innovation Labs’ Alcove; Russian TV’s VR film by school students, Lessons of Auschwitz; and the UK’s East City Films & Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s VR documentary, Some Inattention On The Left. 

Ramakrishnan CN, partner at Entropia and head of EXR, commented: “A nod from the Global VR Awards is a tremendous honor for us, and as one of only a few Asian finalists in the nominees’ list, we are truly overwhelmed to be named among renowned players like Accenture, Oculus, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.” 

VR has revolutionized our online experiences in the last few years – from browsing to playing, shopping, and learning, and the technology keeps evolving. 

Ramakrishnan CN, partner at Entropia and head of EXR

“EXR is in a perfect position to illustrate challenging concepts to lay-persons and experts alike, and the Galeriku project presented us with an exciting opportunity to reimagine the UMW Group’s history in a VR experience like no other and educating the future generations.”, said, Ramakrishnan.

The immersive experience offers users the six degrees of freedom to move through UMW’s memories by flipping through the founder’s diary and teleport from one scenario to the next. Amongst other things, it showcases many artifacts from his days starting out, including the first Toyota Corolla KE 10 assembled by UMW in 1968, and the first Komatsu bulldozer. It is topped with a fully immersive education about the Rolls Royce engine casing manufacturing and assembly by UMW right here in Malaysia. 

Badrul Rahman, General Manager, Group Corporate Communications at UMW, added: “We are elated to receive this acknowledgment from the VR Awards. We’ve built the UMW brand for over a century, so there’s an incredible amount of history here, and EXR has helped us to preserve our most important achievements for future generations. Utilizing the barrier-breaking technologies of XR, our collaboration has injected new life into the brand’s journey, through an immersive VR experience that is both educational and informative.” 

EXR is an accredited member of AIXR (The Academy of International Extended Reality), the independent not-for-profit trade body for the immersive industry, and hosts of the VR Awards, which recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievement in the global VR industry.

UMW’s Galeriku- A VR Museum like no other 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Amid the lockdown this year, it would be an understatement to say that people have had a drastic shift in their perception of reality. Staying apart became an act of love and hugging became an act of foolishness. Birthday and Raya celebrations via video calls and no entertainment outside home became the new reality.  

Anticipating the consumer need for safe entertainment and physical distancing,  Entropia’s Extended Reality arm, EXR, recently partnered with milk brand, Goodday Milk to launch the first-ever web-based Augmented Reality (webAR) celebrity home visits during Hari Raya in Malaysia and with Wonda Coffee to launch a safe distance visual filter guide using webAR technology, again a first-ever of its kind. 

Goodday’s ‘Selamat Selebraya’ allows consumers to teleport three top celebrities virtually into their home, by just clicking a link on their mobile. With this innovation, Malaysians got a unique opportunity to celebrate Raya this year with singer Andi Bernadee, Mark Adam, and artist Elfira Loy right in their own houses. Better yet, the user can walk around the celebrity, take pictures, make the celebrity perform a song, and personally wish them and their family for Raya, all without the need of downloading an app. 

Goodday’s ‘Selamat Selebraya’

Meanwhile, WONDA’s Gap-puccino is a first-ever social distancing guide that helps you keep a safe social gap using webAR. Coffee brings people together, but WONDA Gap-puccino encourages Malaysians to keep a safe physical distance by a visual guide using their phone camera. Easy to comprehend, WONDA’s Gap-puccino social distancing guide highlights areas around the user as either ‘caution’ or ‘danger’ as indicators for measuring safe distance between people. Users simply have to open the link on their smartphone browser.

“While we may not have been able to visit as many members of our families and friends this year, with the WebAR technology, consumers are able to celebrate Raya with national celebrities, thus adding a creative and personal touch to their celebrations through ‘Goodday’s Selamat Selebraya’ house visits,” said Santharuban T. Sundaram (pictured right), Senior Vice President of Marketing and Alternate Business at Etika Sdn Bhd.

“Since the beginning of the MCO, WONDA Coffee has been proactively involved in community activities and efforts to strengthen our fight against COVID-19. Whether it is showcasing support to front-liners or creating economic opportunities for local businesses, WONDA Coffee has stood by the community in these trying times.

To stay ahead by reacting with relevant and purposeful marketing efforts from time to time is the core principle of the Brand, this allows the Brand continues to create a meaningful brand connection with consumer.

Santharuban T. Sundaram,Senior Vice President of Marketing and Alternate Business at Etika Sdn Bhd.

Ramakrishnan (pictured left), Partner at Entropia and Head of EXR, shared, “We are extremely proud to partner with the challenger mindset of Goodday Milk and WONDA Coffee, who have constantly demonstrated that they are way ahead in the innovation curve in the industry. The future of experience is based on a seamless blend of immersive technology and human emotions, as demonstrated by both the campaign where consumers can get their favorite celebrities to wish them Raya in their own homes and help the masses maintain a safe distance using just their phones.

Technology can help in getting through these tough times and WONDA’s Gap-puccino and Goodday’s Selamat Seleb-raya is our small contribution towards that bigger goal of putting a smile on everyone’s faces and be of help too”

Ramakrishnan, Partner at Entropia and Head of EXR

 “WebAR is a fast evolving tech and it marks the evolution from App based generation to ubiquitous web based one, thereby opening tremendous opportunities for Marketers to add a layer of personalized augmented information over every conceivable touchpoint. It is evident that the future of brand experience is immersive and at EXR, we provide strategic XR transformation solutions, that includes AR, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality solutions to our clients” added Ramakrishnan.

Both these campaigns have been very well received and with more than 10 million Malaysian consumers reached, as on date and counting.