Tag: Global

Singapore – Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimisation platform, has unveiled a first-to-market advertising solution with Meta. The solution is set to be released by early 2025 for all advertisers.

The third-party Content Block List solution ensures better advertisement placement for advertisers on Facebook and Instagram feeds and reels. Through the tool, advertisers can automatically avoid placing their ads next to content unsuitable for the brand.

The Content Block List allows social optimisation, customisation, seamless activation, and accurate classification through artificial intelligence. Additionally, IAS provides end-to-end campaign support for advertisers.

IAS has completed its testing for Content Level Block Lists, ensuring performance improvements and brand suitability.

“As the first provider to test this solution with Meta, we are delighted to enable advertisers to drive engagement and reach users in brand suitable, contextually relevant environments across Meta’s platform. Our Content Block Lists improve media quality while reducing brand risk for advertisers by providing industry-aligned tools that enable them to avoid content they deem unsuitable and safely scale their campaigns,” Lisa Utzschneider, chief executive officer of IAS, said.

“This solution demonstrates our continued commitment to provide global advertisers more tools to support their brand suitability goals. Alongside Meta’s inventory filter for Feed and Reels, we’re excited to give advertisers even more control over where their content appears on our platform,” Samantha Stetson, vice president, of client council and industry trades at Meta, said.

Hamilton, Bermuda – Dewar’s Blended Scotch Whisky has refreshed its brand platform with the ‘Here’s to the Story’ global campaign. The brand platform is in celebration of Dewar’s 180 years in the industry.

‘Here’s to the Story’ alludes to Dewar’s history and its role in promoting Scotch Whisky worldwide while remaining committed to new discoveries. The campaign is made for life explorers who yearn for new experiences, incorporating themes of curiosity and sophistication. 

Dewar’s believes that life’s essence is in experiences, people, and stories rather than in material possessions. ‘Here’s to the Story’ reflects this philosophy and how the best moments are best enjoyed with Dewar’s Scotch whisky.

The campaign video shows storytellers gathered around a long table as they pass whisky around. It features master blender Stephanie Macleod and Spanish photographer Eugenio Recuenco among others.

Dewar’s campaign is part of its effort to build deeper connections with whisky enthusiasts at present. It has also refined its brand strategy to strengthen its presence in the industry.

The integrated global campaign will encompass cinematic advertisements, social media content, and collaborations.

“The ‘Here’s to the Story’ campaign is a tribute to Dewar’s tradition of exceptional craftsmanship and the novel characters and stories that have shaped the brand over the centuries. Our whisky has always been more than a drink, it’s a celebratory symbol of life’s greatest moments and the shared stories that define them. This campaign is an invitation to our consumers to take a seat at the table and toast to the stories that make life truly fulfilling,” Laila Mignoni, global vice president of creative excellence at Bacardi, said.

Misha Semiz, global vice president of blended scotch at Bacardi, said, “At Dewar’s, we believe the richness of life lies in the stories we share and the experiences we treasure. Far from a one-off advertising campaign, ‘Here’s to the Story’ marks the beginning of a new brand belief and an ongoing thread for DEWAR’S. It represents a renewed vision and the start of a new chapter in our journey, which includes product and visual world updates to elevate DEWAR’S into the premium-plus space.” 

“Our aim is to redefine how whisky is perceived, open up new possibilities and invite a broader audience into the world of Scotch. It’s a tribute to the intelligent, witty, and sophisticated moments and people that make life extraordinary,” Semiz added.

Singapore – Adjust, a measurement and analytics company, has launched ‘TrueLink,’ a solution designed to streamline mobile application marketers’ deep links management. Its launch across Southeast Asia, India, and other countries enables marketers to drive in-app engagements.

Adjust’s TrueLink allows marketers to generate branded and personalised linking experiences that prompt higher engagement and conversion rates across various platforms. This includes social media, SMS, and the web.

TrueLink is part of Adjust’s Engage pillar, which helps marketers guide users, enhance brand reputation, and expand their reach. With its single, multi-platform deep link, TrueLink makes manual link creation unnecessary. The solution also provides multiple link creation options, including bulk generation and individual links for specific campaigns like user referrals, influencer partnerships, and product promotions.

Moreover, it allows mobile marketers can create branded deep links that are short, and easily editable for various campaign types. This not only improves the user experience but also helps to strengthen brand recognition. 

“The tedious process of creating different links for different platforms has been a challenge for many marketers. With TrueLink, we’ve simplified this process by allowing marketers to quickly and easily create one multi-platform, customisable link that delivers a seamless user experience,” Katie Madding, chief product officer at Adjust, said.

London, UK – Nearly one in three campaigns (27%) over the past 18 months have incorporated programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH), with this figure expected to increase to an average of 35% in the next 18 months, a recent study by VIOOH revealed. 

The research projects that France, Australia, Germany, and the US will lead in adopting prDOOH, with these markets seeing the biggest rise in campaigns using programmatic digital out-of-home. Globally, prDOOH investment is set to grow by 28% over the next 18 months, with the US, UK, and France each projecting a 29% increase.

Budgets are shifting towards prDOOH, with global marketers projected to boost investment in DOOH by 32% and prDOOH by 28%. Traditional out-of-home (OOH) investment is also expected to grow by 16%. This surge in digital spending highlights a greater adoption of technology-driven solutions in outdoor advertising.

VIOOH’s study found that over a third (37%) of marketers are shifting budgets from other digital channels to prDOOH, marking a 4 percentage point (ppt) increase year-over-year (YoY). When purchased by digital or programmatic teams, prDOOH budgets mainly come from other digital (81%) and traditional channels (79%), highlighting its growing appeal as part of a multi-channel media strategy.

In core markets, prDOOH budgets sourced from DOOH have risen by 16 ppt YoY, increasing from 53% to 69%. As prDOOH adoption grows, more than one-fifth (22%) of advertisers are allocating entirely new budgets to it, with the US and Australia leading the trend at 28% and 27%, respectively. Notably, prDOOH now accounts for a larger share of new advertising budgets in core markets (24%), reflecting a 10 ppt increase year-over-year.

The growth in global prDOOH investment is largely driven by existing adopters, who are more likely to include prDOOH in future media plans (36%), compared to first-time investors (32%). The study suggests that familiarity with prDOOH’s benefits is crucial as marketers increasingly adopt programmatic approaches for out-of-home advertising.

Interestingly, 92% of global respondents view prDOOH as the most innovative media channel, reflecting a 9 ppt YoY in core markets.

This trend is driven by prDOOH’s versatility in supporting various campaign strategies, crucial for both brand-led (85%) and performance-led (91%) objectives. Notably, prDOOH competes with social media (85%) as a leading choice for brand-led campaigns, even surpassing traditional DOOH (80%).

Globally, 81% of respondents are combining direct and programmatic DOOH buys for performance-led campaigns, benefiting from the increased reach and precise measurability of prDOOH. For brand-building, 83% are integrating social media with prDOOH, up 5 percentage points year-over-year in core markets.

In the five core markets, nearly all surveyed marketers (95%) acknowledge the benefits of dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) for prDOOH campaigns. Many are considering, testing, or actively using DCO to boost campaign effectiveness. The main advantages highlighted are creative flexibility (42%), improved relevance (40%), and optimised ad spend (38%).

The real-time adaptability of DCO drives its appeal, particularly in Australia (37%), the US (36%), and the UK (34%). This flexibility enables marketers to quickly respond to trends or events, enhancing the effectiveness of prDOOH campaigns.

On another note, VIOOH’s study also reveals that global advertisers and agencies are increasingly prioritising sustainability in their campaigns. The survey shows that 60% of marketers view sustainability as a key factor when investing in prDOOH.

Marketers in the UK (61%), Australia (65%), France (65%), and Brazil (65%) particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability. Its ability to reduce wasteful impressions by targeting specific audiences or conditions, along with its broad broadcast reach (62% for prDOOH vs. 58% for DOOH and 52% for OOH), enhances its appeal.

The increasing focus on sustainability, now a top-three priority for nearly a third of global marketers (31%), underscores a shift towards eco-conscious marketing practices. prDOOH stands out in this trend due to its clear sustainability advantages.

Jean-Christophe Conti, chief executive officer at VIOOH, said, “Globally marketers increasingly recognise prDOOH’s flexibility, dynamic creative opportunities, and sustainability benefits. We’re confident its growth will continue, and as this report indicates, we anticipate a 28% increase in prDOOH spending over the next 18 months, with significant budgets sourced from existing traditional and digital budgets, as well as entirely new budget allocations.”

Conti added, “The flexibility of programmatic buying has enabled marketers to seamlessly integrate prDOOH into their campaigns as part of broader multi-channel strategies, and we’re looking forward to continuing to drive the evolution of DOOH towards a programmatic, more integrated future in the media landscape.”

Singapore – Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has appointed Angela Zepeda as its new global head of marketing, aiming for innovation and brand growth.

With expertise in digital marketing, Zepeda has handled senior roles prior to gaining her post at X.  She formerly served as chief marketing officer at Hyundai for five years, until the company restructured to split its marketing functions, thus removing the title. She also worked at Innocean USA as managing director, Quigley-Simpson as chief executive officer, and Campbell Ewald as chief marketing officer.

Linda Yaccarino, chief executive officer at X, welcomed Zepeda in a post.

“Today, I am delighted to welcome Angela Zepeda to X as our new Global Head of Marketing. X is the world’s most meaningful platform so it was essential to hire an exceptional leader like Angela to further shape our transformation,” Yaccarino said.

“Most recently serving as CMO/Chief Creative Officer for Hyundai, Angela brings incredible experience and expertise, understands how to grow a brand globally and is exactly the right person to lead X’s marketing as we accelerate our innovation. Looking forward to all of the great work to come!” Yaccarino added.

Zepeda is the first to be appointed to the role since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. 

Singapore – PropertyGuru Group announced its agreement to be acquired by EQT Private Capital Asia, the Asia-focused arm of Swedish investment firm EQT AB, in an all-cash deal valuing the company at around US$1.1b.

According to an official release, PropertyGuru’s Board of Directors, following the recommendation of a special committee, has unanimously approved the merger and will recommend shareholder approval. The special committee negotiated the merger terms with support from financial and legal advisors.

Each ordinary share of PropertyGuru will automatically convert under the merger agreement into the right to receive US$6.70 in cash per share, without interest, at the time the merger takes effect. Certain excluded shares will not be included in this conversion.

Additionally, the merger offer is 52% higher than PropertyGuru’s share price on May 21, 2024, before media speculation began. It also represents a 75% and 86% premium over the company’s 30-day and 90-day average share prices, respectively, leading up to that date.

PropertyGuru also revealed that major shareholders TPG and KKR, which together hold 56% of PropertyGuru’s outstanding shares, have agreed to support the merger by entering into voting and support agreements with the company and EQT Private Capital Asia.

Hari V. Krishnan, CEO and MD of PropertyGuru Group, said, “We are pleased to embark on this new chapter with EQT. This partnership follows years of transformative growth, supported by TPG and KKR, which has established us as Southeast Asia’s leading PropTech platform. As we continue to innovate and deliver value to our consumers, customers, and stakeholders across the region, EQT’s global expertise in building marketplaces and commitment to sustainable growth will further strengthen our vision to power communities to live, work, and thrive in tomorrow’s cities.”

Janice Leow, partner in the EQT Private Capital Asia advisory team and head of EQT Private Capital Southeast Asia, added, “PropertyGuru has firmly established itself as the leading property marketplace platform in Southeast Asia, and we are deeply impressed by the strong foundation it has built over the past 17 years as well as with its talented team. We believe our offer provides shareholders with compelling value and certainty, while strategically positioning PropertyGuru to fully harness its long-term growth potential. With EQT’s significant experience in the technology, online classifieds, and marketplace sectors, we aim to further strengthen PropertyGuru’s platform, driving enhanced innovation and deeper engagement with its consumers, customers, and stakeholders.”

The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. It is not subject to a financing condition.

Once the transaction is complete, PropertyGuru will go private, delisting from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with its headquarters remaining in Singapore.

Singapore – Teads, a cloud-based omnichannel platform, has officially announced its merger with Outbrain, a global leader in performance advertising, in a $1 billion transaction. 

Tead’s merger with Outbrain marks a pivotal milestone for both category leaders. Teads excels in omnichannel video, branding, and mid-funnel capabilities, while Outbrain boasts a top-tier performance and outcomes platform. Both companies also have long-standing partnerships with premium media owners, and as a combined entity, they will be better equipped to support and enhance these collaborations.

The merger will create one of the top open internet advertising platforms by size and scale, expected to reach over 2 billion monthly consumers across 50+ markets. Combining Teads’ video and branding strengths with Outbrain’s performance solutions, the platform will offer direct supply paths to premium media owners on the open internet and CTV. 

Additionally, this integration will continuously optimise outcomes through direct code-on-page and pixel-on-advertiser-site capabilities. The powerful data suite will make over 1 billion predictions per second, and innovative ad experiences will enable engaging brand storytelling, from full-page takeovers to story sequencing from CTV to digital.

In an official press release, Jeremy Arditi  and Bertrand Quesada, co-CEO’s of Teads, said, “Marketers are looking for more accountability, addressability in a privacy-centric way, and to harness the rapid rise of AI and CTV. As we look ahead, together with Outbrain, we will be THE platform that delivers on these needs across the open internet.” 

They added, “We look forward to sharing more about the combined company over the next few months. Our focus remains on our clients and partners, continuing to provide the product solutions, service, and value you’ve come to rely on Teads for. We’re tremendously excited for the opportunities this news brings and hope you’ll join us in this next phase of our evolution.”

Teads’ $1 billion deal with Outbrain includes $725 million in upfront cash, $25 million in deferred cash, 35 million shares of Outbrain common stock, and $105 million in convertible preferred equity.

Upon closing the transaction, David Kostman will serve as CEO of the combined company, with current Teads co-CEOs Quesada and Arditi as co-presidents. Meanwhile, Asaf Porat will take on the role of COO, overseeing the integration of the two companies. 

Teads’ parent company, Altice, will also appoint two board members (one non-affiliated) in addition to Outbrain’s existing eight.

Singapore – Tinder, the dating app, has launched a new phase of its global campaign, “It Starts With a Swipe,” featuring the most beautiful meet-cutes: the first messages of actual couples who met on Tinder and are now in a relationship. 

The campaign reimagines the romance and serendipity of vintage romantic films from the perspective of contemporary dating in a number of new video spots. Because meet-cutes on Tinder occur frequently, the campaign features singles meeting in classic rom-com circumstances. The conversation is based on the actual initial messages of couples who met on the app. 

In the post-pandemic environment, people are looking for deeper, more genuine ties. Younger individuals who grew up in digital environments now have a soft spot for the real-life “meet-cutes” of vintage comedies and films. Though some people long for the romantic moments of the past, contemporary daters may find the antics and silliness of classic rom-com scenarios to be a bit much.

The campaign highlights the modern meet-cute as a digital-first experience, complete with all the excitement, awkwardness, and sparks of any first interaction, by using real couples’ initial texts.

One of the films, titled “Rescue,” is inspired by genuine Tinder chats between Samantha and John and stars Lana Condor and Evan Mock. It imagines Samantha and John’s first interaction if they had met in person. In a library, Samantha falls from a ladder while reaching for a book, and John saves her just in time in a classic meet-cute scene reminiscent of the rom-com genre. Samantha then blunders through a succession of sentences, with floating message bubbles displaying her actual typos from a Tinder conversation with John.

The next film, named “Rain,” is based on actual Tinder communications between Kate and Lain. In this scenario, Kate and Lain meet in a field of flowers after a thunderstorm. One continues to explain the specifics of her astrological birth chart to the other, who simply responds, “So hot.” They embrace beneath separating clouds, revealing the message bubbles from their initial Tinder conversation. 

“Taxi,” based on actual Tinder communications between Danielle and Matthew, depicts Danielle and Matthew colliding while hailing the same yellow cab. After starting a discussion with a ridiculous pickup line, Matthew nervously repeats himself, with floating message bubbles exposing how the encounter began with an unintentional “double send” on Tinder. 

Starting on July 8, the new “It Starts With a Swipe” video advertisements will be available everywhere on digital and streaming platforms. 

Along with the new campaign, Tinder will relaunch its popular Single Summer Series for the second year in a row, with events in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, and Nashville. Tinder users in these cities will receive in-app alerts asking them to join the Single Summer Series events throughout the summer. Throughout the summer, the campaign will expand into APAC regions such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea. 

Speaking about the campaign, Stephanie Danzi, SVP of marketing at Tinder, said, Daters today are nostalgic for the meet-cutes they’ve seen in old rom-coms. But the reality is that the rom-com meet-cute is the exception, not the rule. Tinder is where modern-day meet-cutes happen — just ask the millions of couples who have met on Tinder. A new relationship starts every three seconds, thanks to Tinder. This campaign celebrates those millions of relationships, and we were honoured to build creative inspired by real first messages from real Tinder couples.” 

Meanwhile, Melissa Hobley, chief marketing officer at Tinder, said, “Only 8% of offline daters say it’s easy for them to find a date IRL, and so many missed out on opportunities to connect in the midst of the pandemic. At Tinder, we want to empower our users to find meaningful connections that carry into IRL.”

San Francisco, USA – Sitecore, a global provider of digital experience software, has appointed Eric Stine as its new chief operating officer. In this capacity, he will be in charge of all customer-facing processes, enabling customers to create captivating digital experiences while unlocking commercial value. Stine will be based in New York City. 

In his new role as chief operating officer, Stine will oversee Sitecore’s pre-sales, sales, customer success, alliances, operations, professional services, support, and ecosystem organisations. 

The most recent position held by Stine was CEO of Elemica. He held the positions of chief revenue officer at Qualtrics and chief commercial officer at Skillsoft before that. Additionally, he has had leadership positions at SAP, Ciber, and Blackboard, among other companies. 

Speaking about the appointment, Dave O’Flanagan, CEO of Sitecore, said, “Eric joins Sitecore at one of the most exciting points in the company’s growth, as we advance an innovative and integrated suite of AI capabilities tailored for marketing teams. We view a tremendous opportunity for our composable DXP to fundamentally transform the way marketing teams create content and digital experiences. As we deliver on our strategy of leveraging AI to innovate across digital content and experiences, Eric will align our customer-facing teams to bring maximum value to our customers and partners globally.” 

Meanwhile, Stine stated, “Sitecore has a multibillion-dollar opportunity as marketing intersects with digital transformation and next-gen AI. Marketing teams at many of the most prominent global brands trust Sitecore to transform the way they work. I look forward to taking our work with customers and partners to new heights, accelerating the next phase of the company’s growth.”

London, United Kingdom – IPG Mediabrands, Interpublic Group’s media and marketing solutions subsidiary, global adtech firm PubMatic, and SeenThis, an adaptive streaming firm, have signed a landmark deal to establish the Climate Action platform (CAM), the industry’s first green advertising platform.

CAM takes advantage of adaptive streaming technologies from SeenThis, PubMatic’s flagship inventory, as well as the technological competence of IPG Mediabrands’ performance agency, KINESSO.

Since 2021, IPG Mediabrands and SeenThis have worked together to achieve better campaign performance, creative outputs, and the possibility of transferring less data when compared to traditional advertising technology, which would minimise carbon emissions. Beginning in Q2 2024, all clients of IPG Mediabrands will have access to the new service. By lowering carbon emissions and utilising the advantages of collaborating with Orion opted-in partners, CAM seeks to advance sustainability.

With the least amount of data waste, SeenThis’ adaptive streaming technology loads creatives promptly in the best quality. The digital carbon footprint of a brand is decreased because data is only transported for the purpose of seeing creative assets. With the new arrangement, all campaigns may make use of SeenThis’s adaptive streaming, which offers a better performance and viewing experience while consuming a lot less bandwidth than traditional advertising technologies. 

Using PubMatic’s premium supply, SeenThis’ video-in-display systems provide reduced data waste and cost-efficiency. SeenThis’ adaptive streaming technology cuts load times, removes file-size constraints, and avoids wasteful data transfer, lowering CO2 emissions while providing performance benefits. Clients of IPG Mediabrands can integrate CAM into their go-to-market investment strategy at no additional expense.

Speaking about the agreement, Martin Bryan, global chief sustainability officer at IPG Mediabrands, said, “Our advertisers strive to deliver campaigns of the highest quality and meet performance goals while simultaneously integrating strategies to minimise carbon emissions. With our Climate Action Marketplace, we can deliver on all fronts. By leveraging SeenThis adaptive streaming technology as a default across our media delivery, we can make an enormous positive impact for our clients and reduce data transfer – thus carbon emissions – in the process.”

Meanwhile, Kyle Dozeman, CRO at PubMatic, stated, “Our partnership with IPG Mediabrands and SeenThis provides brands with a solution that delivers incredible advertising experiences on premium content while also reducing their carbon footprint. It’s exciting to collaborate with other companies that are creating solutions that deliver both performance and sustainability at a global scale as we seek to build a better, more responsible supply chain for digital advertising.” 

Lastly, Susan Kravitz, head of commercial partnerships at SeenThis, said, “IPG Mediabrands is taking a bold step forward to create immediate improvements for their own business and for their clients. With SeenThis’ proprietary adaptive streaming technology, IPG Mediabrands is embracing the next generation of digital advertising with better performance, beautiful viewer experiences and reduced carbon emissions.”