Singapore – Grab’s advertising arm GrabAds have announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, to help the latter’s clients unlock the power of Grab’s retail media network (RMN) capabilities for brand, performance and business growth. 

As part of the expanded partnership, GrabAds will enhance its first-party audience data with geo-based signals, which GroupM will further aggregate and integrate into their internal proprietary platforms. 

With these insights, GroupM clients across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam can look forward to more refined, data-driven media planning within an integrated omnichannel ecosystem.

The partnership will enable GroupM to access anonymised and indexed consumer insights based on real transactions which are then enhanced with geo-based signals, all of which are fully compliant with personal data privacy standards. These include data categories like cuisine preference, frequently travelled points of interest, and spend attributes. 

These geo-based first-party audience insights will enable more precise targeting capabilities for GroupM’s clients, that they can leverage to further optimise their media strategies and achieve marketing objectives. Brands will also benefit from full-funnel marketing capabilities with GrabAds’ RMN ecosystem, to maximise advertising spend for brand-building and sales objectives. 

It is worth noting that GroupM and GrabAds have been working together since 2021 to help advertisers harness retail media more effectively. With this expanded partnership, GroupM clients will continue to benefit from GrabAds’ existing and upcoming innovative omnichannel advertising offerings, including native advertising formats exclusive to Grab, data-driven campaigns, offline fleet placements, and programmatic buying capabilities. 

GroupM and GrabAds will also co-innovate on advertising solutions and media strategies. This collaboration will provide GroupM clients across sectors with early access to integration benefits and testing opportunities, enhancing their advertising effectiveness.

Anita Munro, chief investment officer at GroupM Asia-Pacific, said, “We embarked on this partnership with Grab given our confidence in their ability to work together with us to unlock market-leading advantage and value for clients in the evolving advertising landscape. As we continue to build and invest in a high-quality media ecosystem that is diverse, sustainable and audience-first, we are excited at the opportunity Grab presents with rich first-party audience insights and their strength as a platform that serves advertiser needs to connect the online to offline consumer journey. Multiple elements of the partnership will come together to accelerate growth for our clients including data, geo and audience-based expertise and more.”

Meanwhile, Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and enterprise at Grab, commented, “We are excited to continue working alongside GroupM to help their clients unlock the true potential of retail media advertising, whether that’s crafting full-funnel campaigns or providing more precise means of measuring advertising returns. By combining GroupM’s scale, commitment to innovation and client-first mindset with our superior RMN capabilities, we are well-positioned to help GroupM clients drive accelerated growth in Southeast Asia.”

Singapore – Grab and Coca-Cola are advancing their strategic partnership in Southeast Asia to better engage today’s increasingly hybrid shoppers. The partnership will combine Coca-Cola extensive offline retail presence with Grab’s expansive online network to create unique experiences for consumers to better enjoy Coca-Cola beverages. 

This marks a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between the two companies, which is dedicated to driving customer value and unlocking growth opportunities for Coca-Cola as well as their merchants and distributors in the region. 

Coca-Cola will collaborate with Grab on various regional campaigns and initiatives that cover both online and offline channels, leveraging GrabAds’ comprehensive full-funnel retail media ecosystem. Coca-Cola will also tap into GrabAds’ first-party transaction data for precise audience profiling tailored to its target segments and to employ the platform’s innovative online-to-offline (O2O) ad formats for creative campaigns designed to boost engagement and sales. 

As part of the expanded partnership, Coca-Cola will continue to roll out the Foodmarks campaign on Grab across several Southeast Asian cities. The campaign invites users to discover hidden street food landmarks – or Foodmarks for short – in participating cities via the Grab app. 

Whether dining out by booking a Grab ride or ordering in with GrabFood, users can enjoy a perfect blend of delicious street food and refreshing Coca-Cola, bundled together in special combos by featured merchants. This campaign is executed through a series of in-app masthead and native ads, targeting users looking for new dining options.

Coca-Cola is also collaborating with Grab to help merchant-partners boost sales via omnichannel campaigns. This includes a video campaign leveraged by Coca-Cola sales teams to help merchants design and utilise Coca-Cola online bundles on Grab, which can be further amplified through GrabAds, including through product sampling. 

Initial campaigns have already demonstrated positive results: for instance, a product sampling campaign for Lemon Dou done in March this year within Metro Manila, Philippines, saw the delivery of 50,000 samples of Coke Zero via GrabFood merchants, yielding strong engagement. Coca-Cola also launched a car icon branding campaign in Vietnam early this year where Coca-Cola icon replaced Grab’s green rider icon, and appeared on real-time delivery maps. 

Lastly, Coca-Cola and Grab have also partnered on the Coke&Go campaign, which brings together convenience and seamless purchasing to tech-savvy consumers across Singapore. The initiative allows consumers to utilise the Grab app to make purchases from Coca-Cola physical smart coolers by scanning a QR code. Purchases can be seamlessly completed via cashless payment methods linked to consumers’ Grab accounts. Coke&Go is projected to deploy several hundred units across Singapore by early next year, with plans for regional expansion informed by consumer response. 

Sam Way, vice president of digital acceleration office at Coca-Cola ASEAN & South Pacific, said, “We are excited to take our partnership with Grab to the next level. In line with Coca-Cola commitment to growth, innovation and customer satisfaction, leveraging GrabAds’ retail media platform will help us boost our online presence to complement our robust offline retail network. With the digital population booming in Southeast Asia, this partnership will enable merchants to strengthen their online visibility, attract hybrid shoppers, and create deeper connections with the Coca-Cola brand across touchpoints.”

Meanwhile, Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and enterprise, commented, “Coca-Cola has been a long-standing and valued partner of Grab, and we are thrilled to deepen our partnership with new and exciting co-created campaigns. To achieve full-funnel impact, it is crucial that merchant-partners are present where the consumers are, whether that’s online or offline. This also includes taking advantage of O2O platforms like ours to deliver innovative omnichannel experiences that not only drive tangible business results but build brand loyalty.” 

When it comes to hyperlocalised advertising for consumers, retail media networks (RMNs) are one of those channels that many marketers are slowly adopting as part of their marketing strategies to target consumers who already have the buying mindset. 

Unlike other forms of digital advertising–such as social media marketing–retail media ads are shown to people right when they’re ready to buy. And brands love this because it means they’re reaching people who are already in a buying mindset.

Now, for brands and advertisers, RMNs are becoming a must-have, not just a nice-to-have. They’re investing a lot into them because they get access to super-targeted audiences without having to rely on third-party cookies or worry about data privacy issues. The question is: how can marketers in Southeast Asia make the most out of RMNs for their marketing strategies?

In our latest What’s NEXT in Marketing interview, we recently sat down with Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and enterprise at Grab to discuss the unique capabilities of RMNs and what benefits of using them are critical to success in today’s complex digital advertising landscape. 

Increased usage of rich first-party data

For Ken, the rise of RMNs in Southeast Asia is a strategic response to evolving consumer expectations and industry challenges by brands and advertisers. Moreover, the industry increasingly recognise RMNs’ unique capabilities, which offer several benefits critical to success in today’s complex digital advertising landscape–including its rich first-party data.

“With consumers today becoming increasingly data privacy-conscious, the limitations of traditional digital advertising channels like Search and Social are becoming increasingly apparent regarding data. RMNs offer a paradigm shift by leveraging rich first-party data obtained directly from user interactions within the platform ecosystem,” he said.

Another key capability for RMNs is measurement, and is especially relevant for marketers amidst a continued trend of shrinking ad budgets. 

“RMNs can ‘close the loop’ from consumers viewing an ad to a potential sales conversion, giving brands the ability to measure the precise impact of an ad campaign. In comparison, measuring returns on ad spend on other channels like social networks or influencer campaigns, can be inaccurate, because they occur in different contexts and across different platforms. 

With these capabilities in mind, Ken notes that these capabilities are especially important in Southeast Asia where consumers prioritise seamless, convenient shopping experiences. Citing their recent research alongside Kantar, he notes that around 61% of Southeast Asians surveyed said it was very important to have products or services that can anticipate their needs, higher than the global figure (52%). 

As such, RMNs are well-positioned to continue growing in adoption and prominence in the region in the next few years.

“With first-party data and the ability to ‘close the loop’, RMNs can help brands and advertisers serve products and services with precision in the right context and time, delivering effective campaigns that are also measurable,” he added.

Continued traction despite being nascent

One of the biggest factors contributing to the success of RMNs in Southeast Asia is the region’s digitally-savvy population primed for speed and convenience. With smartphones as their primary device, consumers seek quick, streamlined shopping experiences that can promptly deliver products right into their hands.

Citing their study with Kantar once again, he notes that 2 in 3 Southeast Asians prioritise having on-demand access to products and services, in which superapp RMNs in particular are able to deliver through an integrated ecosystem of services covering all purchasing stages – from discovery right through to last-mile delivery.

Another factor contributing to RMN success in SEA is shopping being transformed into a hybrid experience, noting that around 79% of surveyed Southeast Asians utilised online and offline retail channels simultaneously.

“This is where superapp RMNs in particular shine – whether through digital in-app promotions or out-of-home assets like product sampling or car fleet wraps – superapp RMNs allow brands to design creative full-funnel campaigns that combine online and offline touchpoints across the consumer’s entire buying journey,” Ken explained.

RMNs–despite significantly gaining traction in Southeast Asia–remain a relatively nascent domain that advertisers are still experimenting with. Nonetheless, Ken explains that year-on-year growth in total RMN ad spend in the region is forecasted to increase from 8% in 2024 to 11% in 2030, a widespread shift towards precision, relevance, effectiveness, and consumer-centric strategies in digital advertising.

“This will bring forth more data-driven campaigns that will not only arm brands with the ability to reach the right audience at the right time, but also unlock infinite possibilities for omnichannel consumer engagement throughout their daily lives,” he said.

Ken also added that looking ahead, he believes that retail is just the start, and that the industry is already seeing vertical media networks emerging across many sectors, including travel, hospitality, and health and wellness. 

“No matter the vertical, capitalising on this vital channel ultimately requires brands to focus on consumer-centric media strategies and choose the right partners equipped with essential RMN capabilities – first-party data, a substantial audience, and the ability to ‘close the loop’ – to create high-impact campaigns that make the best of RMNs,” he noted.

RMN strategy means going full-funnel

To make the most of their RMN investments, Ken advises brands to be timely and relevant on said investments by leveraging insights from the rich first-party data obtained directly from user interactions within the platform ecosystem. Said invaluable data enables brands to deliver highly targeted and personalised advertising experiences that resonate with audiences at critical moments.

“Beyond elevating the relevance of the brand’s product or service, this will also position the brand more favourably as functional, amplifying the campaign’s impact on long-term brand building,” Ken stated.

He also added that brands should go full-funnel with their RMN strategy, meaning brands should harness the omnichannel nature of RMNs to extend their reach beyond digital, opening up new opportunities for broader reach through enhanced targeting capabilities and diverse ad formats.

“This also augments measurement, where the online-to-offline ecosystem of RMNs allows brands to capture more comprehensive metrics across the ecosystem – whether that’s ad clicks, product samples received or purchases in-store – for better campaign optimisation,” he said.

While all of the aforementioned strategies revolve around the technicalities of implementing RMNs, Ken also stresses the importance of creativity, which also plays a crucial role in helping brands stand out in a crowded advertising landscape. For him, in order to surprise and delight consumers, brands have to craft unique, immersive experiences that surpass communicating brand messages on a screen.

A sample of this is GrabAds’ work with Wonda Coffee which transformed consumers’ car rides into complete sensorial experiences. The campaign featured 3D coffee cans atop the Grab cars, passengers were greeted by the Wonda jingle and the aroma of roasted coffee beans within the cars, while an in-car QR code offered a free can of coffee for sampling. 

“RMNs offer a multitude of ad formats, allowing marketers to seamlessly blend online and offline spaces into a unique experience – which is critical for awareness and discovery campaigns to be successful,” Ken stated.

While keeping in mind all of these strategies, he also shares that no two markets are identical when determining the success and effectiveness of RMNs, as unique local contexts play a crucial role in shaping each market’s distinct needs. While the region presents ripe opportunities for RMN players, it is worth noting that not all RMNs are created equal, nor present the right fit for every occasion. 

With that in mind, marketers have to consider each platform’s users and whether they align with their brand’s target audience segments.

“Superapp RMNs are ideal for brands seeking full-funnel solutions to reach consumers across their buying journey from discovery to purchase, while social media RMNs are often better suited for awareness campaigns due to their reliance on user-generated content.” Ken further explains.

RMNs’ impact in performance marketing

When asked about the importance and impact in performance marketing, Ken notes that RMNs have mostly been known for their strength in ‘performance marketing’—basically, they are great at driving conversions and getting people to buy right away. But the reality is that RMNs have evolved beyond just being a last-step push.

“Although RMNs are often recognised as a performance channel, they are in fact a full-funnel solution that offers valuable opportunities across every stage, from brand building and discovery at the top to conversion at the bottom of the funnel,” he said.

An example of this in motion was during GrabAds’ work with fast-food chain Lotteria in Vietnam, which delivered a 9.3x increase in sales for every dollar spent and brought in over 8,000 new customers. In the campaign, by targeting new and existing customers across every stage of the purchase journey with a mix of video, banner, search, in-transit and other ad formats, the campaign drove a 13% uplift in ad recall and 8% uplift in purchase intent.

“This shows that RMNs can achieve dual objectives of brand building and performance within a single campaign,” he said.

In order to unlock the power of full-funnel in RMNs, Ken suggest brands to ask themselves the following questions:

  • How is your brand leveraging the diverse online and offline ad formats in creative strategies to better drive brand messaging traction?
  • How is your brand tapping into real-world transaction data to identify the right consumer segments to reach?
  • How is your brand using the online and offline metrics tracked by the RMN platform to create a unified measurement plan that allows you to discern return on investment from campaigns?

“These questions, once answered, will help brands deliver greater impact across the funnel with campaigns that go beyond just performance,” he stated.

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As big retailers and superapps find themselves sitting on a mountain of data, a majority of them are now using it to help brands get in front of people right when it matters most. With that, the impact RMNs are having is huge, and they’re only becoming more essential for brands that want to connect with shoppers in a smarter, more direct way. Retail media isn’t just a trend; it’s becoming a core part of how we shop and how brands reach us.

Manila, Philippines – Turning 45 is a milestone in itself, but global Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee wanted their fans in on the celebration – with the help of its iconic red bee mascot. To celebrate its 45th birthday in style, Jollibee partnered with GrabAds, the advertising arm of Southeast Asian superapp, Grab, for a dynamic and innovative full-funnel campaign. 

The month-long campaign, ‘Jollibee’s 45th Birthday Blowout’, ran from October to November 2023 and leveraged GrabAds’ diverse advertising formats to ignite customer excitement, boost purchase intent, and drive more sales. The campaign resulted in a 25x return on ad spend (ROAS).

The objective: Deliver a nationwide celebration for Jollibee via Grabads 

Tapping into the unique ecosystem features and capabilities of GrabAds’ retail media network (RMN), including rich first-party transaction data, Jollibee ads were strategically served to consumers who had the intent to order food on Grab, making them more likely to seek out Jollibee’s offers.

Jollibee’s campaign with GrabAds also tapped into creative ad formats on the Grab platform, including GrabFood pop-ups, Masthead, and Native Homepage ads. The key campaign highlight was the delivery icon branding, which replaced Grab’s green rider icon that shows the real-time location of the delivery-partner, with Jollibee’s well-beloved red bee mascot.

These ads targeted hungry Filipinos across different stages of their buying journey – from discovery to purchase. Customers were also treated with freebies from Jollibee such as fries, pancakes, peach mango pie and Coke Float when they spent a minimum of PHP500 on Jollibee on GrabFood as part of the celebration during the campaign period.

Gianfranco Go, senior marketing manager at Jollibee Food Corporation, said, “Turning 45 is a huge milestone for Jollibee. As a Philippines’ homegrown brand, we wanted this birthday to be a national celebration. We were thrilled to see the fantastic results from the campaign with GrabAds. Their creative use of our iconic Jollibee mascot brought the campaign to life, truly resonating with our customers and driving strong engagement.”

He added, “This digital activation campaign is a first of its kind in the Philippines’ quick service restaurant industry, and we look forward to collaborating with GrabAds again for more innovative ad campaigns in the future.”

The results: Achieving 2.2x increase in purchase intent compared to Kantar norms 

Over the one-month campaign, Jollibee successfully celebrated its 45th birthday across multiple ad touchpoints on Grab, leading to a 2.2-fold increase in purchase intent. The campaign achieved remarkable success in driving recommendations, likely attributed to Jollibee being a well-loved local brand in the Philippines. The brand’s embodiment of Filipino identity and culture resonated strongly with the local audience, particularly with the emphasis on celebrating Jollibee’s birthday, potentially driving the audience to recommend Jollibee.

Jollibee was also able to achieve both brand-building and performance goals with a single campaign, according to a brand lift study conducted with Kantar, one of the world’s leading media insights and research for advertising. Key results included:

  • 25 times return on advertising spend (ROAS)
  • 13% uplift in platform sales
  • 17% increase in ad recall, which is 3 times higher than Kantar norms
  • 8% increase in purchase intent, which is 2 times higher than Kantar norms 

Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and enterprise, commented, “It was a pleasure to have teamed up with Jollibee for their 45th birthday celebration to design a bespoke birthday campaign, which of course featured their iconic red bee mascot. This campaign was built on GrabAds’ unique retail media ecosystem, which made it possible to offer our customers innovative ad formats like delivery icon branding and a full-funnel campaign that engaged consumers across their buying journey.”

He added, “With first-party data that is powered by real consumer transactions, we were able to strategically target consumers who were already looking for something to eat, resulting in a strong uplift in both purchase intent and platform sales, and highlighting the success of our collaboration.”

Singapore –  Reckitt has teamed up with GrabAds, the advertising arm of Grab, to elevate brand visibility and drive sales across Southeast Asia by harnessing GrabAds’ retail media network (RMN) capabilities.

The partnership allows Reckitt’s health, hygiene, and nutrition brands, including Dettol, Enfagrow, Strepsils, Durex, and Gaviscon, to leverage GrabAds’ first-party data and innovative ad formats to precisely target consumers and enhance marketing across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

With GrabAds’ RMN capabilities, Reckitt brands can precisely target high-value Grab consumers while tapping into Grab’s broader online-to-offline (O2O) ecosystem, including GrabMart and its delivery network, for instant product delivery to consumers.

The campaigns will also tap into GrabAds’ full-funnel ecosystem to maximise brand visibility and drive sales across key consumer touchpoints, from in-app discovery to purchase and offline delivery. Using first-party data, Reckitt can target specific consumer segments at optimal moments, utilising ad placements like native ads and search ads within the Grab platform.

Reckitt is the first partner to pilot GrabAds’ newest search ad format. Through this collaboration, Reckitt brands will gain access to real-time reporting for search keyword optimisation, improving overall campaign performance.

Ashleen Ngion, regional eCommerce director (ASEAN, Japan, and Korea) at Reckitt, said, “This strategic partnership with Grab aligns greatly with our guiding compass of putting consumers and people first. By being where consumers are and engaging with them, our brands—Dettol, Enfagrow, Strepsils, Durex, and Gaviscon—will become more accessible through Grab.” 

“As an organisation with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and always seeking new growth opportunities, we believe leveraging the retail media capabilities of GrabAds will allow us to unlock more precision targeting capabilities and grow brand penetration. We are excited to build more shared success with Grab and pioneer new initiatives,” Ngion added. 

Reckitt’s partnership with GrabAds kicked off with a regional Valentine’s Day campaign for Durex. In-app banners on Home Feed, GrabMart, and other Grab Marketing Solutions used first-party data to target purchase-ready consumers, boosting both awareness and sales. 

“Our partnership with Reckitt, the first of its kind with non-food adjacent FMCG brands, represents a pivotal milestone for GrabAds as we enhance our service to the FMCG sector. This collaboration is designed to support Reckitt in optimising its digital marketing strategies and accelerating growth across Southeast Asia with innovative and creative campaigns that deliver comprehensive, full-funnel impact,” said Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and enterprise at Grab.

“In a competitive FMCG landscape, brands can differentiate themselves by aligning with evolving consumer behaviours and preferences, including providing desired products on-demand and enhancing the last-mile delivery experience,” he added. 

The partnership between GrabAds and Reckitt reflects a growing trend of FMCG brands like Reckitt turning to RMNs for growth. Advertising spend on RMNs in Southeast Asia is expected to reach US$4.7 billion by 2030, according to a recent GrabAds and Kantar study.

In the industry’s continued quest to find new channels to deliver effective campaigns to consumers, retail media networks (RMNs) have proven to be able to cut through the noise and able to stand out to consumers and deliver results. This is especially evident with the continued popularity of RMNs for marketers in Southeast Asia, with the latest report from GrabAds and Kantar noting that advertising spend on RMNs in the region is forecast to grow US$4.b by 2030.

The report also highlighted the importance of superapps in boosting RMN ad spend amongst SEA marketers, stating that superapp RMNs are well-positioned to serve the consumer needs with their O2O full-funnel ecosystem powered by first-party data.

To better understand how RMNs became a popular advertising platform for marketers in the region–and how brands and advertisers should approach them–MARKETECH APAC recently spoke exclusively to Ken Mandel, regional managing director and head of GrabAds and brand insights at Grab to learn more about the benefits of RMNs for advertisers and what case studies should the industry note in terms of RMN application.

Understanding regional factors that amplified RMNs

For Mandel, while retail media networks (RMNs) development differ from one region to another, he noted that Southeast Asia’s fast-growing digital economy and increasingly tech-savvy population primed for speed and convenience have made the region a fertile ground for the rapid growth of retail media networks (RMNs).

This is then highlighted by their recent study alongside Kantar that noted the total advertising (ad) spend on RMNs in Southeast Asia is projected to grow by 8% year-on-year in 2024, with year-on-year growth forecasted to be higher or consistent with global growth figures till 2030. 

“Such market nuances are shaped by consumer preferences and behaviour. For instance, our study shows that 2 out of 3 Southeast Asians surveyed prioritise having products and services on-demand. This suggests that consumers in the region demand seamless, convenient experiences that get desired products into their hands quickly,” he stated.

He also noted how superapps much like Grab have also emerged as an integral aspect of consumers’ daily lives, and are able to seamlessly bridge the entire retail experience from discovery to purchase and delivery.

“One in two Southeast Asians utilises superapps for their everyday online and offline activities, according to our study with Kantar. The integrated RMN ecosystem with its multiple services allows RMNs to collect first-party transaction data across the platform beyond simply purchasing habits, providing holistic user understanding for brands to build more effective targeting parameters,” Mandel added.

How RMNs are delivering effective advertising campaigns

To begin with, Mandel notes that RMNs allow brands and advertisers to benefit from a full-funnel sales flywheel that achieves both top and bottom-funnel objectives. For him, they are powered by first-party transaction data and solution-oriented ads, allowing advertisers to serve highly relevant ads to customers that meet their needs and behaviour across their buying journey.

“Essentially, RMN ads reach consumers who are already in a buying or discovery mindset and provide a suitable product solution for the right occasion. As a result, consumers are more receptive towards RMN ads, as they are perceived as less intrusive and more trustworthy,” he explained.

It is also worth noting that in the same study they conducted alongside Kantar, it noted that RMNs ranked first in online media channel equity, which measures consumers’ receptivity to advertising messages across different online media channels. 

“RMNs are able to deliver strong performance marketing results, thanks to three key ingredients – first-party data, a sizable audience and the ability to close the loop between consumer intent and purchase. This means that advertisers can attribute sales to their media dollars,” he also stated.

Mandel also highlighted how superapp RMNs in particular can reach and measure both offline and online behaviours and transactions, thanks to their unique online-to-offline ecosystems. 

For instance, on Grab’s case, they were able to work with juice brand Sunquick to serve ad banners offering a free sample of Sunquick’s new Mango cordial. Through this campaign, clicking into the ads would take shoppers to GrabMart where everyone who bought an item would have a bottle of Sunquick Mango cordial added to their basket. Moreover, they have also worked with DBS when they curated an omnichannel campaign with offline fleet ads and in-transit online ads on the Grab app.

“Superapp RMNs are not just pure performance marketing channels. According to the latest Grab Food and Delivery Trends 2023 report, 66% of our consumers come to Grab without a specific store in mind, and 91% of them have used the Grab app to discover new restaurants or stores. This means that consumers also leverage RMNs for discovery, which opens up opportunities for upper-funnel brand building,” he said.

Understanding how superapp RMNs are supporting contextual advertising

Speaking of superapps, Mandel notes that the integrated RMN ecosystem with its multiple services on superapps allows RMNs to collect first-party transaction data across the platform beyond simply purchasing habits, providing holistic user understanding for brands to build more effective targeting parameters.

Moreover, it is also worth mentioning that the superapp’s integrated payment systems also make it possible to track offline transactions if users pay using the platform, allowing brands to better attribute sales to advertising dollars.

“Superapp RMNs like Grab bridge the online to offline with their comprehensive ecosystem. GrabAds offers advertisers offline assets such as product sampling, in-car branding or car wraps to deliver an integrated campaign across multiple channels. This is key to designing more effective ad campaigns as our report with Kantar reveals that using both online and offline channels improves positive ad receptivity by 5%,” he explained.

He also added how superapps are able to provide first-party transaction data, which reflects the true commercial intention of a consumer. For them, this helps brands and advertisers identify consumer personas and audience segments based on actual behaviour and transactions. 

In their own case, they have identified so-called ‘Chief Family Officers; (CFOs) as a specific, high-value segment of their users on the Grab platform based on indicative purchasing behaviour. According to Mandel, their behaviour within their app offers many opportunities for advertisers to do so, since they spend 2.1 times more monthly and use delivery services 1.9 times more frequently than the average Grab user.

“Advertisers looking to reach CFOs can consider promoting family-related products catering to their needs. Ultimately, high-resolution user profiling with superapp RMNs allows brands to create more targeted campaigns that resonate with specific user segments,” he said.

Advice for advertisers tapping RMNs for the first time

“if you’re not in the game, you can’t play”: this was the number one advice Mandel offered to brands if they want to explore RMNs for the first time. For him, whilst RMNs provide a lucrative opportunity for advertisers to expand their reach, one should also know their perfect RMN match.

“It is also important to partner with the right RMN players. While there are diverse retail media platforms in Southeast Asia, advertisers should look out for three key ingredients when deciding which platform to work with: first-party data, a sizable audience and the ability to ‘close the loop’,” he said.

Mandel also added, “Most importantly, brands should not focus only on bottom-funnel opportunities. RMNs are full-funnel solutions, and advertisers should consider how they can utilise the capabilities of RMNs across the funnel with the consumer in the middle.”

With RMNs continuing to be a promising advertising platform for marketers in Southeast Asia, it’s also important to understand that tapping into this new type of platform requires both an understanding of how your brand would be relevant to users, especially those who are using superapps on a regular basis. With consumer behaviour being more manifested on online platforms, RMNs–whether on social media or on e-commerce platforms–is a great opportunity for advertisers to ride on whilst understanding better consumers on a contextual basis.

Singapore – Advertising spend on retail media networks (RMNs) in Southeast Asia is projected to hit US$4.b by 2030, underscoring the increasing significance of RMNs as a pivotal channel for advertising by marketers in the region. This is based on the latest study by GrabAds and Kantar.

Globally, RMN ad spend is expected to surge by 73% in the next seven years, surpassing growth rates in search (47%) and social (45%).

The study also reveals that year-on-year growth of RMN ad spend in Southeast Asia is forecast to be higher or consistent with the growth being seen globally. The study also notes that Southeast Asian marketers will prioritise investments towards RMN channels this year, with year-on-year ad spend growth projected to increase from 8% in 2024 to 11 % in 2030.

Ad spend growth on RMNs in each of the Southeast Asian countries is also projected to grow higher than the global growth index, with Indonesia leading the pack with a forecasted growth of 219% from 2023 to 2030. Indonesia is also projected to have a CAGR of 13.41%, which is around 1.9x higher than the projected global rate.

Moreover, said study reveals the four main types of RMNs in Southeast Asia- social media RMNs, which are digital marketplaces within social media platforms; e-commerce RMNs, digital retail marketplaces that offer advertising spaces; large retailer RMNs, which differ from e-commerce RMNs by nature of their physical retail spaces; and superapp RMNs, which consist of an ecosystem of services. 

The increasing share of RMNs in marketers’ media mix over the next 7 years is also propelled by the unique market dynamics in Southeast Asia. The study also highlighted that 2 out of 3 Southeast Asians find it important to have products and services on demand. 61% also shared that it is very important to have products or services to anticipate their needs, compared to the global figure of 52%. 

This suggests that Southeast Asian consumers prefer seamless, convenient transactions that fulfil their needs quickly. Superapp RMNs are well-positioned to serve these consumer needs with their O2O full-funnel ecosystem powered by first-party data.

Ken Mandel, regional managing director at GrabAds and brand insights at Grab, said, “Tomorrow’s hybrid shopper will look very different from today’s shopper. Marketers are tasked with the arduous task of identifying the right ads to serve at the right time to the right consumers to value-add to the buying or discovery experience.”

He added, “RMNs provide a full-funnel sales flywheel to help marketers do just that – first-party transaction data from RMNs inform marketers of users’ real needs and interests, thereby delivering ads that provide a suitable solution for the right occasion, while their full-funnel ecosystem allows marketers to close the loop and track return on investments accurately. As marketers increasingly invest in this emerging channel, it is crucial to design ad campaigns that leverage RMNs’ unique features, creating immersive experiences that extend beyond the conventional buying journey to also include loyalty and advocacy.”

Meanwhile, Katie McClintock, regional managing director at Kantar, commented, “RMNs allow marketers to serve highly relevant ads to consumers by showcasing products and brands that cater to their immediate needs and behaviour across the buying journey. This approach to advertising adds value to consumers rather than disrupting the browsing experience.”

She added, “Keeping up with consumer habits and behaviour is the only way for brands to be meaningfully different, and we at Kantar believe that RMNs, with first-party data informed by real consumer transactions, can give brands the tools they need to provide greater value for consumers and build strong brand differentiation.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Grab has unveiled its latest collaboration with Jaya Grocer, Malaysia’s leading mass-premium supermarket chain. Now, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands retailing under Jaya Grocer can leverage GrabAds, Grab’s advertising arm, for a unified omnichannel advertising solution. 

This marks the seamless integration of GrabMart’s online retail presence with Jaya Grocer’s offline presence comprising 50 physical stores across Malaysia. Whether it is about helping brands increase visibility, boost sales or simply build brand, Grab and Jaya Grocer are elevating their commitment through this online-to-offline (O2O) integration to deliver unparalleled value to FMCG players retailing under the supermarket chain.

Amongst the notable brands under Jaya Grocer who have leveraged this omnichannel advertising solution via a GrabAds campaign is leading healthy cheese brand, The Laughing Cow. The brand successfully attributed majority of its offline sales at Jaya Grocer to its online awareness campaign on GrabAds during the campaign period.

Grab and Jaya Grocer in 2021, have been working together to bring the convenience of on-demand grocery delivery to more consumers in Malaysia. In 2022, Grab and Jaya Grocer announced the rollout of GrabPay and GrabRewards across all Jaya Grocer physical retail stores, and the subsequent folding of Jaya Grocer’s loyalty programme with any Grab user in 2023. This integration, which now includes GrabAds, will allow FMCG brands to reap even more benefits from the Grab ecosystem.

Dave Yang, regional head of sales and GTM at GrabAds, said, “As consumers make purchases in stores while maintaining online shopping habits, it is imperative for brands to consider the entire omnichannel consumer journey when closing the loop from awareness to purchase.”

He added, “Retail media networks like GrabAds enable brands to build such O2O advertising campaigns seamlessly, thanks to our comprehensive ad ecosystem – from online search ads to offline fleet wraps. We are only strengthening our O2O capabilities with the integration of Jaya Grocer. GrabAds looks forward to working with more FMCG brands on innovative O2O campaigns.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Teng, deputy chief executive officer at Jaya Grocer, commented, “We are thrilled to see the continued impact of our integration with Grab, particularly for the FMCG brands retailing under Jaya Grocer. The promising landscape of on-demand grocery services in Malaysia, where many consumers prefer a seamless blend of online and offline shopping, makes this partnership more significant than ever. Our collaboration with Grab will allow Jaya Grocer to tap into an active consumer base shopping online and offline, contributing to the growth trajectory of our (Jaya Grocer’s) business in Malaysia.”

Singapore – GrabAds’ “Marketing Manager”, its web-based marketing platform dedicated to SMEs, is now available on mobile in a bid to help SMEs in the Southeast Asia region to boost their sales. The platform was previously launched in June 2023.

‘Marketing Manager; has also introduced the all-new “spotlight campaigns” feature, exclusively for mobile, where Grab curates specially designed campaigns – often only for a limited time- to assist merchants in maximising visibility and enhancing sales conversions. 

Through this feature, merchants can strategically reserve high-visibility spaces for their stores, exclusively within Grab-hosted campaigns, increasing exposure and driving sales with a single, impactful campaign.

Moreover, MSME merchants on Grab can also use Marketing Manager’s newly enhanced features to drive more sales, including ease of creating ads based on their target audience requirements and sales goals; real-time reports help merchants readily gain insights into how successful their campaigns are; and ability for merchants to only pay for successful orders on a cost-per-order (CPO) basis.

Ken Mandel, regional head of GrabAds and Brand Insights, said, “GrabAds is committed to providing self-serve solutions to help our MSME merchant partners promote their products and drive more sales for their business through Grab. MSME merchants juggle various roles–from chef to bookkeeper, accountant and marketer– which necessitates their need for an easy-to-use, flexible yet effective marketing tool.”

He added, “When we conducted our own survey among our merchants, nearly half the merchants said that they prioritise conversion and cost when selecting an ad platform, which is why the latest features on Marketing Manager on mobile address the everyday challenges that our MSME merchants face.”

‘Marketing Manager’ on mobile is designed for merchants looking for straightforward and swift campaigns on mobile, providing a user-friendly option and is now available in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam. 

Meanwhile, for businesses in need of more advanced tools, the web-based Marketing Manager Pro offers more comprehensive features suited for digitally savvy merchants seeking greater customisation for their ad campaigns. 

GrabAds’ recent Southeast Asia Travel Insights 2023 report revealed that 72% of its in-app survey respondents are eager to travel abroad over the next 12 months. This number marks a substantial 84% increase since the reopening of borders – in just one year. This is a promising sign for brands in the travel and hospitality sector: it’s clear Southeast Asia’s travel resurgence remains underway – and primed to grow as Southeast Asia approaches the year-end festive period. 

With most Southeast Asian travellers now part of a growing middle-class, and are more digitally savvy, this new breed of travellers is not only shifting their spending online but gathering information via offline and online channels to explore options for their travel destinations. There are many opportunities for brands who understand the region’s hyperlocal insights to effectively target today’s Southeast Asian travellers. Here’s how brands can better prepare themselves to capture the year-end travel wave, based on GrabAds’ latest Travel Insights report:

Offering families a no-frills, no fuss and ‘stress-free’ travel experience

Families represent one of the most significant audience segments for 2023 travel, with 86% of those who plan to travel looking to go on at least one trip with others. With most schools across Southeast Asia closing for the year-end holidays, this is a high-value segment brands should look to prioritise. 

Based on GrabAds data, those travelling with families emphasised safety and convenience as top priorities. For example, when booking rooms, these travellers prefer having a family suite (65%), child-friendly amenities (58%) and child-proofing (43%). Group travelling can be tough in itself, what more with children along for the ride. Brands looking to win the wallets of family travellers need to convey a sense of comfort and assurance through their services – some ways of doing so include offering packages or services catered to 2 or 5 pax for greater planning convenience, and playing up family-friendly offerings in advertising campaigns. Through such efforts, brands can position themselves as trusted partners for such family travellers, setting the foundation for repeat business down the line. 

Present offers early as most travellers are planning ahead

Travellers are planning ahead more than usual. In fact, 86% of domestic travellers and 78% of international travellers mentioned that they’d prefer to book their own flights and rooms and are likely to use local operators for activities. This opens up upselling opportunities to travel industry players across the spectrum of travel activities. This includes airline companies and hotel chains that could influence travellers’ decision-making at the beginning stages of itinerary planning by featuring activity packages on their pages or apps. Hotels and travel agencies can also consider providing curated tours as an additional perk to guests, from downloadable recommended travel itineraries to help travellers plan their trips better, to even having the concierge assist them with on-demand ground arrangements.

With 47% of Southeast Asian travellers preferring to stick to their budgets, the trick to effective upselling is to engage travellers early. Brands can consider providing helpful tips and travel hacks early into the planning phase while incorporating how their products and services can help travellers have fun yet safe experiences in their marketing messages. This will ensure travellers factor these potential purchases into their budgets well before it’s fixed. 

More travellers are now investing in essentials for worry-free wanderlust

Travel insurance is becoming an absolute must-have – no doubt due to the Southeast Asian traveller’s preference for no surprises and the post-pandemic need for peace of mind. According to GrabAds data, the percentage of people likely to purchase travel insurance has almost doubled, rising from 36% in 2021 to 62% in 2023.

It will be important for travel insurance brands to address concerns about personal accidents, medical costs or lost baggage in order to resonate with potential travellers – and most importantly, help travellers gain a sense of security and peace of mind during their holidays. 

Repeat travel means more chances to build on loyalty

A 2023 customer intelligence report revealed that 9 out of 10 consumers in the Asia Pacific prefer to shop when a brand offers a loyalty programme. Yet, GrabAds data revealed that over two-thirds of Southeast Asians are unaware that such programmes exist when booking travel accommodations.

This presents an opportunity to educate potential travellers about hotel loyalty programmes and their advantages. To achieve broader reach, for instance, brands could work with non-travel partners in the region, such as superapps or other retail media platforms, to create gamified or incentivised campaigns with user-friendly redemption mechanisms. 

With leisure travellers looking at around three trips in the next 12 months, the current landscape indicates a promising prospect for travel and hospitality brands to embark on these educational campaigns to encourage traveller loyalty. The upcoming festive travel peak is as good a time as any to start. In the long term, such efforts to reach and engage with travellers with a high propensity for repeat business are likely to yield a higher return on investment.

Hyperlocal insights to stay on top of the year-end battleground 

In the modern travel landscape, travellers are in pursuit of more than just a transactional interaction with brands, beyond mere transportation or bed and breakfast – the latest GrabAds data from its users reveal that the travel experience today’s Southeast Asian consumers are now looking for encompasses everything from pre-trip discovery, extending through to post-care and loyalty schemes for travellers.

To cover the entire spectrum of experience, brands should turn to data and insights to transform their offerings and reinvent the ways in which they reach out to travellers, anticipate their needs and address their concerns. As a matter of fact, these insights are now more readily available than ever with travellers discovering brands and making purchases online. 

The year-end festive period will be the next key battleground for travel and hospitality brands looking to capture travellers’ hearts. Looking ahead, the real challenge for brands is not merely tapping into this demand, but building long-term connections with consumers that come back time and again for their travel needs. 

It is through understanding local trends, cultural nuances and hyperlocal dynamics, that brands can more effectively serve as the ideal companion travellers need in their pursuit of an authentic, superior travel experience – both right now and in the future. 

This article is written by Jennie Johnson, Head of Marketing, GrabAds

The insight is published as part of MARKETECH APAC’s thought leadership series under What’s NEXT 2023-2024What’s NEXT 2023-2024 is a multi-platform industry initiative which features marketing and industry leaders in APAC sharing their marketing insights and predictions for the upcoming year.