Tag: GroupM

Singapore – IT service and consulting firm SeenThis has announced a global partnership with GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, with the goal of reducing and avoiding unnecessary carbon emissions from digital advertising.

The collaboration will enable GroupM and its agencies to leverage SeenThis’ expertise and proprietary technology to manage and minimize carbon emissions from creative delivery while improving the performance of display advertising campaigns.

Initially, GroupM’s agencies will use the SeenThis emissions dashboard to measure data transfer and create deeper understanding of campaign emissions; ultimately, the data will be integrated directly into GroupM’s tools to enable the planning of display campaigns.

GroupM and SeenThis will also align methodologies on the carbon cost of data transfer, incorporating these into GroupM’s own carbon calculator for use in planning and post-campaign analysis. This will enable GroupM’s agencies to refine and provide more detailed supply-chain decisioning for data transfer within digital channels.

Ed Fanning, global head of partnerships, advertising and retail technology at Group M, commented, “As the world’s leading media investment company, the team at GroupM is on a mission to develop tools and technologies which ensure that carbon emissions are considered a part of the media planning process. This partnership builds on the global framework for media decarbonization we announced in 2022 and is an important step in our commitment to decarbonize our media supply chain.”

Jesper Benon, CEO at SeenThis, also said, “We are excited to extend the benefits of  the SeenThis solution to new and existing GroupM clients, as our proprietary streaming addresses the trade-off that otherwise exists between performance and sustainability in the digital ecosystem. GroupM agencies are able to increase performance while minimizing carbon emissions, and at the same time helping drive attention and unlock creative capabilities. We deliver lightning-fast ad-loading that attains higher attention from users, which translates into fewer wasted impressions and a more efficient use of resources.”

Meanwhile, Thomas Houge, CCO at SeenThis, adds, “We are honored to partner with GroupM globally as it further enhances its commitment to minimizing the carbon impact of digital media campaigns. Knowing that WPP´s clients need to drive towards a more sustainable business through their marketing, we are thrilled to offer our technology to drive sustainability and sustainable business results all in one.”

Gurgaon, India – Media agency Mindshare in India has been appointed by car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki to handle its media mandate. With a focus on innovative strategies and technology-driven solutions, Mindshare aims to leverage its expertise in performance, data, digital, and content to co-create innovative solutions for Maruti Suzuki’s growth in the coming years.

Moreover, as a flagship agency from GroupM, Mindshare’s expertise, creativity, and strategic vision will help steer the Maruti Suzuki brand towards a faster lane of growth and success, operating from its Gurgaon office.

Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer of marketing and sales at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “We are looking forward to this partnership with Mindshare (Group M) as our integrated media agency. We expect to leverage Mindshare’s strengths in the media industry to synergize and optimise our media spends and co-create ground-breaking initiatives that will give us an edge in today’s competitive automotive industry. We look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”

The win is also a significant milestone for GroupM, making it one of the largest media wins in the region further demonstrating its commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients and driving growth for businesses.

Meanwhile, Helen McRae, CEO of Mindshare Asia Pacific, commented, “This win by Mindshare in securing the media mandate for Maruti Suzuki is a significant milestone for the advertising industry in India. It highlights the agency’s exceptional capabilities in providing innovative and technology-driven solutions to their clients. We are excited to see the strategic vision and expertise of Mindshare to steer Maruti Suzuki towards sustainable and responsible growth. This partnership is a testament to the agency’s commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients and driving growth for businesses in the region.”

Lastly, Amin Lakhani, CEO at Mindshare South Asia, stated, “We are thrilled and deeply honoured to have been awarded this esteemed mandate. We are committed to delivering outstanding results for Maruti Suzuki. Our continuous investments in new products, platforms, and people have helped us build a future-ready team that can partner with clients in their growth journey. We are excited to co-create innovative solutions using our expertise in performance, data, digital, and content to drive Maruti Suzuki’s growth in the coming years.”

Singapore – WPP’s media investment group, GroupM, has announced the launch of its advanced digital out-of-home (DOOH) solutions and technology suite Sightline in Singapore. 

Developed by GroupM Nexus, Sightline enables advertisers to take advantage of intelligent data-driven DOOH planning capabilities and an in-house studio that delivers ‘highly impactful’ programmatic creatives.

With Sightline, GroupM Nexus aims to help brands harness data insights such as audience movement patterns to create targeted campaigns that reach ‘the right audiences at the right time’. The end-to-end DOOH suite also allows brands to measure and optimise their campaigns in real-time and at scale to make it easier to adjust ads, creatives, and targeting as needed. 

In Singapore, Sightline has also recently supported StarHub to raise awareness of their live cricket offering amongst cricket fans through cost-efficient DOOH that avoided wastage. Relevant screens were precisely activated which resulted in an optimised campaign that yielded a higher target audience reach.

“We’re thrilled to officially launch our innovative DOOH technology to serve businesses across Singapore,” said Josh Quek, managing director of Sightline Singapore at GroupM Nexus. 

He added, “Our proprietary technology is designed to help brands make the most of their advertising budget by providing them with the insights they need to create cost-efficient and impactful campaigns that drive tangible results.”

This follows GroupM’s launch of its addressable TV solution, Finecast, in the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – WPP’s media investment arm GroupM has officially launched its addressable TV solution, Finecast, in the Philippines. This year, Finecast will be introducing new innovative solutions, technology, and enhanced viewing experience for TV stakeholders, including audiences, advertisers, and brands.

The launch of Finecast, which took place at the Globe Auditorium in Bonifacio Global City in Manila on February 2, will add to the market’s addressable TV capabilities and provide a platform for entrepreneurs and marketers to network, share ideas, and learn from leaders on how to effectively promote ads as well as drive growth in a digital-focused era.

Puneet Arora, CEO of GroupM Philippines and Singapore, said, “We are thrilled to launch Finecast in the Philippines, one of the largest markets in this space, and to see the best in the industry come together to celebrate our official launch.”

Kathryn Domingo, lead at Finecast Philippines, shared that they aim to offer a one-stop-shop access to the entire addressable TV system, coordinating the distribution and frequency across all broadcasters and screens to reach relevant audiences no matter where they are viewing.

“Finecast will keep pushing the boundaries of TV innovation and is committed to leading the transformation of the industry. We are incredibly excited and proud to bring an addressable TV solution to the market for our clients,” she added.

During the launch event, some of the discussions put forth include the impact of the pandemic to the shift of a digital society, as well as the successful integration of addressable TV in the industry’s future.

Brett Poole, CEO for APAC at Finecast, also commented that as the media ecosystem continues to evolve, TV ads continue to wield the greatest influence in generating the most positive brand impressions.

“Historically, brands in Southeast Asia that have harnessed the power of storytelling through TV – either through a single advertisement or through a series of stories over a period of time – have enjoyed high performance and profitable gains. We look forward to continue helping brands in the Philippines unlock new and exciting opportunities to engage with their target audience and achieve sustainable growth,” Poole added.

Singapore – Committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs, Media investment company GroupM has officially launched its newest and largest agency EssenceMediaCom, which will provide modern integrated media solutions for brands. With pioneer agencies Essence and Mediacom joining forces, the breakthrough agency will deliver performance, data, analytics and creative technology DNA with scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise.

EssenceMediaCom comprises 10,000 people across 120 offices in 96 markets. The agency’s global roster includes Adidas, Bayer, Dell, Google, Mars, NBCUniversal, PlayStation, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company and Uber.

Through EssenceMediacom’s Operating System (EMOS), the modular suite of tools and data will connect Essence, MediaCom and GroupM’s technology to make it available for the agency’s teams and clients across the globe.

GroupM, being the media investment management arm of WPP, will be able to access the richest data, most robust benchmarks and most advanced capabilities in the market. This will make the agency in providing comprehensive solutions for all marketing challenges.

Rupert McPetrie, CEO of EssenceMediacom’s APAC expressed his excitement about combining Essence and MediaCom. He also highlighted that they look forward to working together and continually push media possibilities with category-defining innovations.

Meanwhile, global CEO of EssenceMediacom Nick Lawson said, “What will underpin our groundbreaking agency is our people, and we will be steadfast in our commitment to provide an environment of continuous learning so they can grow and be the best they can be. Together, and with analytics, data and technology at our heart, I have no doubt we will deliver breakthroughs across our entire client base.”

Lastly, Christian Juhl, global CEO of GroupM added, “The fusion of Essence’s measurement and data-driven DNA with MediaCom’s scale and strategic expertise creates something truly unique in the marketplace.”

GroupM announced the agency merger of Essence and MediaCom with the integration of Mindshare and Neo back in 2022. This was made to help clients in adjusting to the evolving media landscape and provide them with performance solutions.

The year 2022 was indeed a year of innovations – from advertising solutions to revenue management suites, many products have been launched to prove that their respective industries will continue to evolve in the years to come. However, only one bagged MARKETECH APAC’s Product Launch of the Year recognition: the launch of foodpanda’s adtech solution ‘panda ads’.

To learn more about the solution, we spoke to Kiranjeet Singh Purba, senior director of advertising and partnerships at foodpanda. Through the interview, he shared what motivated foodpanda to venture into the adtech space, how their partner brands have leveraged the solution, and what we can look forward to from it.

Why foodpanda ventured into adtech

Being in the food delivery industry for more than a decade now, foodpanda saw how its digitally savvy customers’ lives evolved, as well as their needs. This resulted in the launch of various offerings, such as its grocery delivery suite ‘pandamart’ and marketplace ‘foodpanda shops’. 

Apart from these, foodpanda also saw the increasing demand for retail media advertising and the opportunity to help different brands across Asia – hence the takeoff of panda ads, its advertising technology ecosystem.

“[W]e see panda ads in a unique position to help brands reach and engage millions of digital-native customers beyond traditional channels. This further, allows for our customers to access relevant advertising of products and services that are intelligently targeted to be specific to their daily needs,” Purba explained.

Initiatives and partnerships

Since its launch, panda ads has bagged partnerships with major brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Amazon, Netflix, Heineken, Tiger Brokers, and Huawei, amongst many others. Speaking about how these brands have leveraged the offering, Purba commented that they created campaigns tailored to meet these brands’ unique objectives.

“The uniqueness of partnering with panda ads is the amount of flexibility and campaign- control that brands receive. For instance, a campaign can be designed with the objective of either driving traffic to a particular product listed on foodpanda’s platform or to any other channel as required,” he added.

More specifically, Purba mentioned their partnership with Huawei, which leveraged both the foodpanda platforms’ ecosystems and panda ads for brand campaigns. One initiative they have done for the brand was its campaign for the launch of Huawei’s latest mobile phone. 

“Based on these objectives, the partnership was designed to: first, launch the foodpanda app on the HUAWEI AppGallery, making on-demand deliveries accessible to millions of Huawei smartphone users across 11 markets – this includes pre-installing the foodpanda app in all new Huawei smartphones,” he explained.

Moreover, he likewise mentioned that panda ads are being used to promote Huawei’s latest flagship products and user incentive campaigns for Huawei’s AppGallery and other HMS products to millions of foodpanda customers.

On collaborating with GroupM

Initially introduced as a proof of concept in 2021, panda ads have evolved into an actual adtech suite, thanks to foodpanda’s partnership with media investment company GroupM. 

According to Purba, their collaboration with the company covered four key facets: growing joint clients, enabling agencies using panda ads to be self-sufficient, industry thought leadership and joint research, and future development.

“As a commerce partner, GroupM has enabled its clients to tap into foodpanda’s AdTech ecosystem and benefit from being able to run more targeted and relevant mobile ads beyond traditional social media channels,” he said.

He further explained that with the creation of panda ads, GroupM’s clients also had the flexibility of tailoring their campaigns to incorporate a variety of solutions: from in-app advertising to digital marketing channels.

More from panda ads

The launch of panda ads has enabled brands to reach foodpanda audiences with billions of impressions. As Purba mentioned, they see strong repurchase rate behaviours from their partners, and more brands are partnering up with them to benefit from this suite. But what more can we expect from it?

To this, Purba said that foodpanda still sees an ample opportunity for them to enhance and innovate panda ads’ offerings to meet the needs of their partner brands. This ranges from offering more in-app placement options and improving their audience targeting capabilities to providing more data insights to the brands.

“Finally, we’re pushing the boundaries in innovation in exploring opportunities in offline to online attribution and first party data leverage,” he concluded. 

This recognition is based on Google Analytics results on the most-read stories of 2022, along with editorial validation on the significance of a leader’s contribution, campaign results, and overall impact.

Pakistan – Telecommunications firm Telenor in Pakistan has appointed Mindshare as its media agency for both traditional and digital marketing. With the partnership, Telenor will be leveraging Mindshare’s expertise in media, digital, and buying.

Agha Zohaib, managing director at Mindshare Pakistan shared his excitement over the partnership. “We are truly honored to be appointed as Telenor’s media agency in Pakistan. This provides us with an incredible opportunity to work with one of the most robust telcos,” he said.

He also added that the partnership seems “promising and passionate” with both companies’ tech-driven and agile mindsets.

Meanwhile, CEO of Mindshare Asia Pacific Helen McRae also commented, “Our ambition of connecting data to good growth for our clients is at the heart of our partnership with Telenor. We look forward to propelling Telenor to even greater heights.”

Mindshare is a part of GroupM and one of the largest media buying house in Pakistan. The company was also previously appointed by MasterKong Beverage as its agency of record in China.

Singapore – Food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda has launched its advertising technology and marketing solutions suite ‘panda ads’. As part of the suite launch, the company has partnered with GroupM to accelerate panda ads growth across Asia.

With this strategic partnership, GroupM clients can tap into the fast-growing AdTech space by activating foodpanda’s in-app advertising and other media assets, and collaborate with foodpanda on brand partnerships and campaigns. 

The partnership spans seven markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

With the launch, foodpanda unveils a fresh suite of integrated advertising features that encompass the foodpanda app, digital marketing assets and new partnership programmes. Through panda ads, foodpanda aims to help brands increase their visibility and reach, improve sales conversion and build brand awareness to drive sales.

As an integrated advertising solution, panda ads offers a full suite of advertising options, from static or carousel images, to videos and lead-generating ads. Brands can also leverage foodpanda’s social media channels and enter collaborative partnerships across foodpanda’s verticals. These build brand visibility, and allow for performance tracking and monitoring. panda ads support brands with their digital marketing campaigns.

Kiranjeet Singh Purba, senior director of advertising and partnerships at foodpanda, said, “foodpanda has worked extensively to improve our ads solutions over the past year, and we are excited to offer advertisers a new, full suite of ad solutions with panda ads. We are especially thrilled to kick off our panda ads launch with a partnership with leading agency GroupM, and believe this will help their clients tap into new areas of digital marketing in Asia.”

Meanwhile, Toni Ruotanen, head of commerce for APAC at GroupM Nexus, commented, “Our partnership with panda ads covers an extensive region – across seven markets – opening up expansive possibilities for our clients in the digital and mobile space to enhance their brand visibility and increase business impact. panda ads’ innovative tech will see a great degree of personalisation and targeted advertisements, which charts the way forward in retail media.”

Seoul, South Korea – EssenceMediacom, GroupM’s newest media agency that combines Essence and MediaCom, has appointed Jin Choi as its new CEO for South Korea. Choi, who has been heading MediaCom as managing director in South Korea for over three years, will be leading the merged agency, which launches in January 2023.

Reporting to both Michael Beecroft, GroupM’s CEO for Northeast Asia, and Rupert McPetrie, EssenceMediacom’s CEO for APAC, Choi’s appointment will be effective from January 2023. Meanwhile, Jay Lee, who has been heading Essence as managing director in South Korea for over four years, will take up leadership of GroupM Nexus in the market.

The EssenceMediacom merger, which was announced in April 2022, will blend the digital strategy, data, analytics and creative technology DNA of Essence with MediaCom’s scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise, to create an advantage for clients. The ambition is a technology-driven, scaled agency with a performance mindset designed to excel at what a future-facing agency should do.

Commenting on his appointment, Choi said, “I am thrilled to take on the leadership of our new combined agency, and evolve our innovative thinking and best-in-class solutions, in line with consumers’ lifecycles today and in the future. I look forward to leading our phenomenal team in South Korea, and continuing to partner with our diverse and ambitious clients in delivering excellent work, with an agile and proactive approach.” 

Meanwhile, Beecroft said, “Jin is a modern agency leader, with a great balance of deep technical experience, and a proven track record of building and leading high-performance teams. Since he joined the agency in 2019, MediaCom has grown by over 40% through bringing new clients into the agency as well as expanding scope with existing partners, including an e-commerce assignment with P&G.”

“Jay has done an incredible job working with GroupM agencies across markets for more than 16 years, and whilst leading Essence South Korea, has spearheaded the group’s performance marketing, analytics and consulting capabilities. I am excited to continue working with him in his new role,” he added. 

McPetrie said, “Over the last years leading MediaCom, he has put people at the heart of the operation, built strong and sustainable partnerships with our clients, as well as developed new capabilities and products to help solve clients’ business challenges. With Jin leading our merged business, I am confident that our progress will further accelerate.”

Singapore – GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has announced a roster of C-suite appointments in APAC that will be leading the regional transformation of GroupM Nexus – the global performance organisation that unites the network’s performance talent and technologies into one single outfit.

The appointees are Arshan Saha, the new CEO of GroupM Nexus APAC, Jon Thurlow, the new COO of GroupM Nexus APAC, Deepika Nikhilender, the new CEO of Xaxis APAC, and Brett Poole, the new CEO of Finecast APAC and AUNZ.

A founding member of Xaxis APAC, Saha rose through the ranks to become APAC CEO of Xaxis and GroupM’s data-driven specialty businesses, including INCA, Finecast, Sightline, and Acceleration. For over a decade, he led the expansion of Xaxis – an A.I.-powered programmatic engine – into 16 markets and multiplied its revenue by 20-fold.

Saha shared that GroupM Nexus is a cross-channel performance-led organisation that unites its expertise in service excellence, AI technology and the most advanced solutions. 

“This is the future of marketing, and we are poised to offer our clients and agencies the most powerful performance engine that will accelerate their growth. I’m honoured to be working alongside some of the world’s best specialists at GroupM Nexus to collectively cultivate a better media ecosystem,” he added.

Meanwhile, as the new COO of GroupM Nexus APAC, Thurlow will be driving the transformation of Nexus alongside Saha. His new role is an additional appointment to his corporate remit as COO of GroupM APAC.

Thurlow is one of the region’s most accomplished practitioners across the breadth of the network’s business. He architected the consolidation of GroupM’s search, social, commerce, programmatic, and addressable practices in APAC, and for almost three years, he oversaw the complex integration of inter-network systems and structures across 16 markets into a unified campaign delivery platform.

Commenting on his appointment, Thurlow said, “I’m very excited about the launch of GroupM Nexus across the region. Building on the success of the past years, the expanded service and solutions offering that GroupM Nexus will create, represents a wonderful opportunity to deliver genuine market-leading innovation and produce a positive business impact for our clients.”

Moreover, Deepika Nikhilender, who is elevated from SVP to the CEO role at Xaxis APAC, has over two decades of marketing and data science experience. She steered Xaxis’ A.I. and machine-learning ambitions in the region while leading the design of marketing solutions, supply strategy, trading, and operations excellence, as well as ad-tech and platforms strategy.

Deepika commented, “I’m thrilled to embark on this exciting challenge to lead Xaxis APAC into new frontiers where we can break new ground for our clients and agencies with our A.I. differentiated initiatives and solutions. Together with the team, I look forward to cultivating a culture where our talents will continue to thrive as well as strengthening Xaxis’ capabilities to achieve our clients’ desired outcomes.”

Completing the Nexus APAC leadership line-up, Poole, who was formerly managing director of Finecast Australia, has been appointed the CEO of Finecast APAC and AUNZ. With over two decades of experience in product development, tech commercialisation, publishing, and advertising platforms, he has launched and built profitable businesses across native advertising (plista), data tech (mPLATFORM), programmatic trading (Xaxis), and most recently, spearheaded television transformation in Australia where his team grew the Finecast brand to become synonymous with addressable TV and TV innovation.

Poole noted, “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue growing Finecast across APAC as part of GroupM Nexus. I look forward to working closely with Nexus APAC leaders to build on the outstanding work of our Finecast APAC team.”