The post GrowthOps Asia and Standard Chartered Bank HK take top honours at inaugural CMAA 2026 appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.
]]>MARKETECH APAC’s Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific 2026 is a prestigious celebration of dynamic, creative, and impactful content-driven storytelling across the region, honouring the campaigns, brands, agencies, and individuals redefining how content shapes connections, builds communities, and drives business impact in today’s ever-evolving landscape.
The Grand Prix — the most coveted recognition of the night — is awarded to the brand, agency, or MarTech company that performed best across all categories. Points are assigned for each win (gold = 3 points, silver = 2 points, bronze = 1 point), and winners are determined by cumulative score, with a minimum of 10 points required to be named Agency or Brand of the Year, underscoring the level of consistent excellence the title demands.
GrowthOps Asia claimed the Agency of the Year Grand Prix with nine trophies for a total of 23 points. The agency dominated with six golds for Best B2C Content Campaign, Best Content Campaign for Product Launch, Best Influencer-Led Content Campaign, Best Podcast / Audio Content Campaign, Best Social Media Content Campaign, and Best Video Content Campaign, alongside two silvers and one bronze.
Runners-up for the Agency title were Dentsu Hong Kong with eight trophies for 17 points, Leo Hong Kong with six trophies for 14 points, and Lèngua with seven trophies and VML Singapore with five trophies tied at 13 points each.
Commenting on their win, Chris Greenough, General Manager & Regional Head of Creative Services at GrowthOps Asia, said, “Bringing a great idea to life is not unlike any other great moment in life. It can feel like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. You need the right people, in the right place, at the right time. You need trust. You need courage. And, if we’re being honest, you need a little bit of luck.”
Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) emerged as Brand of the Year with nine trophies for a total of 19 points. The bank secured three golds for Best Integrated Content Campaign, Best Engagement-Driven Content Campaign, and Best Customer Acquisition Content Campaign, along with four silvers and two bronzes.
Following closely as runners-up for the Brand title were Unifi TV with six trophies for 17 points, CityPlaza Hong Kong with eight trophies for 16 points, Malaysia Airlines with eight trophies and Scoot and Singapore Tourism Board with five trophies each tied at 13 points.
Among the most contested categories, Best Storytelling Campaign drew 10 entries, with Malaysia Airlines sweeping all three podium spots — gold, silver, and bronze. Its winning campaign, “Time for Chiang Mai,” also picked up three bronze awards elsewhere in the programme and earned Malaysia Airlines two National Winner Awards, for Best Storytelling Campaign and Best Content Campaign in Travel & Hospitality.
CMAA 2026 introduced the National Winner Award for the first time, given when a specific category receives at least five entries from a single country (e.g., Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand), with the highest scorer in that category named National Winner.
Joining Malaysia Airlines in the National Winners’ circle were Unifi TV and GrowthOps Asia, who topped Best Integrated Content Campaign on the Brand and Agency tracks, respectively, with their award-winning campaign “Wedding Crashers”.
Meanwhile, Mastercard, together with its agency partners AsiaWorks and Carat, and tech partner LinkedIn, led Best Video Content Campaign with their “In The Loop: Turning Broadcast Credibility Into Always-On B2B Influence” campaign, which also earned multiple awards in other categories.
A total of 28 unique organisations attended the gala night. Winners came from markets including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Australia, and Mongolia, reflecting the programme’s wide regional representation.
Malaysia led the trophy count with 31 wins, followed by Hong Kong with 19. The Philippines and Singapore tied for third with 18 trophies each.
See the full list of winners HERE.
The judging process was overseen by a distinguished panel of senior creative, marketing, and media agency leaders, bringing years of industry expertise to ensure the credibility and integrity of the results.
The Head of Jury appointments and categories are as follows:
See the full list of the jury HERE.
In his closing speech, Joven Barcenas, Founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, said, “To every market represented tonight — whether you took home one award or many — your presence on this regional stage means something. Your content community is alive, ambitious, and ready to be seen.”
He continued, “We started tonight by saying this was a new chapter. Tonight, together, we wrote the first page…Thank you for making the inaugural Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific a night to remember.”
Brands, agencies, and martech companies interested in joining next year’s CMAA may reach out via [email protected].
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]]>The post GrowthOps strengthens regional growth strategy with six new Singapore client wins appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.
]]>Among the new wins are mandates from Volkswagen Singapore, SGInnovate, Shell Singapore, a leading insurance provider, and a leading banking institution, with appointments spanning creative, performance media, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, and digital transformation services across multiple industries.
The latest appointments reflect a broader shift in how organisations are purchasing marketing services, with many regional and multinational brands increasingly favouring agencies that can combine strategic leadership with scalable delivery across multiple markets.
GrowthOps said the trend is being driven by marketing procurement teams that are placing greater emphasis on regional efficiency, integrated capabilities and the ability to deliver consistent execution across different countries.
Alongside the new client wins, GrowthOps recently launched two digital platforms for semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Kulicke & Soffa, which included a multilingual corporate website and a customer software portal covering UI and UX design, Sitecore development, analytics and SEO.
“Singapore remains the strategic centre of gravity for regional marketing decisions. But the era of funding a brief entirely out of a Singapore cost base is ending,” said Shaad Hamid, General Manager and Regional Head of Performance Marketing at GrowthOps Singapore.
“Clients are far more sophisticated about where strategic thinking needs to happen versus where execution can be delivered, and they’re choosing partners whose model reflects that reality.”
GrowthOps currently operates across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Hong Kong, allowing the agency to combine local market knowledge with broader regional execution capabilities.
“The model positions the agency directly against a growing procurement preference for regional capability without single-market overhead,” added Hamid.
The agency also noted growing demand for AI-driven search and discoverability services, including GEO, as brands prepare for a search landscape increasingly influenced by generative AI platforms and tools.
Chris Greenough, General Manager and Regional Head of Creative Services at GrowthOps Malaysia, shared, “They want integrated partners who can connect the full customer journey and they want that integration delivered at a price point that makes commercial sense across a region, not just in one market.”
The latest appointments mark another step in GrowthOps’ regional expansion strategy as brands continue to prioritise integrated, scalable marketing solutions across Asia-Pacific.
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]]>The post Shell MY unveils four new ‘quests’ to bring more adventures, surprises for Malaysian drivers appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.
]]>Starring renowned actor Datuk Remy Ishak, the campaign continues to hero Shell FuelSave’s promise — now extended beyond Shell FuelSave 95 to include the New + Improved FuelSave Diesel.
Building on the success of last year’s Shell FuelSave “Kembara Lebih Jauh” campaign, this year’s adventure kicked off with a teaser trailer on 8 March, setting the stage for a series of light-hearted, family-friendly escapades that showcase both the emotional and practical benefits of Shell FuelSave.
Episode 1, launched on 15th March, features Roger and his family heading out on an unexpected makan trip in their trusty Suzuki Jimny — proving that every journey can take you further with Shell FuelSave 95.
Meanwhile, Episode 2, launched on 22 March, puts a festive spin on the series as the Hensem family unexpectedly wins a Ford Ranger — one of two grand prizes, alongside many more, that Shell customers stand a chance to win during the Hari Raya season when purchasing a minimum of RM50 of Shell FuelSave 95, New + Improved Shell FuelSave Diesel, as well as Shell V-Power 97 and Shell V-Power Racing, or purchasing items worth a minimum of RM10 in Shell Select.
The series will continue on 2 April, featuring an off-road father-daughter adventure powered by the New + Improved FuelSave Diesel, highlighting the emotional benefit drivers can get with the product’s ability to deliver up to 19KM more per tank.
The final installment will offer a surprising twist, revealing Roger’s job, while connecting directly to Shell Fleet Solutions — demonstrating that whether for family, work, or fun, Shell FuelSave helps Malaysians go further.
Said campaign is rolling out as a fully integrated effort through the year across TV, cinema, OTT, radio, outdoor, digital, social media, in-store, and more, ensuring Malaysians engage with Roger and his family across every platform.
Seow Lee Ming, general manager at Shell Mobility & Convenience Malaysia, said, “With the return of Roger Hensem, we wanted to take the adventure even further — quite literally — by introducing new quests and more ways for Malaysians to enjoy the benefits of Shell FuelSave. It’s our way of showing that Shell is always there for Malaysians, whether they’re commuting to work, heading home for Raya, or exploring new destinations.”
Meanwhile, Adzam Bahrin, regional creative director at GrowthOps Asia, commented, “Bringing back Roger Hensem is more than just a creative choice — it’s a strategic one. Research from the IPA shows that consistent, memorable characters drive stronger long-term brand impact. By expanding the Roger Hensem universe, we’re building on a proven asset, while adding fresh layers to keep audiences engaged and entertained.”
Following the success of the original Shell FuelSave ‘Kembara Lebih Juah’ campaign last year and subsequent loyalty campaigns like “Power Up” or “Always Better with Shell App”, this new chapter reflects Shell and GrowthOps’ ongoing commitment to creating high-impact, memorable campaigns that resonate with Malaysians.
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]]>The post Malaysia Aviation Group partners with GrowthOps Asia, Anchora to enhance martech capabilities appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.
]]>Under the direction of Ivan Gan, digital transformation senior manager, and Sambhav Jain, director of martech at Anchora, the collaboration focused on unifying customer data, migrating to advanced marketing platforms, and streamlining marketing automation.
The partnership implemented the Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (RT-CDP) for MAG, consolidating data from sources such as loyalty programs, CRM systems, booking portals, e-commerce platforms, third-party platforms, websites and mobile apps. This integration eliminated data silos across applications within the organisation, providing a comprehensive view of each customer.
Moreover, the partnership also led one of the first migrations to Adobe Campaign Managed Cloud (ACMC) v8 for MAG. Despite the complexity of the transition, close collaboration with Adobe and MAG ensured a smooth migration.
The third project completed by the partnership was the successful migration of Firefly from Insider to Adobe Campaign Managed Cloud, ensuring continuity in marketing campaigns. This migration streamlined MAG’s marketing technology stack and enabled Firefly to utilise ACC’s advanced capabilities.
“Our goal was to ensure MAG could deliver targeted campaigns based on comprehensive customer insights. By unifying their data, we enabled MAG to execute personalised campaigns seamlessly across channels, which is already paying dividends in terms of efficiency and accuracy for their marketing team,” Jain said.
Clarence Lee, group chief digital officer at MAG, commented, “The collaboration has significantly advanced our digital capabilities, enabling us to better understand and engage with our customers, thereby driving long-term business success. The successful delivery of these projects underscores our commitment to innovation and strategic digital transformation.”
Simon Dale, vice president for Asia at Adobe said, “Today, travellers across the world demand seamless and tailored experiences across multiple touchpoints, whether digital or over the counter. At Adobe, we’re proud to enable Malaysia Aviation Group in their mission of delivering hyper-personalized and real-time travel experiences through Adobe Experience Cloud and Real-Time Customer Data Platform. It is exciting to see this collaboration lead the way for the industry on digital transformation and standout traveller experiences.”
Luke Evans, founder of Anchora, concludes, “Partnering with Malaysia Aviation Group on these three projects has been a pivotal experience for Anchora. These initiatives highlight our commitment to leveraging advanced martech solutions to drive customer engagement and business growth. Working closely with MAG and GrowthOps Asia has underscored the importance of collaboration in navigating complex technological transitions and achieving impactful results.”
These projects illustrate Anchora’s commitment to leveraging martech solutions to enhance business potential. Through this partnership, MAG is now positioned to offer a more unified and enriched customer experience, fostering greater customer engagement and loyalty.
Tng Boon Keong, regional head of consulting for GrowthOps Asia, stated, “By leveraging the strengths of GrowthOps Asia and Anchora, we have significantly enhanced our martech infrastructure offering. This collaboration has empowered us to execute complex marketing initiatives with greater precision and effectiveness, ultimately driving better results for Malaysia Aviation Group and enriching our customer experience.”
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