Bangkok, Thailand – Samsung in Thailand has launched a delightful twist for influencer marketing-centric campaign for its Samsung WindFree™ Air Conditioners product lineup–with a grandmother being the surprising star of this campaign.

Dubbed the ‘Grandma-fluencer’ campaign, the campaign was conceptualised alongside BBDO Bangkok, and focuses on the challenge that while Samsung shines globally across various tech sectors, its air conditioner segment in Thailand faces the tough task of overcoming years of scepticism, especially among the vibrant youth of Gen Millennials and Gen Z.

The humorous online film for the campaign stars the grandmother of a popular Thai influencer, who dives into the world of air conditioning with effortless ease and a touch of mischief. Equipped with a knack for tech lingo and a smile that lights up the screen, she serves as an engaging and persuasive showcase of Samsung’s innovation. 

Thasorn Boonyanate (Pete), chief creative officer at BBDO Bangkok, said, “This got us thinking: why not turn the grandmother, who rarely changes her mind, into an influencer with the mission to convince the whole family to change theirs, proving that even the most traditional-minded grandma can roll with the times.”

He also added, “By flipping the script on traditional influencer campaigns, we’re not just cooling rooms; we’re warming up to the idea that perhaps, in matters of comfort and cutting-edge tech (plus if grandma knows how to do a backflip out the window), grandma probably knows what’s best.”

Singapore – Global content and brand management company Gushcloud International has announced that it has 14 new creators from the Southeast Asian market, strengthening its position in supporting the content creator economy in the region.

This move strengthens Gushcloud’s position as a Southeast Asian leader in the creator economy. Six (6) Filipino talents are now part of the Gushcloud family, while there are four (4) Thai and Indonesian additions to the roster as well. 

These creators are all active on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), where they showcase their love for lifestyle, fashion, comedy, food, travel, advocacies, dance, and even K-Pop.

Nirote (May) Chaweewannakorn, head of talent for Southeast Asia at Gushcloud International and country director of Thailand, said, “We’re eager to formally launch the new members of our Gushcloud Talent Agency family. These young creators are highly creative, collaborative, and energetic. More importantly, they use their influence for positive change among their followers and family. That aligns well with Gushcloud’s mission of creating positive influence for the next generation of influencers, leaders, and parents. This is just the beginning of an exciting partnership as we make big strides in Asia and beyond.”

He added, “As we scale in 2024, one of our focus areas is to bridge our partner brands with the perfect creator for their marketing needs. Our talents’ subject matter expertise and their niche audience helps us get closer to that goal. This bodes well for our business as we build an ecosystem for everyone to thrive on—from our talents, our brands, to our company.”

Singapore – AnyMind, a technology company specialising in business supply chain, has recently unveiled the launch of its latest influencer marketing solution tailored for mobile app publishers, developers, and marketers. 

Known as AnyTag, this new platform is designed to combine performance-driven influencer marketing with mobile application marketing. 

In particular, it utilises a performance-based model that measures the application’s download counts, making it a primary indicator for influencer marketing campaigns. 

Among its key features, users may also search through and choose from a global network of more than 610,000 influencers across the Asia Pacific to work on their app marketing initiatives. 

Leveraging accumulated campaign data and individual influencer performance data, on the other hand, influencers can also be identified and chosen for performance-driven influencer marketing campaigns and optimise designed creatives that are in line with end-user purchase volumes.

With this, they can now participate in the said influencer marketing campaigns by using Any Creator, the creator growth platform of the company. 

Talking about the launch, Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder at AnyMind Group, expressed his enthusiasm about the project, saying “We’re now at an exciting inflection point in influencer marketing, where we’re seeing a convergence between influencer marketing and digital commerce. This presents a new range of opportunities for innovation in influencer marketing, such as tying influencer marketing to app marketing, further attribution opportunities in social and live commerce, and more.” 

“It is now up to vendors to further innovate and for marketers to embrace these changes,” he ended.

Singapore – Edelman has announced the appointment of Alyssa Soh to head of influencer marketing in APAC, and the elevation of Simon Murphy to the role of head of business marketing. Soh will report to Tyler Vaught, global head of influencer marketing at Edelman while Murphy will report to Joe Kingsbury, global chair of B2B marketing at Edelman.

Soh joins Edelman after a decade in the tech sector, most recently as head of branded content and creators for X (formerly Twitter) JAPAC. In her previous roles, Soh led multi-functional teams across the region, working hand-in-hand with X’s top advertisers to create consistently exceptional creative work, driving optimal performance on the platform. 

In the newly created role, Soh is tasked with scaling Edelman’s influencer marketing offering across the region, establishing an exemplary body of work, and fortifying Edelman’s position as a market leader.

“I believe leveraging Edelman’s established and trusted position in the global communications industry, as well as its comprehensive suite of solutions, will allow us to innovate in this market – enhancing our work with both Brands and Creators to create meaningful content and trusted connections with their audiences across owned, paid and earned channels,” Soh shared.

Meanwhile, Murphy has been with Edelman for 6 years, having joined the firm in Hong Kong as head of corporate in 2017, before relocating to Melbourne in 2022 to take up the role of EVP and head of corporate innovation for APAC and global client lead. He possesses over 25 years of international experience in corporate affairs and communications, having worked in Australia, Hong Kong, India and the UK. 

In his new role, he will lead Edelman’s specialized B2B offering, focused on driving reputation, business demand and revenue growth for B2B clients, across the APAC region.

“Business has always been about trust and relationships. At Edelman we earn trust to drive growth. We make meaningful connections and sustain conversations. Which drives bigger, better, long-term impact,” Murphy said.

Sydney, Australia – Over the past 90 days, more than 800 influencers have taken to Instagram to share where they stand when it comes to the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, according to AI analytics platform HypeAuditor, who has been analysing how influencers and brands take a stance on social media about the event. 

The past three months have seen 1,773 posts on Instagram about the referendum, shared by a total of 805 influencers, reaching over 4.5 million people. 87.5% of the Instagram posts supported the referendum and only 2.5% were against it. 

Additionally, the report states that 73% of the influencers posting about where they stand when it comes to the Voice to Parliament are nano influencers, with a follower count between 1,000 and 10,000. Common hashtags for posts regarding the referendum are also in favour of it, with the most common being #yes23 in 1,376 posts and #voteyes in 726 posts. 

Alex Frolov, CEO and co-founder of HypeAuditor, said, “The Australian Indigenous Voice referendum will be such a critical point in the country’s history that it is not surprising to see the level of interest it has garnered over social media. While many influencers, brands and organisations might have deliberately chosen to remain silent in this discussion at the beginning, we can clearly see a turning point on social media as voting day approaches and tensions mount.”

“As influencer marketing continues to be a key component of many marketing campaigns across the country, the Voice will no doubt become a criteria brands and marketers will consider when selecting the influencers they want to align themselves with. There is this urge to use their platform to stand up for what they believe in and do what they believe is the right thing, but on the other hand they also run the risk of potentially significantly reducing their future partnership opportunities with brands,” he added.

Singapore – A staggering 98% of B2B marketers in Southeast Asia are already utilising influencer marketing, yet 60% are still not experiencing improved lead generation from B2B marketing activity, a new Ogilvy study shows. 

The research shows that B2B influence is among the fastest-growing marketing priorities in SEA.

In an interview with 550 chief marketing officers (CMOs) across 11 markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, from brands including LinkedIn, Dell, EY, IBM, and Samsung, it was shown that 75% of B2B marketers are now utilising B2B influencer marketing. Additionally, 93% of those are already planning to increase influencer activity.

Furthermore, the survey, which polled marketing leaders from across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the USA, showed that C-suite leaders are already recognising the potential of B2B influence activity in building a credible brand and supporting lead generation.

Half of 49% believe influencers can help their brands be more credible and trusted, while 40% experienced improved leads or sales because of influencer marketing strategies.

In Asia specifically, industry adoption is soaring, with almost 94% of businesses in the region already integrating B2B influencer marketing into their strategies, and among them, 77% have expressed their intention to further increase their investments in this area. With this number, it is expected that those who haven’t formulated a B2B influencer marketing strategy may find themselves falling behind their competitors.

When it comes to influence effectiveness, 66% of businesses found that B2B influencers deliver more significant impact when compared to traditional brand-only marketing approaches. Further adding to this, almost all of the industry executives in Asia consider B2B influencers on social media as vital tools for staying updated and engaging with their respective industries (98%). This surpasses the global average of 90%.

Meanwhile, the study also showed that more than half of industry executives in Asia incorporate insights gleaned from B2B influencers into their presentations. Similarly, over 50% of these executives actively share relevant content with their network.

However, despite these impressive numbers and high usage, the survey also showed a worrying percentage of B2B influencer marketing potential that is still not realised or utilised properly.

The findings of the survey suggested that no teams are utilising after-sales influence to its full potential, despite 47% agreeing there is an opportunity for B2B influencers to have the biggest impact during after-sales when executed correctly. With 60% not yet experiencing improved lead generation from B2B marketing activity, there is also a large opportunity to immediately realise more value from influencer marketing.

In addition, the global research pointed out some missed opportunities for ROI, considering there is a symbiotic relationship between employees and influencers that few CMOs have spotted, with limited numbers identifying that employees can be influencers themselves. 

With this, the global report has pointed out three key imperatives that CMOs can use to improve their B2B influencer marketing strategies.

First, peer-to-peer 2.0, which is a widely recognised marketing channel to reassure prospective buyers and revolutionise digital relationships and professional communication. Second, the holistic growth approach recognises the importance of including influencers in the entire business operation and integrating them into the post-sales experience. Lastly, CEOs and CMOs must recognise their employees as valuable assets in promoting their brand, with each having a network of connections outside the company.

Commenting on the study, Emily Poon, President of PR and influence in Asia at Ogilvy, said, “With 66% of CMOs in Asia saying they find B2B influencers more impactful than their usual marketing activities, a B2B influencer marketing strategy has become a must-have for brands and businesses. Our global research— the first-of-its-kind—with local insights from senior marketers in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines provides actionable steps for CMOs, communications, and business leaders in the region to turn influencers into the most versatile full-funnel tool in their B2B marketing communications armoury.”

Ashutosh Gupta, country manager and head of online sales for LinkedIn APAC, also added, “B2B companies are increasingly choosing creative ways to connect with their target audience in a more authentic and engaging way. A big reason behind this trend is the trust and credibility that these experts offer. On LinkedIn, we have seen industry leaders carve a niche for themselves as thought leaders in their space, where their opinions hold significance within their network. Thought leaders often provide a more genuine connection than brand advertising thanks to the fundamental trust that is already fostered between them and their network over time.”

Singapore – Around 56% of Southeast Asians follow influencers on social media, but 55% remain to have a neutral impression towards them, according to a survey by Milieu Insight. 

The survey aims to unveil follower trends and consumer sentiments on influencer marketing as a major advertising tactic. 

Based on the data collected, more than 1 out of 2 Southeast Asians follow influencers on social media. This means that 56% of respondents in the Southeast Asian region follow influencers. 

A large number of respondents in the Philippines and Vietnam are following influencers at 68% and 71%, respectively, and Thailand takes the middle with 50%. However, on the other end of the spectrum, there is limited interest shown in Singapore, with only 39% of respondents shown to be following influencers.

Looking at the social media platform preference to follow influencers, the top three with the highest votes were Youtube with 72%, and Instagram and Facebook both with 60%.

Gen Z preferred Instagram (64%) and TikTok (58%) to follow influencers, whereas Facebook is more popular among Millennials (69%) and Gen X (74%).

Youtube drew the most interest for respondents in Thailand and the Philippines, while Instagram took the spot in Indonesia and Singapore. Meanwhile, Facebook ranked first in Vietnam.

When it comes to the content that influencers post, the top 5 topics that respondents were most interested in were: lifestyle (54%), entertainment and/or comedy (52%), food (48%), fashion (41%), and travel (40%).

However, gender impacts the preferred content, with men primarily following influencers with content about entertainment or comedy (52%), lifestyle (46%), and technology and gadgets (41%). While women also predominantly favour entertainment and comedy (61%), their other main interests are food (55%), and beauty (53%).

When it comes to influencer impact on consumer purchase, beauty products emerged as the top selling category, driven by influencer content across the region, with the data particularly skewing towards females at 56% and Gen Zs at 46%.

Interestingly, for Baby Boomers or those above 59 years of age, 4 in 10 are swayed by influencer content when it comes to food and beverages. Meanwhile, 32% of the Gen X demographic, or those ranging from ages 43 to 58, indicated they made purchases as a result of following influencer content on technology and gadgets.

However, the survey also revealed that consumers in the region appear to be less susceptible to influencer content that is fitness-related, travel-related products, or purchases of items for children and pets, suggesting a nuanced landscape where influencers wield varying degrees of impact across different product categories.

And with the widespread following of influencers in the region, the survey also dug into the data to unveil the trust factor among SEA consumers. From there, it reveals that user reviews and review sites carry more weight than influencer shout-outs.

Overall, neutrality (51%) is the prevailing sentiment on how much respondents in Southeast Asia trust, if at all, sponsored content from influencers in Southeast Asia. However, there is an exception to this data, with Vietnam showing a positive impression at 60%.

Across age groups, only 5% of Baby Boomers trust influencers a lot, as compared to the average of 7% for Gen Z and Gen X and 8% for Gen Y.

Furthermore, 3 out of 10 Southeast Asians find influencers’ sponsored content informative, and 1 out of 5 credit influencer tactics for introducing them to new brands and products.

With influencers, a following count also matters when it comes to measuring their reach.

The influencers followed by Southeast Asians generally have more than a million followers (36%). This data is consistent across the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. However, the rest of the population is generally impartial to the number of followers an influencer has.

Interestingly enough, there is an even spread among the number of micro, macro, and mega influencers that Southeast Asians follow.

Still, not everyone can be considered an influencer. According to the survey, Southeast Asians consider authenticity (51%), sense of humour (49%), and expertise in a specific area (42%) to be important attributes for an influencer. 

Notably, in Indonesia, consistency of recommendations is their top-valued attribute. It is also shown that more Vietnamese value engagement with followers.

Aside from the following, an influencer’s impact also differs depending on the age groups of the respondents or targets. Approximately one-third of the participants stated that influencers have expanded their knowledge about brands and products.

Among those who have bought something based on influencers’ content, the top 3 areas of purchase are beauty (41%), fashion (38%), and food and beverage (37%). For males, this is a slightly different case, with tech/gadgets (41%), food and beverages (36%), and fashion (30%) as their most common products purchased.

While 38% of Baby Boomers in Southeast Asia find that sponsored content from influencers helps them get to know more about a product or brand, they are not looking for new brands, as only 17% feel that the content helps them discover new products or brands.

Meanwhile, Gen Z finds promotion offers to be attractive, with 15% following influencer content because they offer good promotions.

In response to criticism about influencers’ role in consumerism, deinfluencers are now also making a new wave in social media.

Deinfluencers are individuals that challenge consumerist tendencies by offering alternative perspectives on products and trends. Instead of promoting the newest products, they advocate for mindful consumption. 

Looking at the data, the majority of Southeast Asians are impartial to both influencer culture and deinfluencers, despite the growing influencer landscape. Surprisingly, 40% claim to have never made a purchase based on influencer content, and 20% of Gen Z state their last influencer-based purchase was over half a year ago. As for awareness of deinfluencers, Vietnam is ahead of the game, where an astonishing 62% have heard of the term.

Despite the neutral impression of influencer content, Milieu Insight reiterates that influencers have some kind of effect on consumers. Through their content, influencers can provide valuable insights, personal experiences, and relatable narratives that resonate with their followers. They have also become trusted sources of information and recommendations for consumers across various niches that can impact consumer purchase decisions. 

Singapore – Ogilvy Asia has announced the regional hub launch for TK.Lab in Singapore during the recently-concluded ‘What The Tok!’ Conference held on August 24. The event was attended by industry leaders and innovators to explore the boundless potential of TikTok. 

TK.Lab is Ogilvy’s market-first initiative that aims to revolutionise creative development, influencer marketing, commerce, and media execution in the dynamic realm of TikTok.

Anchored by a profound understanding of relevance as the new cultural currency, TK Lab is the driving force behind Ogilvy Singapore’s weekly engagement with TikTok, an exclusive distinction that solidifies the agency’s position as a torchbearer of innovative engagement strategies.

Following the launch of TK Lab in Singapore, this marks the seventh time a regional hub for this initiative has been launched across Ogilvy’s global network.

Anggie Aprillia, director of content at Ogilvy Singapore, said, “TK Lab by Ogilvy represents our dedication to innovation and our commitment to redefining the creative landscape in SEA/Asia through the TikTok platform.The ‘What The Tok! Conference’ showcased our unique relationship with TikTok, underlining our agency’s vision of pushing boundaries and setting new industry benchmarks as we affirm our position as leaders in shaping the future of creative engagement in the digital age.”

Meanwhile, Emily Poon, president of Ogilvy Public Relations Asia, commented, “Our partnership with TikTok enables us to create content that seamlessly integrates into people’s lives, adding value and resonance. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to crafting compelling culture-first, social-by-design campaigns that resonate deeply with audiences, building on our strength as the leading creative communications, social and influencer agency in the region.”

Singapore – 8traordinary, a digital brand consultancy, has acquired stakes in regional influencer marketing agency X10 Media to improve the influencer marketing capabilities of both companies strategically.

This partnership primarily focuses on finding new ways of combining branding and word-of-mouth to create meaningful connections with consumers and benefit brands, consumers, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) or influencers.

Jeffrey Lim, founder and managing director of 8traordinary, emphasizes the importance of authenticity in this hyperconnected world. He believes establishing authentic connections is the key to standing out in the data-saturated industry.

With X10 Media’s newly developed proprietary technology, called Leadgram, will enable brands to effectively retarget consumers and significantly enhance conversions derived from Instagram campaigns, which ultimately drive positive outcomes in the competitive digital realm, according to Sky Lim, regional CEO of X10 Media.

8traordinary and X10 Media’s collaboration will take influencer marketing to new levels, using their expertise in branding, storytelling, and vast influencer network to reinstate the power of word-of-mouth impact for both brands and consumers.

APAC – Red Havas, a group of merged media agencies, has announced the global launch of ‘SWAY’, an end-to-end influencer marketing service designed to drive authentic, engaging and effective brand conversations through influencers. 

‘SWAY’ by Red Havas works with PR, social and experiential marketing teams to develop creative social-first marketing campaigns with influencers. The development of ‘SWAY’ is in-line with the emerging recognition of influencer marketing on a global scale, with branches in Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Moreover, SWAY specialists will also aim to drive the capabilities of influencer marketing at an industry level through annual market-leading trends and insights, creative workshops led by the in-house specialists, and panels with partner talent agents.

James Wright, global CEO of the Red Havas Group and global chairman of the Havas PR Global Collective says that brands are beginning to include influencer marketing in their communication strategies.

“Some even put influencer marketing front and centre, recognizing them as a full-funnel marketing channel. It’s no longer about just a paid transaction. Brands are building long-term relationships with influencers who are advocating their messages and experience. Across the Red Havas Group we have been working in this area for a number of years now and presently are working with more than 100 brands and organisations on their influencer activity, so it’s a natural next step to formalise and focus on this as a global practice,” he added.