Launch Archives - MARKETECH APAC

India – In a move to boost its data-driven marketing capabilities, Havas India has launched CSA, the global technology, data, and analytics arm of Havas, helping brands leverage customer data to drive growth and meaningful results.

To further strengthen its data and technology capabilities, Havas India also merged PivotConsult, the strategic consulting arm of PivotRoots, into CSA India. PivotConsult, a 55-member team, collaborates with high-profile clients such as Kotak Bank, Bisleri, Wildcraft, Coca-Cola, and Samsung, among others.

CSA’s entry into the Indian market brings a strong understanding of clients’ business challenges, blending global expertise with local insights to offer a complete view of marketing performance. Its product suite adapts to various markets, helping clients at all data maturity levels boost their return on investment.

CSA’s core offerings focus on three pillars: CSA Tech for automation, data consolidation, and digital transformation; CSA Science for data-driven marketing measurement; and CSA Consult, providing expert insights through a global network to accelerate growth.

Jamie Seltzer, global EVP for CSA & Mx Analytics, said, “As the industry’s fastest-growing market, India is experiencing exponential growth, and it’s crucial for Indian brands to leverage their data and tech assets in a comprehensive, sophisticated manner. We’re excited to launch CSA in India at such a crucial moment in this market’s development, bringing a seamless, integrated approach to data, tech, and analytics to the region.”

Meanwhile, leading this major development is Gaurav Seth, who has been appointed managing partner to head CSA India’s operations. He will report to Shibu Shivanandan, CEO and founder of PivotRoots, and will be based in Mumbai.

Seth brings over 20 years of experience in digital advertising to his new role at CSA India. For the past 15 years, he has focused on data-driven marketing solutions, leading more than 300 projects for ad networks, agencies, and product companies, establishing himself as a recognised expert in the industry.

With experience across marketers, publishers, agencies, and ad tech firms, Gaurav has a deep understanding of the marketing ecosystem. During his eight years at Lotame, a global data management company, he built the business in India from scratch, establishing it as the leading data management platform in the country.

Rana Barua, group CEO of Havas India for SEA & North Asia, said, “The launch of CSA in India marks a significant milestone in our journey to offer integrated, data-led solutions to clients. As businesses increasingly look to data to fuel their growth, CSA’s blend of global expertise and local insights will provide them with the tools to navigate today’s complex landscape and deliver measurable results. With Gaurav Seth at the helm and the integration of PivotConsult, CSA is poised to lead the way in helping brands harness the full potential of data to drive transformation and meaningful business outcomes. I wish the team the very best.”

Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India, added, “More than 50% of marketers are struggling with redundant marketing technologies. They are spending a lot of time learning new technologies that are often sub optimally used and may not work well with other existing platforms. Havas CSA solves exactly this problem. Leveraging its experience with more than 1,000 clients globally and in India, this expert team in Martech and Adtech stands at the vital intersection of marketing, data, and technology. I wish Gaurav all the best in this new journey.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Reachly, a comprehensive lead generation agency, has announced its launch serving the APAC market. Created by Mark McDowell, CEO of Primal – one of Thailand’s leading SEO agencies – and Thibault Garcia, an ex-Agoda employee with over a decade of B2B sales and marketing experience, Reachly is set to address a critical need for B2B companies across APAC.

Both McDowell and Garcia bring a wealth of experience to the table. With over ten years in digital marketing and leadership at Primal, McDowell has a deep understanding of building successful sales pipelines. A former lead generation consultant, Garcia has implemented strategies for over 450 clients, generating significant deals.

Speaking about the launch, Garcia said, “The launch of Reachly has received an overwhelmingly positive response. It’s gratifying to see how our journey – from building Primal’s successful sales pipeline to creating Reachly’s lead generation services – resonates with so many. The early feedback and engagement prove the value of our approach and the demand for our expertise.”

Reachly offers tailored outbound lead generation strategies using LinkedIn and Email to help businesses enhance their sales pipelines. It aims to provide a comprehensive solution for companies looking to expand their market presence by leveraging intent data and AI to ensure relevant outreach.

In addition to lead generation, Reachly also provides LinkedIn personal branding services to enhance the online presence of business leaders. Reachly’s services cater to business owners, managing directors, CEOs, and founders of established B2B companies in APAC, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Australia.

Sydney, Australia – Cake.Shop, an adtech startup, has officially launched in Australia, offering brands and agencies innovative programmatic ad buying services that emphasise transparency and rich media creative ad targeting.

Founded by former AdLudio and Mindshare Australia programmatic executive Luke Hills and former Azerion JAPAC managing director Georgia Woodburne, Cake.Shop draws its name from the proverb “to have your cake and eat it,” reflecting the company’s commitment to delivering the best of both worlds in media buying.

Hills is the former VP of growth at AdLudio in London and was previously head of programmatic at Mindshare Australia. Woodburne was responsible for driving Azerion’s expansion in the JAPAC region and played a key role in rich media creative company Inskin’s expansion in the Asia Pacific region, where she held the role of GM, APAC.

Cake.Shop aims to provide agencies and brands with a trusted solution to address the industry’s biggest challenges: easy access to programmatic advertising, creative excellence, and precise measurement. By offering a unique experience, Cake.Shop helps brands and agencies achieve strong performance from their programmatic ad spend.

The company stated that it aims to disrupt the media buying process through a four-pronged approach: creative-led, with attention-grabbing ads designed to engage rather than annoy; sustainable marketing, by measuring, reducing, and optimising to meet sustainable goals; technology ownership, by eliminating intermediaries for greater control and transparency over marketing technology; and commercial flexibility, which allows businesses to grow sustainably.

For Hills, traditional managed service options are not working, and agencies and brands need control over their technology choices and must work transparently with their partners.

Meanwhile, Woodburne believes that transparency is at the core of Cake.Shop’s ethos.

“We believe this should be reflected in fee structures and solutions,” said Woodburne.

Speaking more about the launch, Hills shared, “We’re thrilled to introduce Cake Shop to the world. Our mission is to support agencies and brands in achieving sustainable growth both commercially and environmentally. We aim to make effective advertising more accessible for brands of all sizes. Cake.Shop is designed to lower the barrier to entry, providing market-leading solutions that enable agencies to deliver world-class services to their clients. By stepping into the gap left by larger technology companies, Cake.Shop offers a local and global, client-focused alternative for businesses.”

“Our flexible approach means clients can reduce spending without the pressure of restrictive contracts. We’re possibly the only business in the market advocating for clients to spend less, focusing instead on quality, ownership, and transparency for long-term brand growth. With significant headwinds in marketing through privacy, compliance, and sustainability, we believe legacy solutions in the market will struggle to meet the demands of local businesses. We’re here to help companies navigate these pressures with solutions that complement our sustainable vision,” Hills added.

Hong Kong – Toys“R”Us has launched its first ‘Playful Living’ concept store in Asia at K11 Art Mall at Tsim Sha Tsui, aiming to make consumers regain their pure childhood happiness through their favourite characters’ decorations and treasured toys.

Having classic and trendy toys, Toys“R”Us’ new store shares a sense of kindness and warmth providing a new shopping experience in a relaxed, worry-free, comfortable, and fun environment.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Playful Living concept store, Ryan Lee, a local fitness trainer and artist, was invited by Toys“R”Us to have the 1st wave collaboration in the store to convey positive energy.

In addition of Rumbbell and Jacrbell products, there are also exhibits and photo points, creating a homey vibe full of positiveness and joy of life.

Different from the colourful and rich main colours of other stores, a large number of minimalist wood decorations equipped with furniture and household items such as dining tables and bookcases are used to create the dream room for “Kidults”.

The new store is stocked with classic and trendy toys, from Dragon Ball and Disney characters, to the recent popularity of Chiikawa, mofusand, LuLu The Piggy, as well as items with local characteristic can be exhibited in three main zones, “For Him”, “For Her” and “Together”.

South Korea – SOOP, a new live streaming platform, will launch its global beta on June 5, 2024, featuring intuitive features and exclusive original content through partnerships with top esports personalities like Faker and other gaming streamers and game publishers.

Building on nearly two decades of expertise from the team behind Korea’s top live streaming platform, AfreecaTV, SOOP offers advanced features and technology for an enriched and seamless live streaming experience.

Tailor-made for esports and gaming fans, the new platform has secured strategic partnerships with esports and gaming’s most notable figures, such as League of Legends 2023 World Champion, T1, including Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok; world-class VALORANT team, DRX, including Byung-chul “BuZz” Yu; three-time EVO Tekken champion, Bae “Knee” Jae-Min, of DRX; former Overwatch champion, Kim “EscA” In-jae; and gaming streamer, ACAU AKA “Crocodile”.

These illustrious esports and gaming personalities will create live streams and original content for global viewing on SOOP, as well as on AfreecaTV for Korean fans.

SOOP will also partner with renowned Thai streamers like EDWIN, SuperBusS and FifaTargrean, who will live stream and upload original content exclusively on SOOP.

In addition to teaming up with esports athletes and gaming streamers, SOOP has collaborated with game publishers, tournament organisers, and industry leaders to enhance esports viewing experiences. Notably, SOOP has partnered with Riot Games to exclusively produce and operate VALORANT Challengers Thailand 2024, and secured the publishing and broadcasting rights for the VALORANT Champions Tour in Thailand.

A wide range of SOOP original content will also be available for users to enjoy at launch, including broadcasts of the AfreecaTV VALORANT League (AVL), Global StarCraft II League (GSL), AfreecaTV StarCraft League (ASL), AfreecaTV Tekken League (ATL), and Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB), as well as variety entertainment spanning casual gaming, music, and talk shows, exclusively on SOOP.

SOOP users will be able to host multiple channels under one account, empowering streamers to diversify their content for different audiences and interests, eliminating the need to grow new channels and audiences from scratch.

The platform will feature integrated virtual avatar creation from leading 3D developer MASCOZ, enabling streamers to become “Virtual Streamers” instantly and seamlessly, without the costly setup of avatar creation and motion capture. Additionally, a real-time live stream translation feature will launch by the end of June 2024, allowing streamers to expand their international communities.

Daniel Choi, general manager of global business at SOOP, said, “SOOP represents more than just a streaming platform; it embodies a cultural movement towards unrestricted expression and community empowerment. We are thrilled to introduce SOOP to the world and are committed to leveraging our wealth of experience to enrich the global streaming landscape.”

SOOP will be available starting June 5, 2024 (June 4, 2024, for North American users), in English, Thai, and Chinese on its web platform for PC users, and via Android and Apple apps for mobile users.

Singapore – Adjust, a measurement and analytics business, has announced InSight, a machine learning and AI-powered measurement tool that gives marketers a data-driven perspective on campaign efficacy.

Marketers may now use incrementality analysis to gauge the effect of particular marketing initiatives, including budget increases, on return on investment (ROI) because of the launch of Adjust’s InSight in the INSEA area and other markets worldwide. This facilitates ROI-positive decision-making by allowing marketers to evaluate these marketing initiatives against desired KPIs and ascertain if they yield incremental lift, cannibalise organic traffic, or have no effect at all.

When incrementality analysis reveals the actual worth of new advertising channels, campaigns, budget adjustments, and seasonality—values not found in previous marketing initiatives—it can augment a marketer’s existing arsenal for measuring.

Speaking about the launch, Katie Madding, chief product officer at Adjust, said, “As our industry moves towards a more privacy-centric, aggregated approach to measurement, marketers are faced with even more complexity in understanding the true impact of their efforts. This new era demands new innovative approaches that unlock real visibility. Without it, optimising campaigns and allocating budget becomes a guessing game and marketers could be highly misled by relying solely on short-term measurement.”

She added, “Adjust is deeply committed to delivering next-gen solutions that answer the most critical question on marketers’ minds: ‘Is a campaign having a positive impact on my business? With InSight, marketers are no longer in the dark. Our models can accurately predict ‘what could have happened if this marketing action hadn’t taken place’, delivering results with a 95% confidence interval, which is the highest on the market.”

Meanwhile, Jay Christian, performance marketing manager at Pret A Manger, stated, “Adjust’s incrementality measurement brought us insights into iOS campaign optimisation once thought was no longer possible. With their machine learning models doing the heavy lifting and analysing our historical aggregated data, insightful outcomes and advanced incrementality metrics are available at the push of a button.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Pepsi Thailand is bringing to life its fizziest activations to celebrate Pepsi’s entry into its new era, with a brand takeover that aims to reshape the brand’s image as well as give fans a good time with interactive installations and a campaign that features their exciting new ambassadors.

Conceptualised with VaynerMedia, Pepsi introduced its new logo and positioning in Thailand dubbed ‘Thirsty for More’ (‘ซ่าหน่อยมั้ย?’), with a massive on-ground, social and OTT takeover alongside Kpop girl group Babymonster.

At the core of the Pepsi’s interactive experience in Thailand lies a colossal interactive dome that saw visitors lining up to participate in the immersive experience during the opening. Attendees were transported into a world that brought Pepsi’s new concept to life through exhilarating zones.

From plunging into ‘New Era, Same Great Taste’ where a pulsing sphere bursts into a refreshing, panoramic spectacle of ice cubes, water, bubbles, and sparkling lights, to dancing in the ‘Pepsi Globe’, a massive digital playground where visitors are invited to move and create visual art within an interactive 360º dome, the experience left visitors thirsting for more. The experience will continue to unfold across many other provinces in Thailand after its Bangkok run.

Talking about the campaign, Anawat Sangkhasap, chief marketing officer, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) Company Limited, said, “This year, Pepsi is gearing up to bring fresh excitement by reshaping the brand’s image with a unique and era-relevant style, giving it a cooler, more modern, fun, and playful vibe. We’re stepping into a new era with a stronger and bolder Pepsi vibe, launching this at PEPSI: INTO THE NEW ERA.”

Meanwhile, Chan Woei Hern, head of creative at VaynerMedia APAC, commented, “PEPSI: INTO THE NEW ERA is so much more than an introduction to Pepsi’s new logo. It’s an immersive brand experience with social at the centre, culture at its core, and a platform for Zs to share that thirst-for-more energy with everyone around them. We are grateful, thrilled, and proud of this partnership with PepsiCo Thailand.”

Philippines – The state of e-commerce today is characterised by unprecedented growth, innovation, and transformation. As the e-commerce landscape continues to evolve quickly, the need for continuous learning and collaboration has never been more crucial for businesses to stay on trend and thrive in today’s economy.

With this, MARKETECH APAC is thrilled to announce the launch of its inaugural ‘E-Commerce Marketing Series’. This six-month-long, comprehensive series is designed to equip businesses with the latest strategies and insights to navigate the dynamic world of e-commerce.

The highly anticipated series will kick off in April 2024 and feature a series of knowledge-sharing and thought-provoking activities.

From roundtable discussions, webinars, workshops, thought leadership pieces, and interviews, the E-Commerce Marketing Series will gather the best in the industry to explore and discuss cutting-edge concepts, trends, and case studies shaping the future of online commerce.

At the heart of the series are two flagship conferences set to ignite innovation and collaboration among industry leaders and professionals.

On July 25, MARKETECH APAC will bring its E-Commerce Marketing Series 2024 to the heart of Southeast Asia’s e-commerce hub, Kuala Lumpur, with E-Commerce Marketing in Malaysia 2024. The hybrid conference will serve as a focal point for thought leadership, networking opportunities, and the exchange of groundbreaking ideas within the e-commerce sphere in the Malaysian market.

Following this, on August 8, the E-Commerce Marketing Series will continue with another hybrid conference, E-Commerce Marketing in the Philippines 2024. The event will bring together industry leaders, digital marketing experts, and forward-thinking entrepreneurs for another conference, where attendees will gain invaluable insights into the unique dynamics and opportunities shaping the e-commerce landscape in the Philippines.

Staying true to its mission of creating a well-connected marketing community in Asia Pacific, MARKETECH APAC’s E-Commerce Marketing Series 2024 will become a primary destination for discovering the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges within the e-commerce industry.

From enhancing online presence and driving sales to stay ahead of the curve, the E-Commerce Marketing Series 2024 offers unparalleled opportunities for growth and collaboration to unlock the full potential of e-commerce across the Asia-Pacific region.

Joven Barceñas, CEO and founder of MARKETECH APAC, said, “We have seen the enormous change in terms of the way we do e-commerce marketing brought to us by emerging technologies. And what we want to do at MARKETECH APAC is provide the marketing industry within the Asia Pacific region with a platform for acquiring and understanding these trends in e-commerce marketing through the ‘E-commerce Marketing Series.”

He added, “This series is also motivated by the success of MARKETECH APAC’s What’s NEXT series, where we run conference series in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines and have run multiple webinars, roundtables, and workshops.”

Teddy Cambosa, regional editor of MARKETECH APAC, commented, “In the dynamic landscape of APAC’s e-commerce industry, the launch of the E-Commerce Marketing Series is not just an opportunity; it’s an essential catalyst for navigating the intricacies of 2024’s market dynamics in the region. As digital consumption surges and consumer behaviours evolve, this series aims to be a compass guiding brands towards relevance, resonance, and enduring success in the region’s bustling online marketplaces.”

Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for event updates.

Please contact Joven Barceñas at [email protected] if you want to become a partner.

Singapore – Grab has recently announced the opening of its first physical merchant centre in Singapore in order to support local SMEs in their digital growth, as well as offering them a physical space for networking.

The Grab Merchant Centre, located in Grab’s one-north headquarters, is a one-stop shop for small and medium businesses (SMBs) looking to accelerate their growth in the digital economy through Grab’s services.

This is the first-of-its-kind merchant centre among industry players in Singapore, and the first for Grab in Southeast Asia.

Said centre first started as a merchant registration counter in April 2020 to help SMBs sign up and activate their Grab accounts during the pandemic. Today, it has evolved into a one-stop shop providing advisory services and solutions for SMBs.

Wee Tang Yee, country head of Grab Singapore, said, “Based on our latest Food and Grocery Trend Report released today, we know that consumers are increasingly reliant on platforms like Grab. This means that there are more opportunities for businesses to engage with them on our app.”

He added, “The Grab Merchant Centre is meant to help SMBs quickly and effectively tap into this growing opportunity through our tailored solutions. Having a permanent space for the SMB community enables us to serve them more efficiently, and gives them the confidence that Grab is there to support them whenever they need.”

Yee also explained, “The Grab Merchant Centre is also a place for SMBs to keep pace with the latest digital tools and practices. That way, they can confidently navigate and grow their businesses using our suite of self-serve digital tools in the GrabMerchant app. These include reading sales performance trends and insights to improve operations, advertising solutions to reach more customers and boost sales, digital lending products to support their business expansion, and more. We will continue to develop new products to provide more comprehensive support for businesses, and help them capture a bigger slice of the market.”