Tag: Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Automotive group Cycle & Carriage (C&C) in Malaysia has announced the appointment of its new CEO, Thomas Tok Chek Kuan. Tok succeeds Wilfrid Foo Tsu-Jin who takes on the role of chairman of C&C and managing director of Cycle & Carriage in Singapore. 

Cycle & Carriage is an automotive group in Southeast Asia with presence in Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar. Tok’s new position comes after holding the role of C&C general manager and head of sales in Malaysia since January 2017. Prior to joining C&C, he held various positions across different functions in Cycle & Carriage Singapore for more than 10 years and spent another four years in China managing dealership operations.

Tok has over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry and held portfolios in sales, auto finance & insurance, vehicle logistics and leasing businesses. His tenure in Zung Fu, a major dealer group for Mercedes-Benz in China, included a stint in managing dealerships in Guangdong, China. 

“Since joining C&C, Thomas has professionalised the sales management operation system across our network and grew our downstream business strongly by leading new business concepts. His familiarity with the company and experiences in the industry is well suited to ensure the stability and continuation of the company’s strategies under his leadership. I am excited to pass the baton over to him and I believe that he will bring Cycle & Carriage to greater heights in years to come,” shared Foo.

Meanwhile, Tok himself commented, “I am excited to take on the Chief Executive role in C&C, an organisation that stands for the hallmark of exceptional service and quality. Mr. Wilfrid Foo has inspired our team here and set an impressive momentum of modernising the retail experience for our customers. I look forward to serving the community with continuous support from our Cycle & Carriage family.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In line with the celebration of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, hospitality brand Hilton has reiterated its global campaign, ‘To New Memories’, with the launch of its Malaysian-based follow-up campaign, aimed at facilitating the reconnection of people through packages that fully embrace Ramadan traditions.

In 2021, Hilton debuted ‘To New Memories’, which was built on research insights that show consumers are craving reconnections with family and friends and are inspired by travel memories. For this year, the campaign will be encouraging families to make new memories as they spend some quality time with loved ones by offering special room and dining packages along with special arrangements to support their practices this holy month. These include changing breakfast hours to accommodate morning prayers, and providing prayer mats, the Quran, as well as prayer timetables within the guest rooms.

Eugene Oelofse, Hilton’s marketing and communications director for Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, said, “Cherished family memories are at the heart of Hilton. We want guests to know that Hilton and our Team Members are ready to fully facilitate connection with loved ones during the month of Ramadan.”

All 11 Hilton outlets nationwide will partake in the Ramadan traditions of Iftar and Sahur, or the evening and early morning meal, with a specialised dinner buffet highlighting Malaysia’s Culinary Heritage and other central Asian specialities. This campaign will run until 3 May 2022.

Malaysia – Marketing communications agency Naga DDB Tribal has appointed Farrah Harith-McPherson, former managing director at media network M/Six in Kuala Lumpur, to step into the newly created role of chief growth officer.

Harith-McPherson is a branding and communications specialist with over 20 years of experience, and has served in a diverse range of roles in a leadership capacity. Aside from her previous role at M/Six, she has also held roles at BBDO Malaysia and M&C Saatchi.

In her new role at Naga DDB Tribal, Harith-McPherson will be reporting to Kristian Lee, Naga DDB Tribal’s CEO, and will work closely with Clarence Koh, the agency’s COO, Alvin Teoh, the agency’s CCO, and Alex Goh, the agency’s CSO, as well as Nik Radzi, the agency’s ECD. She will focus on driving the agency’s action goals focused on developing new services in pursuit of new business as well as organic growth. 

Moreover, Harith-McPherson will aid in charting the direction of the agency in identifying horizontal and vertical growth opportunities to elevate the diversity and level capabilities of its service offerings to existing as well as to its potential clientele. Her role also entails sharing responsibilities with the COO in streamlining the agency’s internal processes, managing key department operations, and providing guidance and leadership to agency staff members.

Commenting on her appointment, Harith-McPherson said, “I am thrilled to be joining an agency with such a strong legacy for building enduring and memorable brands. I look forward to continuing the strong growth momentum as well as being a part of the team that charts this next chapter to drive organic and new business growth for Naga DDB Tribal through new offerings and strategic collaboration.” 

Meanwhile, Lee stated that the hire was an indicator of the agency’s intent and ambition to continue to strive towards pursuing positive evolution to attain its goals of becoming an agency that truly understands and meets the marketing needs of brands of all sizes local and regional alike.

“With her experience, drive, and proven leadership qualities, Farrah brings not only vision and skill but importantly a strong voice that complements our management team perfectly. We could not be more thrilled and excited by her coming on board,” he said. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Lionsgate Play, the premium streaming service platform of Lionsgate-owned STARZ, has announced the appointment of Phait Lee Wong as general manager of Malaysia. Wong will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will be reporting directly to Amit Dhanuka, executive vice president of Lionsgate.

She holds an extensive understanding of business and strategy with over 20 years of experience. Wong will be responsible for operations and management of the Lionsgate Play arm in Malaysia, developing local leadership and teams to support core functions like brand building, strategic innovation and business growth.

Wong began her career in capital markets in the financial and banking sector. In the media sector, she led a range of projects, including international ventures, media property investments, and mergers and acquisitions across multiple markets for Malaysian satellite television provider Astro. Wong conceptualised and developed Astro over-the-top (OTT) service – sooka – targeting Malaysian millennials and sports fans. She also had a key role in partnership deals and successfully launched Maxis TV in December 2021.

Commenting on her appointment, Wong says she is looking forward to bringing her experience and vision to the table and she is thrilled to join the Lionsgate Play team at an exciting stage of its growth in the country.

“Malaysia is a vibrant OTT market with great opportunities for Lionsgate Play to tap into evolving consumer behaviour and their appetite for customisable, on-demand entertainment. I am confident of building the Lionsgate Play brand here and look forward to bringing exclusive, interesting and unique content to a wider Malaysian audience,” Wong said.

Rohit Jain, managing director, networks of Lionsgate emerging markets in Asia, said, “Demand for SVoD services in Malaysia is expected to double in the coming years, and we are positioning ourselves for business growth opportunities. Under the able guidance of Amit Dhanuka, Phait’s wide-ranging experience and stellar vision will be the foundation for us to take Lionsgate Play to new heights as we create long term value for our stakeholders.”

Simultaneously, Dhanuka commented, “We are aggressively gearing up our team in Malaysia following Lionsgate Play’s recent foray into the country in October 2021. Wong’s strategic approach for the brand and app will help us reach newer avenues of growth as we drive momentum for our business here. I look forward to working with Wong to amplify our vision in the market with her expertise and knowledge.”

In a conversation with Eileen Ooi, the chief executive officer of Omnicom Media Group Malaysia, she shares her career journey which began with working in different media agencies including Starcom, Mindshare, Carat, Maxus, PHD. Her job experience at several media agency firms has aided her in shaping her career into the chief executive officer she is today.

In college, Eileen did not receive full support from her mother but she still persisted in following her passion for marketing and advertising. 

“Self-belief can take you far or it can limit you as much as you want it to be. So for me I think just be fearless and courageous and go out there and [break your limits],” Eileen adds.

During the conversation with Eileen, we asked about her journey in working as a leader in the media agency industry, and she shared, “When you become a leader, let’s say director the way you need to manage your team is very different, you learn with leadership authority versus leadership with influence and thinking whether to take an empathetic route or a task route. It is the transformative moment where you actually become aware of who you are and where your gaps are and opportunities and strengths.” 

Meanwhile, Eileen also discussed how media agencies and media planning have changed, she explained, “We no longer just think about how do we win the consumers over but we also need to think about how do we win the algorithm and how do we outsmart the algorithm to ensure that our campaign will be the most effective and also the most efficient way of delivering it as well.”

Watch the full conversation with Eileen Ooi over on YouTube, where Eileen shares further on her best leadership practices as well as her insights on how the landscape of the media affects consumer behaviour. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dentsu Malaysia’s digital-first end-to-end media agency iProspect has won the regional media mandate of hotel and flight booking platform Traveloka.

The remit, which will take effect in April 2022, will see iProspect as a key partner in Traveloka’s plan in becoming a lifestyle superapp. iProspect will also be responsible for all above the line media planning and buying across the platform’s key markets, which are Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. 

Moreover, iProspect will be setting up a regional media strategy hub based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ensuring that the brand delivers a unified strategy with local nuances across the said SEA markets. 

Dheeraj Raina, the CEO of dentsu Media for Malaysia, shared that the travel industry has gone through very challenging times, to say the least, and so have the consumers. 

“As the world begins to open up, we want yearning travellers to pick Traveloka as their first choice, for fulfilling experiences and we believe the media has a strong role to play in building that trust and optimism,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Shirley Lesmana, Traveloka’s CMO, noted that they have marked their presence in six countries across SEA, helping millions of people enrich their lives on a daily basis, as they are on an accelerated mission to fulfil the end-to-end lifestyle needs of consumers in the region. 

“In addition, we found synergy in the strategy crafted by iProspect in these markets, to deliver our brand promise,” said Lesmana.

Singapore — Full-suite payments platform 2C2P has announced its regional collaboration with hoolah, Asian Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) provider. The partnership enables 2C2P to offer hoolah’s service to merchants in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, and extend to new markets through 2022.

Through 2C2P’s comprehensive payments platform, merchants can seamlessly provide hoolah’s BNPL payment option at checkout for consumers to split purchases into three monthly interest-free repayments. Jointly, 2C2P and hoolah will help merchants boost their order size and reach more millennial and Generation Z customers who favour BNPL payment methods.

Aung Kyaw Moe, CEO and founder of 2C2P, said, “This partnership with hoolah bolsters our continuous effort to build an integrated payment solution that will help businesses securely accept payments across all channels to reach different customer segments and capitalise on the e-commerce boom. Our goal at 2C2P is to ensure that we constantly innovate to meet evolving business and consumer needs.”

Simultaneously, Arvin Singh, CEO and co-founder of hoolah, commented, “With more consumers looking for a flexible, transparent, and highly personalised way of paying online, our partnership with 2C2P will empower merchants and enhance BNPL adoption in the region. 2C2P’s expertise in payments acceptance in Asia is a great complement to the hoolah ecosystem, and we’re excited to embark on this journey to support merchants and take their businesses to greater heights.”

hoolah was recently added as a BNPL payment option by Malaysia Airlines and parent Malaysia Aviation Group’s travel and lifestyle platform, Journify.

Lau Yin May, group chief marketing and customer experience officer of Malaysia Airlines, shared that they are committed to offering safe and seamless end-to-end travel experiences for their customers and paying for their trip is part of the experience.

“We are delighted to work with hoolah and 2C2P to offer flexible payment choices to our customers so they can continue to Fly Confidently and shop seamlessly at Journify while enjoying interest-free BNPL convenience,” May said.

According to an IDC report commissioned by 2C2P, BNPL will rise from 1 per cent to 5 per cent of the total e-commerce payments in Southeast Asia by 2025 and become a key payment method shaping the region’s digital commerce landscape.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Local digital publisher REV Media Group (RMG) has partnered with data analytics and consumer intelligence company Dattel Asia to launch its first AI-powered advertising manager platform in Malaysia to empower SMEs with data-driven advertising.

The collaboration offers a unique solution that empowers brands and agencies to target audiences based on strategic consumer insights. The self-serve platform powered with AI for better audience targeting, known as REV Ad Manager (RAM), allows SMEs to leverage the platform’s data to make more informed marketing decisions.

The platform is designed to be the starting point for running ad campaigns and reaching your ideal audience for SMEs to grow their business. Thus, RAM is basically a tool that lets a user segment customers, create ads, and manage them easily and effortlessly.

In addition, the partnership also provides an opportunity for SMEs to leverage on the 15.8 million visitors on RMG’s network audience, reaching 80% of Malaysians monthly and a special rate at a minimum of RM1,000 with a 100,000 audience reach.

RMG’s Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Wee said, “Gone are the days where SME business owners and agencies need to traditionally acquire data and create personas to match their audience targeting. Our AI powered recommendation engine will recommend the best media asset that is optimised for your market audience which makes it easier for the agencies and brands.”

Meanwhile, DAG’s Chief Executive Officer, Ashran Dato Ghazi, commented, “Targeting the right audience is crucial in any business aspect. We want to come in aid and empower SMEs with data that is actionable and most importantly yield results.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Axiata’s fintech arm Boost has launched a one-stop storefront solution for Malaysian gamers called ‘Game Connect’ through its regional cross-border payment and customer growth platform provider subsidiary Boost Connect.

Boost Connect’s innovative storefront solution caters to its clients’ and partners’ needs to meet the rapid growth in consumer demand for digital content across gaming and entertainment. It also allows clients and partners to quickly ramp up their offerings to enrich their end-users’ digital lifestyle demands while driving more traffic to their services, achieving better customer retention, and expanding their revenue streams.

The storefront was developed for Boost Life, Malaysia’s consumer eWallet and digital lifestyle payments platform. This announcement also follows Boost’s launch last year of a similar Storefront for Cambodian telecommunications giant Smart to tap into the game voucher market there.

‘Game Connect’ will provide gamers with an end-to-end solution for their gaming needs. The new storefront currently allows for the discovery and seamless purchase of gamers’ favourite game reloads and vouchers. As a start, Game Connect features 63 titles in the store including must-have mobile titles like Mobile Legends, Genshin Impact, PUBG, and Roblox. Also available are vouchers for stores including Playstation, Unipin, Razer, Google Play, Garena, and Steam, as well as Nintendo, and Amazon.

Sheyantha Abeykoon, Boost’s CEO, shared that their aim is to create an inclusive digital ecosystem with accessible solutions that cater to the digital lifestyle of their customers. 

“Game Connect is part of our efforts to offer gamers a one-stop solution and easy access to purchase game credits, vouchers and more through one platform,” said Abeykoon.

Meanwhile, Raja Mansukhani, Boost Connect’s CEO, commented that they are excited about this launch, Game Connect offers Boost Life the opportunity to enhance its product value proposition, and at the same time, it provides the esports and gaming community in Malaysia a better and more convenient customer experience and meets the ever-increasing demand for gamers. 

“This is our second storefront solution deployment within the region and there’s an increasing demand for proactive product propositions like these across our client base,” said Mansukhani.

Boost said that game pass subscription, gaming devices and peripherals, entry passes to gaming tournaments, as well as a ‘Pay Later’ feature for games and devices will be made available through 2022. More gaming providers and partners will also be added in the near future. Boost Game Connect can be accessed via both the Boost app and a dedicated storefront website.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Regional sports network SPOTV based in South Korea has launched a new mobile app, SPOTV NOW, aimed at bringing popular sporting events closer to sports fans in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

The new mobile app, both live and on-demand, will be streaming world-class events shown on the sports network’s regional pay-TV linear channels, SPOTV and SPOTV2. 

Through this, sports fans in Malaysia can catch top riders like Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, and Marc Marquez battle it out for victory in the adrenaline-charged MotoGPTM and WorldSBK World Championships, and standout moments of sporting heroes in World Table Tennis events, tennis Grand Slams – Wimbledon and US Open Tennis Championships, as well as The Open Championships (Golf Major), amongst other prestigious events.

Choong Khay Lee, SPOTV’s CEO, shared that they aim to delight their subscribers with the electrifying experience of watching a big game and at the same time, provide an avenue for them to relive some of the exhilarating moments in sports with their on-demand features. 

He further shared that in the months to come, sports fans will get to watch exclusive content that is only available to SPOTV NOW viewers.

“We aim to replicate the success of SPOTV NOW across Asia – by bringing more localised and relevant content to our subscribers in each market, drawing them closer to their unique sports culture, and strengthening the bond among sports fans. In the near future, we will be rolling out SPOTV NOW to Indonesia, followed by Thailand,” added Lee.