Tag: Mandate

Jakarta, Indonesia – Froyo Story, an agency under digital holding ALVA, has been appointed as digital agency partner by Indonesian banking and financial services company OCBC NISP. The mandate will be for a 12-month period.

Amir Widjaya, OCBC NISP’s head of marketing and lifestyle business division, said, “The appointment was made to assist the bank in achieving its purpose – to encourage Millennials and Generation Z to be more financially fit through fresher, more creative, and more relevant approach.”

The mandate will see OCBC NISP and Froyo Story creating a plan with a digital manoeuvre strategy that applies a creative, novel concept. This creative approach will be a key to achieving the bank’s grand mission. The digital campaign is about to involve Millennials and Generation Z through various social media channels by means of a number of creative and distinctive digital activities.

Zehrina Riskyankeiko, director of Froyo, commented, “We are pleased to welcome the second quarter of the year by signing a partnership agreement with one of the largest banks in Indonesia, OCBC NISP.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dentsu Malaysia has won the digital transformation mandate for Malaysia’s retail food company QSR Brands, becoming the key partner on the company’s transformational journey for KFC and Pizza Hut. 

As part of the mandate, Dentsu Malaysia will be the partner of KFC and Pizza Hut in becoming a true data-first organisation, and future proof business verticals across marketing, operations, and supply chain. The brands have been in the phase of transformation and will go through a data-driven acceleration to improve business efficiencies.

Dheeraj Raina, CEO of Dentsu Media in Malaysia, shared that QSR has set a bold vision for their KFC and Pizza Hut businesses, and the agency shares this vision with them and believes that these brands have a big potential of becoming data companies. 

“For the next 18 months, we will be working with the marketing, data and business teams of KFC and Pizza hut in unlocking the real consumer value with the use of media tech, data and marketing technology. We are bringing the best minds across our service lines together to co-create this powerful and rewarding future with QSR,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Nehchal Khanna, CEO of QSR Brands (KFC & Pizza Hut) for Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Brunei, noted that over the last two years, significant digital investments have been made to provide better digital customer experience and restaurant operations efficiencies and to pivot their business to digital sales because of the changing consumer landscape. 

“We are now ready to realise our bold vision of becoming the number one food technology business in ASEAN, and as part of that aspiration, we are embarking upon this journey with our partners at Dentsu who have gone through a rigorous process of evaluation and selection for this role,” said Khanna.

Mumbai, India – Digital music company Believe has appointed strategy consultancy Pitchfork Partners to be its communication counsel that will manage its brand strategies in India.

As part of the mandate, Pitchfork Partners will be working closely with Believe India to strengthen its brand awareness and engagement for its services across Artist Services, Label and Artist Solutions, and TuneCore, as well as Ishtar with relevant stakeholders across the country. It will also drive and support Believe’s mission to develop independent artists and labels with their unique offerings and solutions, at each stage of their career and development.

Vivek Raina, Believe’s managing director for India, commented that they are excited with their association with Pitchfork Partners, as the agency’s experience and understanding of the industry align with Believe’s objectives and will help them reach emerging independent artists and labels in the digital world. 

“We are focused on building a community in which independent artists and labels will get a platform and partnership to build their fanbase and enhance their revenues in the digital world,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Jaideep Shergill, Pitchfork Partners’ co-founder, said, “We are delighted to work with Believe India, given its leadership position in this competitive industry. It’s a great opportunity for us to drive their messaging across audiences in the country. We look forward to reaching new heights with Believe.”

Bangalore, India — HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, the digital marketing specialist of Madison World, has won the digital marketing mandate for Kuvera, an India-based investment platform.

Founded in 2016, Kuvera offers online personal financial services and has pioneered goal-based, direct plan mutual fund investing for Indians. Kuvera uses technology to help users make smart decisions and navigate the nuances of personal finance. Trusted by more than a million investors with over Rs. 34,000 Crores in assets; the platform enables investments, loans and remittances.

Gaurav Rastogi, founder and CEO of Kuvera, said, “At Kuvera we are creating a safe space to invest for every Indian. We believe that HiveMinds’ category understanding and strategy can really drive the next phase of our growth.”

Jyothirmayee JT, founder and CEO of HiveMinds, commented, “Digital investment platforms are driving a sea change in the way Indians invest. Kuvera is riding this wave through product innovation, an agile platform and customer onboarding at scale. We’re happy to be associated with the team and look forward to creating new benchmarks in growth together.”

The digital mandate adds to the already colourful portfolio managed by HiveMinds such as Dominos, MaxLife Insurance, BigBasket, and eCommerce mandates of brands like Crompton, P&G, and Nivea, among others.

India– WATConsult, the digital marketing arm of hybrid digital agency Isobar, has won the creative and social media mandate for CarDekho, India’s digital automotive solutions provider. The account will be managed by the agency’s Delhi office.

As per the mandate, WATConsult will be responsible for CarDekho‘s social media management, digital creative designing, and content marketing, as well as ORM.

Charu Kishnani, CarDekho’s SVP of marketing and content, commented, “We’re thrilled to partner with WATConsult as our creative and social partners. This engagement will help us elevate our brand presence with the right Strategy, Ideation and Creative thinking. We are looking forward to creating some good and memorable work. Welcome aboard, WATConsult.”

Meanwhile, Heeru Dingra, CEO of Isobar India, said, “CarDekho is a one-stop destination for new as well as second-hand cars. The brand’s auto and non-auto business is expanding, and we are so excited to embark on this journey with them.”

Sahil Shah, WATConsult’s managing partner, shared that they are happy to have the opportunity to partner with CarDekho and they cannot wait to build a dynamic brand presence for them. 

“Our strategy is to enhance the top of the mind recall that the brand has created by applying creative, new age thinking and a strong storytelling narrative,” said Shah.

New York, USA – Amazon’s online audiobook and podcast service Audible has named Wavemaker as its global agency of record for paid media. Through the mandate, Wavemaker will handle Audible’s paid media across its 10 markets namely US, Canada, UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, India, Japan, and Australia.

Cynthia Chu, CFO and growth officer at Audible, said, “We know that Audible enhances the lives of our listeners, everywhere in the world. Wavemaker’s energised approach to media will help Audible reach many more potential customers around the world and their global background will bring a nuanced, individualised approach to each marketplace in which we offer our service.”

Meanwhile, Toby Jenner, global CEO at Wavemaker said, “We live in a world, now more than ever, where exceptional growth requires accelerated change. We developed bespoke principles to power Audible’s Next Level of Performance, which will be underpinned with our market leading data and technology capabilities.”

He added, “We couldn’t be more excited to work with Audible and their teams around the world. We are two businesses very much culturally aligned through our vision for the future.”

Singapore – Strategic communications consultancy RICE has announced new technology retainer wins with enterprise automation software company UiPath and voice AI start-up AI Rudder. 

With the UiPath mandate, RICE will be driving the company’s leadership position in the enterprise automation industry. It will also be providing strategic counsel on UiPath’s regional brand communications, driving media campaigns and relations, as well as managing thought leadership content development.

Toni Iafrate, UiPath’s vice president and chief communications officer, shared that as digital transformation continues to accelerate and deepen across enterprises and industries, they believe that APAC shows great promise to unlock automation-led innovation and growth opportunities.

“We are excited to partner with the RICE team in Singapore to amplify our story in the region and help more companies recognise the power of automation,” said Iafrate.

Meanwhile, for the AI Rudder mandate, RICE has been appointed as its new communications consultancy of record, laying the groundwork for its regional communications. The remit includes media relations, thought leadership development, and content development. RICE will also be boosting AI Rudder’s presence in SEA and Australia.

Henrik Petersen, AI Rudder’s vice president and head of global marketing, noted that as voice AI technology continues to evolve and mature, it is poised to make the leap from experimentation to widespread real-world adoption, with potential for use cases spanning industries.

“We look forward to working with RICE to help amplify AI Rudder’s vision of establishing a new foundation for business communication powered by advanced voice AI,” said Peterson.

The RICE teams servicing both accounts are based in Singapore but will provide regional support and oversight of various markets in the region.

Sydney, Australia – Sydney-based measurement-first agency Agnes Media has been appointed by the Australian payments platform, payo, to handle its digital marketing and performance media mandate.

The app allows its users to eat and drink at its partner restaurants, cafes, and bars, and pay the bill in four fortnightly instalments with zero interest by scanning a QR code. As part of the mandate, Agnes Media will be driving payo’s awareness and consideration amongst diners and venue owners.

The partnership comes after the recently launched payo checkout, a platform enabling customers to pay their bills in seconds without needing the payo app. By scanning a unique QR code at the table, bill wait times are removed whilst also allowing customers to split the bill easily.

Taf Chiwanza, payo’s co-founder and CEO, shared that their goal is to increase the range of venues for users to choose from, whilst attracting a growing base of engaged app users. 

“We are pleased to be working with Agnes Media during this significant growth phase of our business. They were the perfect agency fit with their strong focus on analytics and measurement, and relevant experience in the fintech space,” said Chiwanza.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Ward, Agnes Media’s CEO, commented that they are delighted to be appointed as the agency partner for payo, attracting both hospitality owners and customers to use this world-class app.

“We ensure media buys are tied to key business objectives, with tailored measurement methodologies to track what is driving success resulting in a more effective ROI. This is especially relevant for fast-growth brands such as payo with aggressive expansion goals,” said Ward.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Digital-first agency Lion & Lion has been appointed as the regional digital and social partner for Mars Wrigley’s Doublemint brand, which will be driven by Lion & Lion Indonesia, covering several key markets for the brand in SEA, namely Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. 

In line with the brand’s strategy for the region, Lion & Lion will be responsible for the development and execution of a new activation for Doublemint that will serve to heighten brand awareness and conversion amidst the impact of COVID-19. 

Called ‘The Freshest Lick’, the new activation aims to spread Doublemint’s brand of freshness on digital and social by gamifying the act of sharing gum and mints with friends. 

Michael Panjaito, Lion & Lion Indonesia’s creative group head, shared that to expand their presence and resonate with their post-pandemic gen-z audience on a deeper level, they created a digital brand experience hinging on moments of togetherness with a Play-to-Earn format. 

“The more Doublemint gum players share with their friends in ‘The Freshest Flick’, the fresher rewards they earn together, thus creating a purposeful social connection across a virtual space,” said Panjaito.

Meanwhile, Cheelip Ong, Lion & Lion’s regional chief creative officer, noted that as a creatively-driven, digital-first micro-network with their footprints across SEA, they were able to effectively launch the gamification experience with entertaining localised content for Doublemint across Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.

“We thank the client for trusting our ideas and approach in creating a digital experience that makes the sharing of virtual mints possible,” said Ong.

Samuel Fung, Mars Wrigley’s brand manager for Asia, commented, “We are delighted to work with Lion & Lion as our digital and social partner as their fresh approach to driving relevance for our brand aligns perfectly with our objective of making everyday moments more meaningful. We’re also excited to see the campaign come to life and how consumers can have an immersive experience on The Freshest Flick website.”

In February 2022, Lion & Lion has also been appointed as the digital and social media marketing partner of ASEAN fintech company BigPay, which is under AirAsia, for its Malaysia and Singapore markets.

Melbourne, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has been appointed by food company Chobani to handle the media duties of the Chobani and Gippsland Dairy brands in the Australian market.

Through the mandate, Match & Wood will manage media strategy, planning and buying across all channels for Chobani’s yoghurt and oat milk as well as its Gippsland Dairy yoghurt range.

Steven Blakers, head of marketing at Chobani, noted that the agency impressed them with their strategic and data capabilities, integrated planning, and a thorough understanding of the grocery and trade landscape. Blakers also noted that there is a clear synergy in their brand values and a strong cultural fit, and that they look forward to working with the team to realise their strategic objectives

“We have ambitious plans for Chobani and Gippsland Dairy, focussing on the continued growth of the yoghurt portfolio and establishing Chobani in the non-dairy milk segment which is experiencing a significant uplift with Australians who are choosing to incorporate plant-based products into their diet,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Lyndelle O’Keefe, CEO at Match & Wood, commented, “Chobani has an origin story and mission that truly resonates with us, and it’s been wonderful to see it become a loved and powerhouse brand in Australia over a relatively short time. We’re delighted to have been appointed, against competition from global network agencies, to continue the impressive success they have enjoyed over the past decade.”