Tag: Marketing

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.

Singapore – UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced its sixth global Impact Day, ‘Building a Better Future.’ 

Impact Day launched in 2016 and expanded globally in 2018, with volunteers across 50 offices in 40 countries. The yearly event, which was first introduced in 2016 under UM’s corporate social responsibility division, Better World, shows the organisation’s goal of dedication to the values of community and care. 

On Thursday, July 20, UM closed its offices across APAC, EMEA, LATAM and North America to partner with local charities, NGOs and community organisations. 

UM’s partners for this event include the Special Olympics Shanghai Team from China, FareShare, OzHarvest and Our Big Kitchen from Australia, the Indonesian Children Creativity Park Elementary School, Ecokaari from India, Free the Children Japan, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang from Malaysia, Young Focus Organization from the Philippines, MINDS from Singapore, the Goodwill Store from South Korea, NangKang Harmony Home from Taiwan, and Precious Plastic Bangkok from Thailand. 

Kasper Aakerlund, the president for UM APAC, said, “As we continue to focus our efforts around the three key pillars of equity, sustainability and wellness, it’s truly heartening to see the very real impact that our people are making in their local communities. Many of these relationships with NGOs and social service programs have been building over a number of years now, and the impact of connecting and collaborating at a human level within your local community is incredibly powerful.”

Meanwhile, Eric Guzman, vice President, global operations and head of Better World, also commented, “At UM, we are on a constant quest to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work, and Impact Day is a meaningful part of that commitment. We’re honoured to partner with community organisations around the world that are driving genuine change through the lens of equity, sustainability and wellness.”

Singapore – Global communications agency Redhill has announced the appointment of Windy Anindya Putri as its country head of Indonesia. 

As country head, Putri will be working closely with Redhill’s management team and local stakeholders to oversee operational functions and develop new business in Indonesia, strengthening the agency’s presence and expanding its local network.

Putri enters her new role at Redhill with more than ten years of expertise in public relations, advertising, startups, and recruitment in Southeast Asia. Her most recent positions, as Marketing Director of Orbit Future Academy and Director of Orbit Jobs, both with PT Orbit Ventura Indonesia, allowed her to lead product launches in Indonesia while serving as the Head of Marketing at Carro, Southeast Asia’s first automotive unicorn. Earlier in her career, she also held the positions of Head of Marketing at Carro and Director of Orbit Jobs.

Speaking on her own appointment, Putri said that Indonesia is full of amazing opportunities for brands and businesses, which is good for an agency like Redhill.

“Redhill has long been recognised as a trailblazer in the industry, and I’m honoured to join this exceptional team. My goal is to work together to align our visions and take Redhill Indonesia to new heights, revolutionising the industry and exceeding client expectations through strategic innovation, agility and an unwavering commitment to the success of both Redhill and our clients”, she added.

Meanwhile, Manisha Seewal, president of Redhill said “Based on first-hand experience, I’m confident that Windy will be a valuable addition to Redhill. She has a wealth of experience as a communications professional, especially in agile organisations with high growth, and her familiarity with the Indonesian market is unmatched. Indonesia has always been an important market for Redhill and Windy is the perfect person to take our presence here to the next level.”

Australia – Media producer and distributor Seven West Media (SWM) has renewed its partnership with Taboola, a software development company. SWM has extended its cooperation with Taboola for an additional multi-year period after experiencing substantial growth across all of its digital platforms during the initial multi-year agreement.

The partnership between the two companies began in 2020 with the goal of enhancing activation opportunities across its digital assets. The partnership also included the roll-out of several Taboola platforms and tools to allow SWM to maximise traffic, grow its subscriber base and increase audience engagement.

Adam Singolda, founder & CEO of Taboola, expressed that they were delighted to be able to deliver strong results for SWM over the course of the 3 year partnership.

“SWM’s decision to re-sign with us affirms their immense satisfaction with our offering and its ability to deliver powerful insights for premium publishers and content creators. We’re looking forward to the next stage of our journey with SWM and continuing to enhance and expand their digital platforms,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Evadne Janeke, head of commercial product for SWM, commented, “Taboola has delivered on its goal of strengthening our digital portfolio and market offering. We’ve seen a significant increase in traffic and audience engagement across our leading digital news platform, and we’ve been able to use Taboola’s insights to deliver more organic, branded content that connects and appeals to our audience. We’re looking forward to continuing our collaboration with Taboola as we continue to grow our digital footprint. Another great example of partnering for growth.”

India – Cult.Sport, a local sports and fitness brand in India, has awarded its integrated creative mandate to advertising agency Wunderman Thompson India.

In this role, Wunderman Thompson India will be providing strategic and creative services for Cult.Sport on a global scale, as well as delivering differentiated content to create a niche for the brand among sports and fitness enthusiasts.

Shamik Sharma, managing director at Cult.Sport expressed his desire for more Indians to take up sports and fitness as part of their everyday lives, and sees the need for a creative approach to achieve it. 

Commenting on this new partnership, he said, “ In Wunderman Thompson India, we have found an agile agency that understands this sporting culture, which is evident through its award-winning sports films and campaigns. As a team, we plan to up the game and create some clutter-breaking communication for the brand.”

Meanwhile, Arjun Mukherjee, VP & Sr. executive creative director at Wunderman Thompson India, said, “Interestingly we are an office full of sports fanatics and this pitch was like a 100-metre dash that got our adrenaline flowing at every step. It was a high to present ideas for an awesome, homegrown, sports shoe brand and we are elated to be the first to touch the finishing line.”

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. 

Hong Kong – The Marketing Society’s Hong Kong board has announced the addition of three people to its staff in 2023. They include Andreas Krasser, CEO of DDB Group Hong Kong, Geraldine Chew, general manager of branding and corporate communications at K11 Concepts Limited, and Nixon Cheung, head of commercial and brand at Hong Kong Tramways. This addition supports the board’s aim of developing The Marketing Society in Hong Kong by giving it new life and a distinct purpose.

Krasser, a marketing leader, possesses over 15 years of industry experience, with 13 years dedicated to DDB Group, including 10 years in Hong Kong and three in Korea.

“It is a great honour to become a board member of the Marketing Society. I hope that my background will contribute to bringing marketers and agencies closer together in a unified pursuit to showcase Hong Kong’s creativity on the world stage. This city is brimming with creative energy, waiting for the chance to demonstrate its potential to the world,” Krasser said

Meanwhile, With over two decades of experience in various roles spanning Singapore, Mainland China, Malaysia, London, and Hong Kong, Chew spent eight years at Uniplan before joining K11 a year ago.

“I am thrilled to be joining the board of The Marketing Society. It is an honour to be part of an organization that has been at the forefront of the dynamic marketing industry for many years. I recently had the chance to meet with some of our members, and I left feeling totally energized. It’s clear that the next five years is certainly going to be more interesting than the last five,” Chew said

Lastly, Cheung brings 14 years of experience in the transportation sector, including five years as Head of Commercial and Brand at HK Tramways and General Manager at tramplus, where he holds dual roles.

“Joining the board of The Marketing Society Hong Kong fills me with immense pride. Here, we are the melting pot of dynamic ideas, shaped by the unique rhythm of Hong Kong – its energy, its diversity, its spirit. I am excited to be a part of the vision of The Marketing Society to make a meaningful impact, resonating with the heartbeat of Hong Kong,” he said.

The newly appointed board members will work together with the current Hong Kong staff to pursue the Society’s purpose of fostering leadership and raising the bar for marketing practices in the wider region.

Natalie Truong, The Marketing Society Hong Kong chair, said, “These are very exciting times for us in the energetic melting pot that is Hong Kong, and I am thrilled to have these three brilliant new board members join The Marketing Society Hong Kong. I am confident in their collective expertise and passion that will help to shape The Marketing Society Hong Kong – not only on the world stage, but one that will embody the spirit and aspirations of this vibrant city.”

Meanwhile, Sophie Devonshire, CEO at The Marketing Society, remarked, “Together, with our new leadership and expanded board, The Marketing Society are committed to driving positive change, promoting thought leadership, fostering collaboration, and embracing diversity within our community. We aim to create an inclusive platform that empowers marketers and propels Hong Kong’s marketing industry to new heights.”

Singapore – Global partnership management platform impact.com has announced the launch of ‘impact.com / creator’, a unified influencer marketing platform that allows advertisers to discover, create, manage and scale full-funnel influencer marketing programs from a single interface. 

Said platform brings creators and brands together in a single platform to discover new partnerships, contract, manage, pay and optimise those partnerships based on comprehensive performance insights.

Moreover, the technology provides a marketplace for brands to find new partners based on filters such as geographical location, social platform, follower size, vertical, and soon, AI-based recommendations and more. The two-sided nature of the platform also allows creators to seek out brand collaborations. 

This empowers brands and creators to collaborate efficiently and view performance in one platform. Now everyone, from CMOs and VPs to managers and coordinators, can understand the incremental awareness and revenue that their partnerships are driving.

Brands can also diversify their partner mix and compensate them with a variety of models, from CPA and commission to flat fees or combinations of both.

David A. Yovanno, CEO at impact.com, said, “We recognise that marketers require innovative technology to stay ahead of developments within the fast-paced creator economy, which is why we’ve created an industry-first creator partnerships management platform.

He added, “Creators are a critical and expanding part of our industry, and with impact.com / creator, we are enabling clients not only to scale these partnerships, which is notoriously difficult, but also to help establish longer-term relationships. But first, brands must know what’s working, and tracking and performance insights are where impact.com has been leading the market for some time.”

Manila, Philippines – In today’s competitive business landscape, brands are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool to enhance customer experience strategies. AI technology has revolutionised the way companies interact with their customers, offering personalised and efficient experiences that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. But with AI still being an overwhelming technology for many in the industry, how can brands and marketers properly navigate existing and future AI technologies to help in their marketing efforts to improve customer experience?

To navigate the complexities of AI in customer engagement strategies, MARKETECH APAC returns with a new webinar this July 25. Titled “The Future of Customer Engagement: Harnessing the Power of AI”, the webinar aims to impart valuable insights to marketers to harness the full potential of AI and stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of customer engagement.

The webinar will host a panel discussion, tapping some of the Philippines’ leading industry leaders to impart their thoughts on how brands should implement AI-powered customer engagement strategies. The panel is composed of Greg Anonas, international wine and food marketing director at Emperador Distillers; Francis John Chua, marketing director, head of digital sales channels at Globe Telecom; and Albet Buddahim, chief marketing officer at PRIMER Group of Companies. The triad of Philippine marketing leaders will also share their advice on how to deliver personalised and targeted marketing campaigns at scale using AI.

Moreover, the webinar will also feature a keynote presentation by Sarah Chan, regional account executive at Braze, where she will discuss the evolution of AI technologies in marketing and how brands should check out the right channel and the right time to execute such a strategy.

The presentation will also discuss the following:

  • How does AI-powered automation help in delivering timely and relevant messages across multiple channels?
  • What are the benefits of harnessing AI-driven customer journey mapping to ensure seamless experiences at every touchpoint?

“​​The marketing industry is in a constant state of change, and AI has introduced both challenges and opportunities that can be intimidating to many marketers. AI isn’t new technology, but with its evolution–marketers can no longer ignore the potential it brings. Join us in this timely webinar to explore AI-driven marketing and how it can transform brand’s customer engagement strategies,” said Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC.

The Future of Customer Engagement: Harnessing the Power of AI is made in partnership with customer engagement platform Braze. Catch this webinar on July 25, 11AM (PHT) by registering HERE. See you there!