Tag: Marketing

Singapore – Many marketers, 4.9 out of 10, say they are not yet ready to implement and integrate generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), according to a report from Kantar, a marketing data and analytics company.

The study has found that while many marketing leaders (9 out of 10) recognise the potential of GenAI in transforming their operations, their adoption is hindered by insufficient training and high costs.

Due to the challenges that marketers face, the report sees a gap between GenAI’s potential and its adoption. Meanwhile, 5.3 out of 10 of their external partners such as agencies and data providers, are considered to be at the forefront of new technologies. This has led to the industry not being able to unlock the full potential of GenAI tools, with its impact rated at 5.3 out of 10.

The study also considers efforts to preserve traditional marketing skills as a contributor to their hesitation to adopt GenAI.

Addressing marketers’ reluctance, Kantar details how GenAI can revolutionise marketing. This includes building long-term strategies, streamlining daily tasks, and engaging consumers in real time.

Kantar’s study aims to help marketing leaders encourage their teams to eliminate fear of GenAI tools.

Lyn Lim, head of commercial growth at Kantar Consulting, said, “The overwhelming consensus among senior marketers is that GenAI is going to revolutionise the industry. But reality today is that many companies don’t feel ready yet. We see that leading organisations are making the shift from using GenAI predominantly for efficiency reasons to now also driving effectiveness. Those that get it right will succeed by building excitement and understanding around GenAI among everyone in their business: how they can help them achieve more with greater efficiency, speed, and effectiveness. We believe APAC marketing has the potential to leapfrog the world in its adoption of GenAI, just as it’s led the world in other aspects like social commerce and mobile marketing.”

Singapore – UNL Global, a mapping technology company in Singapore, is collaborating with GrabMaps to enhance its location services for businesses in Southeast Asia (SEA).

Combining their technologies, UNL and GrabMaps will leverage their location data and expertise to offer hyperlocal location services.

GrabMaps contributes its comprehensive location data, including extensive addresses, imagery, and points of interest across Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

The mapping data also leverages Grab’s network of merchants, consumers, drivers, and delivery partners, with insights gained daily from orders, rides, and real-time feedback.

Meanwhile, UNL provides pixel-based mapping and real-world game engine solutions, which enable digital representations of various locations.

Through the partnership, UNL and GrabMaps will offer better services for businesses in the region, aiming to eliminate problems in unreliable addressing and lack of last-mile data among others.

Additionally, the partnership will allow businesses and developers to have more optimised search and navigation services, predict more accurate estimated time of arrivals, and customise routes for specific vehicle parameters.

Xander van der Heijden, CEO and founder of UNL, said, “As one of the fastest-growing regions globally, Southeast Asia’s booming economy and increasingly connected population demand innovative solutions to meet the unique challenges of this dynamic region. We are excited to be joining forces with GrabMaps to bring the best-in-class location solutions to Southeast Asia’s markets. GrabMaps’ excellent map making capabilities and unmatched location data quality together with UNL’s advanced micro-location technology is a powerful combination, providing businesses with the tools they need to thrive in an environment where precision, efficiency, and customer-centricity are essential to staying ahead.”

“We are excited to support UNL Global in offering more accurate location data to help drive the growth of businesses and developers in Southeast Asia. GrabMaps’ extensive and highly granular data from across the region can help UNL’s customers improve operational efficiencies and unlock growth opportunities. UNL Global’s own micro-location technology, combined with our capabilities and insights, will enable UNL Global to offer more tailored solutions for their customers’ fast-changing needs,” Hazel Chen, regional head of group business development & partnerships at Grab, said.

Amidst Kaspersky Lab’s business landscape are the escalating geopolitical issues that have impacted its global operations. At the time, Kaspersky had just undergone a significant rebrand and was about to launch its new consumer products.

This case study discusses how Kaspersky navigated this landscape, increasing revenue and enhancing brand awareness amidst rebranding as it partnered with digital marketing agency JOLT Digital.

The Challenge

Against the backdrop of geopolitical predicaments affecting operations in the Western markets, Kaspersky was immersed in the pressure of increasing revenues in Southeast Asia (SEA) and Greater China. Kaspersky marks the region with the highest business potential, spanning the markets of the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Strategies for revenue impact needed to be implemented fast, especially during the second half of 2023, covering sales periods such as Back to School, 11/11, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and New Year.

Additionally, Kaspersky’s brand awareness was relatively low due to the rebrand, posing a problem for the company as it planned to launch a new suite of subscription products. It also needed to compete with key regional players, including Norton, Trend Micro, Avast, and McAfee.

The Objectives

Kaspersky aims to increase revenue through higher conversion while maintaining a positive return on ad spend (ROAS). It aspires to capture new audiences with higher purchase intent, ensure optimal budget for maximum ROAS, and enhance overall campaign effectiveness.

Kaspersky’s key goals include:

  • Uncovering audience insights through the Global Web Index to identify trends that Kaspersky can apply to its strategic planning
  • Understanding potential months where spending can be capitalised to guarantee higher impact in more competitive months
  • Identifying the most optimised budget allocations using JOLT’s proprietary technology, J-CAL, a scientific approach to media planning

The Solutions

Working with JOLT Digital, Kaspersky harnessed the abilities of the J-CAL proprietary data analytics tool, to optimise its budget and media mix based on scientific data, enhancing return on investment. JOLT also collaborated with GWI, a market research company that provides insights on specific users of cybersecurity services.

With GWI, JOLT found that users in the region spend more than 3 hours using their mobiles daily, specifically to explore Meta and TikTok. Additionally, they learn about new brands through search engines and social media ads, relying on consumer reviews and product websites to research them. Brands that offer coupons and discounts increase their chances for their products to be purchased.

Based on the insights, Kaspersky and JOLT sought digital channels and chose the video and static formats, identified as the formats that would efficiently reach the target audience.

JOLT then moved to the two stages of budgeting. Leveraging both companies’ expertise, the budgets were allocated to individual markets according to past performance and target return on ad spend. J-CAL was then employed, which recommended the final budget allocation that consists of 30% for search, 85% of the remaining 70% for social and 15% for display.

The Result

Through the collaboration, Kaspersky saw an 85% improvement in quarter-on-quarter revenue in SEA, with the click-through rate recorded as high at 3.51%. Meanwhile, the company observed a 138% improvement in revenue in Greater China, surpassing its H2 target by 10%. There was also an increase in month-on-month ROAS by an average of 8%.

New York, USA – Dentsu, in partnership with Adobe, have announced Adobe GenStudio dentsu+, a generative AI-powered, integrated marketing ecosystem for brands. The culmination of a decade-long relationship, Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ combines Adobe’s latest Content Supply Chain solution suite, GenStudio, with the power of dentsu’s proprietary integrated services, technology and audience intelligence. 

Underpinned by dentsu’s Merkury, the offering gives marketers the power to efficiently reach and engage audiences in a highly scaled and personalissed manner, driving more in-the-moment experiences and bringing consumers even closer to the brand.

Adobe’s GenStudio solution brings together applications across Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Creative Cloud—including Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Express, Adobe GenStudio for Performance Marketing and Adobe Workfront, as well as on-brand generative AI capabilities with Firefly Services and Custom Models—all into one combined ecosystem for helping brands plan, create, manage, activate and measure content at scale. 

The solution enables marketing teams to create the experiences required to drive impactful, personalised marketing campaigns. By integrating with dentsu’s own audience intelligence, creative insights and translation capabilities, Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ enhances Adobe’s suite of services to deliver impactful experiences for clients.

Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ also delivers on the combined power of creative, production, media, and digital experience, leveraging dentsu’s unique Merkury data sources. The solution sets a new benchmark for how marketers can fully utilise Adobe, while effectively targeting millions of customers and prospects in a way that speaks to them individually—not only delivering on customer expectations but also bringing them closer to the brand through each interaction. 

In addition, marketers can now gain a single view across campaign management, content supply chain, and identity mapping, underpinned by dentsu proprietary AI solutions, creating opportunity to lower waste, increase efficiency, and drive engagement.

Abbey Klaassen, global brand president at Dentsu Creative & CEO and Dentsu Creative US, said, “Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ is a direct response to CMOs demanding holistic marketing platforms to drive new growth and provides integrated marketing technology and services that can supercharge business transformation.”

She added, “It’s testament to dentsu’s deep relationship with Adobe that we’ll be able to bring this industry-first solution to market to enable brands to stand out from the sea of sameness and build a competitive advantage. As one of the first users ourselves, we’re already seeing synergies created with our other products and services, and expect clients will have the same experience, finding opportunities both for their in-house teams and their work with their agencies.”

Meanwhile, Brent Rudewick, vice president for Adobe GenStudio and Workfront at Adobe, commented, “Marketers are operating in an environment now where the need for personalised and performant content is outstripping available resources, a challenge that Adobe GenStudio addresses by optimizing a brand’s content supply chain.”

He added, “Adobe and dentsu have a longstanding partnership that focuses on delivering tailored solutions for brands. Now, combining GenStudio with dentsu’s audience intelligence and consultancy, we have the opportunity to activate generative AI for different teams, reshape longstanding workflows around content production and deliver on-brand performance at scale.”

Lastly, Shirli Zelcer, chief data and technology officer at dentsu, stated, “Bringing together these innovative capabilities for the first time creates total business impact for our clients. What we have built alongside Adobe is an adaptive, end-to-end content supply chain solution, in which we can create always-on, always-ready experiences with the least amount of waste.”

She added, “Brands no longer have to try and piece together disparate systems and data—they can do it all in one place. Adobe GenStudio dentsu+ will not only drive better outcomes, but it will save time and add scale to marketing teams already under considerable pressure.”

Singapore – Creative agency McCann Worldgroup Singapore has brought feng shui recommendations to the digital space with a personalised phone app layout guide.

Called ‘Phone Shui,’ it provides a guide for organising apps aligned to their career, romance, finance, and health goals.

Aimed at mobile-savvy Gen Z, ‘Phone Shui’ aims to inspire mindfulness in their digital habits, introducing the traditional ideas of harmony and balance in the digital space.

‘Phone Shui’ provides personalised recommendations based on users’ zodiac signs, offering optimal and intentional app placements while injecting humour. 

“As a Gen Z, the digital space can get overwhelming. Phone Shui is about welcoming luck and a sense of winning every time you unlock your screen, giving you a fun way to create balance and intention in today’s hyper-digital world,” Seth Low, art director at McCann Worldgroup Singapore, commented.

New York – Docusign, a software company managing electronic agreements, has rebranded with a new sonic identity, reflecting its position as a leader in electronic signature technology.

Going beyond brand visuals, Docusign’s new sonic identity aims to contribute to building trust and engaging its customers while making an impact. Through a recognizable audio, Docusign is boosting its presence in the competitive market.

To create the sonic identity, Docusign teamed up with brand sounding agency amp, which invented a sonic DNA mirroring Docusign’s personality. It aimed to capture how the company is professional, trustworthy, and lively through an upbeat and optimistic sound. 

Alongside the launch of a new sound is a refreshed brand image, creating a multisensorial identity that complements how it manages agreements.

The launch marks Docusign as the first brand in its sector to use sonic DNA, reinforcing its leadership in the intelligent agreement management category in the industry.

“Our redesign marks an exciting new chapter for Docusign, one that reflects our evolution as a leader in trusted agreements. The modernisation of our brand identity with the key addition of a sonic brand truly mirrors and supports our renewed focus on helping businesses move forward, faster, and smarter,” Carla Weiss, vice president of brand at Docusign, said.

“The creative idea behind the Docusign sonic logo is rooted in the concept of resonance, a phenomenon where two closely matched frequencies amplify each other: the Docusign vision of how the world comes together and agrees,” Jason S. Thompson, creative director at amp, commented.

Philippines – The Jollibee Group has introduced the first stand-alone Milksha concept store in the Philippines, tapping into the country’s milk tea culture with the Taiwanese brand.

The new Milksha store opened on January 20 at SM North Edsa, Quezon City.

Milksha, majority-owned by Jollibee Group since 2021, was previously brought to the country through integration in select Chowking stores.

Also known as the brand Milkshop in Taiwan, Milksha employs traditional Taiwanese methods to brew its beverages, using premium imported ingredients.

“Milk tea has become such a big part of Filipino daily lives. What makes Milksha well-positioned for this market is its dedication to using fresh and premium natural ingredients and crafting unique, refreshing flavors that can capture the evolving taste buds of Filipino milk tea lovers,” Joseph Tanbuntiong, Jollibee Foods Corp. Philippines chief executive officer, said.

“We’re very happy to have Milksha in our Jollibee Group family. Milksha’s choice ingredients and innovation bring something genuinely delightful to our customers,” Ernesto Tanmantiong,  Jollibee Group global CEO, said.

Peter Huang, Milksha Global founder and CEO, also commented, “I thank all of the partners joining this project. We look forward to expanding, providing more jobs, and making every milk tea lover happier with every cup.”

Singapore – UM, a global media agency network under IPG Mediabrands, is challenging brands to be distinct and evade blandness with the launch of its ‘Full Colour Media’ strategy.

Urging brands to take a more vibrant approach to media, UM’s ‘Full Colour Media’ is an omni-channel planning proposition and philosophy that aims to change the agency’s mindset and behaviours towards marketing and branding.

The new proposition includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which can have a normative nature if not trained effectively. UM’s new model provides insights on how marketers can apply the distinct qualities of a brand when using AI, making it effective and efficient.

The proposition is backed by research on brand-building, which analyses unique brand patterns to identify nuances in brand behaviours. UM collaborated with Felipe Thomaz, associate professor of marketing at the University of Oxford.

Insights gained from the study allowed UM’s model to predict key components of brand growth, helping marketers tailor solutions for brands.

“Full Colour Media is an omni-channel planning proposition designed to combat the existential threat of brands becoming bland. It unlocks the power of human ingenuity in a world where AI’s normative mechanic threatens not just a race to the bottom, but a race to the mean. To win the growth race for our valued clients, we need strategies that ‘Stand Against Bland,” Susan Kingston-Brown, global brand president at UM, said.

“This new approach seamlessly blends the visibility of high-quality media impact with the vibrancy and variability of smaller, deeper touchpoints, creating a spectrum of media stories that come together to drive brand growth. In a world dominated by algorithm-driven media, it challenges outdated linear models and black-and-white decision-making to drive real ‘difference’ and brand growth,” Kingston-Brown said.

“Before we push the AI button, we must understand exactly what differentiates a brand so that we can train that AI to work effectively for us and make a Stand Against Bland,” continued Kingston-Brown. “Brand patterns enable us to understand the complexity, nuances and uniqueness of every brand – allowing us to elevate and distinguish them within their category –  ensuring our communications deliver a disproportionately positive effect in market,” she added. 

“This is a game-changer for our clients and for the industry as a whole. UM’s Full Colour Media approach is a powerful example of how the network is driving innovation in the media landscape. By embracing the power of data and human ingenuity, UM is not only helping brands stand out in a crowded marketplace but also shaping the future of brand building,” Leigh Terry, CEO of IPG Mediabrands APAC, commented.

“With the level of computational power and data at our fingertips today, there is a huge opportunity to go beyond simplified marketing models like the funnel. We need a model that embraces complexity and leverages pattern recognition to define and quantify the unique nature of each brand. Our findings demonstrate that understanding and exploiting what makes a brand different is the number one driver of brand growth. This will only become more important as AI become more pervasive,” Dan Chapman, global chief strategy Officer at UM, said.

India – Lovingle, a diaper brand from RSPL, has launched a new campaign with Cheil X that highlights the often-overlooked well-being of new mothers, encouraging families to offer support beyond the baby’s arrival.

Lovingle’s new campaign highlights how family attention often shifts entirely to a newborn, overlooking the mother’s well-being. It also urges support for new mothers and launches digitally with a film and social media assets under #BadhaiHoMaaHuiHai.

The campaign film begins with a young mother reminiscing about her pregnancy, reflecting on how she was once pampered by her family. As the film transitions to the present, it reveals how the same family now focuses solely on the newborn, leaving the mother feeling overlooked. The emotional film draws on real-life scenarios to empathise with new mothers, reminding viewers not to forget their well-being.

Amit Nandwani, national creative director at Cheil X, said, “The communication around diapers in India is focused on babies. We wanted to break this stereotype and shift the narrative to moms who often get neglected once the baby is born. The campaign line ‘Badhai Ho Maa Hui Hai’ beautifully celebrates newborn moms and sets the stage for a movement to sensitise people about the need to shower love on them as well.” 

Neeraj Bassi, chief growth officer at Cheil X, added, “I think the insight nicely captures the dilemmas of a newborn parent, especially the mother. Someone who was part of you is now detached and the centre of the world for everyone around. While it is very understandable at one level, at another level it takes a while to fully grasp this change. Brand Lovingle understands this vulnerability of a newborn mother and urges the family to support her during this phase of transition”.

Lovingle’s campaign takes a different approach in the competitive children’s diaper market by focusing on the emotional journey of new mothers, highlighting their experiences alongside their newborns. It also emphasises providing quality diapers at an affordable price.

Speaking about the product, Harkawal Singh, vice president of global marketing at RSPL, said, “Lovingle as a brand stands out for best quality premium products at an honest, value-for-money price. While our product serves newborn babies, who are the most fragile consumers, even more fragile is the emotive bond of relationships between family members, as a new member gets added to the family. While the category talks about the newborn baby, we wanted to highlight the other newborn, i.e., the mother. Fantastic work by the team to strategically highlight the newborn mother’s emotions and share a new perspective with the audience at large, especially the family members.”

Singapore – The landscape of customer engagement is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by modern marketing technologies that empower brands to deliver hyper-personalised, impactful experiences at scale. With shifting consumer expectations and the increasing complexity of multi-platform interactions, how can brands rise to the challenge and redefine customer engagement for 2025? 

To tackle these critical challenges, MARKETECH APAC is hosting an exclusive webinar on 13 February 2025. Titled “What’s Next in Marketing: Customer Engagement in 2025,” the event aims to equip marketers with transformative insights and strategies to meet evolving customer expectations, craft personalised campaigns that resonate, and master the art of cross-platform engagement.

This is the second edition of the customer engagement webinar, born out of the strong partnership between the customer engagement platform Braze and MARKETECH APAC in delivering transformative insights for marketers. 

The webinar will feature an engaging panel discussion with seasoned industry leaders from Southeast Asia, sharing their expertise and forward-looking strategies to elevate customer engagement through innovation. The panel is comprised of:

  • Ranya Arora, senior strategic business consultant at Braze
  • Dian Paskalis, country director of growth & regional VP online marketing at Cove Indonesia
  • Jogent Emmanuel Tan, marketing director at Domino’s Pizza Philippines
  • Caroline Wee, vice president of brand and strategy at Loob Holding

The panel will also provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of how modern marketing technology is reshaping customer engagement, from meeting evolving expectations to creating personalised, impactful campaigns and navigating the challenges of cross-platform strategies.

Additionally, the webinar will feature a keynote presentation by Arora, who will delve into the key customer engagement trends for 2025 and examine how AI technology can empower brands to foster meaningful customer interactions.

Furthermore, Rajesh Grover, group vice president – AI, digital & omnichannel at Kanmo Group, will be present for a fireside chat, discussing how Kanmo Group creates seamless, consistent customer engagement across multiple platforms and channels, while leveraging digital innovations to meet evolving customer expectations and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

“As we step into a new year, it’s time to anticipate emerging trends, evolving consumer behaviours, and fresh opportunities to revolutionise customer engagement strategies. So, what are industry leaders planning for 2025? At MARKETECH APAC, we’re thrilled to present the second edition of our webinar, bringing together industry experts to share actionable insights. Join us as we uncover what’s NEXT in the ever-changing marketing landscape!” Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC, said. 

“What’s NEXT in Marketing: Customer Engagement in 2025” is presented in partnership with Braze. Join the webinar on 13 February 2025 at 11 AM (SGT) by registering HERE. Don’t miss it!