Philippines Jollibee is once again creating emotions with two new #MyKwentongJollibee short videos, ‘30 Dates’ and ‘To Love Again’, which are intended to capture the spirit of love this Valentine’s season. The beloved brand continues to strive to tell true love stories by sourcing narratives directly from the people involved, imbuing the films with authenticity and passion.

The short films “#MyKwentongJollibee: 30 Dates” and “To Love Again,” directed by Paolo Villaluna, follow two real-life couples as they negotiate the challenges of life and love.

“In ’30 Dates,’ the story centres on two friends, Kristian and Coleen, who have very different views on love. Kristian wants to start his own family, while Coleen is doubtful and believes that love only exists in movies and television. 

In celebration of Coleen’s birth month, Kristian decided to treat her to 30 days of meals at Jollibee, knowing it was her favourite spot. Will this heartfelt and unique gesture ignite a deeper connection and significance within their friendship, or will it potentially lead to an awkward situation between the close companions? 

The story of Hazel, a single mother who had closed off romance and devoted all of her time and energy to her child, is told in “To Love Again.” Ronald, on the other hand, was instantly drawn to Hazel upon first meeting her. 

Ronald was eager to show Hazel that he was sincere, even in the face of resistance from her family, because he felt deserving of her affection. Despite the scars from her past, can Hazel have the strength to accept Ronald and open her heart again? 

Speaking about the films, Dorothy Dee-Ching, marketing head at Jollibee Philippines, said, “We all have our own Kwentong Jollibee – from memorable birthday celebrations, to going on a first date, and even that unforgettable marriage proposal. While there’s no doubt that Jollibee has impacted the lives of so many Filipinos throughout the years, we’re still pleasantly surprised with the stories that we’ve received. What better way to tell these stories than by letting the real people themselves share their own stories in their own words, thus the birth of #MyKwentongJollibee.” 

She added, “From hundreds of stories, we hope that these two heartwarming tales will touch your hearts and inspire you to share the joy of love this season.” 

Meanwhile, NJ Mijares, group creative director of McCann Worldgroup Philippines, said, “The challenge for this year’s My Kwentong Jollibee is to find stories with topics that people will want to discuss with their peers. We feel that this is a step above what Kwentong Jollibee is and what it means to people. Because apart from just watching true stories, we now give them the opportunity to participate by sharing their own thoughts and feelings.” 

Paolo Villaluna, director of “30 Dates” and “To Love Again”, said, “For us Pinoys, Jollibee is already part of our daily lives: for every celebration of love, family or success, Jollibee is the emotional language we use to express ourselves. Being able to capture that in films was truly fulfilling not only as a filmmaker but as a human being.” 

Canada While digital out-of-home (DOOH) has taken centre stage in recent years, static OOH continues to be in high demand. Currently, static OOH accounts for around 70% of the current OOH market inventory. This is according to the latest report from Broadsign, putting focus on critical insights into the current and future problems and possibilities in the OOH sector.

Even though static OOH has been successful in the digital age, most participants expressed that procedures for OOH are excessively complicated and hinder productivity. Only 17% of respondents said their teams ran well, and almost 50% said there was a serious need to improve workflow.

Additionally, 53% of respondents cited operational inefficiencies as a barrier to competition. According to participant input, improving OOH’s share of advertising revenue in the upcoming years will depend heavily on the modernization of static technologies and procedures.

Emerging technologies are opening up new prospects in the static OOH sector. These include automation tools, data, and analytics solutions. Interviewees for the report expressed a rising focus on data and analytics, along with real-time technology insights regarding inventory availability. 87% of respondents said their organisations would benefit significantly from adding greater automation to their processes.

When asked which trends or technologies they believed would have the biggest impact on the expansion of the industry going forward, 59% of respondents named data-driven targeting, and 47% named data measurement and attribution. 

The report’s participants prioritised sustainability, with many expressing their aim to implement more sustainable business practices in order to achieve carbon neutrality in the future. Approximately 64% of the participants had already pledged to decrease their carbon footprint, and 17% indicated that they intended to introduce sustainable practices. 

In terms of ongoing initiatives, 56% of participants were using energy-efficient LEDs for signage, 33% were using recycled materials, and 48% were recycling or donating vinyl after the campaign. 

More than 125 OOH professionals from 60 different companies throughout the world contributed to the report’s compilation. With screen counts ranging from a few hundred to thousands, organisations running hybrid static/digital networks accounted for almost two-thirds of the participants. 

Speaking about the report, Catherine Lee, Broadsign product marketing specialist, said, “Static is going to continue playing an essential role in the OOH market for the foreseeable future, but as more screens go digital, adapting with the times will be vital. To this end, there is more work to be done to automate the tools and processes used across the industry and reduce static OOH’s carbon footprint.” 

She added, “Our report findings not only reinforce these challenges, but point toward an optimistic future for the industry should it work together to evolve and overcome them. We’re excited to reveal our findings to the community and hope they’ll inspire conversions that drive change.”

Singapore – Following the successful launch of Singapore Airlines’ global brand campaign ‘Welcome to World Class’ in January 2023, the airline now follows up with a campaign film capturing the emotions and moments at 30,000 ft.

The film follows Berlin-based travel photographer Julia Nimke, as she challenges herself to shoot, curate, and edit her very own photography exhibit pieces on her flight with Singapore Airlines. 

In the film, she performs this feat with ease, being made possible by the experience onboard Singapore Airlines such with its in-flight service, curated in-flight menu, comfortable seats and spacious cabins, as well as unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi across all cabin classes.

Nimke’s photographs capture the raw and authentic moments of being in the air, such as a unique composition of a selfie using a mirror built into SIA’s Business Class seats, the way the light hits the spacious cabin basking one in a glow of light, or the moment a cabin crew delicately plates a dish like her own canvas.

These photographs were then displayed at the Leica Gallerie, located at Raffles Hotel, for a private exhibition.

Talking about the campaign, Loo Yong Ping, deputy executive creative director at TBWA\Singapore, said, “Julia was a dream to work with. Her unique ability to capture natural, un-staged moments and use the available light and space at her disposal, and still create these beautiful images were really inspiring.”

Meanwhile, Jacky Lee, director at Smallshop, commented, “Shooting on a flight has its logistical challenges. You must work with the environment you have, all while keeping things discreet, as there are other passengers too. We’re glad that the film came out beautifully, all thanks to Julia’s unique eye.”

USA Lotame, a technology business dedicated to improving customer data for digital marketers, has renewed its commitment to promoting data cooperation by introducing Lotame Collaborate. 

Lotame Collaborate, available through Spherical, is an end-to-end data collaboration platform that allows media owners and digital marketers to leverage first-party data within their businesses and with partners. The platform recognizes changing privacy regulations and provides digital marketers with data portability, analysis capabilities, and activation options. 

Data collaboration platforms address growing concerns about security and privacy by providing safe spaces for data exchange. As the need for third-party cookies decreases, media owners and digital marketers are using cooperative tactics to augment the volume and usefulness of their data. 

Additionally, businesses need to use data to understand and meet the expectations of customers who are looking for better online experiences. In order to help brands adapt and thrive in this changing environment, data collaboration platforms like Spherical are useful in this regard. 

Within its platform, Lotame Collaborate makes it easier for many parties to share permissioned data. Lotame Collaborate meets a business’s needs for enhancing, evaluating, and activating first-party data with outside partners, as opposed to data clean rooms. Furthermore, it allows marketers to combine non-authenticated (web visitors) and authenticated (logged-in) data, possibly tenfold increasing the availability of data for analysis and scalable activation. Currently, Lotame users worldwide can access Lotame Collaborate. 

Speaking about the launch, Andy Monfried, CEO at Lotame, said, “Data collaboration is table stakes today. Unfortunately, fragmented data sets, non-interoperable platforms, and constantly evolving privacy standards have stalled the industry’s ability to deliver on true data enablement and collaboration. With our new offering in Spherical, which we believe is the industry’s most intuitive, interoperable, and high-performing data collaboration platform, we are making data collaboration smarter, faster, and easier than ever.” 

Meanwhile, Jo Mackenzie, head of data solutions, Publicis Media APAC, stated, “First-party data sharing opens up more opportunities to generate meaningful insights and to leverage each marketing touch point for real brand-building impact. Evaluating and testing innovative technologies like clean rooms and data collaboration are critical to delivering cutting-edge, data-driven solutions for our clients, so we’re excited to leverage this new offering as an extension of our existing intelligence suite.”

Singapore – APRW, a local integrated communications agency based in Singapore, has announced its appointment as the official public relations agency for Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2024.

Through this appointment, APRW will be playing a pivotal role in managing media relations, elevating the profile and prestige of the event, and contributing to the global discourse on maritime excellence.

As the official PR agency for SMW, APRW is committed to promoting international relationships and advancing the maritime sector by leveraging its strategic communication skills.

Talking about the appointment, Cho Pei Lin, managing director of APRW, shared, “This marks our agency’s significant voyage into the maritime industry. Anchored in passion and propelled by expertise, the Singapore Maritime Week 2024 is set to make waves like never before.”

“Together, we will chart a course for a week filled with groundbreaking conferences with key industry leaders, strategic partnerships, meaningful networking sessions, and the celebration of the maritime spirit,” she added.

Organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), this year’s SMW will feature conferences for topics in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation, decarbonisation, and talent development in the maritime industry, solidifying Singapore’s standing as a global hub port and leading international maritime centre.

Sydney, Australia – Large businesses in Australia that collaborate internally between marketing and technology teams and align to business objectives gain productivity benefits of an average A$110 million per year, according to data from end-to-end digital experience software Sitecore, in its latest report with Deloitte Access Economics and Deloitte Digital.

Furthermore, the data suggests that collaboration between marketing and technology functions is critical to making the most of digital investments, where businesses leading the way in collaboration forecast an additional 11% revenue growth in the next year when collaboration is centred around customer needs.

Notably, the report warned that a major challenge to success was that bad projects require more management time to course correct, resulting in diversion from other business matters. 

Sitecore’s survey found that 62% of business leaders who experienced negative impacts of technology investments saw this as a problem, with key challenges mentioned by survey respondents including integration difficulties, money wastage, and loss of innovation.

According to the report, the top two priorities for business leaders over the next five years are scaling existing digital solutions and broader digital transformation, which rank higher than traditionally important objectives like revenue generation and customer retention. Of the business leaders surveyed, 98% consider digital investment pivotal to business strategy.

Lastly, the report recommends that business leaders should develop co-investment strategies to overcome budget barriers, remove organisational barriers to promote collaboration, align marketing and technology teams on business strategy and priorities, and create clear, structural accountability for shared focus areas.

Talking about the report, Joey Lim, president of Sitecore APAC and Japan, said, “Challenges to collaboration can make the case for further digital investment difficult and add to executive resistance to transformational initiatives. Sitecore’s commitment to offering choice through its leadership in both on-prem and SaaS digital experience software uniquely places it as a powerful collaborator when overcoming internal resistance by offering multiple solutions that merge marketing and technology.”

Meanwhile, Troy Outtram, partner at Deloitte Digital, added, “As brands continue to invest in their digital transformation, the benefits for teams that work in harmony are becoming more apparent, with ruthless alignment to business goals serving as the key to success for major projects.”

Sydney, Australia – Fujifilm is celebrating its 90th anniversary with the launch of the company’s first-ever global purpose, ‘Giving our world more smiles’, underscoring the company’s commitment to bring diverse ideas, unique capabilities and extraordinary people together to change the world.

The new global purpose reflects Fujifilm Group’s role in bringing smiles to the world through innovative products for the past 90 years and the goal for the entire Fujifilm group to guide employees, customers and the community toward a shared future.

Fujifilm’s new global purpose is one of its most unique and wide-ranging initiatives to date as it encompasses all of the company’s divisions, including medical systems, photo imaging, recording media and electronic imaging.

The new global purpose has roots as far back as Fujifilm’s 2006 corporate philosophy changed when the company began aligning its business expansion and the addition of diverse products globally. It also aligns with Fujifilm’s global CSR plan which emphasises sustainable development as a part of Fujifilm’s Sustainable Value Plan (SVP) 2030.

Whilst Fujifilm’s “Value from Innovation” remains as the company’s corporate slogan, there has also been update on its corporate philosophy, which the company describes as, “an embodiment of aspirations propelling the group toward realising its purpose”.

To mark the anniversary, Fujifilm also launched a dedicated 90th anniversary website which showcases the company’s history since 1934 and reflects the wide-ranging public discussions it has had about its role in society and how it can contribute to creating a brighter future.

Talking about this initiative, Richie Matoba, CEO of Fujifilm Australia, said, “Fujifilm’s 90th anniversary celebrates the rich diversified history of our brand and our journey through a wide range of industries and products that have enriched and changed countless lives. It is also a commitment to the future, with the belief that our product range and proprietary technologies will be successful in giving our world more smiles.”

Meanwhile, Teiichi Goto, president, CEO and representative director of FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, added, “Through our new Global Purpose and by combining the Fujifilm Group’s strengths in technology and the wisdom of our diverse and talented workforce, we will contribute to solving social issues through all of our businesses.”

Singapore – With the Lunar New Year festivities and Valentine’s Day occurring within the same month, Tinder has decided to launch a Lunar New Year pop-astro guide for singles on how each Chinese Zodiac sign matches and chats on the dating app.

Made possible in collaboration with Singapore based second-generation Feng Shui astrologer Clement Lim from Kang Li Feng Shui, Tinder’s guide shares tips and insights for singles to enhance their dating luck during the peak season.

The guide mainly suggests points wherein certain zodiac signs are highly likely to have a specific trait or approach to using Tinder. For instance, the guide claims that the Rooster, Dog, and Pig sign are the most active signs on Tinder.

Furthermore, the guide also goes into detail about more dating app behaviours such as which signs like to play it cool, which signs have popular profiles, which signs are looking for long-term relationships, what signs are figuring it out, and what signs are most likely to match.

Talking about the guide, Lim said, “In the Year of the Dragon, young adult singles can expect their dating journeys to be as spirited as a dragon’s flight. daters should embrace opportunities to connect meaningfully as this year promises compatible matches to those who share common passions as the Dragon’s energetic aura fans the flames of romance.”

“As young adult singles explore the possibilities of romance and relationships, their friends and family can also act as a compass and cheerleaders. With their combined wisdom and insights, hopeful singletons will feel supported whilst navigating their dating journeys,” he added.

Manila, Philippines – Toothpaste brand Closeup has launched its latest campaign, with a film that features a fresh rendition of the iconic song ‘Closer You and I’ by Filipino singer Gino Padilla.

Conceptualised by MullenLowe TREYNA, Closeup’s campaign reimagines the song in 2024 for a new generation with singer Adie’s vocals and the love team of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, affectionately known as DonBelle, in the film. 

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Close Up’s history, seamlessly blending nostalgia with contemporary charm. The new version captures Closeup’s classic ‘kilig’, resonating with both long-time fans and newer audiences.

Through this campaign, the brand aims to display its unwavering commitment to portray love’s joyous moments, captivating hearts in 2024 just as it did back in the 90s.

Commenting on the campaign’s rendition, Padilla said, “The new version sounds great, and I have to congratulate Adie for doing such a wonderful job. He was able to inject his own style and represent his current generation. It’s a great privilege and honour to be part of the Close Up brand. Up to now, people associate my name with the song, and it really is a great blessing.”

The release of the new single featuring Adie and the DonBelle tandem has garnered over a million views, signifying a new chapter in Closeup’s legacy of fostering connections through the power of love and music.

Singapore – In a world of accelerated uncertainty, the future of customer experience(CX) innovation will be driven by brands that go beyond mere transactional interactions, focusing instead on creating relationship-based experiences that align with delivering customer value and fulfilling trusted customer preferences to achieve business goals.

That being said, this shift in innovation is brought about by digital-native customers today who are demanding greater value, more memorable and immersive experiences, as well as greater control over how they engage with brands, becoming equal stakeholders in the CX ecosystem.

To help navigate through this phenomenon, global cloud communications platform Infobip, with market intelligence firm IDC, have teamed up with MARKETECH APAC to present the report, ‘Revolutionizing Customer Experience through the Power of Conversational Commerce, providing guidance to marketers and brands on how to get started and accelerate the journey towards customer-centric business resilience.

Revolutionizing Customer Experience through the Power of Conversational Commerce discusses the rising role of conversational commerce and omnichannel communication platforms in delivering a superior and contextualised customer experience throughout the APAC region.

The report highlights the value of conversational commerce in customer-centricity by giving readers an overview of its significance, showcasing how the future of CX is efficiently redefined through fostering meaningful engagements by using methods such as leveraging conversational mediums and communication platform as a service(CPaaS), showing examples of its use and effectiveness in the current industry.

Furthermore, the report also gives insights as to how marketers and brands can future proof their business through current and future advancements in conversational commerce, as well as the right standards for choosing a partner to embark with on the conversational commerce journey.

Lastly, several touchpoints for the utilisation of conversational commerce are explored geographically across APAC, displaying the industries encompassed as well as its nature of use across different markets in the region.

Teddy Cambosa, regional editor at MARKETECH APAC, said, “As businesses navigate the digital realm, the art of meaningful conversation becomes the brushstroke that paints lasting impressions. In the canvas of customer experience, the brush of dialogue not only shapes transactions but also crafts relationships. In this ever-changing business landscape like this, this report offers actionable insights for businesses to recognise the power of conversational commerce, which in turn paints a portrait of personalised service, resonates in the hearts of customers, and creates a masterpiece of loyalty and satisfaction.”

To access the report, you may downloadRevolutionizing Customer Experience through the Power of Conversational Commerce’ here.