Tag: Marketing

Singapore – With Mother’s Day coming close, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Singaporeans think that it is an occasion to be celebrated, according to the latest data from marketing research firm YouGov. 

On the other hand, 15% of Singaporeans tend to believe that it is an occasion that people would not celebrate if it weren’t for social pressure from friends or family. A small percentage (5%) also tend to see it as more of a celebration due to pressure from brands.

Moreover, data from YouGov suggests that younger Singaporeans are more likely than older adults to consider Mother’s Day a legitimate event. 71% of Singaporeans who are Gen Z consider the day to be a proper occasion, compared to 24% who say otherwise.

This is in comparison to 62% of Gen X and 68% of baby boomers seeing Mother’s Day as a proper occasion, as do about 60% of millennials.

In general, Singaporeans were found more likely to believe that Mother’s Day is a proper celebration when compared to other days, such as, Father’s Day (61%), New Year’s eve (59%), dating anniversaries (28%), Valentine’s Day or International Women’s Day (24% each).

Only when compared to birthdays and wedding anniversaries, Singaporeans are less likely to consider it as a proper occasion for celebration. Thinking about the occasion this year, 55% of Singaporeans say they plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, with 41% of even those who believe Mother’s Day is celebrated because of social pressure intending to mark the day this year, as opposed to the 36% who will not.

When it comes to how they want the occasion celebrated, giving gifts is considered as the most ideal way to celebrate Mother’s Day (48%), followed by arranging an outing or vacation (46%), preparing a home cooked meal (40%), and taking over all household chores from them for a day (35%).

Comparatively, fewer Singaporeans consider giving a bouquet of flowers (28%), a heartfelt card (26%) or an amazing spa or wellness activity (21%) as a way to mark this special day.

Singapore – Digital marketing solutions provider WE! Interactive has partnered with influencer marketing platform Partipost to enhance social media strategies across Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on expanding their presence in Thailand and Indonesia.

This collaboration will leverage Partipost’s network to enrich WE! Interactive’s offerings, enabling superior content quality and broader audience engagement.

By leveraging the creative power of Partipost’s influencers, WE! Interactive will provide clients with a multi-dimensional social media strategy that adapts to new technologies and changing consumer behaviours, ensuring more engaging and effective campaigns.

Additionally, the partnership promises to offer innovative solutions tailored to the needs of modern brands and consumers, not only highlighting both companies’ commitment to innovation but also promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in the digital marketing realm.

Talking about the partnership, Matthew Lim, CEO of WE! Interactive, said, “Our collaboration with Partipost marks a transformative step for our social media strategies. This alliance not only broadens our toolkit with high-quality, diverse influencer content but also deepens our capability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with our target audiences in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Eg, CEO and founder of Partipost, commented, “At Partipost, we’re committed to continuous innovation in influencer marketing, with a strong focus on leveraging the power of user-generated content. Partnering with WE! Interactive allows us to create a powerful synergy that unlocks new possibilities for brands in Southeast Asia, offering them access to WE!’s strategic expertise combined with Partipost’s extensive network of authentic creators.

Singapore – Samsung and telecommunications company Singtel have recently released their latest campaign film, titled “AI Do”, aimed at highlighting the power of technology to bring people together.

The film, directed by Golden Horse Award nominee, He Shuming, draws inspiration from Singtel Group’s purpose to empower every generation and the many versatile uses of the Galaxy AI.

In AI Do, Hee Joo and Aidan, who are Korean and Singaporean respectively, are getting married. Together with their families, they tackle a long task list as well as language and cultural differences in the lead-up to their wedding. To overcome their challenges, the characters use various AI features available on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, supported by Singtel’s strong and stable 5G connectivity.

Talking about the campaign, Lynn Chong, director and head of brand marketing, mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics Singapore, said, “Galaxy AI creates new possibilities for our consumers. Through the film, we want to show what Galaxy AI can do, especially how it can help people of different backgrounds communicate and connect.”

Meanwhile, Anna Yip, deputy CEO of Singtel Singapore, commented, “We strongly believe in the power of technology to connect people, unlock opportunities and drive innovation. With this film, we’re demonstrating the impactful ways in which technology is helping families overcome cultural barriers and bond as well as the numerous conveniences that a digital lifestyle offers.”

AI Do will be rolled out across various channels and platforms, including digital streaming platforms meWatch, in cinemas, on Samsung and Singtel’s social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, as well as in Samsung and Singtel’s retail stores.

From May 3, visitors to the Singtel Flagship Store at 313@Somerset and the Samsung Experience Store in VivoCity can visit a set similar to that seen in the film where they can experience Galaxy AI’s photo and communication features.

As an extension of the film, from May 10 to 16, Singtel and Samsung will also be inviting audiences to submit original ideas for a creative new Peranakan pastry featuring the most unlikely combination of flavours via its Instagram channel.

Singapore – Mental health services provider Talkspace has launched its updated brand identity, which further embodies its fundamental belief that therapy and mental health support should be integrated positively into everyone’s lives.

Made with brand and digital studio Koto, Talkspace’s revitalised brand spans marketing, website and campaign elements, highlighting the value of therapy experiences and promoting mental health.

Koto’s comprehensive rebrand aimed to reflect Talkspace’s 12-year evolution and the increasing accessibility and normalisation of therapy. Anchored in the Brand Idea ‘Make sense of it’, the new Talkspace emphasises that mental health care should be a regular practice, whether for navigating daily life challenges or addressing trauma or serious mental health conditions.

The Talkspace brand personality embodies the principle of ‘Sense Maker’, assuring members that Talkspace is a trusted partner in navigating life’s chaos and clutter, at a pace that suits each individual.

Talkspace’s fresh look showcases a redesigned brand symbol and refined logo, embodying the essence of the new brand concept while bringing space and clarity through its simplicity. Specifically, the T-shaped brand symbol signifies the versatility and adaptability of therapy, creating room for individuals to make sense of their experiences.

Additionally, Talkspace features a refreshed colour palette that aims to express and uplift, a new typography that conveys Talkspace’s brand values of clarity, emotion, and rigour, as well as two new illustration styles that can lean towards functionality or narrative emotion.

Talking about the refresh, Katelyn Watson, chief marketing officer at Talkspace, said, “We’ve transformed our brand identity to both reflect and celebrate shifts in the mental health landscape, especially the normalisation of therapy and mental health conversations, and the fact that innovation and insurance coverage make quality care more accessible than ever.”

Meanwhile, Joe Ling, creative director at Koto, commented, “Therapy and mental health play a crucial role in self-acceptance and the pursuit of happiness. In Talkspace’s rebranding journey, our aim was to underscore the importance of viewing therapy and mental health as essential practices.”

Australia – Adrián Flores, a global creative director, has been appointed as chief creative officer at Clemenger BBDO, marking another key milestone in the agency’s progress. The appointment will take effect on May 20, 2024. 

Taking on the opportunity, Flores is bringing his worldwide perspective of producing work to Clemenger BBDO at the nexus of brand, entertainment, and culture. 

Flores’s appointment marks the next stage in the development of Clemenger BBDO, adding to a slew of high-level hires made after CEO Dani Bassil returned to Australia in 2023 to lead the agency’s transformation. Under her direction, the agency’s strategic capabilities were extended to include connections, cultural design strategy, and customer experience (CX) with the hiring of Simon Wassef as chief strategy and experience officer. 

Additionally, the appointment of Anita Deutsch-Burley and Georgie Winton as managing partners and Anita Zanesco as chief growth officer, who is responsible for new capabilities and growth, strengthened the agency’s strategic pillars and drove the company’s growth.

After more than ten years overseas in a variety of creative leadership roles at Publicis New York and London, FCB New York, Marcel New York, and VaynerMedia, Flores returns to Australia. The NBA basketball player LeBron James and his business partner Mav Carter co-founded The SpringHill Company, which operates the brand consultancy section Robot in New York, where he most recently held a role.

Speaking about the appointment, Dani Bassil, Clemenger BBDO CEO, said, “The CCO appointment means we now have a leadership trio of Aussies – Simon, Adrián and myself – with deep experience across brand, digital and social, as well as global perspectives on the work and industry. We’re doing things differently, better, with more diversity, and challenging the status quo. That’s what these signings are about. We’re not just signalling an intention. We’re delivering on it.” 

“I have no doubt Adrián’s energy, talent, and modern way of building brands will have a huge impact on our work, clients, culture and agency. I’m ecstatic he’s coming home to join the Clems family,” Bassil added. 

Speaking about his appointment, Flores said, “Clems is iconic both at home and abroad for a reason. I’m extremely excited to be part of its next chapter alongside a truly world-class team that’s famous for making famous work.” 

Sydney, Australia – Brand strategy and design consultancy, Houston has strengthened its creative offering, recently announcing the appointments of Alex Creamer to the role of creative director and Michelle Teh as design director.

In their new roles, Creamer and Teh will bolster Houston’s strong offering across the brand design spectrum and their creative leadership team, offering new perspectives to create remarkable solutions for its brand partners.

Most recently creative director at Interbrand and prior to that at RE, Creamer has helped reshape some of Australia’s biggest and most iconic brands including McDonalds, Sydney Fish Market, Optus, Westpac, Federation Square and graphite pencil winning NextSense.

On the other hand, Teh brings more than 14 years industry experience garnered from roles in London, Amsterdam and Sydney to Houston. Most recently she worked at Nike Brand Creative’s European Headquarters, where she played a pivotal role in shaping brand experiences and storytelling within the brand’s retail fleet across the EMEA region.

Speaking on his appointment, Creamer said, “In a rapidly changing world, clients are actively seeking new ideas and experiences to solve their business challenges. Hence my excitement in joining an agency with such strong momentum and a renowned creative culture.”

Talking about her new role as well, Teh added, “I have a true passion for my craft and am committed to designing meaningful narratives and memorable brand experiences for clients. I can’t wait to get stuck in and bring this mindset and commitment to Houston’s clients.”

Alex Toohey, ECD Houston, also added, “Alex and Michelle will bring new perspectives and energy to our already formidable creative team and we are very excited to start working with them both. Alex’s love for all things brand and experience coupled with Michelle’s expertise in global identities and branded spaces, will add depth and fresh thinking to the agency as well as bolstering our creative leadership team.

Meanwhile, Stu O’Brien, CEO and founder of Houston, mentioned, “As Houston looks to offer its clients best-in-class creative thinking, I believe we have found phenomenal talent in both Alex and Michelle. Their experience reshaping some of the world’s most well-known brands makes them unicorns in this market and I am delighted to welcome them to our team.”

With a company like Publicis Groupe Indonesia consisting of multiple agencies across a vast array of markets, driving business transformation using creativity and technology is no simple feat to achieve. However, for Sony Nichani, CEO of Publicis Groupe Indonesia, this is made easier with how she makes her leadership work in the company.

In terms of how she approaches leadership, Sony focuses significantly on fostering collaboration and driving camaraderie, pushing forward the agenda of building strong and authentic relationships with her teams as well as supporting their individual growth.

“If I have to pin down my leadership style, it would lean towards Servant leadership. As a team, we focus on defining our culture and driving positive employee engagement. We are very proud of the way this is reflected in our bi-annual employee surveys and low attrition scores,” said Sony.

Motivation through merits

To compliment her values in leading others, Sony shared the unique initiatives implemented by Publicis Groupe Indonesia to keep the teams engaged and motivated.

Firstly, Sony shared how the company utilises a clear and transparent ‘Pay for Performance’ model, which provides a disciplined approach to meritocracy using their ‘Career Conversations’ tool to ensure that their top talents are recognised and compensated well. Aside from these rewards, the company also launched its monthly ‘Lions of the Month’ initiative, which recognises team members who showcased exemplary performances based on peer nominations.

Furthermore, the company also commits to several activities and events to promote upskilling and cater to the well-being of employees such as mental health initiatives, ‘Thirsty Thursdays’ that promotes learning on digital transformation and A.I., and Friday disconnects which help teams bond with each other or spend time at home with the family while continuing to offer hybrid working opportunities.

Facing the dynamic shift

Talking about the challenges faced by Publicis Groupe Indonesia, Sony mentioned that there has been a radical shift in the kind of work that clients are investing in, as businesses are transforming more and more to be competitive. With this in mind though, Sony shared that Publicis Groupe Indonesia is equipped to deal with these emerging situations.

“Given the Groupe’s creative, intelligence, and technology expertise, our agencies are well equipped with strong capabilities to provide clients with transformative ideas and consumer experiences. This has given us a unique positioning to provide strategic counsel to help our clients solve their business challenges and provide an open architecture that allows them to plug & play with world-class experts under a single P&L, leading to a deeper and more meaningful partnership with clients,” she mentioned.

Going into detail, Sony explained that Publicis Groupe Indonesia achieves this by creating bespoke teams to offer clients end-to-end solutions in a frictionless and efficient manner. This approach has helped them significantly in campaigns such as with Mondelez and Blackpink, wherein they efficiently leveraged data, experiences, AI-based personalised content and activated communities to give K-Pop fans a one-of-a-kind experience.

Through this method of gaining a deep understanding of their audience, Sony has seen a strong business growth momentum with Indonesia being recognised as a key driver and contributor to SEA’s growth in the first quarter of this year. This leads to an improvement in ownership and empowered leadership when it comes to how they bring together their services to clients.

Building strength towards success 

As a result of these strategies and initiatives, Sony commented on how Publicis Groupe Indonesia has gone from strength to strength over the past four years in terms of capability building, new business growth, and achieving fame at regional and global levels.

“In 2023, we had double digit growth, won over 80 awards including Creative Agency and Digital Agency of the Year in Asia Pacific and have been recognised for our work in creative, data, CRM, AI as well as for key client projects. But what was most heartening for me was winning SEA’s Best Culture Award at Campaign Asia Agency of the Year 2023 as that truly is a testament of our coming together as a team,” she shared.

Talking about how this style of leadership helped make everything possible for the company, Sony concluded with a piece of advice saying, “Empathy is most important – we are in the people’s business and we spend so much of our time together, so it’s really important to understand and appreciate each other’s differences.”

Singapore – Independent full-service agency Leverate Group is proud to announce the appointment of Monica Hynds as its managing director for Singapore.

In her new role, Hynds will focus on strengthening and growing the full range of Leverate Group’s services, including all-round media services, creative brand communication, and martech.

Prior to joining Leverate Group Singapore, Hynds took on the role of general manager at DDB Group Singapore and, before that, regional director APAC of Hogarth Worldwide. She was also previously at BBDO Singapore as managing director and held the position of head of agency at Spark 44 for Jaguar Land Rover APAC between 2017 and 2020.

A seasoned brand and business professional, Hynds worked with several leading global agency networks such as We Are Social, Ogilvy & Mather, and J. Walter Thompson. With over 20 years of industry experience, she is well-equipped to guide Leverate Group on its journey toward becoming an industry leader that serves clients with global expertise, executed locally.

Speaking on her own appointment, Hynds said, “Singapore is a strategic hub for Leverate group, our clients, and our partners. We are here for one reason only: To fuel and elevate our clients’ business growth with our holistic capabilities under one house. I look forward to speaking to all our clients very soon!”

Meanwhile, Marlina Lim, CEO of Leverate Group, commented, “We believe in Monica’s leadership and her ability to not just build brands for our clients, but also transform their businesses. I am excited to extend Leverate’s excellent and game-changing work across the region with Monica.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Omnicom Media Group (OMG) in Indonesia has promoted Rohan Mahajan, managing partner at PHD Indonesia, to chief operating officer – media services. In his new position, he will lead a team of 300 professionals from OMD, PHD, Transact, and Annalect. Mahajan will continue to report to Rajat Basra, CEO-president director of OMG Indonesia. 

In his new position, Mahajan’s responsibilities are overseeing the application of OMG Indonesia’s practices to all agency brands. 

Mahajan’s promotion is a testament to his business acumen and ability to close deals. Since joining the agency network in 2017, he has been helpful in growing its clientele and fostering important business ties. 

Digital media was Mahajan’s area of expertise when he started his consultancy career. His knowledge of digital media and account management has served him over the years in offering clients innovative, timely, and useful hybrid business solutions. 

Speaking about the appointment, Rajat Basra, CEO of OMG Indonesia, said, “Rohan’s journey to this point, growing through the ranks, has prepared him well for this moment. The joy of seeing someone start his Omnicom journey first at OMG India, migrate to Indonesia on a growth task, and take the helm after six years of consistent performance is unparalleled. Rohan will not only strengthen the OMG Indonesia media services network but also create the conditions for all our clients to meet and exceed their goals and ambitions, with the best talent, experience, practices, and know-how.” 

Meanwhile, Mahajan stated, “It is an exciting time for OMG not only globally but here in Indonesia too. We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary in Indonesia being named the fastest growing Media Agency Network in Indonesia and as per RECMA’s latest report, we are ranked second. This is surely a testament of a decade-long strong leadership by our Indonesia Board of Directors, a very stable ecosystem of satisfied clients and industry best talent that makes OMG Indonesia a network with a difference in the market. Our clients, talent, and partners keep aiming higher and that opens award-winning possibilities.” 

Furthermore, Danar Hardianto, general manager, PHD Indonesia, said, “I am ready to be at the forefront and lead this advancement, acting as a catalyst for the consistent and comprehensive roll-out of our offering everywhere.”