Tag: Marketing

Australia – Coles 360 announced two new collaborations with media business Nova and out-of-home adtech vendor Broadsign in an effort to strengthen its omnichannel media solution offerings. 

Coles 360 has teamed with out-of-home (OOH) adtech company Broadsign to improve the Coles 360 network of digital screens at shop entrances. Coles will be able to organise, manage, and distribute engaging content and adverts across its retail media displays as a result of this agreement. 

Coles 360’s collaboration with Broadsign will improve its in-store media capabilities by allowing personalised campaign scheduling and dynamic content distribution.

Speaking about the partnership with Broadsign, Paul Brooks, general manager of Coles 360, said, “We’re determined to provide unique, impactful, and measurable omni-channel media solutions and these partnerships allow us to do just that. The Broadsign Platform provides the ideal solution to power our future network. It currently services more than 300,000 screens worldwide and has been a leader in this space for two decades, making it an obvious partner.” 

He added, “Over the last two years, we have learned a lot about their potential, what suppliers and their agencies want to see on them, and strategies to leverage their prime positioning for maximum impact. We now have a solid understanding of what it will take to deliver on the next phase of screens, and a key component of that is driven by the technology that powers them.” 

Meanwhile, Ben Allman, Broadsign head of sales, ANZ, said, “With over 75% of supermarket shoppers buying in-store, retailers are increasingly focused on the digitisation of their physical worlds. Adopting best-in-class solutions, such as the Broadsign platform, has allowed Coles 360 to build a comprehensive and highly compelling retail media offering in a relatively short time span. We’re very excited and extremely proud to be partnering with one of Australia’s most iconic and trusted brands.”

Coles continues to partner with its cooperation with NOVA Entertainment, extending the Coles Radio arrangement, following a thorough examination of the Australian digital radio landscape. 

The new Coles Radio partnership adds additional features like store-level ad targeting and full-time and day-parting, allowing Coles 360 to tailor ad tactics to individual campaign requirements. Coles 360 will also get access to NOVA entertainment’s talent, consumer promotions, and marketing possibilities throughout its portfolio, broadening its reach and interaction with supplier partners. 

Speaking about the partnership with NOVA Entertainment, Brooks said, “We can talk about cereal at breakfast time, and convenience meals in the pre-dinner rush for example. It’s an exciting evolution of Coles Radio. It will mean we can provide customers with a better experience in store, as it will be more tailored and relevant than ever before.” 

“This new capability will unlock enhanced partnership opportunities for our supplier partners to further strengthen the power of Coles Radio as part of their omnichannel packages,” Brooks added. 

Talking about the renewed partnership with Coles 360, Nicole Bence, NOVA Entertainment chief commercial officer, said, “The extension of NOVA’s partnership with Coles is a testament to our successful collaboration on an industry leading retail audio product. Coles Radio is the perfect example of NOVA’s all-of-audio approach; seamlessly connecting with customers and creating an audio experience unique to your brand.” 

Kate Bailey, Coles group general manager of brand, digital & media, commented, “Both NOVA and Broadsign have strong track records in their ability to deliver relevance in message. By combining these strong foundations with our first-party data, market-leading creative capabilities, and market intelligence, we will deliver the hardest-working assets in retail media.” 

USA – Global digital experience management platform Sitecore has recently announced the appointment of Kathie Johnson as its new chief marketing officer, wherein she will be leading marketing for the platform based out of the firm’s headquarters in San Francisco. 

Prior to her appointment, Johnson served as the chief marketing officer of Talkdesk, where she led the firm’s marketing organisation through a transformative growth period, taking the company from 66th place in the Forbes Cloud100 list in 2019 to 8th place in 2022 and 2023.

As Talkdesk’s first CMO, Kathie helped the organisation create and launch a vertical approach, expand into new countries in EMEA, APAC and Latam, and extend the product portfolio.

In her 25 years in the industry, Johnson also worked at Salesforce, where she was the senior vice president of marketing, as well as the vice president of marketing for Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud. 

Speaking on her own appointment, Johnson said, “I am excited to join Sitecore because of its innovative technology that is a true game changer for CMOs and CDOs who seek to differentiate their companies through superior digital experiences.” 

“Sitecore is a leader in its space and continues to innovate by prioritising a roadmap focused on SaaS-based, cloud native tools built on composable architecture. I am thrilled to be part of Sitecore’s journey and look forward to working with our customers, partners, and employees around the globe,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Steve Tzikakis, CEO of Sitecore, said, “Kathie’s track record as a marketing leader speaks for itself. Her formidable background securing brand expansion and delivering incredible digital experiences will massively contribute to Sitecore’s efforts to disrupt, accelerate and innovate digital experience delivery.”

“Sitecore’s compelling message offering SaaS-based, composable solutions will be greatly aided by this wonderful addition to our leadership. On behalf of Sitecore, we are thrilled to welcome Kathie to our team,” he concluded.

Singapore – This Christmas season, Grab celebrates its food merchants across Southeast Asia by featuring their signature meals as the focus of the company’s latest billboard commercial at the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. 

In this case, Grab has set aside the area to provide 53 domestic retailers visibility on the international scene. The program seeks to show the wide variety of culinary options that visitors can choose from when visiting Southeast Asia using the Grab app. 

The advertisement features a variety of regional favourites, such as Crispy Sisig from the Philippines, Prata from Singapore, Nasi Campur from Indonesia, Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng from Malaysia, and Bánh mì from Vietnam.

Grab has used the billboard space since its launching in 2021 to thank and recognize Grabbers, its community of driver, delivery, and merchant partners that assiduously service millions of customers every day throughout the area.

Although Grab is known for its ride-hailing service, international passengers are also becoming more aware of its food choices. For travellers from North America coming to Southeast Asia, a significant inbound travel market for the area, this peak travel season offers an opportunity to solidify Grab’s lead in the food sector.

In line with this, Grab has created the Traveller Homepage to help travellers plan their trips, particularly in unfamiliar areas. This feature allows users to navigate a city within the Grab app. Travellers can browse for points of interest, peruse the region’s cuisines and restaurants, and save their discoveries to a personalised list, which is available for 33 of the biggest cities often visited by visitors in Southeast Asia.

Singapore – AnyMind, a technology company specialising in business supply chain, has recently unveiled the launch of its latest influencer marketing solution tailored for mobile app publishers, developers, and marketers. 

Known as AnyTag, this new platform is designed to combine performance-driven influencer marketing with mobile application marketing. 

In particular, it utilises a performance-based model that measures the application’s download counts, making it a primary indicator for influencer marketing campaigns. 

Among its key features, users may also search through and choose from a global network of more than 610,000 influencers across the Asia Pacific to work on their app marketing initiatives. 

Leveraging accumulated campaign data and individual influencer performance data, on the other hand, influencers can also be identified and chosen for performance-driven influencer marketing campaigns and optimise designed creatives that are in line with end-user purchase volumes.

With this, they can now participate in the said influencer marketing campaigns by using Any Creator, the creator growth platform of the company. 

Talking about the launch, Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder at AnyMind Group, expressed his enthusiasm about the project, saying “We’re now at an exciting inflection point in influencer marketing, where we’re seeing a convergence between influencer marketing and digital commerce. This presents a new range of opportunities for innovation in influencer marketing, such as tying influencer marketing to app marketing, further attribution opportunities in social and live commerce, and more.” 

“It is now up to vendors to further innovate and for marketers to embrace these changes,” he ended.

Singapore – Havas Market, the e-commerce arm of the Havas Media network, has recently announced the appointment of Shermaine Lau as its new head for Singapore.

This appointment follows her decade-long expertise in the e-commerce landscape, leveraging the company’s digital transformation, brand acceleration, and data-driven strategies.

In her new role, Lau will primarily concentrate on the improvement of purchasing experiences in the Havas Market by highlighting end-to-end, omnichannel solutions as well as harnessing the transformative power of cutting-edge generative AI.

Through this initiative, the company then seeks to streamline operations, maximise resources, and deliver exceptional value to brands across all business segments of the Havas Market. 

Speaking about this appointment, Lau said, “In today’s retail landscape, brands must go beyond product sales; they need to connect meaningfully with shoppers. Our AI-powered omnichannel solutions enable brands to efficiently create great shopping experiences, fostering customer loyalty and driving sustainable business growth.”

Meanwhile, Deanson Lee, head of digital at Havas Media Network Singapore, added, “With Shermaine’s extensive experience, I’m confident that we will not only empower our clients to navigate the dynamic omnichannel retail and media landscape but also venture into new frontiers of commerce, unlocking greater market potential together.”

Tapping into Lau’s proficiency for these comprehensive strategies, Havas Market is now poised to empower brands further, facilitating the creation of meaningful shopping experiences that resonate with consumers.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the country strives to enhance training opportunities and digital competitiveness, the Malaysian government has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with global technology company Google. 

This collaborative effort offers businesses of varying sizes to further develop their technological capabilities by employing upskilling programmes, digital infrastructure investments, responsible innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud-first policies. 

In particular, this enables an array of digital learning paths such as Google Cloud, CloudMile and Trainocate. Users who successfully complete these learning paths will earn digital skills badges which can be used for their resumes and an extended 30-day access to more learning paths.

Talking about this collaboration, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, “This latest commitment by Google, aimed at accelerating local innovation and talent development in the field of AI, will certainly boost the nation’s digital competitiveness, in line with the Madani Economy framework and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030).”

“The Madani Economy framework aims to increase the size of Malaysia’s economic pie, as well as ensure that all stakeholders – particularly the Malaysian public and small businesses – will enjoy the ensuing socio-economic benefits,” he added.

Ruth Porat, chief financial officer for Alphabet and Google added, “The partnership we are announcing with the government of Malaysia aligns Google’s local mission of advancing Malaysia together with the government’s goal to create a supportive ecosystem for innovation that includes more meaningful and equitable job opportunities.” 

In 2022, the company’s products and programmes supported over 47,900 jobs and also contributed, directly and indirectly, an estimated US$2.8bil in economic benefits to local businesses.

Seoul, South Korea – Global designer brand Chanel and Shinsegae Duty Free has recently collaborated to launch ’CHANEL WONDERLAND’, a cooperative endeavour  in the form of a holiday themed megapodium, which took place at Terminal 2 of the Incheon International Airport on November 16, 2023. 

With the intention of captivating tourists throughout the holiday season, CHANEL WONDERLAND was designed as a giant platform. At seven metres high and over one hundred and thirty square metres in size, this platform is massive and ready to improve the duty-free experience. The creation’s central theme, “the magic of a special holiday with Chanel,” gives the immersive experience it provides life. 

When visitors enter CHANEL WONDERLAND, they are met by a holiday ambiance as they discover a sequence of Chanel gift boxes hidden within another, all framed by a Christmas tree made of Chanel perfume sculptures and gift boxes.

Seemingly inspired by fairy tales, the megapodium features a design with white and black tones that reflect Chanel’s elegance. The addition of vivid gold elements to the setting further enhances its overall aesthetic appeal.

Visitors to “CHANEL WONDERLAND” have the opportunity to look into Chanel’s newest holiday season offerings, which include exclusive limited-edition items only available within the confines of CHANEL WONDERLAND, as well as sample and purchase various Chanel perfume products. Visitors can also take pictures in the zone backdrop. 

Speaking about the launch, Chung Hee Eun, general manager of cosmetics & perfume of Shinsegae Duty Free, said, “Shinsegae Duty Free is proud to present Chanel House and this extraordinary mega beauty destination at Incheon Airport, just in time for the Christmas and year-end holiday season. We aim to provide both domestic and international travellers with a special and memorable moment when they visit CHANEL WONDERLAND.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Digital infrastructure services provider EDOTCO Group has recently announced the appointment of Gayan Koralage as the new director of Malaysia business. 

This key appointment is in line with the company’s strategic vision to strengthen its operations and contribute to Malaysia’s ambition of becoming Asia’s Digital Tiger during this transformative Golden Digital Decade.

In his new role, Koralage is poised to steer EDOTCO Malaysia’s operations towards unprecedented growth at a pivotal time as the telecommunications industry undergoes significant evolution. 

Additionally, he will continue to hold his position as director of strategy for EDOTCO Group and country managing director for EDOTCO Sri Lanka.

With Koralage’s appointment, EDOTCO Malaysia is set to solidify its status as the country’s premier digital infrastructure service provider as it prepares to harness the potential of emerging trends and capitalise on the accelerated deployment of 5G networks, upgrades to the existing 4G network capacity, small cell deployments, and the revolutionary introduction of 3D internet technology.

Adlan Tajudin, group CEO of EDOTCO, said, “As we approach the Golden Digital Decade, our Malaysian business inspires greater confidence in our delivery of cutting-edge digital infrastructure solutions.”

“Gayan Koralage’s appointment will be integral to EDOTCO Malaysia’s digital transformation journey and fostering a culture of excellence within our company,” he added. 

Beijing, China – Following the company’s commitment to inspire brands with sustainable climate communications solutions, global advertising, marketing, and public relations agency Ogilvy has recently entered into a partnership with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ICCSD).

With this agreement, the two are expected to advance the international image and profile of the institute by putting ICCSD’s valuable academic research and Ogilvy’s global branding expertise at the forefront of the campaign.

At the same time, they also intend to help corporations across industries leverage data-driven insights to inform their strategic decisions in regard to climate change and sustainable transition.

In particular, Ogilvy will serve as a global brand planning and communications partner, assisting in the conceptualization and establishment of ICCSD’s integrated database, which compiles their extensive collection of data and research. Through this platform, the institute sets forth a commitment to support China’s sustainable development and economic transformation objectives.

Zheng Li, president at ICCSD, commented, “Climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time, and requires urgent action. This cooperation between our Institute and Ogilvy aims to accelerate and facilitate the adoption of sustainable solutions by corporations across industries, through a new type of data platform powered by our world-class research resources and Ogilvy’s branding capabilities.”

Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer at Ogilvy APAC and greater China, said, “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, and are grateful for ICCSD’s trust in Ogilvy. We look forward to leveraging our branding expertise to raise awareness around Tsinghua University’s contributions towards global climate governance and are excited about the prospect of collaborating closely on sustainability-related thought leadership and research projects. 

“Most importantly, we see this collaboration as a fantastic opportunity to bring more visibility towards ICCSD’s research assets, and better support our clients with their sustainable transition ambitions, ” he ended.

Singapore –  Ant International, Grab, and StraitsX announced a collaboration to explore the viability of utilising Purpose Bound Money (PBM) in cross-border payments. 

Purpose Bound Money (PBM) is a system that defines the conditions for using an underlying digital currency. PBM, which was first launched by MAS as a component of Project Orchid1, has the potential of lowering payment processing costs and enabling the guided allocation of funds for a specified purpose. 

The goal of this collaborative initiative is to make it easier for GrabPay businesses to integrate with Ant International’s Alipay+ solutions, allowing them to accept payments from a diverse tourist audience. If successful, the expansion of cross-border payment capabilities is expected to increase the use of Purpose Bound Money (PBM), with the goal of launching it in Singapore by 2024.

This cross-border payment project aims to expand local merchants’ customer reach while providing benefits to small and micro-scale businesses. Smaller retailers in Singapore have traditionally experienced restrictions in providing a varied range of payment alternatives to international travellers. This constraint is typically linked to the lengthy process and high expenses associated with incorporating new digital payment methods, which can take months or even years.

By leveraging a distributed ledger infrastructure and Purpose Bound Money (PBM), tiny to micro-scale retailers can more easily serve global consumers. This reduces the complexity involved in integrating cross-border payments by doing away with the need for new system upgrades and manual end-of-day reconciliation between accounting systems.