Tag: Media

Singapore – Global media platform Teads has announced a strategic partnership with the Singapore Media Exchange (SMX). Said deal gives Teads access to one of Singapore’s biggest media houses that comprises two of Singapore’s media giants- Mediacorp and Singapore Press Holdings.

As a part of this partnership, SMX brings leading news titles such as Channel News Asia and The Straits Times, as well luxury and lifestyle sites including Her World, ICON and HardwareZone catering to technology fans amongst their 25 sites for Teads to deliver ad formats in video and display inread, Teads flagship ad format, including ‘inRead Smart’ and ‘Smart6’ – a viewable video format for high engagement in brand safe, premium environments.

In addition, this strategic partnership will enable SMX to leverage Teads’ array of monetisation solutions across devices and formats, with a reach to digital consumers across Singapore with quality content and impactful ad solutions for greater audience engagement.

Julian Fernando, VP publisher solutions for Teads in APAC, said, “The advantage of Teads being a preferred partner with a powerhouse media company like SMX who represent leading brands like CNA, SPH, Business Times and premium SPH magazines is it gives us access to audience scale (reach) in brand safe environments. Team SMX are knowledgeable, collaborative and always eager to go beyond the brief, we are proud and excited to grow our partnership with them.”

Meanwhile, Michael Chng, general manager at SMX, commented, “Teads has been a partner of SMX since the very beginning when we started operations in 2018. Through various market challenges we’ve faced over the last 4 years, Teads has remained consistent in their commitment to our partnership. SMX is proud to have a steadfast partner in Teads, and I’m confident our collaboration will strengthen further in the years ahead.”

Singapore – A new game show is set to stir the masses and will be bridging the gap between gaming and regular television. Launched by Yup.gg, Good Game Asia will feature a star-studded line-up of gaming talent competing for over $200,000 in cash and prizes. The show is helmed by Asia’s Got Talent alum Jonathan Glazier as director and executive producer.

Good Game Asia will be supported by their official media partner ONE Esports and shall be hosted by Singaporean music artist Sezairi and his wife, Syaza Tan. In regard to the feature music, the show will tap their official music partner – independent record label Monstercat. The reality TV show will be set in the luxury hotel Fairmont Singapore.

Raiford Cockfield, CEO of Yup.gg, shared, that gaming is universal and appeals to a broad majority, and yupp.gg wants to show it off while providing gamers with a five-star experience in Fairmont Singapore, the brand’s first luxury hotel in Asia.

He added, “We launched GOOD GAME ASIA to give more opportunities to creators in Asia to become gaming entertainment legends. Our partnerships with ONE Esports and MONSTERCAT will scale and amplify the reach of our show and expose fans with unparalleled access to this first-of-its-kind gaming reality-TV series concept.”

Stephen Dowler, head of Monstercat APAC, commented, “Good Game Asia is right in line with our mission to empower creators around the world. Monstercat has proudly led the charge in making high-quality music available to streamers and gamers alike, allowing them to enhance their content while doing what they love. We are thrilled to be official partners of Good Game Asia, alongside ONE Esports, and look forward to supporting the next generation of talent in Asia.”

Simultaneously, Carlos Alimurung, CEO of ONE Esports, said, “We are excited to be appointed Media Partner for Yup.gg’s newest reality-TV show, Good Game Asia. Our large and loyal fanbase at ONE Esports enjoys how we curate the best gaming and esports content in the world. The show will feature an impressive line-up of celebrities and gaming personalities, who will engage viewers looking for the most compelling content in gaming and esports. We look forward to sharing Good Game Asia with the world.”

Through the partnership, ONE Esports will work with media partners to broadcast the show on their channels weekly while also uploading episodic highlights of the show across its own social media channels and publishing content on oneesports.gg.

Good Game Asia will air in English on WarnerTV with Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, Thai, Bahasa and Vietnamese subtitles available on Asia.gg and is slated for a June 10, 2022, premiere.

Singapore – Dentsu Singapore has elevated Pankaj Nayak to now helm the Media group as its new managing director. Effective immediately, the role reports to Prakash Kamdar, CEO of dentsu Singapore and Indonesia, and Prerna Mehrotra, CEO of Media for APAC. Mehrotra, who was the most recent one to hold the MD position for Media in Singapore will now shift her focus fully towards driving dentsu’s global media strategy and delivery in APAC.

Nayak joined dentsu Singapore in 2021 as president of product strategy &
delivery of the Media Group, where he has led the enhancement of product offerings in the space of insights, commerce, experience and analytics, as well as the delivery of bespoke commercial solutions for clients. He brings with him over 20 years’ experience in marketing and media across multiple markets in Asia.

In his new role, Pankaj is responsible for dentsu Singapore’s overall media strategy in driving business growth and excellence for clients. He will also work closely alongside dentsu Singapore’s Creative and CXM service lines in driving further integration across the business to deliver its one dentsu proposition to the market. 

Kamdar commented, “I am delighted to see our media leadership further strengthened with Pankaj now helming our Singapore business as Prerna shifts full gear into steering our regional media strategy. Pankaj has contributed significantly to our media business in Singapore since joining dentsu last year, successfully boosting our product and capabilities to ensure quality delivery of services for clients, all while focusing on growing the talents at the heart of our business.”

On Mehrotra’s exit, Kamdar also said, “As one of our most client-centric leaders in APAC and a strong advocate for the wellbeing of our people, it has been an honour to have had Prerna in our Singapore Media leadership seat. With Singapore as regional hub, I am confident that Pankaj will continue to work with Prerna in reinforcing a cohesive product strategy and talent development for our Media business in Singapore and the region going forward.” 

At the beginning of 2021, Mehrotra took on the dual position of being the CEO of Media for APAC and MD of Media for Singapore.

Mehrotra commented, “Pankaj has been a critical leader of the Singapore media leadership team since he joined in 2021, having delivered excellence in product and solutions in a short period of time, aligned with dentsu’s global transformation.” 

She adds, “As a people-focus organisation, Pankaj’s eye and heart on our people makes him a stand out. He has been closely involved in talent training, development, mobility plans to grow the right talents to truly drive growth for our clients. As the media landscape in the region transforms as a constant, Pankaj is the leader we need in Singapore to take our media business to new heights and will continue to be a critical partner for me in the region.”

Meanwhile, new MD Nayak remarked, “In Singapore, we have built a strong team to deliver just that – remarkable future-proof solutions, products and capabilities that can support brand growth and business transformation journeys. I look forward to continue scaling new heights with our media team in Singapore and in synergy with our Creative and CXM teams to optimise our one dentsu solution to market.”

Australia – Full-service creator company Jellysmack has announced the launch of its new catalogue licensing venture for the video sharing platform giant YouTube. Through that venture, Jellysmack invites YouTube content creators to some upfront capital in exchange for licensing videos in the creator’s YouTube library.

As part of that venture, the company is offering lump sum payments ranging from US$50k to US$50m or more to qualifying creators. This catalogue licensing venture brings the Jellysmack Creator Program’s total plan for creator investments to US$750m.

Jellysmack’s new catalogue licensing model gives creators an upfront cash infusion to take the next steps for business growth without giving up any equity in their intellectual property, brand, or new ventures. While many creators are expected to use the funds for common needs like scaling content creation, hiring additional team members, launching new business ventures, or securing studio space, creators can use the capital for anything they choose. 

Additionally, the company does not participate financially in any newly uploaded YouTube video content. This non-dilutive design allows creators to remain fully independent and at the helm of their burgeoning enterprises.

Laurent Hulin, general manager for APAC at Jellysmack, said, “Whether a creator is looking for upfront capital to invest in production or to focus on long term multi-platform growth, we’re ready to back creators with over US$750m committed to catalogue licensing. Between the Jellysmack Creator Program and the introduction of Catalog Licensing, Jellysmack is committed to empowering creators as solopreneurs. It’s all part of our creator-driven mission to empower creators behind-the-scenes to go bigger.”

The catalogue licensing venture established yet another pathway for Jellysmack to support creators as business owners. Creators can either opt for a deal to receive immediate capital in exchange for licensing some of their YouTube catalogue, take part in the Creator Program for multi-platform monetisation over time, or participate in both.

In addition, Jellysmack got its start by building and scaling dozens of its own video channels like Beauty Studio, Oh My Goal, and Gamology into the world’s leading social communities. This first-hand knowledge plus the company’s unmatched technology, puts Jellysmack in a unique position to support individual creators not just financially, but also strategically. 

Ezechiel Ritchie, country manager for SEA and ANZ at Jellysmack, commented, “Jellysmack is creator at heart. We have grown some of the largest communities on social media. Unlike pure financial partners, we think like creators and understand how to support creators’ big dreams. Our Catalog Licensing offer enables creators to access the value of their back-catalogue today, instead of waiting to collect the revenue over the next three to five years.”

He added, “By receiving the revenue upfront for their old videos, creators no longer have to wait years for YouTube to pay out back catalogue earnings and can invest that revenue to grow their business. It’s not a loan and their past content can fund their future success.”

Jellysmack has partnered with some of YouTube’s largest content creators such as MrBeast, PewDiePie, and Nas Daily.

Singapore – In line with the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has called upon its member organisations to reconsider their media and marketing investment in Russia, specifically those investing in media outlets that are close to or effectively part of the Russian administration.

In a statement, they stated that they will continue to work with its members and partners in the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) to ensure that advertising investment does not support or monetise misinformation and will be holding weekly meetings to provide the latest intelligence from members, agencies and platforms.

Stephan Loerke, CEO at WFA, said, “In light of the horrifying events in Ukraine, the global marketing industry must speak out. Every company will have to make its own decision but our recommendation is that media investment and marketing in Russia should end for now.”

The organisation further expressed its horror at the needless human suffering caused by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, adding that the thoughts of the entire organisation and their membership are with the victims.

WFA also conducted a poll amongst its members to understand multinationals’ responses in relation to their media and marketing investment in Russia. Of the 31 global brand owners representing US$43bn in global ad spend who responded, three in four have reallocated, reduced or cut spend altogether.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused massive shifts in the marketing and advertising scene as well. Large companies related to media investment such as WPP and Accenture have pulled out of Russia in solidarity with Ukraine. Other major brands, from retail ones like H&M, Uniqlo, and Ikea; food brands like McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola; as well as financial services brands like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are part of the growing number of companies exiting the country.

Media-wise, tech giant Google also announced that it is halting its ad sales in Russia, including advertising to Russia state-controlled media on YouTube. Meanwhile, Russia has since then blocked popular online services such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and PayPal in the country.

Melbourne, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has been appointed by food company Chobani to handle the media duties of the Chobani and Gippsland Dairy brands in the Australian market.

Through the mandate, Match & Wood will manage media strategy, planning and buying across all channels for Chobani’s yoghurt and oat milk as well as its Gippsland Dairy yoghurt range.

Steven Blakers, head of marketing at Chobani, noted that the agency impressed them with their strategic and data capabilities, integrated planning, and a thorough understanding of the grocery and trade landscape. Blakers also noted that there is a clear synergy in their brand values and a strong cultural fit, and that they look forward to working with the team to realise their strategic objectives

“We have ambitious plans for Chobani and Gippsland Dairy, focussing on the continued growth of the yoghurt portfolio and establishing Chobani in the non-dairy milk segment which is experiencing a significant uplift with Australians who are choosing to incorporate plant-based products into their diet,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Lyndelle O’Keefe, CEO at Match & Wood, commented, “Chobani has an origin story and mission that truly resonates with us, and it’s been wonderful to see it become a loved and powerhouse brand in Australia over a relatively short time. We’re delighted to have been appointed, against competition from global network agencies, to continue the impressive success they have enjoyed over the past decade.”

Manila, Philippines – MARKETECH APAC, the digital media for the marketing and advertising industry in the APAC region, has recently inked a partnership with the Communication and Media program of Centro Escolar University (CEU), one of the highly respectable universities in the Philippines, to officially groom media and communications majors for the professional world through a special internship program. 

Joven Barceñas, the founder of MARKETECH APAC, and who is in fact, a proud alumnus of the university, has officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the university on 2 February, to onboard media and communications students into the company and have them foray into their professional experience. 

Present in the virtual signing are Ricky Rosales, program head for Communication and Media at CEU Manila; Marietta Alvarez, the program head for Communication and Media at CEU Malolos; and most especially, Dr. Maria Rita D. Lucas, the dean of the School of Education, Liberal Arts, Music and Social Work at CEU; and Dr. Ma. Cristina D. Padolina, CEU’s university president and chief academic officer.

Lucas said in the virtual event that the university is always glad to witness students come in full circle – from graduating to the university, establishing their own endeavours, and then coming back to their roots to give back the school that moulded them; just like what Barceñas has presently done.

“And then finally helping us with the goal that we have of forming and moulding our students to be quality and ethical communication practitioners,” said Lucas. 

Barceñas, who founded MARKETECH APAC in the middle of the pandemic in 2020, shared, “When I launched MARKETECH APAC in 2020, there were so many aspirations and dreams that I thought of and planned. And one of them is to reach out to my alma mater, Centro Escolar University and offer internship opportunities to Escolarians and be instrumental in their professional development as they prepare to embark on a new and exciting chapter of their lives.” 

“Today is an exciting moment for me as the founder of MARKETECH APAC as this partnership allows me to contribute to the skills development of the new generation of communication and media professionals in the country,” added Barceñas. 

Padolina, CEU’s university president, shared how she has seen the internship experience becoming a substantial credential in undergraduates’ curriculum vitae and therefore expects the new partnership with MARKETECH APAC to be more than just an academic requirement, but a genuine source of professional development for students. 

Padolina comments, “It’s very good to partner with somebody who is from CEU because we know that you know the philosophy of CEU, [and] you know the values that we want to cultivate. So we’re very confident that you would be able to give a very good experience to our students so that it’s not [just] something [that is] a line in their CV, but it really is a strong contribution to their entire experience and to what they bring to their profession.” 

Rosales, meanwhile, shared how timely the partnership is, especially since during this period, classes are still implemented virtually in the Philippines, which makes it much more challenging to deploy students for their internship program. 

“[We were asking] where will we partner during this time that we will have a virtual OJT (on-the-job training). We don’t want to you know, compromise our students with other companies that [don’t] have [a] purely online [setting] during this time,” said Rosales.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people into lockdown restrictions, making way for prolonged work-from-home setups and social distancing protocols, media consumption in Malaysians have seen some significant change, statistics from a recent study from marketing consultancy Entropia shows.

The report stated that radio, streaming media which includes audio and video, reading online news, watching television and checking social media are the ‘gainers’ from this newly-found media consumption, while out-of-home (OOH) media, cinemas, newspapers and physical events have downplayed to become the ‘losers’.

Spending more time on Facebook and Instagram ranked first in media activities to which respondents engaged in during the country’s movement control order (MCO) with 58.6% followed by listening to radio while at home and working (34.6%), watching YouTube while exercising (34.2%), and spending more time streaming on Netflix and watching with friends and family (26.7%). 

In terms of age profiles and media behavior, the study noted that there has been an overall marked increase across age segments for Facebook and Instagram, with over 25% of all segments between 21 to 55 years indicating increased time spent on these platforms. A higher increase in radio consumption has been also among those over 45 years, while young adults under 24 years showed higher consumption of YouTube and Netflix. Meanwhile, those over 55 years showed the greatest increase in time spent on news channels.

The report said that increase of media consumption across all age groups can be attributed to increased need for news where viewers turn to channels they perceive as credible. 

“As people around the world sought to remain updated on the rapidly changing crisis, consumers’ reliance on media also increased, resulting in a more captive audience. Here’s where media companies and advertisers can benefit most – the opportunity to leverage this enhanced engagement, grow their subscriber base, and expand their reach,” said Syahar Khalid, partner for integrated media at Entropia.

“Our clients’ universal objective is to make an impression on audiences and break through the clutter. Going forward, media strategy will require retaining consumers’ attention where they’re most likely to spend their time – be it for leisure, career, education or wellness,” added Khalid.

“The Malaysian government has just announced MCO 2.0 and with it, brands in some categories will again face challenges owing to adverse market forces. Some have already made significant moves towards continued investment in advertising, and we hope this study will provide some clarity on the media channels appealing to their specific target audiences,” Syahar concluded.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As global media and digital marketing communications network dentsu evolves its organization into three lines of business, namely Creative, Media, and CRM, the company has been moving and nabbing executives to officially set its leadership lineup. 

Just very recently, dentsu announced Prerna Mehrotra as its new CEO for Media, and this time, dentsu in Malaysia has also done its share of reorganization, unveiling its new CEO for Media, Dheeraj Raina. 

Prior to joining dentsu, Raina is global media agency network Mindshare’s managing director in Malaysia. 

Nicky Lim, CEO of dentsu Malaysia, said, “It’s fantastic to welcome Dheeraj as our new Media CEO and drive our ambitious business growth plans forward. With his impressive track record of growth, I have no doubt he will accelerate dentsu international onto an exciting path and ultimately, help us deliver on our business objectives.” 

Raina is recognized for his proprietary IP’s for retail, telecom, and travel industries in marketing planning and for his contributions as a mentor to SMEs and start-ups in Malaysia.

He brings with him more than 16 years of experience in marketing and business strategy, having worked with leading brands such as telecom Celcom, dairy brand Friesland-Campina, and telecom Digi, as well as hypermarket Tesco, Malaysia conglomerate Sunway, and personal care Kimberly-Clark. Prior to his directorial position at GroupM’s Mindshare, he was also managing director at digital, analytics, and marketing solutions ADA, running the country business for Malaysia and other emerging markets. 

Commenting on his appointment, Raina said, “I’m thrilled to have this exciting opportunity to lead all the media brands at dentsu malaysia –  Consider iProspect, Vizeum, Carat, dentsu X, Amplifi, Posterscope, and Amnet – towards being more solutions-oriented, integrated and leading the industry. Today, media agencies sit at the center of unlocking growth for clients, and with such power brands at dentsu, I am looking forward to building cutting-edge solutions and teams.” 

Singapore – Dentsu International APAC welcomes the new year with a bang by unveiling its new CEO for its media relations, Prerna Mehrotra.

Mehrotra is currently the managing director of the network’s Media Group at Singapore and will be taking on the new role alongside her existing position.

Prerna will be responsible for driving Dentsu’s global media strategy and delivery in APAC, ensuring its alignment and relevance in the market with “client-centricity at the core,” to develop an integrated portfolio of tools and capabilities aimed at maximizing the effectiveness, relevance, and performance of clients’ media.

For the new role, she will be reporting to Ashish Bhasin, CEO of Dentsu APAC, and Peter Huijboom, global CEO of Media & Global Clients.

Bhasin shared in a press release that Mehrotra was a clear candidate for the role, having joined the business in 2016.

“She has gone from strength to strength excelling in roles across investment and media. This integrated view across our media portfolio and her acumen of over 20 years set her apart from the rest,” he said.

Meanwhile, Huijboom commented, “I am delighted to have Prerna join my leadership team and drive Dentsu’s media strategy in this critical region. Her experience in key markets including India and China and her long-standing client relationships will ensure we continue to drive value, and excellence in everything we do.”

On her appointment, Mehrotra said, “The media landscape in this region has never been more complex. Over the past eight months, consumers’ expectations of what brands produce and how they behave have changed rapidly, and it will only continue. I am excited to be working with top talents from across our markets to create growth opportunities and long-term value for our clients.”