Singapore – Supermom, an AI-driven data powerhouse that brings mission-centric brands into the hearts and wallets of discerning parents in Southeast Asia has announced the winners of Brand Awards for 2024.

The awards which were opened for consumer voting on 14th February saw participation from over 11,000 parents and generated more than 95,000 responses. 

In total, the awards recognised 146 brands across 18 categories. The big winners included Spectra (Breastfeeding accessories) and Nestle NAN (Formula milk) in Singapore, Anmum (Maternity milk) and Dettol (HH sanitizer) in Malaysia, Dettol (HH sanitizer) and Folamil (Pregnancy supplement) in Indonesia and BaoViet Life (insurance) in Vietnam

Through this Award, over 5,000 respondents have also pledged to donate their participation fee to support the chosen beneficiaries, as part of Supermom’s endeavour to support single mom communities in the different countries. 

Supermom had brought on board an advisory panel comprising Dr Lau Kong Cheen, Associate Professor of Marketing at SUSS, Garick Kea, MD of Insights Table and Audrey Kuah, Co-CEO, Asia Pacific, VML International; to preside the judging process for this Brand Awards.

Commenting on the awards, Luke Lim, CEO of Supermom said: “We are thrilled with the great response we have received to this year’s Brands Awards and would like to congratulate all the winning brands for the great connection with their consumers. The Supermom community also needs to be applauded for enthusiastically coming together to vote for the deserving brands. This process has encouraged us to continue providing consumers with a platform to share their recommendations of their favourite brands to help empower fellow parents to make the best decisions for their families.”

Singapore – Supermom, an AI-driven data powerhouse that brings mission-centric brands into the hearts and wallets of discerning parents in Southeast Asia announces the launch of Brand Awards for 2024. 

The only awards of its kind to be 100% voted by consumers, Supermom Brand Awards seeks to recognise the best products and services for mothers and families in the Southeast Asia region. 

This year’s award promises to be bigger in size and scope, covering 18 categories and five countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. Categories range from baby care, nutrition to education, insurance and travel. 

Online voting for the awards will commence on 14 February for the Supermom community. Families interested in voting will need to create an account on welovesupermom.com site. The top three most voted brands across each of the categories in five countries will be unveiled on 18 March. 

Commenting on the awards, Luke Lim, group CEO of Supermom, said, “Brand Awards are conceived to be a win-win for both brands and consumers. The Awards will give consumers a chance to contribute their insights while getting paid for their efforts, and more importantly be able to compare their preferences against other parents’ recommendations. This will reinforce Supermom’s mission to empower millions of families to live better and smarter. Meanwhile, the results of the Awards will be a strong testament of the value that winning brands provide to their consumers, and gain greater recognition, credibility and trust amongst their target audience. 

To ensure that the awards process is seamless and foolproof, Supermom has also brought on board an advisory panel comprising Dr Lau Kong Cheen, associate professor of marketing at SUSS, Garick Kea, MD of Insights Table and Audrey Kuah, co-CEO, Asia Pacific, VML International

Supermom has also introduced an option for its community to donate their participation fees for Brand Awards to chosen beneficiaries which include Ray of Hope Singapore, Single Moms Indonesia, SingleMums Vietnam and Hati in Malaysia. 

Sydney, Australia – Aimed at bringing a new age of editorial offering to parents and soon-to-be parents, 9Honey, the women lifestyle network under Nine Entertainment, has launched a new rebranded vertical, the 9Honey Parenting, where parents can be entertained, informed and seek affirmation, written by parents and parenting experts.

The rejuvenated vertical will also feature video content and expand on the editorial offering previously seen on 9Honey Mums, Essential Kids and Essential Baby; all of which are now merged into the new vertical.

Furthermore, 9Honey Parenting will feature exclusive columns by actress and mum-of-two Tammin Sursok; dad-of-two and reality TV star Matty Johnson, and motivational speaker, author and mum of two, Turia Pitt.

For Kerri Elstub, editorial director at Nine Digital, the new addition to the nine.com.au family will fill a gap in the market, specifically in the lifestyle market locally.

“9Honey Parenting will cover every age and every stage of the parenting journey. Consider us your virtual parenting group! Whether you’re trying to figure out what pram to buy, how to navigate the transition back to school after lockdown or getting your teen to do more than grunt at you,” Elstub said.

Aside from 9Honey, Nine Entertainment’s digital offerings include their news platforms The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, financial news platforms 9Finance and Australian Financial Review, as well as niche content platforms like Drive for automotive content, and Gizmodo for science and technology content.

Philippines – If there’s a cohort that bore the brunt of the drastic shifts in the pandemic, it would have to be those at the driver’s seat – the parents. Amid augmented health scares and a dampened economy, parents have to keep it tight as they continue to provide support to their families financially and emotionally. 

With this, parents are now becoming more open when it comes to finding a source of income. For Filipino parents specifically, work that offers a flexible arrangement is a top option, and within this favored setup, half of Filipino parents, or 53%, now have online freelance jobs as a top choice – those acquired through freelance platforms Upwork and the like – according to a study by digital platform for parenting, Smart Parenting. This was followed by online selling (35%) and online content creation on social media sites Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok (7%).

Filipino parents are scrambling financially with half, or 52%, were found to have not stashed an emergency fund. The rest have saved up for the rainy days, with the majority (39%) having built their funds to cover less than two years’ worth of emergency expenses. 

Within family income, funding for children’s education (24%) and paying off debts (24%) are top allocations followed by spending for the family’s house and condo unit (23%). Migrating abroad also takes part in Filipino Families’ plans where 7% said that income goes into making this a reality. Meanwhile, amid personal struggles, Filipino families still include in their priorities giving back to other people, where 8% stated income is spent on philanthropy.

The current life-threatening situation is taking a toll on the majority’s mental health. Because of this, families’ mental and emotional well-being has become a top concern for parents in the present. This is true for Filipino parents (66%), followed by worries about adding to their income and caring for their children’s emotional health and social skills (16%).

The Smart Parenting Pulse: 2021 Audience Survey surveyed 2,800 respondents in the Philippines.