Tag: Partnership

Manila, Philippines – More consumers are now relying on e-commerce platforms for their daily needs amid the pandemic, and with this, RUSH, Globe’s 917Ventures loyalty and e-commerce solutions provider, has partnered with GrabExpress, to be its logistics partner for the merchant deliveries.

RUSH enables SMEs to grow their presence in the digital space by providing customized and easy-to-use programs. According to RUSH, its white-label apps and services are utilized by over 100 companies with 27 million registered users. In addition, RUSH’s eStore allows merchant partners to do more than just selling and engaging customers, as it also looks for proactive solutions to improve business’ operational processes including logistics.

The partnership entails that GrabExpress will now be integrated into the RUSH eStore platform, allowing businesses to book a delivery partner, meet orders, and do cash-on-delivery (COD) – which is still the most preferred mode of payment in the Philippines. 

According to RUSH, one of the features of its RUSH eStore is the ability of merchant partners to expand or reduce their kilometer radius coverage with just one click. This allows businesses to reach more customers and gauge their distance, giving merchants control over coverage and delivery pricing. The new partnership will be amplifying this important feature since Grab deems to have the widest reach in Metro Manila and key cities all over the country.

Paolo Castaneda, RUSH’s chief operating officer, shared that RUSH understands how the last mile delivery experience can highly affect one’s repeat purchase behavior, and logistics is not just a nice-to-have, but a must for businesses going digital.

“Our partnership with Grab is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that our merchant partners meet their on-demand orders and keep their customers happy,” said Castaneda.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Kubota, the CEO of RUSH, said, “RUSH remains steadfast in helping businesses enter the e-commerce field easily by providing the best-in-class technology and impactful synergies, at a fair price point against the market. With Grab on the RUSH eStore, we are making it seamless for our merchant partners to manage last-mile delivery.”

Jacqueline Maye Lim, Grab’s head of GrabExpress for the Philippines, commented that the partnership with RUSH is a clear expression of their long-term commitment to supporting the growth of many businesses, while providing meaningful livelihood opportunities to many delivery partners. 

“We are grateful for the trust and the opportunity to work alongside RUSH in this meaningful endeavor and we look forward to continuing supporting many Filipinos towards the recovery of our community and our economy,” said Lim.

Singapore – Misinformation is a complicated and wide-ranging problem in society, which is why companies are taking steps to help brands avoid misinformation, ensuring journalistic integrity and reaffirming support for quality news sites.

With this, Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global digital ad verification company, has partnered with The Global Disinformation Index (GDI), the web-based tool that rates news outlets, making IAS the first ad verification company to help marketers avoid misinformation content.

GDI is a third party that sets the standard for what qualifies as disinformation and focuses on restoring trust in media sites around the world by providing real-time automated risk ratings. The GDI’s risk assessment is built off human-powered analyses, based on the international ‘Journalism Trust Initiative’ standard, alongside cutting-edge AI that catalogs millions of pages per week across hundreds of thousands of domains.

The partnership aims to protect brands from running ads on sites that have been identified for misinformation. IAS will be identifying potential sources of misinformation through its AI algorithm, and will be validated by GDI’s trusted and independent assessment of news content and risk. 

In addition, IAS will be adding domains that GDI detects organically to ensure the most complete coverage for advertisers. Through this, advertisers will be confident that their campaigns are running on quality news platforms.

Lisa Utzschneider, the CEO of Integral Ad Science, shared that their mission to be the benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality has never been more critical, and with the rise of brand risk globally, they are providing advanced tools for marketers to safeguard their brands.

“This partnership with GDI is a market first, building on our strong brand safety and suitability tools to offer expanded global coverage and to classify more sources of misinformation, which means greater protection for our clients,” said Utzschneider.

Meanwhile, Clare Melford, GDI’s co-founder and executive director, commented that the new partnership with IAS is a step forward for digital advertisers, and they are proud to be part of catalyzing change across the industry to stop the dissemination of disinformation online.

“Working with IAS, our combined strengths will change the way disinformation is detected and avoided, ultimately disrupting the incentives to create it,” said Melford.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia-based social media agency Kingdom Digital has unveiled its subsidiary Rockstar Digital, and for the sister company’s inaugural account, it has won the businesses of a telecommunications firm in the country, TIME dotCom (TIME).

TIME offers a full suite of domestic and international connectivity, and data center solutions to the wholesale, enterprise, and retail markets, and also delivers fiber network solutions and value-added services. 

The new partnership will see Rockstar managing the telco’s social media business which will run for a period of one year, with the option to extend for another. The appointment was won after a competitive pitch.

According to Ryan Ong, the CEO of Kingdom Digital Group, the team is thrilled to work with the prominent broadband provider and that it is a fitting time to introduce Rockstar Digital to the industry.

“Rockstar Digital was established to help challenger brands like TIME innovate and lead with consumer-first approach and ideation. Brands that partner with Rockstar can expect a brave and bold digital strategy and execution. We look forward to taking their social media game to the next level,” said Ong.

Meanwhile, Andrew Yeoh, TIME’s head of marketing, said that they appointed Rockstar amid fierce competition because of their structured and strategic understanding of the telco landscape, as well as their bold and fresh approach to social platforms, supported by robust data and in-depth insights. 

“The Rockstar team went above and beyond with a strategy that thrilled and terrified us in equal measure. It showed us the path forward to differentiate and carve out our own distinctive space in a social sphere dominated by giants. In short, when the entire category zigs, we will zag,” said Yeoh.

Kingdom Digital Group’s Head of Strategy Edmund Lou commented, “Our strategy is to position TIME as a lifestyle enabler, one that puts consumers first by enabling them to live more and gain endless experiences through timeless possibilities offered by the Internet.”

Manila, Philippines – Zilingo in the Philippines, the technology platform that powers brands, wholesalers, and distributors, as well as retailers, and factories, has announced its latest partnership with the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in order to strengthen the MSME industry in the country by taking part in the latter’s ‘CTRL+ BIZ Reboot Now Zoom Shows’ initiative – a series of online lectures, webinars, and masterclasses.

The ‘CTRL + BIZ Reboot Now Regional Zoom’ webinar series has already started last June and will run until September 2021, targeting specific regions of the Philippines. Through the sessions with enabling partners across the entire e-commerce ecosystem, local entrepreneurs will learn to take advantage of the digital space.

Zilingo said that it recognizes the continuous growth of the local e-commerce industry, and with this partnership, it aims to provide services to further help the local Filipino businesses to expand their reach and revenue, as well as to help them be competitive in the market.

Shiela Mauricio, Zilingo Philippines’ country manager, shared that Zilingo would like to help solidify the stature of the MSME industry in the country to provide a sensible measure for Filipinos to earn a living through the usage of digital and online platforms like theirs.

“At Zilingo, we want to dedicate our expertise by providing our target audience a wide array of goods and services from a business-to-business standpoint. May it be through sourcing quality goods for their online business, Financial Technology assistance, or even Marketing services, Zilingo is here to help our local MSME grow their business exponentially,” said Mauricio.

Aside from Mauricio, the webinar session was also attended by Zilingo’s Business Development Head Heintji Tobias, who introduced and presented the benefits of the Zilingo platform for all the attendees from several regions of the country. 

The platform’s PR and Influencer Marketing Manager Edryan Lorenzo have also shared his expertise through a masterclass session, where he discussed the basics of digital marketing and how it will help online businesses.

During his masterclass session, Lorenzo said, “Guided by your passion and goals, as a business owner, you must learn how to identify, engage, and assess the proper ways to touch base with your customers and convert your efforts into leads generation and sales.”

Interested partners and participants may connect with their local DTI office to learn more about the program.

Manila, Philippines – Tier One Entertainment, Philippine-based esports entertainment company for SEA, has partnered with global in-game advertising channel Admazing Co., to launch its in-game advertising service.

Admazing Co.’s proposition is offering retention of the brand to its target audience segments, citing its high games inventory and a strong penetration from the Gen Z’s and millennials as well as from Gen A’s, which is the demographic said to come after the Gen Z’s and those born in the 21st century.

The partnership will enable Tier One Entertainment to access Admazing Co.’s games inventory for its brand partners. It has also earned the right to cater Admazing Co. within the SEA region.

According to global technology research and advisory company Technavio, the in-game advertising market is expected to grow by US$11b in 2024. This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of mobile gaming, the growing adoption of smartphones, and the increasing availability of high-speed internet. 

With this, Tier One Entertainment believes that adding in-game advertising to its core advertising services is essential to strengthen its gaming ecosystem, as well as push further its dominance in the mobile gaming industry with its esports team, Blacklist International.

Tier One Entertainment’s Chief Commercial Officer Joanne Llavore commented that this partnership with Admazing Co. enables Tier One Entertainment to close the loop in terms of serving the advertising needs of brands, and their ultimate goal is to provide clients with solutions to efficiently penetrate the hard to reach Millennials and Gen Z audiences.

“Admazing Co. is a superior platform because it is the only one that has a direct connection to game developers hence, providing premium inventory. We are fortunate and glad to have a truly top-tier partner like Admazing Co.,” said Llavore.

Meanwhile, Edward Castillo, the managing director at Admazing Co., said that they recognized Tier One’s expertise in the gaming industry and they are especially proud of this collaboration because it highlights how they are working together to change the advertising era through mobile game advertising, and help build the next generation audience experience in a brand-safe environment. 

“This partnership also represents a major milestone in the growth of Mobile Gaming as an effective territory in the region,” added Castillo.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the canceled Tokyo Olympics finally materializes on 23 July, brands and sponsors are now unleashing their special campaign to engage more sports fans. 

Two official partners to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Lazada – has launched a new regional campaign called ‘#GoForGold’, which seeks to encourage people to keep their spirits up, to go for gold, and reach for their dreams, even when the going gets tough.

‘#GoForGold’ is inspired by the many Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are not only achieving athletic greatness but are also stepping up to take action for good, making a positive difference in their communities. The campaign will feature a short film that unites P&G’s long-standing citizenship efforts of Community Impact, Equality & Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability. 

Titled, ‘Your Goodness is Your Greatness’, the short film, which will appear in full digital form, celebrates athletes who show their best on and off the field of play. Narrated from the perspective of proud parents, the film features real-life Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are leading with love and showing the world that the true measure of greatness is goodness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2rAXgR-qlw

“In a time when the world needs to come together and hope once again, these athletes set the gold standard in terms of perseverance, courage, and selflessness, which we hope will be an inspiration for many others to pursue their dreams and #GoForGold,” shared Alexandra Vogler, P&G’s e-commerce senior director for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

Meanwhile, Lazada Group’s Head of Strategic Accounts and Retail James Chang commented that Lazada is proud to partner with P&G to extend the celebration of “goodness, hope, and resilience” in a sporting spirit to consumers in SEA. 

“This partnership embodies the spirit of positiveness, keeping dreams alive, and fostering connections,” said Chang.

Beyond the film, the campaign will also come to life on Lazada, through a shopping extravaganza on LazMall, which features a wide range of exclusive offers on P&G products such as Pampers, Olay, and Pantene, as well as Oral-B. It will be running across six SEA markets including Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as Vietnam on 23 July 2021, and in Singapore on 28 July 2021.

Singapore – As the pandemic continues to prolong the lifting of travel restrictions, airlines are doing everything they can to offset the heavy drop in demand, developing various initiatives to engage their customers. With this, Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has decided to partner with cross-channel marketing platform Insider, to further enhance the experience on its digital channels.

Insider assists enterprise marketers to connect customer data across channels and systems, predict their future behavior with a built-in AI intent engine, and orchestrate individualized customer experiences at scale. Its platform delivers experiences across channels like web, app, web push, and email, as well as SMS, and ads, among others. 

As part of the partnership, Scoot will be utilizing Insider’s AI-powered platform to create personalized, multi-channel experiences for customers on its website. Using The platform, the airline will be releasing travel requirements at different parts of the customer journey, communicating flexibility options on its website quickly, and addressing the fluidity of global travel regulations with agility. 

Furthermore, Insider’s AI-backed segmentation module will be assisting the airline to serve relevant web push messages to users with a high likelihood of booking a flight.

Scoot’s Chief Commercial Officer Calvin Chan commented that the partnership with Insider has been instrumental in how they support the customers in these challenging times, as Scoot’s motto has always been to re-define the customer experience in the low-cost sector, and a large part of the experience is delivered via digital channels.

“Insider has been a valuable partner in improving our overall site engagement and new customer acquisitions with personalized overlays and engagement features. The ease of use of the platform has also enabled us to be operationally agile and so keep our customers abreast of the latest changes in travel regulations,” said Chan.

Meanwhile, Patrick Steinbrenner, Insider’s managing director for APAC, said, “We’re proud to power digital experiences for one of the world’s best low-cost airlines and are happy to have supported them during this pandemic. For the post-COVID recovery phase, we will be stepping up our partnership even further to deliver personalized journeys for Scoot’s customers across the web, mobile web, mobile apps, and ad channels.”

Scoot has also announced that the visitors to its website will benefit from ‘Smart Recommendations’ based on their previous browsing history for a more relevant user experience. The website’s exit surveys will improve its customer experience constantly.

Singapore – Despite a huge percentage among nations getting their Covid jabs, some countries are still on the journey of counteracting vaccine hesitancy from citizens. Brands and enterprises are leveraging their platforms to spread vaccine education, and joining the move is TikTok, which has announced a collaboration with Gov.sg under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) to bring the national vaccine education campaign, #IGotMyShotSG, encouraging young adult users in the country to get vaccinated.

The partnership is part of the platform’s ‘TikTok for Good’ efforts in support of Singapore’s nationwide vaccination drive, and to provide a safe online space for users to gather trusted information about the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program.

The #IGotMyShotSG campaign includes Gov.sg’s first-ever ‘Gamified Branded Effect’, a game where users can have fun challenging other users to determine the best ‘COVID SLAYER’. The game also creatively weaved in bite-sized vaccine-related facts to encourage users to get vaccinated. Available on the TikTok trending effects panel, the app users can find a range of effects to inspire their creativity as they share their personal vaccination experiences.

Users can also participate using the hashtag #IGotMyShotSG and view vaccine-related videos from the broader TikTok community on the app’s Discover page. This not only fosters a sense of community through shared COVID-19 vaccination experiences but also addresses users’ questions around COVID-19 vaccines.

Soffy Hariyanti, the director of campaigns and production department at MCI’s Public Communications Division, shared that they have been reaching out to different segments of the population via targeted communications, and TikTok allows them to reach more youths using a platform that is popular with them.

“Through formats that engage and appeal to youths like gamification and live streams on TikTok, we aim to address key concerns that youths may have about COVID-19 vaccinations and dispel myths,” said Hariyanti.

Meanwhile, TikTok SEA’s Head of Public Policy Teresa Tan commented that in support of the country’s nationwide vaccination drive, they are doing their part to provide access to reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccination program.

“Through working with the government, public health organizations, and experts, we are committed to contributing to important public health goals,” said Tan.

In addition, TikTok has worked with public health experts from Singapore’s COVID-19 Vaccination Expert Committee, healthcare professionals, frontliners, and content creators, to launch a seven-part #IGotMyShotSG live series, which will start from 12 July until 22 July 2021. It aims to increase the national vaccination rate so the country can look forward to re-opening safely.

According to TikTok, the finale of the live series will be even more special. Titled, ‘Vaccinate Without Fear’, the live show will be hosted by TikTok creator Fauzi Aziz, and graced by the Minister for Health, Ong Ye Kung. Its panel will feature Professor Vernon Lee, the senior director of Communicable Diseases Division, Quek Shu Hui, a spin instructor and COVID-19 survivor, and Shahrizal Salleh, a chef and TikTok creator.

They will come together to discuss Singapore’s plan to accelerate testing, tracing, and vaccination in the next phase of the fight against COVID-19 and address how everyone can carry on with their lives in this new normal.

TikTok also announced its collaboration with non-profit organization Temasek Foundation. From 30 July 2021, through the organization’s first-ever hashtag challenge on TikTok, #FlexYourVax, users can share their vaccination journeys with specially curated interactive filters that help open up new, unique and meaningful possibilities for storytelling.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Pizza Hut in Malaysia has awarded its overall media buying and planning services to Dentsu Malaysia. The remit will see the agency assisting the pizza brand’s transformational e-commerce journey towards in-home dining, driving sustainable business growth in a digital world. 

As part of the mandate, dentsu will also be responsible for creating meaningful end-to-end media experiences through data-driven marketing and in future-proofing Pizza Hut for a cookie-less ecosystem. In addition, dentsu will be putting together team Red Roof, a unit that will bring resources to implement a seamless agency model.

Dentsu’s CEO of Media Dheeraj Raina commented that they are excited about the opportunity to work with a brand that is loved by millions and this gives them the opportunity to push their innovation further.

Meanwhile, Emily Chong, the CMO of Pizza Hut Malaysia, said, “Sharing the same vision and commitment in making transformative step-change is key to win fast in this new frontier, and Team Dentsu has clearly demonstrated these through the acceleration and scaling of data-driven tech-enabled media capabilities for Pizza Hut.”

Kien Eng Tan, the CEO of Dentsu Malaysia, noted, “We will be completely focused on Pizza Hut to further strengthen its leadership. This win is a result of radical collaboration and the speed at which we have built a technological and data-driven spine to cater to clients’ flexible needs.”

In the latest MARKETECH APAC’s Top 5 Stories, Dentsu entered the list for the announcement of its three new key appointments. 

Inviting Raina in an exclusive interview, he said, “The new lineup that you’re seeing of the leaders [is] primarily [for] creating capability centers of excellence within the organization so that as the agency partners with our clients, we are in the best position of solving their marketing challenges.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The prolonged postponement of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 is finally coming to an end as the regional football event is now scheduled to happen from 5 December 2021 to 1 January 2022, and with this, football fans in the SEA region can now reignite their passion for the sport once again.

With the football competition coming to fruition, OPPO has been announced as the official smartphone partner of the cup. This was brokered by SPORTFIVE, the global sports and entertainment partnerships agency, marking OPPO’s debut in the sporting arena in the region.

OPPO said that the partnership goes in line with its strategy to leverage sports to connect with consumers and enhance its brand influence across the region. Through this sponsorship, OPPO aims to use its technology and innovation to inspire people to enjoy football wherever they are and to ‘play with heart’ whether on the field or in life.

The AFF Suzuki Cup is a biennial football competition, contested by the men’s national teams of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and accredited by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – the international governing body of football association. The cup for 2020 was postponed twice due to the pandemic with the first one announced in July last year, and was eventually rescheduled a few months after that, which now leads to the said final dates.

The partnership with OPPO will also see it amplifying its brand through brand activations across the tournament’s multiple platforms including naming and presenting rights to the ‘OPPO Man of the Match’. OPPO will also be the title sponsor of this year’s ‘Decibel Challenge’, which was previously rolled out in 2018, rewarding the loudest fan groups among all the SEA nations during the tournament. 

Jimmy Yi, OPPO’s president for APAC, shared that they hope to bring the smartphone technology to each and every football fan in SEA, giving them the opportunity to closely interact with the OPPO brand and experience the products, while they enjoy the matches and cherish the special moments created.

“As the official sponsor for many events around the world, OPPO is no stranger to the spirit of sporting enthusiasts. The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 will be instrumental to us in connecting with the millions of football fans of the event, as well as underpin our name as a strong supporter of the game,” said Yi.

Meanwhile, Echo Li, the managing director of Greater China and SVP of Global Partnerships at SPORTFIVE, commented that they are proud to welcome OPPO to the AFF Suzuki Cup family, and they fully support the brand to develop passionate and meaningful partnerships with football fans across the region. 

“OPPO is a quintessential example of a fast-growing Chinese brand going global via the power of sports. We strive to support OPPO in creating unforgettable fan experiences at the tournament while setting a benchmark for other brands with global aspirations,” said Li.