Tag: Partnership

Mumbai, India – Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s SUV manufacturer, has teamed with artists Santanu Hazarika and Abhishek Paatni of Nought One to produce a streetwear line inspired by the Mahindra XUV 3XO’s design and colours. 

The collection debuted today in Mumbai at the XUV 3XO “Tech Fashion Tour,” an exhibit property that highlighted Mahindra’s creative strategy for engaging with modern consumers. 

The clothing has been designed to incorporate design cues from the XUV 3XO, such as its diamond inserts and emblem, which connect the ensemble to the SUV’s style. The goal of this series is to draw in young customers who value automotive design in addition to contemporary fashion. 

Speaking about the partnership, Pratap Bose, chief design and creative officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., expressed, “Today, we are excited to showcase a collection that brings together our passion for innovation across our authentic SUV range with the dynamic world of fashion. The new XUV 3XO is the latest expression of Mahindra’s HEARTCORE Design philosophy. Designed to stand out from the crowd, the XUV 3XO takes the premium compact SUV to new heights of Design, Technology, and Innovation. This collection not only reflects the bold and distinctive features of the XUV 3XO but also complements the lifestyle and values of our younger consumers. 

He added, “Through this collaboration with Santanu and Nought One, whose work is always at the cutting edge of design and fashion, we are reaching out to new audiences and exploring new forms of expression.” 

Meanwhile, Santanu Hazarika and Abhishek Paatni said, “We are thrilled to partner with Mahindra on this unique project. This collaboration with the XUV 3XO is a perfect blend of our streetwear aesthetic with the standout design of this modern SUV. It’s an exciting challenge to translate automotive innovation into fashion, and we believe our customers will appreciate the creativity and authenticity behind each piece. This partnership reflects futuristic, functional clothing which blends with the aesthetics of the new age and a progressive future.” 

“This collaboration with Santanu Hazarika and Abhishek Paatni represents a new direction for Mahindra, connecting with a broader audience through fashion and lifestyle,” Hazarika and Paatni added. 

Singapore – Marina Bay Sands, UOB, and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their commitment to raising awareness and increasing visitor numbers in the Marina Bay area. This deal demonstrates the trio’s commitment to turning the area into a major leisure and economic hub, drawing both locals and tourists.

First announced in January, the cooperation featured a number of activities, including the captivating “The Legend of the Dragon Gate – Drone Show by the Bay” drone spectacular and the “Masterpieces.. Made in Singapore” marketing campaign. This expanded cooperation is the result of a remarkable pilot relationship that involved 26 local partners offering over 50 exclusive events for UOB cardholders across several nations. 

The campaign was based on the marketing initiatives of the three companies: UOB’s plan to grant special access to the greatest travel, shop, dine, and entertainment events in ASEAN; STB’s global Made in Singapore brand campaign; and Marina Bay Sands’ Bay Precinct Strategy. 

In the future, the partners hope to present Marina Bay as a dynamic place offering a wide range of experiences. Together, they will develop exciting programming for future holiday seasons and keep bringing top-notch activities and attractions to the precinct. Through the utilisation of the combined abilities of companies surrounding the Bay, their goal is to establish Marina Bay Sands as a top location for holding global events and providing exclusive experiences. 

The MoU signing ceremony, which was attended by Minister Grace Fu, saw representatives from Marina Bay Sands, UOB, and STB reaffirm their commitment. This landmark event, conducted concurrently with STB’s Tourism Industry Conference at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, demonstrated the community’s desire to enhance the Marina Bay precinct.

Speaking about the partnership, Irene Lin, Marina Bay Sands, said, “The Marina Bay precinct was enlivened in the first quarter of the year, with multiple partners coming together to bring greater vibrancy to the area and create a stellar experience for guests. This next partnership recognises that the precinct has limitless potential to compete on the world stage as a leading lifestyle and business destination. Our ongoing efforts to elevate Marina Bay Sands signal our commitment to enhance the Bay, and we look forward to working with our partners to create more compelling experiences over the long term.”

Meanwhile, Jacquelyn Tan, UOB said, “We are excited to extend this unique partnership to make the iconic Marina Bay precinct a must-visit destination for both locals and tourists. This unprecedented partnership is the latest in our array of innovative and pioneering entertainment propositions we have acquired for our eight million customers across ASEAN, who have over the past months enjoyed exclusive ticketing access to concerts and festivals featuring internationally-renowned artists across different genres.” 

She added, “We will further leverage our leadership position in the lifestyle space and our unparalleled footprint across the region, to bring more unforgettable retail, dining, travel and entertainment experiences to the precinct for our local and regional cardholders. We look forward to the next partnership with great anticipation, as the possibilities for the period ahead are truly endless.”

Lastly, Kenneth Lim, STB, said, “We are excited to be embarking on the next Marina Bay precinct partnership with Marina Bay Sands and UOB. Building on the success of the pilot partnership, we look forward to collaborating with the wider Marina Bay precinct partners to curate exciting experiences for both locals and overseas visitors to enjoy. Through this partnership, we aim to inspire exploration of Singapore by promoting unique offerings and programming in the Marina Bay precinct, demonstrating our continued appeal as an attractive and vibrant destination.”

Philippines – Mastercard launched a charitable partnership with the technology firm Boost Capital aimed at providing access to digital financial services for over 10,000 small enterprises in the Philippines, notably those run by women. This new alliance, backed by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, will use technology to help Filipino small businesses gain access to money, knowledge, and resources.

The initiative expands on a previous collaboration between the two groups in Cambodia and shows how improved financial literacy and digital onboarding channels may reduce risks and improve lending to small firms. In order to empower financial service providers to improve access to digital financial services by improving merchant onboarding procedures and providing financial literacy training to their small business clientele, this program in the Philippines will draw lessons and experiences from Cambodia. 

Small businesses are easily integrated using channels like Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp—channels that are already popular by Filipino entrepreneurs—by means of Boost Capital’s white-labelled technology platform. The company’s chat-based technology, enhanced with AI capabilities, allows service providers to digitally onboard a greater number of small business clients. 

Once on board, small businesses can then access financial services anytime, anywhere, from their cell phones. Everything about the process is automated, from choosing the goods to contracting, disbursing, and using AI for verification. 

Boost Capital will collaborate with Philippine financial service providers with funding from Mastercard Strive, a project managed by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Their goal is to use technology to bring more women who own small businesses into the official financial system and provide them with specialised services to grow and support their businesses. 

In addition to increasing access to financial services, the program will help small business owners strengthen their long-term financial security. This will be accomplished by integrating chat-based financial education into their financial services journey in a seamless manner. Prior research conducted in Cambodia demonstrated that small enterprises that received financial education had an 8 percent higher likelihood of making loan repayments on schedule. 

More than a million micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) in the Philippines have benefited from Mastercard’s efforts. By 2025, Mastercard aims to bring 50 million small and micro companies and 1 billion individuals into the digital economy on a global scale. As part of this program, since 2020, the organisation has helped 27 million women entrepreneurs grow their businesses by providing solutions. 

Speaking about the partnership, Shamina Singh, founder and president of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, said, “The results from our partnership in Cambodia clearly demonstrated the value that pairing credit with capacity building can have on unlocking capital for underserved small businesses. By building on that work, our aim is to empower more small businesses in the Philippines and facilitate their transition to the digital economy.” 

Meanwhile, Lucinda Revell, co-founder of Boost Capital, expressed, “We are excited to be working with Mastercard Strive to unlock and expand credit for Filipino small businesses. This new grant will extend our technology to a wider set of partners and de-risk its adoption by smaller financial service providers, who might otherwise be hesitant to go digital. Encouraging them to explore new client onboarding channels will unlock access to a wealth of digital financial services to support small business growth.” 

Lastly, Simon Calasanz, country manager for the Philippines, Mastercard, stated, “Micro and small businesses are vital engines of economic growth across the world, including in the Philippines. By fostering digital inclusion – one of the country’s strategic development priorities – this partnership with Boost Capital will provide much-needed support to Filipino small businesses and empower them to thrive. Further, by focusing on women-led enterprises, this partnership can help address the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, enabling them to unlock their full potential.” 

He added, “This latest collaboration deepens Mastercard’s commitment to the Philippines, driving social impact in a locally relevant way, while supporting the country’s efforts to digitizing and growing small businesses, and advancing inclusive growth.” 

Singapore – Hoppr, a connected TV (CTV) platform that provides premium TV content inventory with a first-in-market guaranteed view, has selected Yahoo Demand Side Platform (Yahoo DSP) as its preferred DSP partner in Singapore, marking a strategic partnership that has the potential to change the landscape of targeted advertising on CTV and advanced television (ATV) platforms in Singapore. 

Through this partnership, Yahoo’s global network of advertisers may now purchase precision-targeted video inventory on StarHub TV+. Hoppr’s patented technology is used to make and transport the video, guaranteeing a view on the biggest screen in the house.

Hoppr and Yahoo Advertising are slated to offer highly focused advertising options according to Singaporean households’ viewing habits and interests. Through this collaboration, targeted TV advertising will advance, and a new era of advertising through ATV technology will be launched. By ensuring that advertising messages reach the most relevant home audiences, the accuracy obtained maximises the impact and efficacy of each campaign. 

The collaboration highlights how behaviour-driven methods are becoming more and more important in advertising. Advertising campaigns are made more effective and by delivering relevant messages to household audiences via the use of analytics and targeting capabilities. By enabling advertisers to create more individualised and engaging experiences for Singaporean homes, Hoppr and Yahoo are increasing engagement and conversion rates.

Speaking about the partnership, Kenneth Koh, head of commercial sales, Southeast Asia at Yahoo, said, “Singapore is witnessing an emerging CTV landscape with exciting opportunities for advertisers to leverage as we bridge linear TV and online digital audiences. Our partnership with Hoppr delivers a unique and powerful CTV/ATV solution that allows advertisers to optimise and ensure efficiencies by reaching verified audiences glued to the big screen. On the Yahoo DSP advertisers can now plan, activate and measure premium CTV inventory within omnichannel campaigns.” 

Meanwhile, Joe Prusz, CEO of Hoppr, said, “Yahoo’s DSP makes it easy for the largest advertising companies and brands in the world to engage with us through programmatic. Every advertiser wonders if their TV ad was watched and, because of our patented tech, Hoppr is the only company globally that can deliver a guaranteed view of their commercial to advertisers. And it’s a view that’ll be actually consumed by an audience in its entirety. We live in a world full of daily distractions and Hoppr’s CTV platform is a saviour to advertisers that need their message to cut through to the consumer.”

He added, “Advertisers shouldn’t focus on tracking their brand KPIs until they can guarantee that their commercials are actually seen. And seen on the biggest screen in the living room. Both advertisers and consumers win when they see less, not more, advertising – as long as it’s more impactful and better targeted. At the end of the day, precision wins and precision is what Hoppr delivers.”

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 – Global media measurement and optimization platform Integral Ad Science (IAS) has recently announced its first-to-market integration with a global immersive video game platform Roblox.

Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their ads within complex 3D environments.

In line with this, Roblox also announced that its video ads are now available to all advertisers, enabling them to reach its community of users ages 13 and over at scale. The new video ad format joins the broader suite of Roblox’s Immersive Ads offerings that include other formats such as billboard-style image ads.

Going into detail, this partnership is in line with IAS launching new features, including global 3D in-experience measurement coverage with advanced viewability and invalid traffic metrics, as well as third-party daily reporting through IAS Signal, the company’s unified reporting platform delivering data and insights to advertisers. 

Talking about the partnership, Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS, said, “Our partnership with Roblox makes us the first measurement provider to bring enhanced visibility and transparency to the world of 3D immersive experiences on Roblox, giving advertisers the assurance they need that their ads are driving engagement and reaching real users.”

Meanwhile, Allison McDuffee, global head of brand insights and measurement at Roblox, commented, “This partnership will help us develop industry leading measurement tools to establish and maintain trust with our advertising partners. We are committed to building measurement solutions alongside innovation in 3D immersive spaces together with partners like IAS.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tourism Malaysia to form a three-year cooperation aimed at increasing the country’s visitor arrival targets.

The memorandum of understanding will open the door for the creation and implementation of a three-year partnership program in key foreign markets. This is more than a leisure passenger initiative; it also includes transit passengers and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits (MICE). Furthermore, the collaboration will function as the foundation for Malaysia Airlines’ Bonus Side Trip (BST) program, which grants travellers a free journey to a domestic location on the Malaysia Airlines network.

The country’s Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) program aims to generate target receipts of RM147.1 billion, of which 35.6 million tourists are expected to arrive. Malaysia hopes to welcome 27.3 million tourists this year, with a RM102.7 billion tourism budget.

Speaking about the partnership, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MAG chief executive officer of airlines, said, “We look forward working with Tourism Malaysia, leveraging our strengths as a national carrier and aviation hub to pursue sustainable traffic growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.” 

He added, “With our strong network and track record of working with partners through trade and consumer initiatives, we’re well-placed to support the nation’s tourism ambitions. This partnership reinforces MAG’s commitment to supporting the goals of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) through positioning Malaysia as the gateway for Asia and beyond.” 

Meanwhile, Manoharan Periasamy, Tourism Malaysia Director-General, said, “More joint activities are planned, including familiarisation trips to Malaysia, marketing promotional activities, and advertising campaigns to feature Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination on the global stage.” 

Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has formed a partnership with Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) and the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) to promote the growth of Filipino micro, small, and medium-sized companies (MSMEs). 

The DTI stated that on April 17, a memorandum of agreement was signed with JFC and JGF, formalising the collaboration. Its objective is to provide MSMEs with the necessary expertise and abilities to improve their business operations. The Jollibee Plaza Building in Ortigas, Pasig City, is where the MSMEs-focused learning sessions are set to start on April 25. 

The partnership seeks to foster relationships between MSMEs and major firms in accordance with the principles delineated in Republic Act 9501, which is commonly referred to as the Magna Carta for MSMEs. Small and large firms are expected to develop synergistic ties as a result of this interaction. 

Speaking about the partnership, Alfredo Pascual, DTI Secretary, said, “This MOU symbolises a partnership built on shared values, mutual respect, and a common goal. It is a testament to our collective belief in the private and public sectors in the transformative power of entrepreneurship and the profound impact it can have on individuals, families, and communities.” 

Meanwhile, DTI said, “Echoing DTI’s goals, Jollibee expressed its dedication to sustainable business practices through its ‘Joy for Tomorrow’ agenda. Crucial to a flourishing MSMEs ecosystem, this program focuses on the pillars of Food, People, and Planet, with a particular emphasis on supporting farmers’ livelihoods and community welfare.” 

Singapore – Tilt Agency, a digital marketing and creative media agency, announced significant appointments in its creative solutions for clients across all industries. It kicked off with the appointment of Karn Singh as the new group creative director of Tilt. 

As he assumes this new role, Singh will oversee Tilt’s creative division and collaborate closely with Madina Kalyayeva, managing director of Tilt, to lead the agency’s goals for growth and innovation.

With more than 17 years of expertise in the advertising sector, Singh can find original and produce creative solutions to solve business problems. His portfolio includes multiple wins from competitions including One Show, D&AD, Webby’s, and Cannes, where he won the Product Design Lion and Singapore’s first Innovation Cannes Lion. 

Speaking about the appointment, Kalyayeva expressed, “We are thrilled to welcome Karn to Tilt. His exceptional talent and innovative approach to creative problem-solving make him the perfect fit to lead our creative team. With Karn on board, we are confident that Tilt will continue to deliver outstanding creative solutions that drive real results for our clients.” 

In addition, Tilt has also announced partnerships with SHOPOLOGY and CONSENSYS, extending its range of services. CONSENSYS uses AI, machine learning, and sophisticated analytics to mine product pages and reviews for priceless information about seller and brand performance. 

Tilt will deliver a range of services under this partnership, including shopper observations and interviews, shopper insight generation and workshops, shopper and consumer data integration, and retailer engagement. This collaboration enables Tilt to assist retailers in launching activations for category captain programs, focusing shopper and consumer data on specific target markets and channels. 

In its role as creative partner, TILT will provide visual executions for CONSENSYS/SHOPOLOGY’s strategies, guaranteeing that possible results are successfully brought to life via creative activations. 

Furthermore, in order to enhance their clientele’s access to digital marketing and creative media, SHOPOLOGY/CONSENSYS and Tilt will collaborate to run brand and retailer workshops and category captain programs. 

Speaking about the partnership, Stuart Helmore, CEO of Tilt, said, “Never before has technology played such a significant role in being part of our daily lives at home and in the media industry. Due to this almost unexpected rate of change, Tilt is strategically aligning itself with global tech trends. By partnering with the right tech companies, we aim to foster creativity and provide innovative solutions that enable our clients to effectively and effortlessly reach their consumers.” 

Meanwhile, Kalyayeva said, “Partnering with CONSENSYS and SHOPOLOGY allows us to offer our clients value-added services around in-store and online shopper and consumer insights. At Tilt, we are committed to providing comprehensive solutions that drive results for our clients, and these strategic partnerships are a testament to that commitment.” 

Lastly, Damien and Ian from SHOPOLOGY/CONSENSYS, expressed, “We are excited to partner with TILT to provide comprehensive shopper and consumer insights solutions to clients in the marketing and creative media space. This collaboration will enable existing Tilts & our clients to make informed decisions and create impactful strategies that resonate with their target audience. TILT’s expertise in creative execution complements our data-driven approach, allowing us to deliver holistic solutions that drive results.” 

Singapore – IPG Mediabrands and Zefr have announced a first-in-kind agency partnership. Said partnership is designed to combat disinformation and improve brand safety and acceptability for online campaigns. 

The partnership will provide campaign solutions that enable brands to avoid spreading false information on social media, using the technology-driven performance unit, KINESSO, and the research data from IPG Mediabrands’ media intelligence and investment section, MAGNA. Political, environmental, medical, AI-generated, and brand-specific content are amongst the main areas. 

Moreover, the partnership between Zefr and IPG Mediabrands continues, and this alliance expands on it. It is in line with the agency network’s media for good programs, which prioritise brand safety, media responsibility, marketplace equity, and sustainability in order to foster influence both inside and outside of its business scope. 

The new campaign tools were developed with input from the MAGNA Media Trial. KINESSO is integrating these disinformation capabilities into the end-to-end integrated campaign process for IPG Mediabrands clients. 

Speaking about the partnership, Dani Benowitz, US & global president, MAGNA, said, “Helping our clients to protect their brands while reaching their audiences through the most effective channels is core to the work we do as their agency partners. By engaging in specialised partnerships like this with Zefr, we are ensuring our clients have access not only to our in-house expertise, but also to the best tools and capabilities the industry has to offer, so their media investments are strategic and made with relevant, high industry standards in mind.” 

Meanwhile, Andrew Serby, chief commercial officer at Zefr, stated, “At Zefr, we have been proactive in tackling misinformation across walled gardens, combining advanced AI for multi-media with global fact-checking networks. IPG’s leadership in combating misinformation for their clients is second to none, and this partnership underscores that commitment towards this critical issue. Together, we are accelerating the fight against misinformation across walled gardens, applying media responsibility to client investment around the world.”