Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Almost a year after it was launched, local telco giant Globe has reintroduced its #MakeITSafePH campaign to continuously promote responsible and mindful online behaviour across the Philippines’ internet space.

The campaign was first launched in June 2022, which has then gained support from various stakeholders, including commercial partners, the academe, and lawmakers.

The campaign also reintroduces the microsite for the campaign, which includes the ‘Cyberbullying Glossary’, which collects common terms and emojis used in such acts alongside real anecdotes where these were perpetuated. Globe later turned these terms into digital and physical flashcards to bring parents’ learning offline, also partnering with external organisations to demonstrate how seemingly-harmless terms or emojis can be used against children.

Moreover, the telco also launched two digital films on social media to encourage visits to the website. The first film, ‘Parents Social Experiment’, showed how parents find it hard to decipher words and emojis that kids today use for cyberbullying, and how learning this novel language may help them better protect their children. The second film, ‘Off to School’, emphasised the impact of cyberbullying on children’s physical and mental health.

Lastly, Globe tapped KonsultaMD, its telemedicine platform that recognizes the need for digital and mental health. For a more holistic approach, the #MakeITSafePH site provides access to free mental health consultations via KonsultaMD for families who have experienced or are experiencing cyberbullying. 

Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability and corporate communications officer at Globe Group, emphasised the importance of teaching online safety and responsibility to protect the youth’s mental health.

“The family serves as the ultimate safety net against cyberbullying. We want to equip parents and guardians with the necessary tools and knowledge to provide a safe and responsible online environment for their children. We hope to promote digital well-being among the youth by emphasising the crucial role of families in protecting young people from the harmful effects of cyberbullying,” she said.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has slapped Grab Philippines a new ₱9m fine (~US$160k) amidst delays in its refund to customers. This is more than three years after the PCC first ordered the reimbursement to Grab.

The fine is composed of a ₱6m fine where PCC said Grab violated three separate commission orders for the company to return a combined ₱25.45m to its customers. The other ₱3m fine is in regards to Grab providing incorrect and misleading information in the compliance reports that the company submitted with respect to the refund orders.

It should be recalled that the PCC penalised Grab a total of ₱63.7 million since 2018 for violations of its price and service quality commitments. It was in late 2019 when the Commission imposed on Grab the penalty to return a portion of its commissions to Grab’s passengers for violating its price monitoring commitment.

It has since ordered Grab to issue refunds in the amounts of ₱5.05m in November 2019, ₱14.15m in December 2019, and ₱6.25m in October 2020.

Moreover, the PCC also ordered Grab PH to pay back ₱19.3m to its users back in March 2022. In response, Grab PH stated back then that they have disbursed the full administrative fee in a manner consistent with the agreed mechanics with the PCC.

The PCC has also directed Grab to put in place an alternative refund mechanism that would allow its customers to claim remaining refunds, barring which the company was ordered to convey the amount to PCC for remittance to the National Treasury. To ensure higher take-up of the refund, the PCC instructed Grab to exhaust different platforms to inform customers about the pending reimbursement.

Manila, Philippines – Having close family ties is one of the hallmarks of Filipino culture, so it comes as no surprise that family celebrations are much beloved in the Philippines.

Amongst the most anticipated is Mother’s Day – and insights from GrabAds, the advertising arm of the leading superapp, show that Pinoys do get busy creating special moments for their nanays every second Sunday of May. 

GrabAds’ report, the ‘GrabAds SEA Mother’s Day Insights Report 2023’, gives brands and consumers a clear picture of how Grab – with its portfolio of services like GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabExpress – enables and empowers users to create extra-special Mother’s Day celebrations for their moms. 

According to the report, 88% of Grab users in the Philippines have already come up with plans specific to Mother’s Day 2023. The respondents look forward most to gathering their families, ordering food online, and going out for a meal together with their loved ones and, of course, their moms. 

GrabAds insights also show that Filipinos are happy to create special dining experiences at home as they tend to order more on the said date. In 2022, GrabFood orders rose by 25% on Mother’s Day versus the average number of food orders across all Sundays of April.

Meanwhile, delivered items also tend to be on the road more during Mother’s Day. For instance, last 8 May 2022, there were 37% more GrabExpress Deliveries versus the average Express Orders on the Sundays of the month prior. 

Moreover, eight out of 10 Grab users in the Philippines also plan on buying their moms a gift, and 82% of these are keen on buying a gift from Grab. Among the most popular choices on GrabFood and GrabMart during Mother’s Day last year were cakes and pastries, flower bouquets, and home and kitchen appliances. 

“Mother’s Day remains to be one of the most important gifting occasions in Southeast Asia. Our GrabAds report shows a surge in user activity one week before the day itself, across the region, as people start looking for ways to make this day extra special for their loved ones,” said Jennie Johnson, head of regional marketing at GrabAds. 

Johnson added, “This Mother’s Day, merchants and brands across the region have the opportunity to connect with consumers looking for the perfect gift for their mom via superapps like Grab.”

To celebrate the occasion, Grab will also be rolling out promos on GrabMart and GrabFood on May 14.

Manila, Philippines – Small businesses in the Philippines are the most bullish compared to its counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region, with nearly nine of ten SMBs expected to grow this year due to technology investment. This is according to the latest data from professional accounting body CPA Australia.

According to the data, three quarters of Filipino small businesses grew in 2022, an increase of 10 percentage points from 2021. A robust economy contributed to 89% predicting growth this year. This optimism is reflected in plans of around 58% of local businesses to hire more staff this year.

A strong focus on maintaining customer relationships and using social media contributed to growth. Around 44% of businesses nominated customer loyalty as a positive factor. Meanwhile, over 90% used social media for business purposes, including promoting to potential customers (65%) and selling products or services (59%).

The data also remarked that Filipino small businesses’ ability to identify the right technologies to invest in and profit from further strengthened their competitiveness. Seven-in-10 of businesses said their investments last year had improved profitability, strongly surpassing the survey average of 55%.

Nonetheless, increasing costs and difficulties accessing external funds may hamper financial returns and development plans. Four-in-10 businesses said increased costs were negatively affecting their businesses, the highest result in all surveyed markets. The cost of materials (42%) ranked as the cost most felt by local businesses, followed by fuel (38%) and utilities (36%).

Nicklaus Wee, regional manager for emerging markets, said, “Due to increasing domestic demand and a speedy recovery in the services sector, particularly in tourism, many Filipino small businesses expanded solidly. They continue to be one of the most dynamic in the Asia-Pacific region.”

He added, “The COVID pandemic has fundamentally changed consumer behaviour. The survey shows that Filipino small businesses are adopting a more customer-oriented approach, including increasing their interaction with potential customers. Using customer feedback allows them to swiftly identify the best options, including technological solutions to meet customers’ needs.”

The Philippines – At least seven in every 10 employees are exploring job prospects with other companies regardless of how satisfied they are with their current employers, while six out of 10 see themselves working for another employer in the next two years, according to the 2022 Happiness Study commissioned by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As Philippines).

In the study, Gen Z (57%), Xennials (69%), and even Gen X (73%) expressed high levels of satisfaction, while Millennials represented the least satisfied group, with only 41% admitting to experiencing ‘happiness’.

“Arriving at a time when employers are attempting to balance the convenience of working from home with mandatory in-office days, the 2022 Happiness Study was commissioned to gain insights into current advertising employees, 74% of which joined the workforce during the pandemic,” said 4As Chairperson Golda Roldan.

Moreover, at least seven in every 10 employees cited a lack of long-term mentorship or training as their main reason for leaving, with at least seven in every 10 employees seeing their supervisors as friends and allies rather than long-term trainers. Furthermore, only four in 10 reported that they received adequate mentorship after the first year.

The study also unveiled that four out of 10 respondents stated their desire to seek greener pastures in the form of compensation and incentives.

The study also showed a generation gap when it came to the relationship between one’s loyalty to their company and that with one’s peers: While 66% of Gen Z respondents expressed affinity with their peers and only 45% with their companies, respondents in the higher age ranges were more likely to find belongingness with their companies over their peers.

“All told, the study found that, while happiness was irrelevant to whether or not employees stayed, overall satisfaction could be increased,” Roldan added.

She also said that for Gen Zs, being the newest members of the workforce, purpose and meaning were major factors in considering a workplace. As for achieving employee satisfaction, incentives, adequate, ongoing training in an environment where they can grow professionally were key.

The 2022 Happiness Study was commissioned by the 4As to determine the happiness levels and sentiments of talent within the advertising industry. A quantitative online survey was conducted for the study from August 24 to October 24, 2022, which involved 38 advertising agencies.

Manila, Philippines – Local live streaming app Kumu has announced a month-long initiative called ‘Sound Minds: Exploring Mental Health Through Music’ which encourages users and creators alike to launch online activities that open up conversations and actions online about the importance of caring for your mental health.

Said initiative explores a range of activities for both music lovers and mental health advocates to enjoy– from new programs to watch to product features that facilitate a new donation process in-app.

Moreover, Kumu is opening up new ways for its users to contribute to causes and charities they care about deeply. A portion of the diamond earnings throughout all app activities made through this initiative will go directly to Kumu’s chosen charity of the month.

“For many chronically online Filipinos, social media is still seen as a scary place where you’re easily exposed to hate and negativity on a daily basis. This is why Kumu has dedicated its platform to building safe spaces online where creators can express themselves, meet new people, and share their stories– even of their struggles, in the hopes of helping others cope through hard times as well,” the company has said in a press statement.

Kumu also brought in mental health experts onto the platform to lead the conversation and educate the community about mental health issues and best practices during these tough times.

Manila, Philippines – Discovery+, a streaming service under multinational mass media company Warner Bros. Discovery has officially exited the Philippine market this April 27. The announcement was made official on the streaming service’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/discoveryplusPH/status/1651405832968634369

In several support articles posted by Discovery+ on its website, the decision to exit the local market follows Warner Bros. Discovery’s review of its content and streaming proposition in the Philippines.

“The Discovery+ website and app in the Philippines will be closing permanently, and you will no longer be able to watch shows on Discovery+ Philippines,” it stated.

It has encouraged its subscribers to watch other shows on WBD’s linear channels such as Discovery, TLC, Asian Food Network and HGTV.

Discovery+ has assured the public that it is only exiting the Philippine market, and no market exits will be expected in the near future. Moreover, Philippine-registered accounts will be inaccessible even overseas.

The platform launched in the Philippines back in October 2021 through a partnership with telco giant Globe.

Manila, Philippines – As the national SIM registration nears its deadline of April 26, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has admitted that it will be unable to reach full registration of SIMs across the country. With that in mind, how can telcos encourage their users to register the number affiliated with their SIM?

To pose such a question, local cellular operator Talk N’ Text (TNT), under Smart Communications, recently launched a campaign which magnifies the difficulty brought by life’s normal activities when you don’t have a registered mobile number.

The campaign, conceptualised by the local creative agency GIGIL, spans three films, each with its own varying tale on the importance of registering one’s. The first one depicts a father and son shooing away a woman pretending to be the mother of the household, the second is a man finding himself in a dilemma on how to claim his remittance without one true pairing (OTP) number, and the last is someone doing typical social media stuff–but just using written messages sent by pigeons.

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Nanais Hernandez, senior strategic planner at GIGIL, said that the overarching objective of the campaign is to put a sense of urgency to people in registering their SIM numbers.

“What causes this complacency is that they don’t really know what will happen if they don’t register. We jumped off from a fairly simple insight, ‘walang connection, walang buhay’ [no connection, no life]. Especially with how Filipinos are so reliant on their network connections–it’s our means to build relationships, learn something new, be entertained–not registering your SIM is like cutting off one’s lifeline,” Hernandez said.

As the agency has long been known to release witty and tongue-in-cheek campaigns for some of its clients such as RC Cola, Netflix Philippines, and Julie’s Bakeshop, MARKETECH APAC also asked Hernandez how humour played out in this campaign.

“While [it is] true the insight may have sounded a bit dark, we didn’t want to take away TNT’s signature quirkiness. It’s a fun and witty brand. So we infused that in our materials to still reflect how bleak life would be without a sim connection, but done so in a humorous way only TNT could pull off. This will make people want to watch our films, and ultimately register their SIMs,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dione Tañada, creative director for TNT/Smart, told MARKETECH APAC that the campaign played off the brand’s DNA in humour into the conceptualisation of said ads.

“TNT’s humour was one of the most significant considerations. But we don’t want our target market to laugh for a minute and then move on. We want them to laugh and take action—to register their SIM cards. That’s why we made the stories equally funny and intelligent, making Pinoys realise the urgency and necessity to register their SIM cards,” Tañada said.

This is one of the recent slew of ads GIGIL has worked with, the most recent being with the online job employment platform JobStreet in the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – Driven by the official entry of Taiwanese tech company, Gogoro, into the Philippine market, Globe Group’s 917Ventures and Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corporation have entered into a tripartite partnership with the former to launch its Gogoro Smartscooters® and battery-swapping technology in the Philippines. 

Gogoro is a company that has transformed two-wheel mobility in Taiwan and fostered a new smart mobility industry with a network of eco-friendly businesses and end-users.

The company is bringing the said ecosystem to the Philippines and is committed to replicating its success in Taiwan. Gogoro is currently managing 540,000 riders and has deployed more than 1 million smart batteries at 12,000 battery-swapping stations.

“We in the Globe Group are very proud to bring Gogoro Smartscooters® and battery-swapping to the Philippines, a transport ecosystem that marries mobility innovation and sustainability,” said Ernest Cu, Globe Group President and CEO. “This year, Filipinos will have access to these electric [two-wheel] vehicles and Gogoro’s convenient and cost-efficient battery-swapping technology, another first in the Philippines.”

In a ceremonial launch at Globe’s headquarters, the three companies have announced that Gogoro’s Smartscooters® and Battery-Swapping tech would be both available publicly by Q4 2023.

Horace Luke, Founder and CEO of Gogoro, commented, “Our partnership with the Globe Group and Ayala Corporation in the Philippines is a major milestone in our mission to transform urban transportation and provide an accessible path for riders to adopt sustainable urban mobility and play a key role in battling climate change and making the world better for all.”

“We look forward to working together to deliver a sustainable transport system that will improve air quality, reduce carbon emissions, and provide a superior riding experience for consumers in the Philippines,” added Luke. 

Globe’s Cu further said that the shift to EVs, particularly deploying Gogoro’s battery-swapping system, will go a long way, alongside sustained government support, to allow private sector initiatives to prosper. 

“Sustainable transportation projects are, after all, aligned with the government’s long-term agenda to promote environment-friendly transport options and foster digitalization as mobility needs of Filipino individuals and businesses rise,” said Cu.

In addition to Taiwan and the Philippines, Gogoro is also operating in China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Israel.

Manila, Philippines – Market research firm Kantar Media has been tapped by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Association of Philippine Broadcasters) to conduct a series of radio surveys to serve as the currency for radio audience measurement. This latest win represents the tenth consecutive year that Kantar Media has partnered with the KBP.

Through this year’s surveys, Kantar Media will quantify radio audience behaviour in 26 key cities nationwide, including key radio markets like Mega Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao among others. 

With the establishment of the Kantar commissioned studies as currency, the KBP aims to establish a common trading currency among industry stakeholders not just for research and analytics, but also in negotiating and developing partnerships that reflect radio’s power as an advertising medium.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Jay Bautista, managing director of Kantar Media Philippines said, “As the KBP celebrates its 50th anniversary, Kantar Media is pleased to be appointed, once again, as the official audience measurement partner of the association. Over the last 10 years, the partnership with the KBP has provided the advertising industry with broader and deeper insights about the Filipino radio audience.”

Meanwhile, KBP President Ruperto Nicdao, Jr. and Chairman Herman Basbano underlined the importance of this partnership.

“Radio research is an invaluable tool for us to highlight the importance of the medium. The renewed vibrancy of advertising through radio was brought about by the regular conduct of surveys which provide guidance to media agencies and clients in deciding their media mix. We thank Kantar Media for this continued partnership,” they said.

KBP has tapped Kantar Media back in 2021 for the same radio surveys, with it previously scoping only 19 cities.