Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Uniquecorn Strategies, the Philippines-born PR agency focused on startups, has formally launched its operations in the United Kingdom with a new London office. 

The PR agency will be under the corporate name Uniquecorn Worldwide Limited. In the UK, the agency has already represented event technology startup Tevent and has also worked on a Europe-wide PR remit for Butter, a platform for interactive workshops. With the opening of a local office, the company seeks to expand its services to more startups and technology companies based in the UK.

“Uniquecorn Strategies sees the UK as a strategic gateway to facilitate our ambitious worldwide expansion plan, providing our exceptional PR services to a broader range of startups. We are thrilled to leverage the UK’s growing startup ecosystem and economic progress to extend our successful representation of Tevent and Butter and make a significant contribution to the UK startup community,” said Dean Bernales, the founder and CEO of the company. 

Bernales has recently moved from Manila to London to lead the expansion in the market. Before establishing Uniquecorn Strategies, Bernales held various consultant and leadership roles in award-winning PR agencies worldwide, including Top Agency in the US, Luna PR in Dubai, and Joint in Hong Kong. He brings with him nine years of experience working with global brands across the technology, entertainment, and web3 verticals; and within this, have served several Singapore-based PR agencies, such as Pinpoint, Flame Comm, Precious Comm, and Grow.

In the Philippines, the PR agency has also strengthened its local operations by adding two accomplished media industry professionals to its advisory board. 

Joining the team are RJ Ledesma, a seasoned marketing expert, serial entrepreneur, and Consul of Monaco to the Philippines; and John Aguilar, a serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and founder and host of CNN Philippines’ The Final Pitch. In their advisory roles, they will be offering support and strategic guidance to the company.

“As a fast-growing PR firm, we are fortunate to have RJ and John, two accomplished media industry veterans and serial entrepreneurs, on our advisory board. Their expertise will prove to be invaluable as we strive to achieve our business objectives and foster the growth of our company. Their strategic guidance and valuable insights will enable us to navigate the intricacies of the media industry and make informed decisions that drive growth and success,’ Bernales explained.

Founded in 2021, Uniquecorn Strategies has been on a fast growth trajectory, securing major projects with notable names in the local startup space such as Tier One Entertainment, Shoppertainment Live, PDAX, and Great Deals E-commerce Corp. 

The year after, it launched Blockceler8, the firm’s PR practice catering to web3 brands.

Manila, Philippines – Chill, the new alcoholic beverage from Universal Robina Corporation (URC), has launched a new outdoor campaign which allows bystanders to have a safe space to release all their frustrations surrounding Valentine’s Day, by setting up a ‘venting’ machine, a pun on the concept of a vending machine.

Conceptualised by BBDO Guerrero, the ‘venting machine’ is a 16-foot-tall booth in the shape of a Chill can. Inside it were three activities; screaming, punching, and a slicing game. A Chill can was dispensed after completing the chosen activity and participants can share a photograph on social media.

Mian David, chief marketing officer at Universal Robina Corporation, explained that the campaign was aimed at the younger demographic, allowing for a ‘drama-free moment’ following the Valentine’s Day festivities.

“We created the venting machine to give them an avenue to have fun and just chill. That’s what Chill is all about – it offers a laid-back drinking experience for people who want to just relax and unwind,” David said.

Meanwhile, Karen Go, general manager at BBDO Guerrero, commented, “Younger Filipinos love to creatively express their feelings. Congratulations to our partners at Chill for their successful event and we are excited to see how we can elevate them further.”

Philippines – Djon Nacario, who led the e-commerce platform Carousell in the Philippines as managing director for a full year in 2022, has now moved to delivery platform Lalamove to be at the helm of its Philippine operations. The update was shared personally on his LinkedIn. 

Nacario assumes the same position of managing director for the platform. 

Back in 2021, Nacario became the country head of travel platform Agoda. He brings with him seasoned marketing experience where aside from the mentioned role, he was also previously Agoda’s head of market management. 

Other notable experience under his belt is working with consumer goods giant Unilever. 

In December 2022, Carousell announced that it has laid off 10% of its staff. The e-commerce is only one of the many large-scale companies that have announced downsizing since the latter part of 2022.

Manila, Philippines – Maya, one of the top digital payment apps in the Philippines, has launched a new campaign called ‘My Money. My Bank. My Way’, simultaneously introducing its newest — and biggest ambassador yet since it rebranded in May 2022. 

The fintech tapped top local actress Liza Soberano and even appointed her to the unique position of chief advocacy officer. As chief advocacy officer, Soberano will champion shared advocacies for financial inclusion with Maya and lead key initiatives, starting with a joint activity for Save The Children, the world’s leading independent organisation for children. 

The new campaign of Maya is aimed at doubling down on the local wallet’s advantage in the digital banking scene. 

The campaign was conceptualised by Soberano herself and said move breaks the mould of traditional celebrity endorsements and changes the game for marketing financial services.

Speaking of her involvement, the actress said, “I’m excited for everyone to level up their banking experience with me through Maya because I love using their app. On top of that, working with Maya truly feels like a level up for me – it’s a joy to collaborate with them creatively, and I’m excited for the professional challenge of becoming their chief advocacy officer.”

Meanwhile, Pepe Torres, chief marketing officer at Maya, commented that their partnership with Liza hopes to communicate that it is about time for Filipinos to make bigger and bolder financial decisions with the help of game-changing innovations. He also added that they aim at spearheading the industry’s evolution on making digital banking a breakthrough experience for all.

Shailesh Baidwan, group president at Maya, said that their digital banking strategy has allowed them to be more advantageous than other local competitors.

“Filipinos trust banks and like the convenience of e-wallets. By providing an all-in-one digital banking app where people can save, spend, borrow, and invest seamlessly, we have simplified the whole financial services experience for consumers,” Baidwan said.

The new campaign comes months after Maya appointed IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative Philippines as its media agency of record.

Manila, Philippines – GoTyme Bank has announced a partnership with airline Cebu Pacific for its loyalty program Go Rewards last February 9. To mark such partnership, the digital bank used an airplane outdoor activation during its launch event held at the Palacio de Memoria in Parañaque, Manila, Philippines.

For this outdoor activation, GoTyme Bank used an experimental technology called 3D mapping video, which maps video footage onto surfaces like buildings, runways, water, and airplanes, turning them into astonishing displays.

The new feature from GoTyme Bank allows Go Rewards members to earn points each time they book Cebu Pacific flights. When they use their GoTyme Bank Visa Debit Card or Virtual Card to book their flight, they get to earn even more Go Rewards points which they can use to book future flights.

“This new rewards program is a permanent feature and not just a promo so every Juan has all the time in the world to take advantage of this boosted rewards system from GoTyme Bank,” the company said in a press statement.

Manila, Philippines – Commercial banking company UnionBank has announced appointments for its thrift bank subsidiary CitySavings and digital bank subsidiary UnionDigital respectively. They include Ana Aboitiz Delgado as the new chairperson of CitySavings and Henry R. Aguda as the CEO and president of UnionDigital.

Delgado is concurrently serving as the senior executive vice president, chief customer experience officer and chief digital channels officer at UnionBank. 

She took strides in growing UnionBank’s digital customer base via its UB Online mobile app and was the force behind the transformation and redesign of its branches, which elevated the customer experience in physical premises. Additionally, she played a key role in the signing of the game-changing acquisition between Citibank N.A. and UnionBank.

Meanwhile, Aguda was instrumental in the trailblazing digital transformation of UnionBank as its chief technology and transformation officer. Under his term as chairman, CitySavings expanded its reach in the mass and underserved markets by accelerating the approval of teacher and motorcycle loans through the use of data science credit-scoring and acquisition models. 

Aside from Delgado, Lorenzo T. Ocampo was also appointed as vice chairman and CEO of CitySavings, while Manuel G. Santiago Jr. assumed the position of president and chief operating officer of the thrift bank.

“These leadership appointments are key to taking both CitySavings and UnionDigital to the next level of digitally-driven growth and scale, towards our aspiration to be a Great Retail Bank,” UnionBank President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista said.

The new appointments build on UnionBank’s continuing growth in the Philippine retail banking sector, following its acquisition of Citi’s consumer banking business in the country. In an exclusive The Inner State interview with Albert Cuadrante, Union Bank of the Philippines’ chief marketing officer, he shared that the acquisition helped them to grow their banking offering.

“The clear synergies that this acquisition presents us with opportunities to come out with even better products and further elevate our level of service to customers,” noted Cuadrante.

Manila, Philippines – WPP’s media investment arm GroupM has officially launched its addressable TV solution, Finecast, in the Philippines. This year, Finecast will be introducing new innovative solutions, technology, and enhanced viewing experience for TV stakeholders, including audiences, advertisers, and brands.

The launch of Finecast, which took place at the Globe Auditorium in Bonifacio Global City in Manila on February 2, will add to the market’s addressable TV capabilities and provide a platform for entrepreneurs and marketers to network, share ideas, and learn from leaders on how to effectively promote ads as well as drive growth in a digital-focused era.

Puneet Arora, CEO of GroupM Philippines and Singapore, said, “We are thrilled to launch Finecast in the Philippines, one of the largest markets in this space, and to see the best in the industry come together to celebrate our official launch.”

Kathryn Domingo, lead at Finecast Philippines, shared that they aim to offer a one-stop-shop access to the entire addressable TV system, coordinating the distribution and frequency across all broadcasters and screens to reach relevant audiences no matter where they are viewing.

“Finecast will keep pushing the boundaries of TV innovation and is committed to leading the transformation of the industry. We are incredibly excited and proud to bring an addressable TV solution to the market for our clients,” she added.

During the launch event, some of the discussions put forth include the impact of the pandemic to the shift of a digital society, as well as the successful integration of addressable TV in the industry’s future.

Brett Poole, CEO for APAC at Finecast, also commented that as the media ecosystem continues to evolve, TV ads continue to wield the greatest influence in generating the most positive brand impressions.

“Historically, brands in Southeast Asia that have harnessed the power of storytelling through TV – either through a single advertisement or through a series of stories over a period of time – have enjoyed high performance and profitable gains. We look forward to continue helping brands in the Philippines unlock new and exciting opportunities to engage with their target audience and achieve sustainable growth,” Poole added.

Manila, Philippines – Leading fintech app in the Philippines GCash has appointed its new chief marketing officer, ex-Lazada Neil Trinidad. The marketing veteran shared the announcement on a personal LinkedIn update. 

Trinidad brings with him a strong background in marketing, general management, and sales across the industries of FMCG, tech, fintech, and e-commerce. Previously, Trinidad also held the CMO position for the Philippine leg of top e-commerce platform Lazada for over 2 years through 2022. 

Transferring to the GCash team right after his CMO stint in Lazada, Trinidad first assumed the position of VP Head of Business of the fintech. 

Other notable marketing leadership under his belt include heading the businesses of Google Philippines and Unilever. In 2017, he also co-founded the e-commerce health food delivery business The Feel Good Food Group. 

Philippines – With most of our attention now veered towards digital content, a new global report reveals the average number of hours each audience in a country spends in navigating social media. The said data, which was gathered via a partnership between social media intel Meltwater and creative agency We Are Social, revealed that it’s the Filipino internauts that are the most invested when it comes to vlog content and video game consumption.

The annual report on social media and digital trends uncovered that the Philippines ranked first in terms of the average time allotted for watching vlogs and playing video games. Particularly, 95.8% of internet users in the country play video games on any device, and this cohort is found to spend an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes on gaming each day. This is a few minutes more than the global average of 1 hour and 14 minutes. 

Meanwhile, 55.6% of the country’s digital consumers – those aged 16 to 64 – stated that they watch vlogs each week, and in terms of consumption, the market also bested all markets, ahead of the global benchmark of 25.5%. 

In the same report last year, Philippines also emerged on top with the highest count of users that watch vlogs each week with 60.4%, and likewise topping the global charts with the highest percentage of consumers that play video games on any device (96.4%). 

Overall, from the current year’s data, the country landed in fourth place in general social media consumption, with consumers spending an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes for such activity.

Alexandra Saab Bjertnæs, chief strategy officer at Meltwater said that competitive brands should stay ahead of trends to understand their impact on any industry. She also highlighted that as consumers invest more time on social media, it will affect the decision-making process in their customer journey.

Bjertnæs added, “With more than 5 billion internet users today, it’s becoming more crucial than ever that brands deliver relevant, impactful, and purposeful content to capture attention and create value across digital channels.”

Nathan McDonald, group CEO and co-founder at We Are Social said that social media’s influence affects people’s lifestyles and it continues to grow. McDonald also expressed that users consider the discernment in internet usage, making sure that it’s a time well spent.

However, McDonald also had thoughts for marketers. He added, “Marketers and creators will have to work even harder to attract and retain people’s attention in 2023 – it’s never been more important to understand online culture in order to reach people in a relevant way.”

Manila, Philippines – Current chairman and co-founder of recently-launched GoTyme Bank Jojo Malolos has joined Philippine payment gateway company PayMongo as its new president and chief executive officer. He replaces interim CEO Isabel Ridad, as the latter announced stepping down from the company to pursue new ventures.

In his new role, Malolos will be responsible for re-shaping PayMongo’s plans for the company’s next phase of growth. He will be also leading the efforts to ensure the company’s success by implementing a broad range of transformation initiatives.

Moreover, he will also lead the introduction of PayMongo’s next generation of products and services with a view to better serve its existing client base and drive the advancement of the internet economy in the Philippines and more broadly, Southeast Asia. 

With PayMongo’s newly-issued EMI licence, Malolos will continue to direct the organisation to driving significant impact in the digital financial services sector.

Aside from being its chairman, he also served as GoTyme Bank’s president and chief executive officer previously. In the past, Malolos was also the chief executive officer of JG Digital Equity Ventures, the digital ventures arm of national conglomerate JG Summit. Aside from this, senior roles at Smart Communications and Cignifi also go under his belt.

“The Board has confidence in Jojo’s experience and his ability to effect and manage change as he brings significant experience in M&A, organisational transformation and a track record in the fintech, venture capital, digital banking and innovation ecosystems.” the company has said in a press statement.