Tag: Philippines

Philippines —The Globe Group has created AdSpark Holdings Inc. to consolidate initiatives around its adtech and data capabilities. It will be part of the 917Ventures’ portfolio of industries. To lead AdSpark Holdings is Nikko Acosta, who will serve as its CEO. Acosta also retains his position as chief strategy officer of the Globe Group.

Comprising the holding company are digital and mobile marketing solutions provider AdSpark, multi-channel messaging platform M360, intelligence-powered solutions provider iNQUiRO, and adtech startup Deep Sea. This initial portfolio forms a strong base foundation where the Globe Group’s digital advertising and data business can further thrive and scale.

On the other hand, Acosta, AdSpark Holdings’ new CEO, is one of Globe’s proven, steadfast, driven, and results-oriented leaders with nearly 20 years of experience across mobile, broadband, enterprise, international, and content. He has amassed general management experience working and collaborating with people.

Ernest Cu, CEO and president of Globe, said, “Our assets and capabilities in data, advertising, and Customer Relationship Management for B2B sit in various parts of the Globe Group and render solutions to customers independently.”

Cu adds, “But it has now become imperative to synergize and capitalize on their collective capabilities, increase operational efficiencies, build compelling solutions on data and ad-tech, and innovate at a macro level to maximize opportunities.”

Vince Yamat, MD of 917Ventures, the wholly-owned corporate venture builder subsidiary of Globe, shared, “With Acosta at the helm, we are confident that he can bring AdSpark Holdings to greater heights.”

The Globe Group’s growing portfolio encompasses services around telecommunications, ICT, financial technology, health, retail, outsourcing, entertainment, digital media, ad-tech and data. These allow its customers and partners to leverage digital and technology-based products and services for their business and lifestyle needs.

Manila, Philippines – PRecious Communications, an integrated communications agency with traditional and digital capabilities, has announced that it is establishing local operations in the Philippines, as part of the agency’s Greater Southeast Asia expansion strategy. To drive its Philippine expansion, the agency has appointed Paolo Alba as client service director and country lead to drive the growth and manage operations of PRecious in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, PRecious represents Asia’s loyalty and data-focused marketing platform Society Pass, global trend forecasting company WGSN, a regional cloud-based anti-money laundering monitoring software, and more emerging companies in the fintech, insurtech, healthtech, and startup industries, to which the agency wants to bring more value to.

Lars Voedisch, MD and founder of PRecious Communications, shared, “Over the last years, we have been aggressively strengthening our presence across the region to better complement our clients’ marketing strategies in SEA. Building on this momentum, we are expanding to the Philippines to extend the same brand of strategic communications support to local and foreign brands looking to strengthen their presence across the Philippines.”

Concurrently, Prayaank Gupta, VP for growth and innovation of PRecious Communications, said, “Most of our partners in SEA have identified the Philippines as a strong emerging market and key growth area for tech-enabled industries. And with the local economy projected to grow in the next two years, PRecious Communications’ entrance reaffirms our commitment to be a strategic and responsive partner for clients as they strengthen their presence across the region.”

Alba is a well-rounded strategic communicator with over nine years of experience in corporate branding, reputation management, consumer influence, and crisis management. Throughout his tenure in Fleishman Hillard and Ogilvy, he provided strategic counsel for companies across multiple sectors and industries.

Apart from leading the growth of PRecious in the Philippines, Alba often provides strategic counsel on the agency’s corporate, tech, and consumer practices. A certified crisis manager, Alba runs crisis workshops across the markets and provides counsel on issues and reputation management initiatives.

On his appointment, Alba said, “I have been working alongside Voedisch and Gupta to identify strategic ways to support our clients in the region as they grow their businesses in this market. Now that we have established our local operations and have a dedicated team in the Philippines, we can start bringing the same value to companies that wish to expand across SEA.”

In the next three months, Alba will be focused on building relationships with key stakeholders, business development initiatives with potential partners, and recruitment of top talent. By year-end, Alba envisions doubling the current Philippine headcount and bringing more value to local and regional players in the fintech, insurtech, healthtech, and startup industries.

PRecious Communications actively plans and executes client communications programmes across Asia Pacific nations. In 2019, the agency joined the GlobalCom PR Network, an association of 80 independent PR agencies in over 100 countries worldwide, serving as its SEA representative.

Manila, Philippines – The Media Specialists Association of The Philippines (MSAP) and ad-tech player, Moving Walls, have partnered to launch the ‘Video Outside’ playbook to share their knowledge and provide guidance on how to extend video advertising to the real-world using billboards and placed-based Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) media.

In digital, video has become the most popular and engaging form of content with the world’s largest advertising spenders relying on premium video formats to reach audiences. We are now seeing video advertising extend to DOOH with more venues covered by digital panels from traditional roadside billboards to in-mall signages.

Video in the ‘real world’ offers several benefits that TV or mobile videos can not – higher reach than TV and greater brand safety than online – all with targeting and measurement capabilities that digital advertising offers.

According to Jam de Guzman, president of MSAP, the partnership between the association and Moving Walls Philippines has created measurement, transparency and accountability across the Philippines OOH landscape.

“We already know that video is the most popular form of digital content that is consumed across Social, Over-the-Top (OTT) media services, and the internet. Extending this to locations ‘Outside-the-Home’ presents an untapped opportunity to reach new audiences,” De Guzman said.

The initiative was launched by former president Michael de Castro, whose stellar leadership and guidance helped accelerate the adoption of new technologies that ensure measurement, accountability and automation. With the ‘digital-like’ planning capabilities in place for the Filipino Digital OOH scene, the medium’s full potential can now be realised.

This playbook will take marketers through a step-by-step guide to building a successful video outside campaign in the real world and help marketers and advertisers learn how to leverage non-intrusive, brand-safe, and measurable advertising on physical screens.

Manila, Philippines — Philippine-based telecommunications giant, Smart Communications, has been named as the telco partner for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament with MSC or MLBB Southeast Asia Cup for the fifth year. The tournament will be held in the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre from June 11 to 19, 2022.

The competition boasts a US$300,000 total prize pool, which doubled from last year. Aside from the cash prize, the winners will also be hailed as the undisputed champions of Southeast Asia. Smart’s very own esports team, Smart Omega, is the defending MSC champion and will participate in the tourney to defend their crown.

Meanwhile, RSG Philippines and Smart Omega will carry the flag and compete against the top 12 teams from the region; specifically Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

Smart will enable mobile gamers and fans to support the Filipino esports athletes and catch them in all their matches by streaming the MSC Tournament on Smart’s official Facebook Page, aside from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s official social media channels.

Smart’s support for MSC is in line with its longstanding push to promote Philippine esports and cultivate the passion, skill, and talent of Filipino esports athletes and mobile gamers.

Aside from organizing the country’s biggest esports events and backing Filipino esports athletes, Smart supports gamers with the recent launch of Smart GIGA Arena, the country’s first all-in-one esports platform that aims to simply bring the total esports experience to mobile gamers who are looking to test their skills on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and more.

Manila, Philippines – Zoho Corporation, an India-based technology company, is bringing the Zoho Creator 2022 Roadshow to Manila from June 23rd to the 24th of this year. Through this event, the company is looking to enable the digital transformation of non-profit organizations and local businesses to work better, faster, and more efficiently using Zoho Creator, the proprietary low-code platform.

According to the business management consulting company, KPMG Philippines, the ‘need for speed’ in today’s environment is forcing businesses to quicken innovation in an ever-changing environment, and low-code platforms are the key to helping businesses discover simple and fast solutions that can be automated. In fact, the report also stated that the number of C-level executives naming low-code platforms as the most important digital investment has tripled.

Gibu Mathew, VP and GM of Zoho APAC, said, “We are deepening engagement with Philippine enterprises interested in low-code developments, and we hope to bring an affordable and easy-to-use solution to help businesses stay nimble and meet present-day challenges.”

Mathew adds, “The roadshow brings together Creator developers, industry experts, and thought leaders to provide local businesses with tips and tricks on how to customize solutions to meet digital transformation needs quickly and eliminate pain points through a low-code platform.”

The two-day roadshow is expected to help businesses leverage the enhanced all-in-one solution to bridge the gap between business users and IT teams to create applications without the need for deep technical know-how. The event will host workshops to help businesses address practical challenges, analyze business data and deploy applications to meet mission-critical needs at minimal costs using Zoho Creator’s simple drag-and-drop interface.

Mathew shared that business users with specific digital challenges can schedule a dedicated one-on-one session with their creator consultants to deep dive into their current setup, and receive advice on overcoming their status quo with low-code solutions.

Interested attendants can visit and register their interest on Zoho’s dedicated event website.

Manila, Philippines — Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar, a growing restaurant chain from Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, launched an art initiative project dubbed ‘Peri Paints’. In line with Peri-Peri’s mission to be a purveyor of art and creative minds, Peri Paints is a collaboration with creative, young, local artists to develop specially commissioned art pieces featured at the restaurant chains’ stores.

Peri-Peri’s outlets are known for their eclectic, bright, and colourful design and ambience, aimed at creating a special dining experience for its guests. To date, the art initiative has given birth to several wall murals such as those found at Peri Peri’s new outlets in Vermosa, Gil Fernando, and Manila Central University. Apart from the murals, several interior store frames have also been unveiled at Capitol Commons, Glorietta, and SM North, among others.

Marielle Santos, GM of Peri-Peri, shared, “We are very excited to roll out this project because it’s a great opportunity to engage local communities in the ‘Peri-Peri Way’ – fun, creative, and relevant. Through Peri Paints, we can nurture local talent and build sustainable partnerships with these young artists by elevating their careers.”

According to Santos, each artist is commissioned for several projects, all in line with Peri-peri’s expansion program. Santos said, “We hope to strengthen the partnership by engaging with more artists and designers as we open in more locations in the future and continuously support their talents and livelihood.”

The chain aims to continue its expansion as it sees more opportunities for Peri-Peri in Metro Manila and key cities in nearby provinces. Since its acquisition, Peri-Peri has more than doubled its store network in the country. The restaurant chain has 54 stores nationwide, with the latest store being opened in Subic, Zambales, a coastal tourist town in Central Luzon.

Manila, Philippines — To celebrate the Philippines’ Independence Day, SM Supermalls will be holding major events to commemorate this national holiday and encourage Pinoys to further embrace Filipino culture. Among these are the championing of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) that represent the nation’s cultural diversity and heritage, featuring of delicious Filipino cuisine, and the customary raising of the Flag ceremony to honour the Philippine Independence Day on the morning of June 12, 2022.

As a champion of local MSMEs, SM Supermalls will spoil you with Filipino cuisine options and other local products from June 1-12. Savour the diverse and rich Filipino food offerings and have a taste of different Pinoy dishes and treats from every region of the country.

Support local businesses, and buy fresh local produce and other speciality items from SM’s affiliates and tenants through the Buy Pinoy pop-up stores. Shop the best locally-made clothes, souvenirs, décor, and food brought to you by Filipino businesses from June 1 to June 12, 2022.

Steven T. Tan, president of SM Supermalls, said, “SM Supermalls has always celebrated Pinoy pride through various events where we get to appreciate our culture and express our gratitude to the heroes of past and present.”

Tan adds, “The Philippine Independence Day should never be taken for granted because holding our national pride and heritage in high regard is what makes us true-blooded Filipinos through and through. We encourage everyone to join us as we celebrate freedom at SM Supermalls.”

Philippines — Jollibee, the Philippines’ leading fast-food chain, celebrates this year’s Independence Day with a new music video entitled ‘Joy ng Pinoy’. The film aims to inspire a love for the Philippines in a meaningful and personal way.

The music video by Jollibee, made in collaboration with BetterBrandLabs Inc and Ubuntu Premium Studios, highlights how the new generation makes good use of their talent and skills, and willingness to share the joy and contribute to making a difference in society.

Set to the tune of an OPM classic, ‘Awit ng Kabataan,’ the video is headlined by three up-and-coming Gen Z artists – Francine Diaz, Adie, and Alex Bruce – as they represent the voice of today’s youth and encourage every Filipino to proclaim why they are proud to be Pinoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24-YZNutOBg

Arline Adeva, assistant vice president and head of brand PR, engagement and digital marketing of Jollibee Philippines, commented, “As the Philippines celebrates its 124th Independence Day, Jollibee looks to continue promoting Filipino pride and joy especially as the country moves toward recovery from the pandemic. Having experienced the worst part of the pandemic, we wanted this video to inspire and bring hope to people through the voice and actions of our youth. It’s not just about bringing joy to family and friends, but also about making a difference in other people’s lives.”

Simultaneously, Gina Lorenzana, chief energist of BetterBrandLabs Inc, said, “As cliché as it may sound, the youth play a really important role in giving hope and shaping our future. For our country to have a better future, we believe that we need to spread joy as Pinoy from the youngest of us.”

Meanwhile, Treb Monteras, the director of the music video, shared, “[In this video] we showcased some of the creative ways the youth are sparking change in the world. From upcycling trash to clothes, competing in new sports, and helping their communities with their skills.”

Monteras added, “This is my first time directing for Jollibee and I’m glad it’s for this particular project. I’m happy to collaborate with a company that values Pinoy culture. Our country has gone through a lot these past two years, and this video will remind us that there is still hope for our nation’s future through the joyful spirit of our Pinoy youth.”

Manila, Philippines — The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) recently sealed a pioneering partnership with Alipay+, a suite of global cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions operated by Ant Group, to enable digital banking customers to shop globally. This makes BPI the first bank partnering with Alipay+ as a mobile payment provider to extend its payments service beyond local merchants.

Through this collaboration, BPI is now available as a payment option at regional and global online merchants supported by Alipay+, while users of BPI can make payments in these merchants with their preferred and familiar payment method.

Noel Santiago, chief digital officer of BPI, said, “We aim to better serve and engage the now digitally savvy customers, by continuously innovating and expanding our digital ecosystem of partners and merchants, for an enhanced digital experience that goes beyond banking.”

Santiago adds, “With the use of BPI Online credentials, the partnership with Alipay+ will bring a convenient and seamless payment experience to BPI customers and connect them to regional and global brands.”

According to BPI, their consistent push to adopt new technologies, 91% of their transactions is now digital, up from 85% prior to the pandemic. Their digital customer base has also grown to 4.9 million in 2021 with a 20% increase in active users compared to the previous year.

With innovative technologies and products, Alipay+ has seen strong adoption since its launch in 2020 among regional and global online merchants across e-commerce, digital entertainment and O2O. More than 1 million offline merchants in major European and Asian markets have also partnered with Alipay+ since.

CHENG Guoming, GM of Alipay+ global payment partnership of Ant Group, said, “Digital payment is not only about mobile wallets, but also includes banking apps and other digitalized payment methods. Alipay+ is working closely with digital payment providers such as BPI to alleviate cross-border payment pain points for consumers. BPI is one of the largest and most trusted banks in the Philippines with a loyal customer base. We are excited to partner with BPI to make regional and global brands more accessible to local consumers and to enhance their lifestyle.”

Philippines — The advocacy programs of the Department of Tourism (DOT) take centre stage in ‘It’s More Fun for All’, a new campaign that promotes inclusiveness and accessibility in the tourism sector.

The campaign features a video series on stories and case studies of actual tourism workers who have benefitted from the DOT’s advocacy programs. Among them is the Association of Boat Operators president, Ka Tung Samson; community tour guide, Rubelyn Sarigumba; Virginia Dominguez, a weaver from Ilocos Sur; Isang Ibrahim, a community tourism worker of Sta. Cruz, Zamboanga; Manila deaf tour guide, Emerson; and PLT. Maricel Guevarra, commander in chief of the Boracay Investigation and Detective Management Section.

The campaign highlights DOT programs namely: Tourism Integrates, Supports and Minds Women’s Rights and Child Safety (TouRISM WoRCS); Barrier-free Tourism (BFT); and the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE).

TouRISM WoRCS is an advocacy program of the DOT that aims to educate tourism stakeholders on their role in eradicating women and children abuses within the tourism sector. Meanwhile, the BFT advocacy program enables travellers with accessibility needs, such as PWDs, senior citizens, and pregnant women to participate in and enjoy tourism experiences with utmost comfort and convenience while providing opportunities for physically challenged individuals to be part of the tourism industry.

Lastly, the FBSE program is envisioned to enhance and uplift the quality of tourism services in the country. It is designed to promote service excellence in all tourism establishments by capacitating the country’s tourism workforce with a unique and exceptional way of delivering customer service.

Berna Romulo-Puyat, DOT secretary, said, “Through this campaign, we believe that our advocacies on women empowerment, persons with disability, and the protection of children in tourism, will get the much-needed support from our local governments and tourism stakeholders in making our industry more inclusive, accessible, safe, and fun for all.”

Puyat added, “The DOT’s advocacy programs are envisioned to represent everything that is good about our tourism industry. They serve as a guide to all our partner agencies and stakeholders in properly dealing with all kinds of tourists, providing opportunities for all kinds of people, and protecting the vulnerable groups of the sector.”