Tag: platform

India – Local storytelling platform Humans of Bombay (HoB) has announced its new brand films division, which will see the platform leverage its niche to tell impactful stories for brands and comes as the next step in growing into a full-fledged 360-degree media house.

Through this new vertical, the platform intends to further expand its vision of telling raw and real-life stories. It aims to leverage its expertise and experience to bring out the human side of the brands it partners with and makes them more relatable to their audiences via authentic stories and clutter-breaking content. 

HoB’s new division will focus on crafting brand films, TVCs, short documentaries and short films, providing end-to-end production services. 

The platform has recently worked with fabric manufacturer Siyaram with a brand film that amplified the brand’s CSR activities in the health sector. 

Karishma Mehta, founder of Humans of Bombay, mentioned, “Our new division mirrors what we set out to do 9+ years ago – telling stories of seemingly ordinary people who’ve had extraordinary journeys! And now, as we foray into a new vertical, we deal with spontaneous challenges. However, our creative vision was always in line with the brand, which made the process smooth.”

She added, “We believe the story is always the hero, where brands are integrated organically and seamlessly, so it truly resonates with the audience. As storytelling partners for brands, we are banking on our credibility as authentic storytellers to tell the brand’s stories in long format by crafting genuinely impactful branded films.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Banking company RHB Bank and media group Star Media have teamed up to launch #JomSapot BeliLokal 2.0, an online platform that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) spread brand awareness as well as boost sales and revenue. 

Said online platform, which is the second iteration of its kind this year, onboards celebrity actress, TV host, and entrepreneur Sazzy Falak as the brand ambassador for participating SMEs. 

The platform was first conceptualised in 2022 to give SMEs a leg up after the pandemic and help the economy recover and thrive. 

SMEs can get a free video advertisement specially curated for their brand, products, and services. AI technology is also added to the mix, using voice and facial recognition software to recreate Sazzy Falak’s face and voice patterns to match the details provided by the SMEs. 

For Lydia Wang, chief business officer at Star Media Group, the platform not only provides SMEs opportunities to market their products and services, but also helps them to leverage celebrity power to grab customer attention.

“SMEs are the backbone of the economy, and we are continuing these efforts, working together with partners such as RHB to help these businesses get back on their feet. One of the biggest challenges for SMEs is marketing, primarily from the aspect of cost and effectiveness,” she said.

Wang added, “By partnering with Sazzy Falak, this campaign enhances their brand’s reputation with ‘star power’ – giving charm to the brands and helping them gain a competitive edge in the market.”

She also noted that the platform would feature the Awesome Lokal Guide which increases customer engagement and traffic for the participating SMEs.

Meanwhile, Yip How Nang, SME banking head at RHB Bank, commented that with SMEs facing multiple macroeconomic headwinds, these businesses need help to stay on a growth trajectory.

“Our goal is to rally the nation to support local businesses by buying from SMEs. We have already helped over 8,000 business outlets that signed up with us since our campaign’s launch. Under this campaign, SMEs get to list their businesses on both RHB #JomSapot and SMG’s BeliLokal platforms at no additional charge,” he said.

Lastly, Falak said, “As an entrepreneur myself, I can relate to the struggles that local businesses face. I understand how hard it can be to build and grow a business in today’s world. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the multiple lockdowns, the business landscape has changed so much. So I’m delighted to be partnering with RHB and Star Media Group in #JomSapot BeliLokal 2.0, as local businesses need all the help they can get in this competitive market.”

Singapore – Food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda have entered into a strategic partnership with TADA, the blockchain-based ride-hailing platform, to introduce new user benefits for customers in Asia, starting with Singapore and Cambodia.

As part of the partnership, both foodpanda and TADA users can enjoy savings, discounted fares and loyalty programme subscriptions across both quick-commerce and ride-hailing platforms.

According to the release, up to 30,000 TADA users in Singapore can opt-in to receive a complimentary pandapro subscription which gives them easy access and cost savings to on-demand deliveries under the partnership

In addition, corporate customers of either foodpanda or TADA in Singapore can also utilise the combined food delivery and ride-hailing benefits through joint corporate bundles via foodpanda’s exclusive service for corporate customers, foodpanda for Business.

“On-demand deliveries and [ride-hailing] have become a big part of our daily routines, so we’re constantly thinking of ways to make these conveniences more accessible and affordable for customers,” said Jakob Angele, CEO of foodpanda, APAC. 

He added, “Joining hands and offering even more customer benefits with TADA is a natural next step to bring more choices and greater value for customers who use these services every day.”

Meanwhile, Sean Kim, CEO of TADA Mobility, said, “Partnering with foodpanda marks another exciting phase for TADA’s growth across the region. After seeing a rapidly growing user base in Singapore, and being one of the most downloaded apps in Cambodia..”

Kim also added that the partnership will introduce TADA to a larger community relying on ride-hailing and food delivery.

Angele concluded, “We expect that our partnership will only grow stronger as we continue to tap on each other’s networks and leverage our complementary services, offering customers the added convenience for all our customers across Asia Pacific.” 

Recently, foodpanda has also launched a 24/7 pandamart O2O concept store in Hong Kong, its first O2O concept store in APAC.

California, USA – Aimed at helping creators connect further with their audience, tech giant Meta has unveiled new features on Instagram Reels, including a dashboard that displays what’s trending on Reels.

The Reels Trends feature allows creators to see the top trending songs on Reels, see how many times the audio has been used, and save the audio for use. It also displays what the top trending topics and hashtags are on Reels to keep creators up-to-date on the latest trends. 

Meta has also improved Instagram Reels Insights to help creators better understand how their content is performing by adding two new metrics: total watch time and average watch time – making it easier for creators to see their reels’ insights while viewing them directly. Creators will also be able to receive a notification with new followers from their reels. 

Instagram Reels will also be seeing new improvements in sending gifts, with the feature’s upcoming expansions to more markets, including Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand and the UK, in the coming weeks.

“We’re also adding a new feature to show you which fans have sent you a gift so you can recognize your supporters. If you tap the heart icon next to your supporters, they’ll get a notification that you’ve seen and recognized their gift, providing an even stronger sense of connection between you and your fans,” the release read.

Lastly, Meta has also made it easier for creators to edit reels, by bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen. According to Meta, the development makes it easier to align and time elements of reels to the right moments in a more visual way.

“Creators like you inspire people and shape everyday culture. We’re committed to building more products to help you grow and thrive on Instagram, and today’s updates are just a few of the ways we’re investing in your success,” Meta concluded.

Last February, Meta has also rolled out a new broadcast channel for Instagram and a paid verification service for both Facebook and Instagram users, ‘Meta Verified’.

Malaysia – Online food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda has launched ‘bekal by foodpanda’ in Malaysia, with which users can now avail of halal food item deliveries. The newly launched delivery fleet is the first and only brand globally within the Delivery Hero group to be certified halal by the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim).

bekal by foodpanda ensures that from the moment an order is placed with a halal-certified merchant on foodpanda to the minute the order is delivered to a customer’s doorstep, the product’s halal integrity and purity will be safeguarded in every step of the delivery process. 

To ensure that the last-mile delivery stage of the online food delivery process is halal-compliant, bekal by foodpanda has also built a dedicated fleet of delivery partners who have been equipped with halal-compliant delivery bags and provided with specialised training on halal awareness and sertu (ritual cleansing).

Meanwhile, foodpanda likewise shared that non-halal-certified merchants can also look forward to plans by bekal by foodpanda to provide halal training and coaching certification in support of the Malaysian government’s priorities in growing the ecosystem of halal vendors.

“We’re seeing an increasing demand amongst customers for an end-to-end halal-certified delivery service, especially in Muslim majority countries. Today, I’m very proud that we have launched a fully halal-certified food delivery fleet – the first in the Delivery Hero group,” said bekal by foodpanda Chief Executive Officer Sayantan Das.

Das further added that bekal’s Muslim customers be assured that their dedicated delivery partners are well-equipped to deliver halal-certified food in a safe and secure manner, without putting the food at risk of cross-contamination with non-halal products.

“With the halal certification, we are proud to be able to contribute further to the halal economy in Malaysia directly. It is estimated that the halal food sector in Malaysia will be worth RM201.02 billion by 2025, and we want to demonstrate our commitment to our Muslim customers that bekal by foodpanda is fully equipped to ensure the purity of their halal food items, even when they order food online from foodpanda,” he concluded.

bekal by foodpanda currently operates in Putrajaya, Malaysia and will be expanded into all areas in Klang Valley by July 2023, with an eventual nationwide roll-out planned. Customers within the bekal by foodpanda designated zones can order their food items from halal-certified merchant partners listed on the dedicated ‘bekal’ section on the app.

Just last month, foodpanda also launched a campaign called ‘Double Tips, Double Love’, which spotlighted the importance of delivery partners’ role in the delivery ecosystem.

Global – Social media giant Facebook has announced that its Messenger feature will now be reunited with the main social media application after nine years of being a standalone messaging app.

It can be noted that in 2014, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the messaging feature will be separated from Facebook, requiring users to separately download the messaging application for a ‘better experience’.

In a blog post, Facebook Head Tom Alison said that they are testing the ability of the users to access Messenger inbox within the Facebook application, and this will be expanded soon.

“Over the coming year, we’ll build more ways to integrate messaging features in Facebook. Ultimately, we want it to be easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether in the Messenger app or directly within Facebook,” Alison added.

Alison also reassures that Facebook is not dead nor dying, whilst implying that it remains to have 2 billion daily active users.

Aside from the reintegration, Facebook has also announced that it will also invest in artificial intelligence for better delivery of content, whilst supporting the creators to get a wider audience and monetisation opportunities.

Earlier this year, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta has announced new features for both platforms which are a broadcast channel for Instagram and Meta Verified, a paid verification service for both platforms.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Indonesia has announced that it has ceased its analogue radio operations in Indonesia on December 30, 2022, in favour of transitioning to digital broadcasting.

This marks the end of BBC Indonesia’s 73-year air streak, since it was first launched in 1949.

According to BBC News Indonesia editor Jerome Wirawan, this was done to save the broadcasting company around GPB 28.5m in expenses. This also follows ceasing radio operations of BBC Arabic, BBC Persian and BBC Chinese.

This was not the first time a government-funded broadcasting company has pulled the plug of its local radio operations. In 2012, The Netherlands’ Radio Netherlands ceased operations globally. Meanwhile, Germany’s Deutsche Welle pulled the plug on its Indonesian radio operations, alongside Bengali, Urdu, Dari/Pashtu, in 2011.

Despite radio operations ceasing, BBC Indonesia’s broadcasts will continue to air on digital platforms, including their local website, as well as listening on streaming platforms.

The BBC is the government-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. Its Asia-Pacific presence includes Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, and Taiwan.

Singapore – Global creator and entertainment company Gushcloud has been appointed by MUSINSA, a Korean online fashion platform, as its digital partner in Southeast Asia. Through the appointment, Gushcloud will provide marketing services–including influencer marketing services–to MUSINSA as it accelerates its growth in the region.

With deep insight and a strong network in Southeast Asia, Gushcloud has been partnering with MUSINSA to deliver the most localised content aligning with their core branding messages.

The move rides the wave of global interest in Korean culture, particularly in K-dramas, K-Pop, Korean food, beauty, and fashion. In Southeast Asia, Korean dramas are the largest consumed online video content category, as well as K-Pop-related online videos.

MUSINSA’s ‘Global Store’ presents current Korean fashion trends, including Seoul fashion from casual, street style, and contemporary to luxury, sports, and beauty.

In May this year, Gushcloud launched a new live commerce unit called GC LIVE which operates premium live commerce shows distributing global brands into SEA.

Australia – Intelligent integration and enterprise automation SnapLogic in Asia-Pacific has announced a partnership with online Australian business and philanthropic platform meetmagic, a partnership six months in the making.

Through its investment in this partnership, SnapLogic is helping to create ‘magical moments’ for the children who need it most. Its impact, so far, has been felt across four distinct meetmagic charitable organisation partnerships.

Some of its impact to charities include Camp Quality, where SnapLogic enabled the delivery of laughter and essential distraction via a one-to-one, tailored puppet digital playdate; Cure Kids (New Zealand) where SnapLogic meetings supported essential research into childhood diseases; Miracle Babies Foundation where 10 families navigating their NICU journey have been helped thanks to SnapLogic’s contribution; and Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia where SnapLogic meetings turned into 126 smiles delivered via a Starlight Express Room experience to seriously ill children in hospital.

Carl Gough, founder at meetmagic, said, “As far as partnerships go, this one has been a breath of fresh air. We are excited to have SnapLogic as a meetmagic pioneer member, representing an alignment of values in action.”

He added, “The SnapLogic Intelligent Integration Platform is fundamental when accelerating digital transformation. Now, not only are they solving difficult integration challenges, but they have also committed to making an impact in the world through our connections. Their support means the world to me and the team.”

Meanwhile, SnapLogic’s new team member Uma Dubey, APAC head of channel/alliance, played an integral role in getting the partnership sealed. For Dubey, it was important to connect with the community and make a difference while growing SnapLogic’s presence in the APAC region. To that, meetmagic presented as the perfect opportunity.

“With SnapLogic’s strategic decision to expand in APAC with ANZ as a base, it was crucial to build a partner strategy to help us meet our growth aspirations. We were looking at the right mix of partners to be able to do that. When we first came across Carl and the meetmagic team and their offering, the whole idea was very appealing from not only an efficacy perspective but also the philanthropic nature of it. At SnapLogic, we are suckers for good human values, and we were sold right away. We started working with Carl and Rebecca to make it official,” Dubey explained.

Dubey added, “Typically, a tech company leans towards its tech and SI partnerships, but this is going to be arguably one of our most important partnerships for the quality it promises to deliver. Considering our tenure in the ANZ market, the potential it offers us is hard to replicate across any other platform.”

Manila, Philippines – E-commerce platform Shopee in the Philippines has recently launched Shopee Cares PH, an online community platform where Shopee provides customer education and support to combat the rising number of online scams.

The goal of the platform is to empower consumers with proper know-hows and tips on how they can protect themselves from phishing scams, money and gift card scams, and third party seller scams.

With Shopee Cares PH, users are also encouraged to seek help for any product inquiry or concern, and inspire other users through their memorable Shopee finds and experiences. Sale tips and tricks are also provided to ensure online shopping is made enjoyable with exclusive deals and promos. 

Martin Yu, director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee has always been committed to ensuring that every Filipino’s online shopping experience is safe and reliable, and Shopee Cares is a testament to that. Through this platform, we aim to equip them with knowledge on how to shop safely and combat these online scams together so that they can continuously enjoy shopping online.”

He added, “As more Filipinos rely on e-commerce, we continuously ensure that measures are in place to make their experience with Shopee more secure. What we want is for our shoppers to continue enjoying the benefits of online shopping, as this has become an essential part of their daily lives.”