Auckland, New Zealand – Automotive brand Volkswagen in New Zealand has appointed Mango Communications Aotearoa as its public relations agency. 

Through the appointment, Mango will provide media relations, experiential and ambassador management to Volkswagen NZ, in addition to expertise across the full gamut of marcomms.

Mango Aotearoa Managing Director Sean Brown, says that Volkswagen New Zealand is an exciting addition to Mango’s ever expanding client list and the team is looking forward to going full throttle with an iconic brand.

“We are so excited to be offering an integrated marketing solution for Volkswagen New Zealand, helping to drive more success in Aotearoa by sharing the stories and incredible next generation technology behind Volkswagen. It’s a privilege to be able to work with such an iconic brand and the fantastic people who make up the team, Brown said.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen New Zealand General Manager of Passenger Vehicles Greg Leet, commented that Mango Aotearoa has the ability to deliver the integrated offering they have been looking for, working closely with sister agency DDB. 

“We were so impressed with Mango’s combination of strategic thinking, creativity and quality execution. Already the team has been impressive to deal with and we are really looking forward for what’s to come,” Leet said.

Singapore – Omnichannel F&B technology company Oddle has appointed SPRG Singapore as its B2B public relations agency. Through the mandate, SPRG will be tasked to deliver strategic, creative communications to drive awareness, build brand credibility, and engage the business community as Oddle goes deeper and wider to provide solutions to F&B merchants.

Through its communication efforts, SPRG hopes to cement brand leadership for Oddle in the F&B technology sector as a top of mind brand in the industry. 

Sylvia Ong, chief marketing officer at Oddle, said, “SPRG Singapore has impressed us with their extensive knowledge in strategic communications, investor branding and corporate communications. They clearly showed that they understood our unique business model and clearly outlined a plan on how to communicate it to our target audience regionally. Their past experiences in strengthening the positioning of other startups make us confident that they will be able to help Oddle’s vision and mission reach a wider population.”

Meanwhile, Edwin Yeo, general manager at SPRG Singapore, commented, “One of the best things to happen over the pandemic was our work in the startup field, and we’ve seen venture funds and founders committed to moving towards profit with purpose. Oddle is one such company and they have redefined the Singapore F&B landscape with a sustainable business model and their ‘restaurants first’ mindset.”

He added, “It is very telling that they are moving the needle to future-proof F&B restaurants with their O2O solutions. We are proud to be contributing to the F&B industry in Singapore after the struggles they faced following the pandemic. We look forward to a fruitful relationship with Oddle and are very excited about their growth in the region.”

Sydney, Australia – Marketing communications agency Bastion Asia has announced a strategic partnership with Shanghai-based PR agency, Adventi, to drive greater digital and marketing innovation for Australian brands seeking to engage with Chinese audiences.

Adventi, a marketing and communications agency specialising in luxury brands, is known for bringing some of Europe’s biggest luxury brands to China, including Patek Philippe, Chanel and Gucci. From its Shanghai base, the Adventi team represents some of the biggest brands who are working to target Chinese consumers including Hermes, Chanel, Sephora, Porsche, Tag Heuer, among others.

Bastion Asia CEO Richard Chapman said the strategic alignment was designed to support the many Australian brands targeting Chinese customers, both locally and abroad.

“Adventi is at the cutting edge of marketing innovation in China and has forged a path into the country for some of the world’s biggest brands. We hope by working together we can help more Australian brands expand into China, while rolling out the latest thinking to our clients targeting Chinese customers based in Australia,” he said.

The Adventi partnership builds on Bastion Asia’s global network, which also includes long-held partnerships with local agencies in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and The Philippines. Bastion also has operations in the US and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Adventi Founder and Director Hong Zheng said: “China is an intimidating new market for many global brands, but our experience bringing many of Europe’s biggest luxury brands here demonstrates there is a path forward. We look forward to helping Australian brands speak to Chinese audiences and understand the value in a truly global approach to communications.”

With these partners Bastion Asia services a number of global clients across luxury brands, B2B and horticulture.

Chapman added, “We are on a path to be able to offer our clients an APAC wide and global approach to communications that cherry picks the best independent agencies in each market. This approach makes us nimble and competitive against larger global holding groups and has been well received by many clients.”

Manila, Philippines – Public relations agency Uniquecorn Strategies has announced that it has nabbed new clients across Southeast Asia and in Europe.

They are retained as the agency of online casino M88 Mansion, where they will be providing traditional and digital PR support. In addition, they also secured a year-long retainer partnerships with cybersecurity testing platform Secuna and with the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc.

Uniquecorn Strategies has also signed in ad hoc project-based clients, including Denmark-based virtual collaboration platform Butter and UK-based Tevent, a technology platform for virtual events.

Lastly, the PR agency has also renewed its exclusive year-long contract with Philippine-based global education technology business CloudSwyft Global Systems.

Irene Manansala, public relations manager at Uniquecorn Strategies, said that the team is looking to expand its client partner list continuously while empowering start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through media publicity.

“We are off to a great start this year with these new account wins. Uniquecorn Strategies is always looking for opportunities to empower start-ups and support our clients’ business growth by providing them the right media platform to deliver a cadence of high-quality content– engaging their target customers, business partners, and investors,” Manansala said.

She further added that their approach is a merger of strategy, creativity, and innovation anchored with data and analytics, tailored fit for future unicorns.

“We are extremely grateful to our current clients and prospects who trust us with our best-customised communications solutions in the new normal. Our vision is to be a sounding board for our clients and to build the reputations of the future UNIQUEcorns,” Manansala concluded.

Singapore – Following the conclusion of its ‘Blazing Sapphire’ main event to mark its fifth-year celebration, integrated communications agency COMCO in Southeast Asia has announced the appointment of public relations and communications practitioner Joyce Yu as the agency’s newest deputy account operations director for marketing PR

She will be leading the agency’s teams who are managing some of the clients, including Eastern Communications, Jobstreet, Sunlife ASCP, Skechers, Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

With more than a decade of experience working in the field, Yu specialises in media relations, copywriting, social media management, event management, and journalism. 

Speaking about her appointment, she said, “Prior to joining COMCO, I’m already familiar with the company, the team, and the projects that they’ve accomplished through common friends in the industry. I’m very excited to be part of an award-winning dynamic team, to learn from the leaders, and hopefully give back through mentoring those who want to learn about the ins and outs of the industry. I’m really thankful to be given this opportunity.”

Aside from Yu, COMCO also welcomes its newest staff members, who are graduates of the Camp COMCO Mentorship Program. They are Louise Macaraeg and Cherry Gajito as brand communications associates, Bea Cabrera as digital and integrated communications associate, and Narah Faigal as digital and multimedia arts associate

Ferdinand Bondoy, regional integration and chief executive director at COMCO, commented, “Despite recent challenges and limitations brought by the pandemic, I’m immensely proud to see our COMCO Squadron thrive and grow. Joyce, Louise, Cherry, Bea and Narah joining the team is very exciting as we cap off our Blazing Sapphire anniversary and expand to new horizons this 2022.”

Sydney, Australia – Public relations and brand experience agency Red Havas has announced the appointment of Lawrence Muskitta to be the head of the agency’s new public affairs offering. Said division spans government relations, stakeholder engagement, patient and consumer advocacy, public behavior change campaigns, as well as policy monitoring and intelligence gathering, crisis management and strategic partnerships.

Muskitta joins the agency from Facebook, where he held the role of public policy manager, for stakeholder engagement of EU Affairs, and was formerly based in Brussels. Prior to that, he spent two years at BCW Global in roles including head of marketing. During this stint, he has managed digital campaigns for major clients including the Australian Greens and the Australian Medical Association.

Speaking about his appointment, he commented that he is proud to join the agency in launching this new offering, stating that as the industry and governments grapple with issues such as geopolitics and climate change, public affairs will become essential to not only corporate reputation, but businesses’ bottom line.

“Our public affairs offering gives our clients a competitive advantage by helping them manage external change and take a leading role in shaping public debate. As this debate moves increasingly online, our team takes a digital-first approach to public affairs, seeing digital communities as central, not just an add-on to the political and media conversation,” Muskitta said.

Meanwhile, Simone Gupta, CEO at Havas PR Australia, commented that they are thrilled to have Muskitta launch the Red Havas public affairs offering, adding that his international experience in tech, sustainability and health policy, and his ability to identify trends that are shaping today’s world is a natural extension to Red Havas’ corporate communications expertise.

“The weakening in trust in government, the rapidly shifting global environment, combined with the power of technology and social media means that organisations and corporations need to support traditional stakeholder relations with peer to peer, citizen and community dialogue. Lawrence’s experience combined with Red Havas’ strong social media strategy expertise means we can provide this integrated digital approach to clients,” Gupta said.

He added, “He is already adding immense value to new and existing clients, guiding them through complex issues such as Senate inquiries, ACCC investigations and upcoming proposed regulations.”
Muskitta’s appointment follows the agency’s latest expansion to other markets globally, including China.

Singapore – Scoot, the low-cost airline subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has named global communications agency BCW as its public relation agency partner in Singapore, following a closed-door competitive presentation process.

Through the mandate win, BCW will work with Scoot to raise awareness of the brand and reputation in the market, along with the safe and gradual resumption of international air travel.

For Cindy Lim, market leader at BCW Singapore, they are excited to work with the airline, noting that Scoot has been a household name and an ‘innovation-driven, youthful’ brand, one that invokes a sense of adventure.

“Singapore is, and will continue to be, a critical hub for both travel and tourism and strategic communications in Asia-Pacific, and our focus will be on leveraging our earned-plus capabilities to reach people wherever they are for Scoot as it enters its next phase of growth,” Lim stated.

Meanwhile, Agatha Yap, director for communication, brand and marketing, market partnerships and loyalty at Scoot, commented that Lim’s team immediately won them over with their understanding of the industry, clarity of thought and creative energy. She further added that they are excited to be partnering with them on their corporate communications efforts in Singapore.

“We believe passengers’ urge to travel is alive and well. Post-pandemic, we are confident Scoot’s strong value proposition, coupled with an innovative, safe and Scootitude-fuelled travel experience, will meet the demands of mass leisure travellers,” Yap stated.

Scoot had recently tapped cross-channel marketing platform Insider to create personalized, multi-channel experiences for customers on its website, therefore improving their online customer experience (CX).

Manila, Philippines – PR and communications veteran Ferdinand Bondoy has been elected to the board of trustees of two communications industry organizations in the Philippines, namely Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines.

Through the esteemed appointments, Bondoy has been tapped by both organizations to spearhead each of their leading programs dedicated to communications students in the country.

He is serving as the co-chair of IABC’s Philippine Student Quill Awards, the prestigious awards program in the field of business communication. Meanwhile, PRSP has named Bondoy as chair of the Students’ PR Congress, which has been rebranded to Students’ PR Con, its annual event for students’ learning; and Grand Prix, PRSP’s first hack sprint edition. Under his term at PRSP, Bondoy will be introducing and leading the first virtual edition of the said student activities.

Bondoy is currently the regional integration and chief executive director of integrated communications agency, COMCO Southeast Asia, which he co-founded in 2016. He also serves as the board director of the newly launched Middle East & Africa branch of COMCO.

Bondoy said that he sees the positions as an opportunity to give back to the industry by preparing the next generation of communications and public relations professionals and leaders, just like how he was honed in the field. 

“It has come full circle and I think this is the reason why I was given this position, to complete the narrative that the seed sowed yesterday are the fruits harvested today,” commented Bondoy.

As Bondoy leads the student-focused initiatives, his stellar scholastic record comes to light having been an academic scholar and graduating with Latin Honors back as a mass communication major. Jumping to become a young professional, Bondoy had been assimilated to IABC Philippines as he led projects for the digital communications committee of the Philippine Quill and Student Quill Awards and eventually served as an evaluator of the award-giving body.

Bondoy’s membership to IABC’s Board of Trustees will be until 2023, where he was named as corporate secretary and chair of the digital communications and public relations committee. Meanwhile, Bondoy’s election to PRSP’s board had been initiated in early 2021.

Sydney, Australia – Hotwire, the global technology communications consultancy, has appointed Samsung Electronics’ Nick Healy to the position of client services director. The role is a newly created one and will have Healy operate within the local Australian leadership team and strengthen the consultancy’s growth with existing clients and new business opportunities. 

Healy has had eight years with Samsung Electronics where he held various leadership roles within the communications and corporate affairs team across mobile and consumer electronics divisions. He brings a wealth of experience working with some of the world’s largest technology brands, as well as start-ups in consumer electronics, enterprise technology, IoT, networks, and gaming. 

Healy joins Managing Director Jaime Nelson, Creative Director Jen Dobbie, and Strategy Director Drew Usher, to continue the momentum of the consultancy’s accelerated growth in Australia. In the role, Healy will also lead a communications team to support end-to-end storytelling capabilities offered to enterprise technology and innovation-led clients. 

Healy commented, “Hotwire has a strong history of consulting with the most innovative technology brands in Australia and in key global markets. With the technology sector evolving to become one of the biggest contributors to Australia’s economy, it’s an incredibly exciting time to join the team and open opportunities for clients through integrated communications services and experiences.” 

Nelson said Healy’s scope of strategic communications and technology experience make him an incredibly valuable addition as the consultancy strengthens its offering moving beyond traditional PR and communications roots into connected storytelling, marketing, and branding. 

“By bolstering not only our senior leadership team but our client services team, we’re building on our strong foundations to deliver a more integrated service that aligns to the needs of the brands we partner with,” said Nelson. 

The team has also hired new Program Managers Olivia Jarman and Allan Hunt. Jarman joins from The PR Hub where she was a senior account manager, while Hunt has moved across from Weber Shandwick where he’s been for the past two and a half years, most recently as a Senior Associate. 

The consultancy said the appointments follow stellar financial results from parent company Enero Group, reporting a net revenue year-on-year increase of 22.6% and operating EBITDA up 50% on the previous corresponding period. 

Hong Kong – PR Newswire, the press release distribution service under media company Cision, has launched its very first handbook dedicated to shine light on communications of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) across Asia-Pacific.

Said handbook covers the importance of ESG by spotlighting top companies’ practices such as Cisco, Apple, and American Express, wherein they shared how they develop effective strategies and best practices on communicating ESG activities to the media.

Some of the notable insights included in the handbook include 10 pointers on how brands can develop effective ESG communication strategies, eight common types of press releases to help brands craft news angles for their news as well as a list of company trendsetters that have already incorporated ESG strategies in their business endeavors.

According to the handbook, the common ESG press releases being shared on their platform include announcing key wins at industry awards, and sharing results of initiatives such as building environmentally friendly factories and introducing green solutions.

“ESG initiatives can shape and influence investors and the public’s perception of brands. In recent years, more listed companies are starting to pay attention to crafting ESG strategies and publishing data. The pandemic has accelerated interest in this burgeoning field, with more companies showing their commitment to areas such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),” the company said in a press statement.

In the first half of 2021, PR Newswire distributed a growing number of press releases related to topics such as climate change and carbon neutrality across the APAC region. The number of releases distributed increased from 23 in January to 284 in June. 

According to the company, industries that are more active in ESG communications include energy, business technology, industrial automation, health/medical/biotech, consumer products and retail, and finance and insurance.