Tag: Public relations

Singapore– Automobile manufacturer Audi in Singapore has recently appointed communications consultancy RICE as its new public relations (PR) agency partner for the next three years.

The partnership will see RICE using communications to drive Audi’s brand presence. RICE will also be handling the brand’s strategy and planning, media relations and activations, and content development.

Moreover, RICE will be focusing on supporting Audi’s brand growth in the premium segment and realizing its vision to bring premium electric mobility to Singapore. Leading the charges are the latest Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT, which deems to be the first high-performance electric sports cars from the brand, which are available for pre-orders in Singapore.

Rudi Venter, Audi’s head of marketing for Singapore, shared that they are experiencing one of the most exciting times in automotive history, and they want to play an instrumental role in shaping the transformation as they head into a new age of mobility.

“During the pitch process, RICE demonstrated a clear alignment with us on this vision, as well as their strategic and creative thought process and ideas. We are excited to embark on a new journey with them as our PR partner,” said Venter.

Meanwhile, James Brasher, the managing partner at RICE, commented they are really looking forward to building brand love for a brand that they already love. 

“Not just through the Audi cars, but also through driving experiences, and participating in conversations in the wider mobility space,” said Brasher.

In June this year, RICE also announced its partnership with IWG in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of IWG’s key hubs in Asia. The agency was selected as IWG’s partner after a comprehensive review of its communication partners worldwide.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Marketing agency TEAM LEWIS has recently won the account of the Malaysian arm of global mobile phone company HMD Global to be its agency partner to drive its social and public relations campaigns in Malaysia.

Through the appointment, TEAM LEWIS will provide brand, communications and issues consultancy, as well as media relations, content creation and monitoring for Nokia mobile within Malaysia. 

Furthermore, The agency will work alongside HMD Global’s marketing team to bring the brand’s vision to life and strengthen Nokia mobile’s presence within the community as the relationship of consumers with their smartphones and technology continues to evolve. 

HMD Global designs and markets a range of smartphones and feature phones and an expanding portfolio of innovative service offerings. HMD Global is known for the smartphone brand Nokia and targets to bolster its re-entry in the Malaysian market as Nokia mobile has been committed to bringing a range of sophisticated and future-proof devices. Along with the latest features in smartphone photography and entertainment, Nokia mobile’s impressive range of smartphones and feature phones will also boost its legacy in quality and durability. 

With the consumer technology industry continuing to evolve at a rapid pace, HMD Global is looking to build a positive brand reputation and increase focus on marketing efforts to further expand its footprint in Malaysia.

Goh Doh Hau, country manager at HMD Global Malaysia, said, “Moving ahead, we want to continue to delight our existing and future customers with operating system upgrades and highly secured products that are built to last. While building our technology, we also want to draw focus around our sustainable business practices. As such, we look forward to creating breakthrough campaigns with TEAM LEWIS that drive our key messages forward.”

Meanwhile, Liew Huey-Ling, head of marketing for Pan Asia at HMD Global, commented that as a leading player in this industry, they wanted to work with an agency partner who is able to offer deep industry insights, understand their marketing requirements and go beyond conventional tactics to deliver creative solutions that increase their brand penetration in the market.

“We were impressed with the consumer technology experience that TEAM LEWIS brings to the table. As such, we look forward to working with TEAM LEWIS to bring the brand to greater heights,” Huey-Ling stated.

Ann Chong, managing director at TEAM LEWIS Malaysia, meanwhile noted that the current status quo of consumer technology, including the smartphone industry, has seen a lot of innovation in the last couple of years. Chong added that the introduction of Nokia mobile’s latest portfolio of devices that consumers will be loved, trusted and wanted to keep embodies the brand’s spirit of innovation, along with delivering great customer experiences and durability.

“On that note, we are excited to have the opportunity to work with a progressive brand like Nokia mobile and look forward to effectively translating the brand’s vision into reality with our creative storytelling,” Chong said.

TEAM LEWIS had recently bagged this year the digital agency account of photography brand Nikon for APAC, as well as being the PR agency partner of FairPrice Group.

Singapore – In commemoration of the agency’s celebration of 25 years in operation, Singapore-based public relations agency Asia PR Werkz undergoes a major brand revamp, including transitioning to a new name, APRW, which is an acronym of the agency’s name.

In addition to the shortened new name, APRW has also unveiled a new agency logo, which speaks to the agency’s new phase of growth and reflects its forward-looking communications approach. Said logo, designed by brand consultancy Evye in Singapore, captures the essence of the firm’s progressiveness while preserving a piece of history. 

Boldly inked, the APRW name represents the firm’s adventurous spirit in challenging new frontiers while placing increasing importance on digital and social media in the area of public communications.

Ginny-Ann Oh, director of APRW, who leads the rebranding efforts, shared that the rebranding has been a year-long exercise for them as the team came together to take stock and reflect on their identity and accelerate towards their goal of becoming the agency of choice in the countries they are in, and beyond.

“The new logo retains our signature orange in the form of a speech bubble, symbolizing our aim to spur inspiring and meaningful conversations and nurture the next generation of communications professionals. The orange embodies our long-held bold and vibrant spirit, and youthful energy that we will continue to carry as we venture into new territories,” Oh said.

Part of the symbolism that plays in APRW’s new logo is the way the letters are stylized. Most noticeably, the letter ‘W’ distinctly charges ahead at a dramatic angle, illustrating the continuous forward momentum of the firm in the years to come. The leading letter ‘A’ pays homage to the firm’s heritage and original logo by retaining the Serif font to evoke enduring tradition and trustworthiness established over the years. 

“Overall, the logo symbolizes APRW’s desire to continuously spark conversations and be at the forefront of the communications industry. It symbolizes the firm’s commitment to engage in meaningful and omni-channel conversations in the world we live in,” the agency said in a press statement.

Established in 1996, APRW has built a strong portfolio of clients across diverse areas like government, public affairs, FMCG, education, health, hospitality, travel and tourism. To date, the agency has also set its sight on the regional market, aiming to enter new markets including Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam within the next five years. The firm is also currently in the final stages of a partnership discussion with one of Singapore’s leading universities.

“It is no mean feat for a local, independent agency to have grown to a team of 50 and counting, with the breadth and depth of expertise in communication across many sectors, in just 25 years. We have evolved with the changing times to develop new capabilities and service rising industries to remain at the forefront of the industry,” said Cho Pei Lin, managing director at APRW.

She added, “Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has posed, we continue to expand our professional networks. We are heartened by the support and trust that our clients have placed in us over the years. As we welcome a new era, we are excited to celebrate our 25th anniversary with our employees, clients, media friends and partners alike.”

Mumbai, India – The asset-backed digital lending platform in India, Rupeek, has appointed strategy consultancy Pitchfork Partners as its new public relations and digital consultancy partner, to drive the brand’s business growth.

Rupeek aims to democratize access to hassle-free, doorstep credit for all markets and audiences. Currently, Rupeek also operates in the gold loan space.

The partnership will see Pitchfork Partners providing strategic communication and digital counsel to bolster Rupeek’s brand image and enable storytelling that would help increase the preference for doorstep gold loans among consumers.

“At Rupeek, we aim to transform the business of gold loans and democratize access to credit for all. Pitchfork’s integrated strategic approach will assist us in our storytelling efforts to make Rupeek the largest digital lender in the years to come,” said Shalabh Atray, Rupeek’s senior vice president of marketing and digital.

Meanwhile, Jaideep Shergill, the co-founder at Pitchfork Partners, commented that they look forward to this partnership and are delighted to expand their expertise. 

“With Rupeek’s commitment to gold loans and its unique offerings, it not only has an edge with India’s consumers but can also disrupt the market. We are privileged to partner with such an inventive company,” said Shergill.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The national domain name provider in Malaysia, MYNIC, has recently appointed integrated communications agency Ruder Finn as its new public relations partner.

MYNIC is the official .MY domain registry recognized by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It provides Malaysian organizations and individuals their unique brand identity on the Internet.

The strategic partnership will see Ruder Finn supporting MYNIC in driving its brand positioning and accelerating the adoption of the .MY domain in the nation and beyond. Ruder Finn will also be responsible for providing strategic counsel and managing public relations duties in thought leadership, executive profiling, and media relations, as well as stakeholder engagement for various internal and external initiatives. 

In addition, Ruder Finn will be amplifying MYNIC’s initiatives to support MSMEs transition from offline to online such as the Program Realisasi Impian Ekonomi Digital (PRIME). The initiative, which translates to Digital Economy Dream Realisation Program, was launched in November last year. It aims to support and guide MSMEs to digitalize their businesses, increase their competitiveness in the market, and engage in the digital economy through key components consisting of digital branding, digital platform, and assets, as well as human capital development. 

YBhg. Datuk Ts. Hasnul Fadhly Hasan, MYNIC’s chief executive officer, said that the pandemic has greatly accelerated digital adoption not only in Malaysia but worldwide, and the ongoing challenge is to keep brands, businesses, and corporations informed of the benefits of adopting the .MY domain. 

“With close to 8.02 million businesses registered in Malaysia, we believe that Malaysia has the potential to be a strong contributor to the global digital economy,” said Hasan.

Meanwhile, Elya Eusoff, the general manager of Ruder Finn Malaysia, commented that they are excited to partner with MYNIC to create value for the digital community. 

“Upon learning MYNIC’s values and desires to create innovation that matters, enrich user experiences, and be committed towards excellence, we trust that this partnership will be able to uncover new possibilities for all,” said Eusoff.

Beijing, China – With an interest leaned towards strategic growth sectors and practices, the Chinese arm of global public relations company Edelman has recently completed its new roster of leaders by hiring three more senior specialists, namely Justin Teo as chief digital officer for China, Nelson Ren as head of corporate for China and managing director for the Shanghai office, as well as Mark Pinner as the head of technology sector for Greater China.

The recent appointments finally come full circle as Edelman recently expanded its creative lineup in APAC, which includes the appointment of Wendy Chan joining as chief creative officer for China and Cici Wang taking on the role of head of HR for China. In addition, Edelman China has also seen the recent appointment of Pully Chau coming onboard as president for Greater China.

In their respective roles, Teo is tasked with elevating the firm’s agenda for digital transformation, building up key capabilities in social commerce, performance optimization, B2B demand generation and content production. Meanwhile, Pinner will serve as part of Edelman’s global Tech Centre of Excellence, exploring tech intersections with sectors like health, finance and energy. Lastly, Ren brings over 20 years of communications experience to his new role and joins from ophthalmic optics company Essilor, where he previously served as head of communications.

“I believe communicators write the first draft of history. In a world flooded with uncertainties, communications can and should play the vital role of engaging and building trust. Edelman is a world leader in building meaningful connections and narratives that help organizations navigate complex environments. I am excited to be joining a team of dynamic communications experts in breaking new ground and exploring new horizons,” Ren commented.

Meanwhile, Teo brings over 20 years of digital experience, having worked with various players – from start-ups as an entrepreneur, consultancies and the large advertising networks – across Greater China’s digital marketing landscape. He joins Edelman from VMLY&R Commerce which was previously Geometry, where he served as chief digital officer for China, responsible for accelerating growth of the agency’s digital practice.

“To win in the China market and compete at the speed of digital, trust plays a critical role. As the experts in studying trust and advising clients on how to develop and safeguard it, Edelman is strongly placed to help clients win big in an increasingly digital world,” Teo said.

On the other hand, Pinner’s career has focused on advising corporate clients, particularly those in the tech sector, on Chinese inbound and outbound investments. He joins Edelman from public affairs consultancy Interel where he was Managing Director for China, and his previous roles include helping Chinese brand Lenovo with its international expansion.

“The tech industry in Greater China is an exciting and fast-growing one; it has the potential to improve the lives of people in this market and around the world. I look forward to being a part of this growth journey with the rest of our growing team,” Pinner said.

All three new hires will report to Mark Wang, CEO of Edelman China.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In a ‘new normal’ setup, public relations have long embraced digitalization, evident with the launch of PR distribution websites and their wider reach across global and regional markets. But traditionally, these news distribution sites only focus on the press release distribution side, and not about enriching the media experience.

Enter Malaysia-born Supernewsroom.io: the new platform catering to a whole slew of public relations services, ranging from virtual PR consultation, translators for story localization and professional writers on-site.

Founded by public relations practitioner Manminder Kaur Dhillon and former broadcast journalist Puspavathy Ramaloo, Supernewsroom aims to cater to anyone, whether a budding startup company or a well-recognized Fortune 500 company.

Users can access the platform for free and get 10 credits valued at US$0.50 each upon signing up. They can access the media database and send press releases to 30,000 journalists across eight countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and others in the region. The pre-paid credits are deducted with every email sent from the platform and can be topped up anytime.

In addition, users can ask for PR advice, get their press releases written and translated into local languages. 

Supernewsroom founders (left) Manminder Kaur Dhillon and (right) Puspavathy Ramaloo

For Manminder, who also serves as the platform’s CEO, the aim was to create an all-in-one public relations platform when we started off five years ago as part of the Intelectasia agency. She added that they have stayed true to their brand tagline of ‘The easiest way to get publicity for your brand’ by making it credit based, instead of having users pay a subscription fee, a better user interface and user experience, as well as some new features.

“It is designed for anyone – whether you are new to public relations or an experienced practitioner. On Supernewsroom.io, users can select the tags that are most relevant to their brand and/or press releases to get matched to the right publications or journalists. By using an in-built email blast, they can send out their content instantly. The best part is that now the users can hire experts directly on the platform by using the pre-paid credits,” she added.

She also stressed that one of their top priorities nowadays are collaboration with media agencies, owing to the establishment’s partnership with more than 60 media organizations for guaranteed placements across the region.

“The platform is also allowing media agencies to better monetize their sites. Media agencies are earning through content placements with us and this is strictly based on their editorial policies. Ultimately, we envision that Supernewsroom.io will be the marketplace for users to get access to professionals from the industry, be it PR consultants, content creators, and for content placements,” Manminder explained.

Users can view each campaign – the targeted media list, create favourite media lists/folders for a certain topic or press release, and with the Google News integration, they can monitor the success of their PR campaigns.

Scaling up fast globally will be one of key focus areas according to Manminder, and to achieve that, Supernewsroom is ramping up its digital marketing efforts, among others. 

“There are many plans in the pipeline to scale up fast. Our aim is to have a strong foothold globally, especially in key markets such as Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, and the US,” Manminder added.

Singapore – Golin, a public relations agency under the umbrella of the Interpublic Group (IPG) has appointed Shouvik Prasanna Mukherjee as the new chief creative officer for the agency in its APAC operations, where he will be responsible in leading Golin’s data-driven, earned-first creative ideas to inspire and create change for clients across the region. 

Mukherjee brings over 16 years of experience across advertising and public relations disciplines to this role and is a sought-after thought leader. He regularly speaks at industry conferences, engages in mentorship programmes and delivers guest lectures at multiple universities in Singapore. Mukherjee has been a member of the jury for industry awards including the Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia and the SABRE Awards.

In his new role, Mukherjee’s first point of business will be to shape and grow a global creative team across the agency’s markets in Asia Pacific to deliver ideas that earn attention, build businesses and deliver exceptional client results. 

In addition, He will oversee the firm’s conceptual creators, graphic designers and content production teams for the region, and he will take an active role in building the data analytics capabilities in Singapore where he previously held the role of executive creative director since 2015.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “Earning attention requires brave creativity that is culturally relevant and fuelled by insights and analytics. It delivers business results, as well as inspires awe, breaks stereotypes, and basically blows the mind. I’m excited to expand this incredible team so we can service more clients across the region with bold ideas.”

He will be reporting to Darren Burns, president for Asia Pacific at Golin. In addition to his chief creative officer role, Mukherjee will continue to lead the data, analytics and content team in Singapore.

“Shouvik has been an integral part of the Golin team for over a decade, leading multiple award-winning campaigns. He will bring unparalleled energy and passion to drive growth by focussing on regional collaboration and earned-first creative ideas,” Burns stated.

Mukherjee has conceptualized and executed award-winning campaigns for Golin clients including Guinness, Heineken, McDonald’s, Magnum, Nespresso, Panasonic, Porsche and Twitter.