Tag: rebranding

Singapore – Singapore’s multidisciplinary design chamber, Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS), has appointed Su Eing Chee to be the first-ever female president in its 36-year history.

Currently, Chee is the founder and director of interior design group D’Perception and is leading the subsidiary company, D’Perception Ritz, which specializes in residential, retail, and hospitality interior design.

In her new role, Chee will be leveraging her extensive experience across the design industry, to further expand and accelerate DBCS’s growth.

Chee said that DBCS exists as a multifarious design association, which not only rallies businesses and communities to drive better business by design but also to be enabled by design to contribute to social good. 

“I believe and advocate that design is not just an enhancer, but in fact, is essential as an enabler in our day-to-day living. It is my hope that more people will understand and embrace design and elevate its status in the value chain of all processes. We want to establish this vision as the common thread for everything we do at DBCS,” said Chee.

Meanwhile, Andrew Pang, the incumbent president of DBCS, commented that Chee’s appointment as DBCS’s first female president is a monumental moment for them, as her portfolio and wealth of experience in design are very much in line with DBCS’ mission of using design in problem-solving.

Following this endeavor, DBCS has also unveiled its new brand logo. The new logo retained its red color as the primary corporate shade, together with its star motif, while the organization’s name was changed to its acronym, sporting a more streamlined typeface in lowercase for a clean and contemporary look, which aims for a more progressive and unified brand identity. 

From left to right: DBCS’ previous and current logo

Additionally, DBCS has launched its newly revamped membership model and mobile app, making it the first non-governmental organization to introduce a loyalty program that rewards members based on points earned through active engagement. Leading away from traditional paid membership models common among Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs), the new mobile app aims to encourage aspiring young designers to expand their industry circle.

Through the revamped membership model and mobile app, active members of DBCS can look forward to a wealth of avenues to showcase their designs and projects, through invitations to speak at seminars, workshops, and forums. They will also be able to join the DBCS organizing committee in various initiatives and have the chance to be invited to the juror panel for awards, which presents members with many opportunities to grow their network. 

DBCS’s Head of Corporate Communications and Partnerships Velda Mah shared that the changes in the logo ensure that they continue to move with the times while maintaining the core of DBCS’ corporate identity and mission to forge partnership opportunities between the design and business communities. 

“With the refreshing new look, we hope to be a recognizable brand among young aspiring designers and our current members,” said Mah.

Melbourne, Australia – Activation agency Traffik has announced a major rebranding as part of its new positioning ‘Everything Activation’.

The agency’s expanded service offering has seen it build out its sponsorship, shopper marketing, planning, PR and social functions, adding to its established experiential, digital, shopper marketing and staffing credentials. 

The ‘Everything Activation’ positioning and expansion of the agency’s capabilities has been developed in response to clients seeking a simpler model by housing the full suite of specialist services under one roof, creating a holistic activation agency that works in tandem with marketers’ more traditional creative and media agencies. 

According to James Neale, CEO at Traffik, the new rebranding and positioning allows them to continue having conversations with their clients about the complexity borne from the volume of agencies working on their business.

“We’ve been deliberate in rounding out our skills and capability to support the belief that a three agency model – Creative, Media and now Activation – is the most effective and efficient way forward for clients, and we’ve hired the right people and put in place the right tools and processes to achieve those goals,” Neale stated.

To support the agency’s new brand positioning, it has brought in new talents namely Sam Fairley as head of shopper, Mark Edney as head of sponsorship, and Eliza Millet as planner, as well as Elena Macdonald as creative, and Steph Sheen as account director with Aleks Corke as production.

“It’s fantastic to have Sam, Mark, Eliza, Elena, Steph and Aleks join the team at an exciting period of growth and development for the agency. We’re thrilled to have them on board as we offer a more complete and well-rounded service offering to market,” Neale added.

Auckland, New Zealand – The recruitment service of the Auckland University of Technology has announced a rebranding from ‘AUT Internz’ to ‘AUT talenthub’.

The recruitment service works by offering a diverse range of roles for recruited students in various sectors, including project management, software development, communication, creative technology, events and business.

The rebranding endeavor comes as the university aims to bring further focus to recruitment and placement of graduates, as well as internships into the paid New Zealand market.

“Businesses come to us because we can look after their graduate and internship recruitment for them. We give employers a free and easy way to access the large pool of graduates and do the time-consuming work for them of advertising and screening their roles, then providing a shortlist of candidates who have been well-prepped for interviews,” said Jade Bradley, candidate manager for AUT talenthub.

Meanwhile, Rachel Shareef, relationship manager for AUT talenthub notes that AUT talenthub has been widely used by organizations in the local market due to the reputation of past students recruited by the service, and at the same time AUT talenthub aids organizations to help them in the recruitment process of potential work candidates.

Some of the services AUT talenthub offers is its AUT Employability service, which helps students upgrade their CV and LinkedIn profiles and develop stronger interview skills through interview practice.

“Students tell us they like talenthub because we take the pressure off their job search and give them advice about the process of looking for their first job, whether an internship or a graduate role,” Bradley added.

For now, a focus on local graduate and internship opportunities will be prioritized by AUT talenthub to create a greater demand in the local market, according to Anna Williams, director for employability, international and recreation at Auckland University of Technology.

“This is a unique student service within the New Zealand university space, one that really gives our students unique opportunities as they enter into their careers,” Williams stated.

MARKETECH APAC_Webinar_Inside_Innovation_Higehr_Ed_Strategy

Join us as we bring you an in-depth webinar on how you can improve online strategies, one that’s able to deliver a seamless and intelligent digital experience that would effectively accelerate student recruitment efforts as well as improve student retention. Register here.

Singapore – EZ-Link, one of the first to offer prepaid card payment in Singapore, has taken a major rebranding, at the same time, unveils new app enhancements to go in tandem with its new brand identity.

The branding comes as EZ-Link marks its 18th year in the market, having started in 2002. The product now carries the new brand direction “For Life’s Little Wins” to underscore the brand’s mission of “eliminating hassle and enabling possibilities for customers in their ‘little’ daily financial routines.”

For the new direction, the company has adopted a new logo and refreshed both its corporate website and EZ-Link app.

Still sporting the same cool colors of blue and green, the new logo now takes a brighter palette with a cleaner font – breaking off of the old one’s edgy typeface.

EZ-Link’s old (above) and new logo (below)

The more striking and almost neon hue is now adapted to both its website and app. The brand’s app also used to display sharp-edged navigation boxes, whereas, in the new one, edges have been carved and assigned more pastel hues.

The company’s old (left) and new (right) website

The company said the new visual identity “reflects [its] renewed focus on digital transformation, while still maintaining key elements that have become strongly associated with the brand.”

EZ-Link’s old app

For the past 18 years, EZ-Link has been a trusted local brand and an integral part of many Singaporean’s daily lives. However, a lot has changed since we launched the first EZ-Link card almost two decades ago. Consumers’ lifestyles have evolved and the world is set on its path to a digital future

Nicholas Lee, CEO at EZ-Link

To kick off the brand refresh, EZ-Link has launched its enhanced mobile EZ-Link Wallet, which is now integrated with EZ-Link’s Rewards program. 

Introduced at the start of this year, the EZ-Link Wallet can be used at local merchants that accept e-payments via the Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR), Singapore’s unified QR label.

With the integration, users are offered a new avenue to earn and accumulate points that can be redeemed for benefits from over 200 EZ-Link Rewards merchants. Similar to EZ-Link card transactions, every S$0.10 spent on the EZ-Link Wallet will earn one point.

In addition, Android and iOS users can now top-up their EZ-Link cards anytime and on the go via the EZ-Link Wallet, and receive direct cashback and reward credits in their accounts when they spend with the e-wallet.

With the latest upgrade, EZ-Link said it aims to deliver a more seamless and rewarding experience for users’ transport and retail transactions. 

Lee said, “As we push forward in our digitalization journey, we must always put people at the heart of our innovation. This is in line with our new brand direction, which is rooted in the belief that our everyday life is lived in small moments that can be turned into little wins.”

In accordance with its branding move and to better differentiate its offerings, EZ-Link’s new and existing products will now be housed under three sub-brands: EZ-Link Rewards, EZ-Link Wallet, and former EZ-Pay, EZ-Link Motoring, which is the brand’s upcoming solution for electronic toll and parking payments.

Manila, Philippines – MullenLowe Philippines has announced that it has rebranded as MullenLowe Treyna. This comes after local shareholders from Interpublic Group of Companies’ (IPG) holdings has bought shares in Mullenlowe Philippines’ holding company Treyna Holdings Inc.

 The deal also ushers in recently retired agency president Leigh Reyes and CCO of MullenLowe Treyna Abi Aquino, as shareholders in the new organization. 

According to Mike Trillana, president and CEO of MullenLowe Treyna, they believe that the buyout was the best move for the agency.

“We feel very fortunate to have had a meeting of the minds with IPG. They’ve been fantastic partners for over four decades and we both felt that in uncharted times like these, it was best for local shareholders to take on the leadership mantle as it gives the agency the agility and flexibility needed to take advantage of the opportunities in the local scene,” 

He added,  “Leigh, Abi and I have always run this agency with a ‘color outside the lines’ start-up attitude and the new set-up is the best of all worlds. IPG remains a strong partner and we will be able to further imbibe the agency with a spirit of experimentation and innovation that is needed now more than ever. In the end, the new set-up means we can respond more powerfully and purposefully to our clients’ needs.”

Commenting on the announcement, Alex Leikikh, Global CEO of the MullenLowe Group reiterated Trillana’s sentiments. 

“This decision is a continuation of MullenLowe Group’s strategy of refining our Asia Pacific footprint to ensure we are meeting the needs of current and future clients. The geographic balance of controlled operations in core APAC hubs can complement other South East Asia markets where locally driven affiliates benefit from continuity in management who are familiar with the network and network clients, but have the flexibility to be more locally focused and more responsive to changing local market needs.”