Tag: Singapore

Singapore – The Singapore arm of public relations firm Sandpiper Communications welcomes Rasheed Abu Bakar as its new associate director, bringing a multitude of client experience from technology, energy, and aviation industries.

Through his new role, Rasheed will lead Southeast Asia and international briefs for the firm’s expanding technology, energy and environment, and aviation practices, and is tasked as well in growing these practices.

Prior to the role, he has worked with management consulting APCO Worldwide as its director, where he led international corporate communications and public affairs briefs for clients of the firm’s Singapore and Indonesia offices. In addition, he has also worked with public relations company The Hoffman Agency as account director where he also led growth for the business across both Singapore and Indonesia, which included establishing Hoffman’s office in the latter.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I was drawn to Sandpiper’s entrepreneurial spirt and inclusive and empowering culture and I look forward to contributing to our team’s success. The pandemic has created both opportunities and challenges for the sectors where I specialize, and it is exciting to see the communications needs of technology companies maturing as digitalization has accelerated significantly.”

“I take great pride in building innovative and impactful teams and count Sir Alex Ferguson as an inspiration. I hope to help lead our talented team towards our common goals of delivering pioneering work for clients, fostering a great culture, and growing our agency,” Abu Bakar added.

He will be working closely with Sarada Chellam, general manager for Singapore at Sandpiper Communications.

“Rasheed has an impressive track record of delivering strategic and high-impact client work, and driving business growth across the industries where he specialises. He also brings a sense of fun to his work, which is one of Sandpiper’s core values. I look forward to having Rasheed as a colleague and working with him to grow our business together,” Chellam stated.

According to Emma Smith, chief executive at Sandpiper Communications, Rasheed’s appointment is timely, as there has been a trend specifically among technology companies to seek after corporate communications to grow and protect their reputation capital.

“Rasheed brings very relevant experience for the times we face, and I am delighted to welcome Rasheed to our team,” Smith added.

Singapore – Ride-hailing platform Grab has announced a regional e-commerce partnership with DON DON DONKI (DONKI), the famous Japanese retail company, to serve as its preferred on-demand delivery partner in several countries across the Southeast Asia (SEA) region, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The new partnership will also see Grab offering its cashless payment service across DONKI retail stores, which will first be available in Malaysia, enabling consumers to shop and pay for DONKI products on the Grab app through GrabMart and GrabPay.

First off, Grab users can look forward to an extensive catalog featuring up to 900 SKUs, including snacks, ready-to-eat meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as daily essential items across health, beauty and household segments.As per usual users can receive GrabRewards points for every transaction, where collected points from GrabRewards can be redeemed for special discounts on Grab services and at GrabRewards’ partnering stores.

Furthermore, the partnership will also be creating in-marketing campaigns to better engage consumers online and offline. During this month, both Grab and DONKI are launching a joint campaign in Singapore to encourage fans to explore the new GrabMart shopping experience. By using the promo code ‘DONKI’ upon checkout, consumers will be able to enjoy 30% off, as well as a free delivery with minimum spend on DONKI products on GrabMart.

Saad Ahmed, the managing director and regional head of commercial for Grab, shared that they are extremely excited to be partnering with DON DON DONKI on their Southeast Asia expansion, knowing that many Grab users are fans of Japanese products and are going to appreciate the retail company’s wide range of good-quality, value-for-money Japanese foods, fresh produce, and products.

“The Grab platform enables retailers like DON DON DONKI to easily plug into our ecosystem, connect with our large and growing base of online users and provide ultra-fast on-demand delivery to them through our scalable fleet. We are committed to supporting retailers in Southeast Asia build out their digital strategies and reach their business goals through our unique platform tools and services,” said Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Satoshi Machida, the president of Pan Pacific Retail Management (PPRM) Singapore and Malaysia, the parent company of DONKI, said that over the past few years, they have strived to bring Japanese products closer to consumers in SEA by opening up new stores in every corner of the region.

“As one of the leading e-commerce platforms, this partnership with Grab will allow us to gain a foothold online and reach out to more consumers as a complement to our on-going market expansion,” added Machida.

Singapore – Video-sharing app TikTok has appointed Sameer Singh, former chief executive officer of media investment company GroupM in South Asia (SA), as its new head of global business solutions for the platform’s ‘TikTok for Business’ Southeast Asia (SEA) team.

The ‘TikTok For Business’ arm was introduced in July 2020 which aims to empower businesses of all sizes to engage with their target customers in a unique and creative way while creating a positive and safe environment for brand partners.

The new appointment will see Singh leading the sales and business marketing solutions for ‘TikTok for Business’ products across SEA. He brings with him over 25 years of experience in innovative marketing and advertising solutions, working as a key employee for brands like Google, and healthcare giant GSK, as well as consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, and advertising agency IPG. Singh has also worked in various locations across the globe, including Boston, London, and Dubai, as well as Guangzhou, among others.

“TikTok has supported tens of thousands of enterprises and partners, especially small and medium businesses, to elevate their marketing and advertising efforts and grow their business with our extensive product suite,” said Singh. 

“Southeast Asia is a fast-growing region with boundless potential, especially in the short-form content space, and the Southeast Asian markets continue to be a priority for us as we expand and innovate our TikTok for Business offerings to suit the diverse needs of this region,” added Singh.

Meanwhile, Blake Chandlee, the president of TikTok’s Global Business Solutions, said that Singh’s role comes at a dynamic time as TikTok introduces new and creative ways for brands of all sizes to reach success on TikTok. 

“Singh has been indispensable in driving TikTok’s advertising efforts thus far. We’re absolutely delighted to welcome him to this new role and look forward to seeing how he will propel the team to new heights as Head of Global Business Solutions in Southeast Asia,” said Chandlee.

Singapore – M1, one of the largest telecommunications providers in Singapore, has launched a new campaign to promote its new mobile plans through a series of human-centric stories, following the company’s recent rebranding. 

Titled ‘Be’, the campaign focuses on seven unique stories that surround the theme of being ‘who you are’. Some of the featured stories include an 84-year old rock guitar player, Mary Ho; the country’s own blade runner Shariff Abdullah; and Jian Yang, who owns the second largest doll collection in the world.

The featured mobile plans, known collectively as Bespoke Mobile plans aim to meet customers’ desire for greater personalization. Whether looking for a mobile device or a suitable plan, these three made-to-measure offerings – Bespoke Flexi, Bespoke SIM-only, and Bespoke Contract – can be customized to fit individual needs.

Bespoke Flexi provides customers with greater flexibility in every respect, as they can dictate their upfront device payment and choose to settle their balance between 12 and 36 months.

Meanwhile, M1’s Bespoke SIM-only mobile plan offers customers an adaptable, contract-free experience. With the ability to change plans from month-to-month, users can take full advantage of M1’s latest products. In addition customers using the M1+ app now have a convenient slider to balance their data, talk time, and price on the fly.

Finally, Bespoke Contract’s updated data bundles provide customers with even more value as the new base plan includes 20GB. Alongside three fresh add-ons, customers can build a plan suited to their budget and needs.

“Featuring a selection of made-to-measure Bespoke plans, these directly address customer demand for personalization and flexibility. With this fresh, customer-first approach, M1 stands true to its name of being Singapore’s first digital network operator,” the company said in a press statement.

Singapore – Sell-side advertising platform Magnite has announced the launch of a new data center in Singapore, which accompanies the company’s continuous growth in APAC.

The new data center is designed to support the rapid growth in digital advertising services across the region and reinforce Magnite’s global leadership in CTV and omnichannel digital advertising.

As Magnite co-locates its digital television plus (DV+) and connected television (CTV) platforms in Singapore, the new data center will help standardize the company’s operations and provide maximum efficiency for buyers and publishers. The investment also allows Magnite to provide the robust technical capabilities necessary to support increased traffic.

Furthermore, the larger unified data center in Singapore will enable Magnite to better service clients across APAC from India to Australia and Japan. With this step, publishers can expect better performance and new monetization opportunities, as well as increased capacity for inventory. The company expects buyers to see better campaign performance and delivery, and have increased access to new supply.

“Preparing our technological infrastructure in APAC will give Magnite a clear competitive advantage in better servicing our clients and ultimately improve results. By unifying and standardizing our omnichannel platform, we’ll be more agile, proactive, and efficient. Our tech stack needs to evolve with the demands of the industry and we have greater flexibility to scale our infrastructure in real-time as the business scales,” said Tom Kershaw, CTO of Magnite.

Meanwhile, Juliette Stead, head of APAC at Magnite commented the new Magnite data center is a response to the company’s expectation from the entire APAC region to enjoy continued growth and recognizing the importance of investing in the region for the benefit of their clients.

“Investing at scale to optimize our capabilities ensures we will be well-positioned to respond to change. We are also building out our Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure in Singapore to further support CTV growth – including live streaming. Now more than ever, we intend to be at the forefront of the strongest segment of industry growth for the foreseeable future, and ensure our infrastructure is equipped to accommodate these developments,” Stead stated.

Singapore – All-in-one global business accelerator and venture capital firm, Plug and Play, in APAC, has announced the launch of its inaugural Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) Tech Showcase program in Manila, an event enabling startups and SMEs to connect with overseas businesses and tech communities. This is in partnership with Singapore government agency Enterprise Singapore.

Through the Tech Showcase, startups and SMEs will have the chance to pitch their solutions to different business difficulties provided by Plug and Play APAC’s network of corporates. The program will include business matching across the span of a month. 

Furthermore, the Tech Showcase will have a panel session on the topic of ‘Financial Inclusion’ and ‘Fintech landscape in Manila’. The panelists invited for the session are senior executives from Filinvest Development Corporation, and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, as well as start-ups from both Singapore and the Philippines. 

The event will also be graced by the Singapore Minister of State, Alvin Tan, and the Philippines Undersecretary of Competitiveness and Innovation Group at the Department of Trade and Industry, Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba.

Rachael Sum, regional director of Enterprise Singapore in Manila Overseas Center, commented that they look forward to working with Plug and Play in the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) program in Manila. 

“Through the GIA program, we will help plug Singapore SMEs and startups into the Philippines’ vibrant innovation ecosystem. This will create opportunities for Singapore and the Philippines enterprises to work together and co-innovate,” said Sam.

Meanwhile, Jojo Flores, co-founder of Plug and Play, also shared, “The fintech trends for 2021 are continuously gaining momentum and we have yet to see how these smart technologies will transform the finance industry as we face the recovery phase of the global crisis. I am excited to hear from the startups that are pitching at the event, how their product can offer innovative solutions in areas such as financial inclusion here in the Philippines.” 

The GIA Tech Showcase program in Manila will be held virtually on 24 March 2021, from 2:00 pm SGT to 4:00 pm SGT.

Singapore – Following a competitive pitch with multiple agencies across Europe and Asia, the Singapore arm of advertising company 72andSunny has been appointed by smartphone brand OPPO to be its global brand agency of record.

Through the project win, 72andSunny will partner with OPPO as it continues to grow and help build the brand in key markets around the world. 

OPPO has been rampant in its global expansion since 2004, which has now reached a global footprint encompassing 40 countries and regions across five continents.

“We’re excited to do great things with OPPO. Nothing energizes us more than partnering with ambitious brands to take that ambition even further,” said Ida Siow, president of 72andSunny Singapore.

Meanwhile, Derek Sun, global senior brand director at OPPO, said, “72andSunny impressed us with their strategic clarity, deep insight into culture and modern non-traditional thinking.” 

With Asia-Pacific operations situated in Singapore and Sydney, 72andSunny has also worked with brands such as capital market company GIC, loyalty program NTUC Link, e-commerce platform Lazada, and sports channel beIN Sports, among others.

Singapore – Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), a global public relations consulting company, has appointed two key senior hires to strengthen its regional hub capabilities in Singapore.

The new hires are Jason Cheang, the new director of integrated communications, and Vylvianne Devajothi, the new regional PR services lead. Both will report directly to Matthew Briant, the head of H+K’s I+C Hub in Asia and managing director of H+K Singapore.

Cheang has previously worked as the head of digital for the Metia Group teams in the Asia Pacific and Japan. He specializes in digital strategy, creative ideation, and experiential events, which enabled him to work with various companies and government clients, such as the Singapore Tourism Board, Ministry of Transport, and GovTech, as well as Singtel, among others. Cheang will now be responsible for the H+K Asia’s Innovation + Creativity (I+C) Hub, bringing with him his sixteen years of experience in digital strategy and marketing communications.

Meanwhile, Devajothi previously led integrated communications for corporate clients across PR and social at Havas Singapore. She specializes in PR, digital, social, and offline, with a focus on content strategy and distribution, and has worked with different brands, such as Nikon, Philip Morris International, and Singapore Management University, as well as Roche Diagnostics, among others. Devajothi brings with her almost a decade of experience in the consumer and enterprise technology sectors across both the Asia Pacific and the US.

The H+K’s regional hub in Singapore aims to build a team that will drive forward regional consistency while being aligned with local market nuances, and helps brands to communicate effectively.

Commenting on the two new appointments, Briant said, “I am thrilled to have these two accomplished individuals join our regional Hub team. At H+K, we put creativity and team culture at the heart of everything we do. I am confident that this further strengthening of our regional capabilities will drive greater value for our clients through consistently delivering the highest standard of creative and strategic communications across Asia.”

Meanwhile, HS Chung, the president of H+K Asia, also shared that having Cheang and Devajothi onboard underlines their ambition to aggressively pursue growth and focus on creating leading-edge offerings for their clients across the region. 

“Our Innovation + Creativity Hub has been successfully providing our regional clients with Podcasting and Multi-Platform Measurement services particularly in these times among others. By bringing on board these talented minds, I look forward to strengthening our capabilities by implementing customer-centric solutions ensuring purpose and excellence at the center,” added Chung.

Singapore – The Singapore branch of the famous wax museum franchise Madame Tussauds has now a new celebrity to add to its collection of wax figures: Korean actor Lee Min Ho.

The new wax figure of Lee Min Ho will be part of the newly-launched ‘K-Wave Zone’ in the museum, where prominent Korean entertainment stars are also featured, including Korean actor Song Seung-heon, model and actor Kim Woo Bin, and singer and actress Bae Suzy.

Lee Min Ho has been one of the most popular Korean actors known in Asia, recently surpassing 20 million followers on his official Instagram and Facebook page, which also makes him one of the most followed Korean stars on different social media platforms combined. He is well known for his roles in many Korean dramas, including ‘City Hunter’, ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’, ‘Boys Over Flowers’ and more recently in Netflix’s ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’.

“We are proud and honored to have Lee Min Ho joining the rest of the stars at the new K-Wave zone. We believe that his figure will definitely draw the attention of many, and we will continue to bring in more stars throughout the year,” says Alex Ward, general manager of Madame Tussauds Singapore. 

K-Wave Zone was first launched last month, where aside from taking pictures with the wax figures, visitors are also given the chance to enjoy certain Korean elements, such as taking pictures with the facility’s in-built cherry blossom tree, or pose for pictures in the zone’s cherry blossom flower wall.

Based in Imbiah Lookout in Sentosa Island, the Madame Tussauds in Singapore has waived general admission fees until March. Visitors can use SingapoRediscovers vouchers to get access to the K-Wave Zone.