Tag: Singapore

Singapore – Dentsu Aegis Network today announced the appointment of Dominic Powers, former CEO of Singapore-based advertising technology company CtrlShift, to the role of head of business growth and solutions for APAC. 

Prior to joining Dentsu, Powers served as executive vice president and managing director for international affairs of advertising cloud solutions provider, Epsilon, for 14 years until 2016.

Currently, he independently offers advisory services in the area of technology and marketing, and acts as a connector among brands, agencies, and tech companies for consumer engagement projects, with which he operates a self-domain website, dominicpowers.com, to promote his services.

Based in Singapore, Powers will be reporting to Dentsu Aegis Network’s CEO for APAC Ashish Bhasin, as well as to the company’s CEO for solutions in the region, Yusuke Kasahara. 

Within the new role, Powers will be tasked with driving organic revenue growth for clients by identifying innovative solutions to maximize growth opportunities across media, creatives and CRM. 

He will also be overseeing the APAC region’s new business strategy and opportunities within the company’s existing client base, working with regional teams to grow C-suite relationships as well as the solutions unit to deliver business value to clients through integrated solutions, strategies and products.

Commenting on his appointment, Powers said, “Industries across the world have seen more disruption and transformation in the past six months than they have in years.” 

He adds, “Brands need an agency that can guide them through the changing consumer landscape, maintaining their relevance while identifying the next growth opportunity. I am looking forward to working with our teams across the APAC network to identify these challenges and deliver growth for our business and importantly, that of our clients too.”

Meanwhile, Kasahara said, “Marketing transformation is central to Dentsu Aegis Network’s proposition. While we are built in a way that enables integration across multiple capabilities, Dominic’s role will be paramount in making sure [that] the way we organize ourselves benefits our clients while bringing new brands through the door.”

Singapore – Leading tech company Microsoft fortifies its diversity & inclusion advocacy through its latest initiative across APAC, the Microsoft Enabler Program.

Said to be the first of its kind, the program partners non-profit organizations (NPOs) who will provide training to organizations to become inclusive employers, who in turn will provide job shadowing, internships, mentoring, and opportunities in tech jobs for PWDs identified by the NPOs.

The program will be piloted in five markets: Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, before expanding to the rest of the region by the end of 2020.

Within the program, Microsoft will also see the direct training to PWDs themselves, where sessions will circle engineering and programming and cloud computing on Microsoft Azure as well as application development in GitHub. 

For the employer partners, alongside offering inputs on workplace modifications, workshops by NPOs will teach inclusive design and assistive technologies enabled through artificial intelligence on Microsoft Azure.

Chief partner officer of Microsoft for APAC Vivek Puthucode said that as 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, tech roles and digital skills will be the backbone of the economic recovery in every country.

“In today’s workplace, it is imperative that we include everyone, and accessibility is the vehicle to inclusion. It is a responsibility and an opportunity. There are no limits to what people can achieve when technology reflects the diversity of everyone who uses it,” said Puthucode.

He says of the program, “At the heart of the Microsoft Enabler Program is a comprehensive accessibility model that will not only improve inclusion of people with disabilities across Asia Pacific for years to come but [also] connects local talent from underrepresented communities and improves our society.”

Microsoft said that in addition, it will be providing a platform for all three parties to better collaborate on the program.

There are a total of Six NPOs, all dedicated to promoting inclusion in the workplace, and 14 tech organizations that are part of the program.

To expand the talent pipeline for employer partners and connect job-seeking PWDs to tech roles, the program will also feature a virtual job fair, which will be held at the end of the second quarter of 2021.

Singapore – Insurance company AIA Singapore has announced that it will be offering a complimentary insurance plan called AIA #ShareTheLove, specifically dedicated to essential workers, where beneficiaries will be nominated through Facebook or Instagram.

The company said that the new insurance plan is part of its efforts to pay tribute to essential workers. The plan will cover COVID-19 and 21 infectious diseases including dengue fever.

The nomination started yesterday, September 9, where members of the public may nominate a family member or a friend provided that the individual is an essential worker and a Singapore resident.

Those who wish to nominate will be asked to post a photo or video of the essential worker on their Facebook or Instagram page and include a message of appreciation with at least 100 words with a focus on the person’s story of resilience and why the insurance is the best gift for him or her. According to the mechanics, the post, in order to qualify must be set to public, must tag AIA Singapore’s social media accounts, and should include the hashtags #ShareTheLove and #AIASG.

Once a story is selected, AIA will be giving the free insurance to both the person who submitted the story and the nominee.

The initiative is part of a regional AIA #ShareTheLove movement taking place across Asia. The movement also saw the implementation of other assistance programs such as AIA representatives’ pledge to donate a portion of their policy sales towards the company’s adopted charities.

AIA Singapore Chief Customer and Digital Officer Melita Teo said, “These workers have put the communities’ needs above their own health and wellbeing. Aside from COVID-19, the exposure to infectious diseases is not over even after ending their work, as dengue cases continue to plague homes. By engaging the help of the community at large, we hope to play a part in bringing more of these amazing stories of resilience to light and paying tribute to our essential workforce. This is a little gesture of appreciation for the sacrifices that they have and continue to make as we deal with this crisis.”

Singapore – Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has announced today that OMD Singapore has tapped its own managing director Chloe Neo to take on the role of chief operating officer. 

OMD Singapore vouches for Neo’s seasoned experience in the industry, where 12 years have been dedicated to OMD.  

Neo started out in the company as business director in 2008, eventually rising up to assume the role of managing partner and later on, managing director.

“During her time with us, Chloe has been instrumental in driving growth and innovative solutions for our clients, as well as mentoring and nurturing the talent within our organization,” said Tony Harradine, CEO, Omnicom Media Group, APAC. 

Aside from full-fledged corporate work, Neo has been active in spearheading advertising associations in Singapore, having served senior capacities at the 4As in Singapore. Just this last month, she was appointed as the first vice president for the Association of Advertising & Marketing Singapore for 2020. 

Singapore – Over the past 12 months, more than half of businesses in Singapore or 67% of them have used fintech in running their operations, and within this percentage, the top three forms of fintech used emerged to be mobile payments or digital wallets, robo-advisory or chatbots, and open banking APIs, according to a report by CPA Australia.

FIntech
FIntech

Mobile payments recorded the most adoption with 47% of businesses, followed by chatbots with 34%, while 30% said they have used open banking APIs.

Singapore has been widely known for being a top technology hub, and as the coronavirus started threatening safety, the government has further encouraged the use of fintech. In April, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) urged individuals and businesses to use digital finance services and e-payments to help contain physical contact.

Amid social distancing directives, more businesses have expressed desires to adopt fintech, with 73% expecting to use at least one fintech product or service in the next 12 months, with a third of them citing COVID-19 as a reason for further usage, to operate anew amid disruptions in operations.

The most boost in adoption is seen to come from the need to increase efficiency in doing business, with nearly 6 in 10 respondents, or 59.1%, identifying it as an important factor. Meanwhile, more than 4 in 10, or 43.6%, of businesses expect to use fintech to help them better understand and improve customer experience. 

The top three most used fintech are still the same ones seen to drive the adoption for the coming months. About 42.7% of businesses believe that they will use mobile payments the most, followed by robo-advisory and chatbots with 23.6% , and open banking APIs with 19.1%.

Fintech

While the report revealed that a positive adoption of fintech is on the horizon, it also found certain factors that hinder businesses to jump in.

The top concern showed to be cybersecurity with 34% identifying it as a barrier, while a lack of fintech understanding and knowledge within the board and senior management was also a concern with 30%. Meanwhile, 26% simply did not consider fintech to be necessary for business.

Singapore – Amazon Music and live streaming service Twitch have partnered to announce that Twitch’s live streaming functionality will now be integrated into the Amazon Music app, enabling users to move seamlessly between live streams and recorded music. 

Available since Wednesday on iOS and Android, artists worldwide will now be able to connect live with Amazon Music’s customers across all streaming tiers. 

With this incorporation come new features to navigate the live stream function, such as push notifications from artists users follow when they go live on Twitch. On the artists’ side, they will be able to easily link their Twitch channel to Amazon Music via the newly-launched Amazon Music for Artists app.

The companies revealed in the press statement that the COVID situation has been a big determinant in the platforms’ collaboration when during this time, in-person events have been largely limited. 

Amazon Music Director Ryan Redington said, “We’re providing artists with more tools to instantly engage with fans, and this new feature couldn’t arrive at a more crucial time in the industry.” 

Tracy Chan, VP, Head of Music at Twitch added, “Especially now in a time when traditional venues are closed and tours have been canceled, musicians are looking for new ways to continue creating, [connecting] with fans, and [building] community.”

A number of artists have already jumped in on the new feature, and starting this week, fans can now view artists’ shows live on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.

Among others, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. will join Amazon Music on 4 September at 1 pm Eastern Time to answer fan questions about their latest album, Imploding the Mirage.

Soul singer and storyteller Nicole Atkins will also be hosting on the platform a variety series slated every Wednesday at 7 pm ET, with performances and interviews with friends and artists including Elle King, Cut Worms, and Whitney.

 

Singapore – Promo and discounts platform ShopBack has started its annual end-year shopping festival, ShopFest, for 2020 for its nine Asia Pacific markets.

ShopFest will be running from 1 September to 31 December, covering the key end-of-year shopping dates around APAC including 9.9, 11.11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. 

During ShopFest, alongside being able to use exclusive deals and earn cashback from both online and offline retailers, users will be able to run some of the platform’s new features: vouchers, product comparison, and ShopBack challenges.

Vouchers can be redeemed using the cashback balance in the user’s bank account, or purchased via credit card.

Meanwhile, the product comparison feature is a product aggregation service for users to search and compare products from ShopBack’s merchant partners. The feature is also said to enable viewing of price history and the option to set price alerts to assist in more informed purchasing decisions.

With challenges on the other hand, it is an added feature for users to receive bonus cashback and other attractive rewards via completion of specific tasks and challenges.

Henry Chan, co-founder and CEO of ShopBack said, “Many consumers look forward to the year-end shopping season, however, it can be overwhelming for the consumer as more and more online retailers participate each year. At ShopBack, we wanted to create a unified platform to seamlessly connect these brands and consumers, and at the same time help consumers cut through the noise and better navigate through the various sale events and deals.”

The newly integrated features are said to roll out across ShopBack’s nine markets at different times over the next year.

Singapore – Southeast Asia media service Hepmil Creators’ Network (HCN) is now the first in the region to offer an inventory of reserved media on Youtube, including that of Esports and gaming channels to brands. 

This comes about from a partnership with US-based digital media company Bent Pixels, which owns the sales rights through its long-term partnership with YouTube.

The company also owns an independent influencer network in the US with a portion of its content creators emanating from major Esports organizations.  

The new offering currently expands HCN’s services, which was launched in April 2020 as a subsidiary of Hepmil Media Group, mainly to help brands connect with comic creators in the region. 

Hepmil Media Group CEO Karl Mak explains that with reserved media, SEA brands can now purchase advertising spaces on specific channels by their favorite creators across multiple countries from one single point of contact. 

He added, “they will fully own the advertising spaces on select channels during the engagement period without interference from competing advertisements, thus improving targeting efforts and optimizing media budget.”

Singapore – Almost two thirds of workers in Singapore, or 65% of them expect that their industry will change for the better after COVID-19 due to the changes being implemented amid pandemic response, according to a research by customer experience tech Qualtrics.

The Qualtrics study surveyed 800 Singaporeans, and more than half, or 57% rated their employer’s response to the pandemic as “above average.”

With many people working from home during the pandemic, a large portion, 42% of respondents, said their employee experience has improved during the pandemic, while the same number said it has remained the same. 

The most effective actions employers have taken to make their teams feel more valued throughout this period leaned more on workplace flexibility with 51% of companies, followed by gratitude from the direct manager, and improved benefits, both with 21% of companies undertaking such measures.

“As a result of their employers’ quick thinking and actions, the majority of workers across Singapore say they feel a lot more valued at their company, and a lot more proud  to work for them,” Qualtrics SEA Head Mao Gen Foo said.

“While many have made steps in the right direction, businesses cannot afford to take their foot off the gas. Employees want to be listened to, and there is more change on the road ahead as people return and industries adapt,” added Mao Gen.

The new normal in the workplace

While employees have imparted the present measures their companies are undertaking, they  also gave insight into what actions they want to see more of from employers.

For 77% of Singaporeans, it’s important that their employer asks for feedback on what action can be taken to make them feel more confident about returning. 

Within such desired feedback, the study revealed that a flexible work schedule is the most coveted change that workers want to see in the workplace with 69% of them expressing it as a top concern.

This was followed by wanting companies to have a higher focus on personal hygiene with 44%, while about 39% said that actions should be taken to have greater focus on employee mental health. Meanwhile, almost the same number said that freedom to choose their work location is a factor.

Mao Gen said that while employees can agree prioritising safety and hygiene is essential moving forward, there is a slight gap between the actions they want to see, and which they expect to see outside of this. 

“Singaporeans want to see their employers continue to focus on offering more workplace flexibility – such as less time spent commuting, and wearing more comfortable clothing to work,” said Mao Gen.

Singapore –  For the very first time since it launched, Shopee has partnered a local personality for its brand ambassadorship, but it isn’t how one would commonly think of in terms of seeing a brand model.

Ahead of its 9.9 super sale, Shopee has announced that it has gotten iconic TV character Phua Chu Kang to represent its brand.

The character Phua Chu Kung, which was played by actor Gurmit Singh, is the protagonist of its namesake sitcom and was one of the most popular comedy icons in the country. The sitcom ran from 1996-2007, where the character is identified to be an eccentric contractor, with a staple appearance of wearing yellow boots, and having a large mole on the face. 

In the past, Shopee has been signing international celebrities to represent its brand. In November of 2018, it inked a partnership with South Korean girl group, Black Pink, and in August of 2019, it tapped professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Chief Commercial Officer Zhou Junjie said the company believes that Phua Chu Kang is a perfect match for the brand as the character’s attributes parallel its deep understanding of Singapore and its culture.

”Phua Chu Kang has always been a celebrated local icon and at Shopee, it was particularly meaningful for us to appoint an ambassador that creates a sense of oneness among local communities,” said Zhou. 

For starters, Phua Chu Kang will start showing up in exclusive appearances for the platform’s annual shopping event, 9.9 Super Shopping Day. 

The sale event started last week in Southeast Asia and Taiwan and is set to run for three weeks until Sept. 9. For the duration of the super sale, the platform is said to feature a series of promotions, new in-app games, and exclusive perks in partnership with leading industry partners.