Tag: Singapore

Singapore – Global logistics service provider J&T Express Singapore has announced new enhancements to its existing services and collaborations to meet the shifting retail demands of businesses and consumers. 

The new enhancements are part of J&T’s broader move to tap into the latest trends in the B2B retail landscape and better meet the needs of both businesses and consumers. 

First on the list of improvements for the logistics service provider is the launch of an all-in-one delivery solution to provide B2B transportation for businesses. This is an addition to their current e-commerce logistics services and will respond to the increasing demand for flexible logistics services in the retail industry that ensure efficient and cost-effective order fulfilment.

The all-in-one delivery service will offer businesses different vehicle and shipping options, such as single- and multi-way transfer options, warehouse transfers, ad-hoc transfers for parcel deliveries, and less than truck loads (LTL) or full truck loads (FTL), to support varying transportation needs at competitive rates. 

J&T Singapore is also elevating its customer experience as it rolls out a series of new features to its flagship mobile app, J&T Singapore App. The new features include an improved and more user-friendly interface that can now detect the nearest J&T Point to the user based on their location for hassle-free parcel drop-off. 

Furthermore, the logistics service provider is strengthening its ongoing partnership with TikTok Shop and multi-category second-hand marketplace Carousell Singapore. 

On top of its current services, J&T Express Singapore will also work closely with TikTok Shop to provide sales and marketing support. The partnership aims to help drive sales for sellers in the form of competitions and co-funded platform vouchers, showcasing its mission to be “customer-oriented and efficiency-based”.

Meanwhile, as the first logistics service provider to be exclusively integrated into Carousell Singapore’s platform, J&T Express Singapore will bring users more convenient delivery options with fully integrated pick-up service options. This will include the upcoming next-day delivery, self-drop-off at J&T Points located islandwide, and return shipping with complimentary label printing service.

Speaking on the partnership, Doven Yap, head of seller acquisition and incubation at TikTok Shop Singapore, said, “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with J&T Express Singapore. With the support of such a reliable logistics partner, our sellers are empowered to deliver a more seamless shopping experience for customers.” 

Singapore – Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, latest research from YouGov Surveys reveals that more than one in three (36%) Singapore residents follow F1 motor racing.

Data from YouGov’s survey also states that the highest proportion of F1 followers in Singapore are from Gen X, and that men are also more likely to tune in to F1 than women, especially among Gen Z.

When asked about this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, about 32%  of F1 followers in Singapore said that they will be watching the race on-site. Notably, about 18% of attendees are attending the race in-person for the first time.

Talking about reasons for attending physically, 59% of this year’s attendees attribute the opportunity to meet up with friends to watch the race together with attending the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix in person, while on the other hand, 57% say that they just generally enjoy a trackside view of the race.

Furthermore, about half  of race goers also cite being a fan of one or more F1 drivers who will be competing in this year’s edition as one of the reasons they are getting tickets, while 39% will attend since they’re a fan of one or more artists who will be performing at this year’s entertainment lineup. 

On the other hand, 58% of Singaporean F1 followers say that they won’t be attending due to ticket prices being out of their budget this year. Notably, ticketing costs are by far the most common reason among past attendees who are not catching the race on site this year as well.

54% of fans also prefer catching the race via television broadcast, as do almost two-fifths among past attendees. The next most common reasons, following at a distance, are not being able to secure race tickets in time and not being interested in this year’s entertainment lineup.

Lastly, it is also worth mentioning that the survey also revealed Britain’s Lewis Hamilton as the driver with the largest fan base in Singapore, and when it comes to the performing artists, Robbie Williams is the most popular artist performing at this year’s Singapore Grand Prix. 

Singapore –  Multinational computer software company Adobe has officially launched Adobe GenStudio, a new solution that harnesses the power of generative AI for the enterprise content supply chain. 

Adobe’s GenStudio integrates Creative Cloud, Firefly, Express, AEM Assets, and Workfront to enable on-brand content creation at an amazing speed. 

This new end-to-end solution is expected to transform the enterprise content supply chain by combining the best of content ideation, creation, production, and activation on top of the power of generative AI. 

GenStudio puts the power of generative AI, smart automation, and agile editing into the enterprise content supply chain, empowering teams to work in real time to collaborate on creative ideas and decisions to deliver personalisation at scale. With this, the creative-to-activation processes that typically require weeks can now be done in hours or days.

Adobe’s integration of Firefly will provide commercially safe content generation for the platform. This will help companies rapidly move from ideation to content delivery across any channel, resulting in amazing customer experiences.

Other than the commercial safety offered by Firefly in GenStudio, Adobe also plans to include custom models, access to Firefly APIs, integrated workflows, and content insights that will provide analytics on content performance across channels.

GenStudio will also leverage the integration of Express Cloud to offer organizations dramatic acceleration in speed and agility without compromising quality or brand consistency. With Experience Cloud, experienced designers and marketers, such as campaign marketers, web site managers, social media marketers, and product managers, can create, edit, and version brand-approved assets for immediate personalization.

Furthermore, Adobe’s incorporation of Workfront, Firefly, and Experience Manager will accelerate and optimise the notoriously lengthy and expensive creative and activation processes without impacting business requirements. It will also create enterprise content workflows and enable content reuse through a single enterprise portal. 

Anil Chakravarthy, president of digital experience business at Adobe, said, “Generative AI has the potential to integrate high-velocity creative expression with complex enterprise activation to deliver a modern content supply chain that can meet the promise of personalization at scale.”

He added, “Adobe GenStudio gives creative and marketing teams what they need to take full advantage of generative AI and transform the creative-to-activation process with a seamless solution.”

Singapore – To promote its new protection offering, insurance company Income and BBH Singapore have teamed up to release the music video ‘Fallin’ Apart’, performed by the American band The Calling, in a bid to delve into the themes of resilience and courage to face life, even when it is falling apart.

According to the agency, ‘Fallin’ Apart’ emotively conveys the stress, uncertainty and raw feelings which can result from an unexpected health issue, married with the realisation that one is not adequately covered.

Moreover, the viewers are also directed to the campaign microsite where they can assess the potential size of their own insurance protection gap via a ‘protection gap calculator’.

Stella Tan, vice president and head of brand and segment marketing at Income Insurance, said, “Staying adequately covered with insurance is vitally important but often, easily overlooked. Now more than ever is the right time to invest in life, health and critical illness cover following the aftermath of the pandemic and the current economic downturn where unforeseen circumstances can hit anytime. We’re amazed by The Calling’s ability to transform our message into a powerful rock song that connects with our audience on a personal and emotive level.”

Meanwhile, Luke Somasundram, senior copywriter at BBH Singapore, commented, “Songs have the profound ability to reach a place deep in our brains by way of our hearts. And crafting one with The Calling lets us tap into nostalgia to convey a message that’s more relevant and urgent than ever.”

MARKETECH APAC also reached out to BBH Singapore and Income to learn more about the campaign’s creative direction and factors considered prior to the music video launch.

BBH Singapore told MARKETECH APAC that the campaign was simple yet an urgent message for viewers to avail insurance–told in a way that brings the messaging to life via a music video.

“The message behind this campaign is a simple but urgent one – it’s about ensuring that you have adequate insurance coverage before a medical emergency strikes. The song was a vehicle to bring to life the anxiety and helplessness one feels when one doesn’t know if they have adequate coverage,” the agency.

They also added that for the music video’s sentimental messaging, while they are full aware that not many people are comfortable with discussing sad topics, people are always drawn to forms of media that communicate such feeling.

“People don’t want to talk about sad or uncomfortable topics – like whether they have adequate insurance coverage. But it’s so naturally human to love a sad song. We realised the right song could let people connect with the emotions they would feel if they didn’t have adequate coverage, which in turn could inspire them to get covered. So we decided to create that song,” BBH Singapore told MARKETECH APAC.

They also added, “Singapore has one of the highest insurance protection gaps in Asia. This campaign was aimed at Singaporeans in the 30s to 40s who hadn’t ensured they were adequately covered. We worked with The Calling, a band that was massively popular in the early 2000s because we knew this was a band that would have strong emotional resonance with our target audience.”

Meanwhile, Income told MARKETECH APAC told the campaign is rooted from the brand’s objective of raising awareness and realisation amongst Singaporeans on the importance and urgency of having adequate protection to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances that can hit anytime.

Citing data from the Life Insurance Association (LIA), Income says that Singapore faces a 21% protection gap in mortality and 74% in critical illness

“To ensure that we resonate with Singaporeans as we tackle the topic of insurance protection and financial readiness, we turned to music, which is what many turn to when confronting difficult feelings or challenging times in life and related to Singaporeans in an entertaining way that cuts above the noise,” Income told MARKETECH APAC.

They also added, “In this campaign, we lyrically brought to life the campaign message that “Life can fall apart if you are not adequately covered” and motivated Singaporeans to cease the silver lining and beat the odds by being protected ahead of time.”

While there is a myriad of factors that may have contributed to their increased traction across the primary campaign touchpoints, Income told MARKETECH APAC it boils down to two factors.

“The use of music, which allows us to effectively speak to our target audience in a unique way that engages the mind and tugs at the heart strings, [and] the engagement of The Calling, which is a band that our target audience is familiar with and hence, would be more open to listen to the song and subsequently the message that we want to bring across,” they concluded.

Singapore – Singaporean digital marketing agency MediaOne Business Group has announced that it will be distilling its strategies and services to cater specifically to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore as a recognized Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) accredited vendor, which helps Singaporean companies improve their productivity and automate existing processes through IT solutions and equipment.

The PSG accreditation demonstrates MediaOne’s commitment to helping businesses become profitable, grow, and achieve self-sustainability in terms of marketing and market share in an accelerated time frame.

With a track record of providing double-digit growth in client traffic, reach, and engagement, as well as thousands of search engine ranking improvements and impressive ROI, MediaOne has enabled SMEs to enhance their online presence, reach a broader audience, and increase their revenue streams.

Recognizing the growing importance of social media in the digital landscape, MediaOne has also recently been awarded accreditation to offer social media marketing and social media advertising services to further support businesses in their marketing endeavors.

In addition to its PSG accreditation, MediaOne also encourages SMEs to act swiftly, as support from the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC) grants may see reductions by the middle of next year. By partnering with MediaOne, SMEs can take advantage of PSG-accredited services and SFEC grants to optimize their marketing efforts and drive growth.

Tom Koh, CEO of MediaOne, said, “We are delighted to extend our PSG-accredited services to include social media marketing and advertising. This accreditation is a testament to our dedication to providing top-tier digital marketing solutions. We have witnessed strong and sustained demand for these services, and we are committed to helping SMEs succeed in the ever-evolving digital marketplace.”

Singapore – Ogury, a global personalsed advertising company, has appointed Wilfried Schobeiri as its new chief technology officer. In this role, Schobeiri will work closely with Ogury’s executive team to improve and strengthen the business’s unique technology platform.

In his new role, he will be in charge of the company’s strategic technology vision implementation, improving its cookieless and ID-less solution at an important time in the market. He will be based in Paris, report directly to Ogury CEO Geoffroy Martin, and join the executive committee of the business.

With 20 years of experience in the technology sector, Schobeiri has a track record of managing large-scale, international technology projects and effective product development teams. He was the chief technology officer at Banyan, a fintech and data infrastructure company, before he joined Ogury. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president and chief product officer at Revantage, where he oversaw the creation of the product for Blackstone’s platform for real estate data.

During his time at MediaMath, Schobeiri held the positions of chief technology officer and chief product officer, where he oversaw the company’s global efforts in product strategy and technology development. 

Schobeiri was a board member for the IAB Tech Lab while working for various companies. A key contributor to the creation of the IAB Europe’s Transparency & Consent Framework during his tenure, he helped the industry establish a common language for expressing consumer preferences regarding the use of their data for advertising purposes. 

Additionally, he has served as the board chairman for several adtech and data companies, including Ocient, Ergatta, and Truthset. He is still doing this today, continuing to provide his knowledge to help them grow.  

Speaking about his appointment, Schobeiri said, “I’m excited to join Ogury because we are one of the few adtech companies that have fully embraced the technical shifts in the privacy landscape. A true precursor of change, Ogury anticipated market needs to provide advertisers with performance and relevance without collecting personal data, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Meanwhile, Martin commented, “We are thrilled to welcome a prominent industry and technology expert such as Wil to Ogury. His experience and knowledge, which lie at the intersection of RTB and privacy while also building and scaling high-performing teams, make him the perfect fit for us.”

Singapore – SoftServe, a provider of IT consulting and digital services, launches its Generative AI Lab with the objective of assisting businesses in achieving concrete business results through the application of Generative AI solutions.

Through research and development of generative models in numerous AI applications, the newly established lab strengthens SoftServe’s AI/ML knowledge. It is supported by a team of professionals committed to improving the potential of Generative AI, spanning from initial discovery to practical integration.

The SoftServe Generative AI Lab will support research and development projects in a variety of areas, including model improvement, domain adaptation, multimodal Generative AI, cost-performance enhancements, operational management (LLMOps), and other facets. Its goal is to combine various technologies and methodologies within these focus areas to create spanning a range of industries.

The expertise and resources developed in the lab will be incorporated into realistic business scenarios by matching these research priorities with the requirements and plans of SoftServe’s clients for efficient implementation.

Alex Chubay, SoftServe’s chief technology officer, said, “Unlike other areas with more developed and mature best practices, Generative AI stands out with its novelty and emergent properties unveiling not just technological innovations, but also groundbreaking use cases that may redefine business strategies.” 

He remarked, “The pace of innovation here is staggering, often overwhelming businesses with new advancements released weekly. This is where the Generative AI Lab shines. It’s not just a hub for rapid experimentation, value discovery, and solution engineering with the latest techniques and technologies. It’s a conduit for channeling this explosive innovation directly to our clients.”

Meanwhile, Iurii Milovanov, SoftServe’s AVP of AI & Data Science, commented, “To move forward, we must be strategic about implementation. This is where a pragmatic approach becomes critical to proving these once-hypothetical possibilities can make real impacts across various business functions and industries.”

Singapore – Global sports marketing company rEvolution has announced the establishment of a strategic base in Singapore. This will serve as the company’s point of operations in Asia-Pacific, enhancing global brand visibility and activation for both existing and potential clients in the region.

The move comes in response to the growing client demand for rEvolution’s integrated services in sports marketing, brand consulting, creative strategy, content, gaming and esports marketing, and sponsorship activation. 

With the immense popularity of gaming and esports in Asia and China’s upcoming inclusion in the Formula 1 calendar for 2024, the new office taps into the region’s growing influence in the global sports industry.

John Rowady, CEO of rEvolution, said, “Establishing our strategic base in Singapore represents the next step towards our global vision to immerse ourselves in one of the most dynamic sports markets in the world. We’re scaling our expertise to accelerate brand and rights holder value to the Asia-Pacific sports landscape.”

He added, “We create partnerships that not only elevate brands but also contribute meaningfully to the vibrant sports culture in the region. This is a landmark moment for us, setting the stage for an exciting new chapter in the story of rEvolution.”

Meanwhile, Claire Ritchie, executive vice president for international at rEvolution, commented, “Fortifying our reach into Asia-Pacific aligns perfectly with our global strategy. Our strategic base in Singapore strengthens rEvolution’s ability to offer 24/7, innovative solutions to our clients, wherever they are. We look forward to enhancing and broadening our talent roster in Asia-Pacific, which includes both our experienced team members and new, exceptional talent who will be joining us.”

Some of its partners include industry leaders such as NetApp, Hyundai, Amazon Web Services, Capgemini, Lamborghini, Continental Tire, Tata Communications, to name a few. The office brings rEvolution’s vast expertise in areas like motorsports, football, rugby, equestrian events, golf, basketball, baseball, sailing, esports, and gaming.

Singapore –  Malaysian boutique communications consultancy IN.Deed Communications, has recently unveiled its strategic expansion into Singapore in line with commemorating its upcoming 15-year anniversary.

To kickstart the Singapore expansion of IN.Deed Communications, the agency has partnered with Limitless, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advocating the mental health and well-being of young individuals, to support their social media and PR initiatives.

This milestone not only underscores the company’s commitment to growth and innovation but also signifies their focus on supporting startups, entertainment, technology and healthcare sectors, as well as non-profit organisations in the dynamic Singaporean landscape, specifically in the areas of public relations, influencer marketing and ESG.

Leading this expansion will be Jarieul Wong, who recently served as the head of communications and CSR partnerships at Carousell Group, shaping sustainability narratives, reputation management, and corporate communications. With prior roles at global giants like Disney, Razer, and Sony Pictures and a strong track record and a passion for impactful communication, he is set to drive IN.Deed Communications to new heights in Singapore.

Furthermore, IN.Deed Communications Malaysia and Singapore will bring together various cross-border capabilities, enabling clients to tap into a broader market and gain more insights. The collaboration will foster a seamless exchange of market data, insights, and best practices, creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation and collaboration.

Talking about the expansion, Sophia Lee, co-founder of IN.Deed Communications, expressed her excitement about venturing into Singapore to continue their goal of empowering brands.

“We believe that our unique blend of experience, creativity, and dedication will enable us to deliver exceptional value to clients seeking to expand their market awareness and impact in a way that is marked with INtegrity, INspiration and INnovation,” she added.

Meanwhile, Janet Han, communications director at IN.Deed Communications, commented, “What truly sets us apart is our commitment to people and to do our best ‘in word and in deed’. We look at nurturing a collaborative and supportive environment where our employees thrive and our clients feel part of the IN.Deed family. Our mission is to ensure that both our team members and our clients’ brands achieve their full potential.”

Singapore – Leading aluminum and glassworks firm Oculus Collective has appointed brand consultancy 8traordinary as agency of record to revitalise the company’s branding and strategy and enhance its market presence and customer engagement efforts. 

The year-long strategic partnership gives 8traordinary the responsibility to guide the overhaul and help recalibrate, streamline, and curate a new strategy to revitalise the brand. 

The agency will lend their expertise to oversee the rework of the firm’s brand identity, creative content planning, and social media strategy and management.

Oculus Collective is set to see a brand new identity this October. The brand is known for its exclusive Signature Glass Door Series, which has the thinnest profile in the industry. For 15 years, it has continued to present an abundance of customisable options, carefully crafted to meet the needs of their diverse customer base without compromising quality. 

Prior to the partnership with Oculus Collective, 8traordinary has collaborated with a diverse portfolio of brands in branding, digital creative content, and social strategy works. 

Benson Aw, founder of Oculus Collective, said, “We saw the magic that 8traordinary has worked into other brands, and we wanted that transformative experience. As Oculus Collective continues to create milestones and perfect our craftsmanship to the next level, we needed someone who could effectively communicate what we have to offer to our target audiences.”

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Lim, founder and managing director at 8traordinary, believed Oculus Collective’s strive for excellence and pride in their work very much aligned with that of his agency’s. 

“Every brand deserves a voice, and Oculus Collective has a distinct voice to be heard. The firm has been consistently perfecting their craft to offer their clients imagination and individuality in their pursuit of the perfect space, whether at home or at work. We look forward to partnering them in combining science with art to create new living experiences across the various channels.”