Tag: Singapore

Singapore – Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the launch of a localised version of the popular cartoon series ‘Tom and Jerry’ which will be set in Singapore. The new series will be produced locally and first distributed in Asia.

The localised series will be composed of 7 episodes, each with 3-minute durations, and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong later this year, before being rolled out internationally.

The pilot episode will be released this August, with further details to be announced soon. Moreover, there are also plans to launch additional Tom and Jerry-branded consumer products to complement the series launch later this year.

Christopher Ho, head of kids for Southeast Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “This series brings back the iconic music and classic animation style from the Hanna-Barbera 1950s era – but with a modern Singaporean twist. With distinctive landmarks, backdrops and atmosphere, the Asian city-state is the ideal location to create a humorous addition to the Tom and Jerry canon. Working with homegrown creative talent in Singapore and across Asia, this project grows the much-loved franchise in the region and beyond.”

Meanwhile, Vishnu Athreya, senior vice president of series at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, commented, “Tom and Jerry are two of our most universally loved characters, proving that laughs can translate to any audience. The fans in Asia have long embraced these characters and it’s great to finally give them a version to call their own.”

Singapore – Popular beverage company Coca-Cola has announced the launch of Coke&GO webapp in Singapore. Paired with touch-free smart coolers at select tertiary institutions, students and faculty staff in the country can now enjoy a seamless way to grab and enjoy their favourite beverages at over 15 smart coolers.

The introduction of the Coke&GO webapp exemplifies Coca-Cola’s commitment to innovation, adapting to the changing needs and expectations of today’s tech-savvy customers. 

The webapp offers consumers a convenient and personalized experience, including saved payment methods, purchase history, and contactless payment for effortless transactions. Moreover, consumers can access a variety of Coca-Cola beverages and enjoy rewards at the same time.

To date, the Coke&GO webapp has over 3,500 users across Singapore, including over 1,800 students from Singapore Polytechnic. Over the coming months, Coca-Cola will roll out up to 20 smart coolers islandwide.

Khoo Ewe Leong, vice president for commercial at Coca-Cola Beverages Singapore said, “We are excited to debut our latest refreshment revolution, the Coke&GO webapp paired with touch-free smart coolers, designed to unlock the ultimate self-serve beverage experience. Driven by our commitment to provide innovative solutions that enhance consumers’ daily lives, we invite our consumers to embrace the future today with our Coke&GO webapp and touch-free smart coolers.”

Meanwhile, Sam Way, head of offline-to-online at Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific, commented, “The twin engines of retail innovation and digitally-savvy consumers are driving the food and beverage landscape. We are excited to help transform the refreshment experience for consumers at any time of the day.”

He added, “As technology advances and options expand, consumers’ expectations are ever-increasing. Driven by convenience and speed, consumers are always looking to not only be but also delighted, especially in the FMCG space. At Coca-Cola, we recognize this and want to transform the way we engage with our consumers.”

Singapore – Global financial services company Mastercard has announced the revamp of its ‘Mastercard Experience Center’ in Singapore which offers visitors a chance to experience what the future of commerce looks like. The experience centre is just one of six centres globally, with others located in London, Stockholm, Dubai, Mexico City and New York City.

The revitalization of the Singapore innovation space coincides with the release of Mastercard’s Future of Payments report which highlights three broad trends that have the potential to collectively expand prosperity and inclusion in the digital economy. 

Correspondingly, many of the innovation space’s new exhibits and technology demos bring these trends to life by blending the digital and physical across screens, tactile tables and lab spaces, creating an immersive, interactive experience for visitors.

The MEC in Singapore acts as a regional Asia Pacific hub for Mastercard to conduct customer workshops, executive roundtables and employee events. It also serves as an innovation space and R&D lab where consumer insights, needs and trends are identified, helping to inform white space, blue sky innovation and actionable product development roadmaps for the next 12 to 24 months.

Sandeep Malhotra, executive vice president, products and innovation for Asia-Pacific at Mastercard, said, “In the coming years, a convergence of forces will redefine and reshape commerce, transforming how people pay and get paid. The Mastercard Experience Center is designed as a portal to that future, a place where customers and partners can virtually experience that future today, and where we’re only limited by the power of our collective imaginations.”

He added, “By guiding visitors through the future economy, Mastercard aims to bring abstract concepts to life, to inspire purposeful innovation and co-creation of the technologies of tomorrow.”

Singapore –  Xiaohongshu (Red), a lifestyle-sharing site in China has appointed Nativex to be its official cross-border marketing agency, enabling brands and developers from around the world to benefit from user growth on the platform.

By using the user-generated content (UGC) capability, Xiaohongshu provides brands and developers with an engaging and authentic avenue for connecting with users, encouraging engagement, and creating brand identities. With its user population, engagement rates, user loyalty, and influence, the platform has grown to be a destination for many brands.

Nativex is able to provide digital marketing solutions for brands and developers thanks to their knowledge of Xiaohongshu’s user demographics and behavioural patterns. This knowledge enables them to engage audiences, increase user engagement, and experience company growth. Nativex gives its clients the tools they need to maximise their presence on the platform and achieve this by utilising this knowledge.

Speaking about the collaboration, Yuan Lang, head of Xiaohongshu’s commercial channels, said, “Nativex has garnered the trust of numerous global brands and developers through its professionalism and innovative approach. We eagerly anticipate partnering with Nativex to cater to an even wider spectrum of international brands in the future.”

Meanwhile, Cheryl Huang, senior vice president of Nativex, expressed, “Nativex is thrilled to apply our professional expertise and vast experience to support brands and developers in harnessing the immense user base of Xiaohongshu and attaining commercial success in the Chinese market. Whether the objective is to boost brand visibility, promote products, foster user engagement, or drive sales growth, we are dedicated to delivering tangible results.”

Singapore – Singapore is set to retire its 3G services across its local telcos by July 31, 2024. According to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), all three local telcos providing 3G–namely Singtel, StarHub and M1–will all retire their 3G services and make way for the rapid growth of 5G connectivity.

All three telcos aforementioned have released their separate statements detailing the 3G shutdown, and also offering users ways and means to properly move towards 5G connectivity.

3G connectivity was first introduced in the country 20 years ago, and was followed with 4G developments in the mid-2010s and 5G in 2022.

“Overall, close to 99% of Singapore’s mobile subscribers are currently on 4G/5G. As of April 2023, the 3G subscriber base makes up approximately 1% of the total mobile subscriptions and it is on the decline,” IMDA stated.

With Singapore retiring its 3G services, IMDA expects that more spectrum can be released for investment in 5G to provide a better experience for users and support enterprises undergoing digital transformation.

In addition, retailers will also no longer be able to sell 3G mobile phones and/or 4G models requiring 3G for voice calls. This will take effect from 1 February 2024.

“This one-year transition period is given to allow mobile network operators (MNOs) to adequately engage and migrate their remaining 3G subscribers before retiring their 3G services. 3G subscribers should reach out to their respective MNOs for more information and assistance,” IMDA concluded.

Singapore – Global business advisory firm FTI Consulting has announced the appointment of Jane Morgan as its senior managing director for strategic communications in Singapore. She is based in Singapore and joins the Southeast Asia strategic communications leadership team.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate reputation and C-suite strategic counsel and employee engagement. She has advised senior teams across Fortune 500 firms in the Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific regions spanning a variety of corporate communications matters.

Morgan was most recently the managing director of Golin Hong Kong and head of client services for APAC at Golin Group, where she supported clients and teams across key markets including Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, Singapore, China, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States. 

Before her roles at Golin, she held director positions at Edelman and Ketchum, where she led campaigns for leading consumer brands.

Speaking on her new role, Morgan said, “FTI Consulting is at an exciting stage in its development in the region, and from a strategic communications perspective, the team is uniquely placed to offer clients true expertise in key areas such as AI, cybersecurity, ESG, digital and data, given the firm’s unique portfolio of services and experts and experience.” 

She added, “Our clients need this level of sophisticated counsel to help them navigate challenging times, and the unknown. I look forward to working with the excellent team of professionals at FTI Consulting to continue to build the business in Asia.”

Meanwhile, Mark McCall, global leader of the strategic communications segment at FTI Consulting, commented, “Jane’s extensive leadership and on-the-ground experience supporting leading corporates as they navigate their most pressing corporate communications challenges is a valuable addition to our investment in the Southeast Asia market and the region. We are thrilled to have her join our growing team.”

Singapore – Tressie Lieberman has recently been appointed as Yahoo’s new chief marketing officer. Lieberman will supervise all international marketing strategies, brand positioning, user acquisition, and customer engagement initiatives in her capacity as Yahoo’s CMO. She is going to take a part in establishing the brand’s direction and growth plan, which will enable consumers to achieve their online goals for years to come. She will report to Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo.

During the time she worked as the vice president of digital marketing and off-premise at Chipotle, Lieberman launched the Chipotle Rewards program, which gathered membership of 33 million members. She also oversaw the management of integrated marketing and delivery alliances. 

Lieberman participated in directing the brand’s identity change and the development of retail partnerships while serving as Snap Kitchen’s CMO. She also worked at Taco Bell as the vice president of digital innovation and on-demand, where she was responsible for launching influencer and social media campaigns.

Lanzone said, “To say Tressie stood out during our search process would be a massive understatement.” Tressie’s combination of core marketing skills, leadership and people skills, and strategic creativity – especially in digital and social channels – are extremely rare. She is also uniquely inspired by the chance to take the Yahoo brand to new heights, just like myself and the rest of our executive team. We can’t wait to give the keys to Tressie and watch her drive the brand forward in the years ahead.” 

Speaking on the appointment, Lieberman said, “I have always been drawn to the Yahoo brand – not only for its strong legacy, but for its immense potential.” 

She added, “The opportunity to push the boundaries and take the brand into the future is a dream. I couldn’t be more excited to work with Jim and his team to steer the path they’ve set forth through disruptive campaigns that engage with culture in new and exciting ways. With a wealth of beloved and compelling brands, the sky is truly the limit for the new Yahoo and I can’t wait to get started.”

Singapore – Grab has announced that it will acquire Trans-cab, one of the largest taxi operators in the country. The acquisition will cover Trans-cab’s taxi and car rental business, maintenance workshop, and fuel pump operations. At the moment, Trans-cab’s combined taxi and private-hire-vehicle (PHV) fleet has more than 2,500 vehicles registered.

Grab plans to launch an enhanced Grab Driver application that will be integrated with the Mobile Display Units in Trans-cab taxis. The app will enable Trans-cab taxi drivers to manage their earnings and receive bookings from the Grab platform as well as Trans-cab’s existing call centre, all through a single platform. 

With Grab’s allocation technology, Trans-cab drivers will be assigned bookings in a highly efficient and intelligent way, maximising their productivity so they can earn more. 

Moreover, Trans-cab drivers that join the Grab platform will also receive benefits offered to all Grab driver-partners, including free coverage through Grab’s Personal Accident Insurance whenever they are online on the Grab platform, as well as access to GrabAcademy, where they can pick up skills from a wide range of free courses from data analytics to supply chain management and digital marketing. Driver-partners can also participate in Grab’s loyalty programs for additional rewards.

Teo Kiang Ang, founder and chairman of Trans-cab, said, “Trans-cab is very close to my heart, and our taxi drivers are like family. Together with them, we grew Trans-cab from just a small fleet of 50 taxis two decades ago, to become Singapore’s second largest taxi company at one point. As we consider their future and what is best for them, I feel assured that with Grab, we have found the right partner to hand over Trans-cab to, who will do what is best for the drivers and the business.”

Meanwhile, Yee Wee Tang, managing director at Grab Singapore, commented, “Teo’s story is truly inspiring. He built multiple successful businesses from humble beginnings and we’re incredibly proud to continue part of his legacy. Trans-cab is a very well-run taxi company and there is a lot that we can learn from Mr. Teo and the Trans-cab team. We look forward to welcoming the Trans-cab fleet and team into ours.”

He added, “We see this as a strategic match with win-win-win outcomes for all. By boosting the number of drivers on our platform and helping them to operate more efficiently, we improve how quickly and reliably we find a ride for our passengers, whenever they need one.”

Singapore – The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has issued the ‘Code of Practice for Online Safety’, which mitigates risk of harmful social media content to Singaporeans, especially to children. In addition, the new code has also instructed platforms to not serve advertisements to accounts owned by children.

The categories of harmful content covered by the code are: sexual content, violent content, suicide and self-harm content, cyberbullying content, content endangering public health, and content facilitating vice and organised crime.

Through the new safety code, IMDA has ordered online platforms to apply age-appropriate policies to accounts belonging to children, including having a set of community guidelines appropriate for children, content moderation, and online safety information that children can easily understand. 

Moreover, local users will be empowered with tools to manage their own safety. These may include tools to hide harmful content and unwanted interactions, limit location sharing and the visibility of their accounts from other users.

“Tackling the threat of harmful online content is a global issue which requires a whole-of-society effort. The Singapore Government has strengthened our regulatory framework and will continue its efforts in ensuring that regulatory and public education measures can address the growing range of harmful online content and protect Singapore users against online harms. IMDA will continue to work closely with SMSs to enhance Singapore’s Online Safety,” IMDA said in a statement.

Singapore – Carousell has partnered with car-as-a-subscription company Carzuno to offer the ‘Carousell Car Subscription’ in Singapore, a fully digital service that allows users to choose and return their automobile without leaving their homes, leveraging the recently announced Carousell Certified program for Cars.

Singaporeans who are new to car ownership are said to prefer more efficient options such as car subscriptions, which reduce concerns about costs such as insurance, road tax, maintenance, servicing, down payment, and bank loans, while also allowing them to switch between different car models to meet changing needs or test a model before purchasing, avoiding the inconveniences associated with traditional car rental and car sharing.

Users can choose a duration ranging from one to 24 months, benefiting from low monthly subscription rates. The website provides transparent pricing for all cars, catering to a wide range of budgets and needs.

Sanjay Shivkumar, Carousell Singapore’s head of autos, said, “Besides being known for being able to buy and sell second-hand cars, Carousell has the largest platform for rental cars in Singapore. In recent years, we have had more requests to offer car subscription services as well, and we have seen growing demand globally, especially among eco-conscious drivers who want to use electric vehicles without the hefty price tag. 

He added, “Hence, we are excited to partner with Carzuno launch a service that puts our users’ convenience first, and provides more choice.”

Meanwhile, Kim Jonsson, CEO at Carzuno, said, “Combining Carousell’s reach of 1 in 3 Singaporeans as monthly active users with our large fleet and variety of 50 car models, we are excited to give Singaporeans more flexibility and freedom in driving the car of their choice. It is as simple as filling in a three-minute form, uploading a copy of your driver’s licence, adding fuel to the car and enjoying your drive. Users can also have the peace of mind that the cars available are in tip-top condition from regular servicing and maintenance.”