Tag: Singapore

Singapore – AirAsia launched the “YASSS to Holiday Quickies” project, which aims to revive Singaporeans’ love of travel and adventure. 

Originally launched in 2019 as “Holiday Quickies,” this travel advertisement has sparked the desire to travel and adventurous spirit of many Singaporeans. AirAsia’s network of 130 destinations, including 15 direct routes from Singapore, has been embraced by tourists seeking the beauty of fast travel by enabling them to go on short, stimulating trips.

On Saturday, July 29, 2023, AirAsia launched PlayLive!, a voice-activation game on Clear Channel Singapore’s digital screen, where participants had a chance to win free flights by screaming “YASSS” for 10 seconds, enhancing AirAsia’s brand image as a lifestyle-oriented airline.

Speaking about the launch, Logan Velaitham, CEO of AirAsia Singapore, expressed, “We are excited to relaunch this successful campaign in Singapore with the return of our popular ‘YASSS to Holiday Quickies.’”

He added,  “What better way to reintroduce it than partnering with Clear Channel’s interactive voice-activation digital screen to not only get our guests to scream on top of their lungs for free flights, but also get our brand on top of their minds for future travel opportunities.” 

“As we are back in full swing with frequencies and capacities akin to pre-pandemic levels, with 15 destinations from Singapore, we look forward to flying Singaporeans to their much-needed and well-deserved holiday locations, always at the best-value fares possible,” Velaitham said. 

Singapore – Over nine in ten Singaporean business leaders say they are currently facing challenges or have experienced challenges in the last 12 months, with 47% of those saying it say they are challenged regarding their strategies in establishing connections with their customers. This was according to the latest study from global software company HubSpot.

According to the data, only around 41% feel that their sales and marketing teams and 38% of customer service teams can effectively connect with prospects. On top of that, close to half (43%) say that growth is slowing and the strategies that have worked in the past are becoming less effective. 

In addition, 28% of Singapore business leaders say that they are experiencing challenges related to data and systems. Some reasons cited are cobbled systems and data that doesn’t flow, too much data that are of poor quality and is inaccessible and finally, not having enough data.

Meanwhile, around 85% of Singaporean consumers have had a negative experience with brands they engaged with or purchased from since the start of 2023. From the research, the biggest pain points for consumer buyers are being inundated with irrelevant marketing materials (40%) and feeling like brands lack interest in improving their service (34%). 

B2B buyers are no different, with 30% also citing issues that brands show a lack of interest in improving services. Another issue B2B buyers are feeling is the fact that brands have poor expertise or low competency among staff (31%).

Kat Warboys, director for APAC at HubSpot, said, “Getting ghosted is never a good sign — it’s a symptom of a deeper misalignment between your GTM strategy and your current and prospective audience. And if it isn’t addressed, companies end up wasting time and money on campaigns that are falling on deaf ears.”

She also added that disconnection shows up in a brand’s ability to reach their audience — both prospective and existing customers alike in a meaningful and valuable way. For her Companies will not win by focusing on customer management, but by focusing on customer connection, and that businesses need a connected customer growth strategy to succeed.

“Consumers in Singapore have some of the highest expectations in the world. Superior customer service, communication channels that meet you where you are, and brands with seamless digital experiences are becoming the new differentiator. This is a business problem because the future, as determined by your customers, is connected experiences. The pendulum is swinging back. And like those societal shifts that came before, businesses must adapt and respond”, she concluded.

Singapore – Singaporean media company Stellar Ace has unveiled the ‘Green Package’, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support all companies that need to promote their environment friendly efforts. 

Being a part of Stellar Ace’s ‘Green Journey’ workflow, the new offering will be focusing on sustainability,  considering the entire life cycle of each client’s advertising campaign, from the supplies and processes used, to end-of-life recycling.

In this light, Green Package will be committed to the use of eco-friendly FSC certified paper and environmentally friendly inks for printed materials. Large format displays will also be using PET backlit materials and the most recyclable plastic available, ensuring high vividness and contrast for client advertisements while remaining environmentally friendly.

Stellar Ace’s Green Package offers two features with the first one being that every asset purchased by a client to promote their ESG initiatives will be matched by Stellar Ace, effectively doubling the client’s ESG efforts at no additional cost.

The second feature is that clients can choose from three network solution bundles namely Planet Save, Happy Forest and Eco-view which combine OOH, DOOH and Online assets, and are available at half the cost for ESG driven content. Each package will save an estimated 0.022 tons of CO2e in carbon footprint and 199.73 tons of CO2e in light savings per unit. Additionally, the production cost of the free assets will be absorbed by Stellar Ace.

Speaking on this, Jeslyn Tan, managing director of Stellar Ace, said, “We have a responsibility to our planet, and the time to act is now. The Green Package represents our commitment to sustainability and offers our clients a tangible way to enhance their own green initiatives.”

Singapore – To strengthen payments and digital marketing throughout DFS’ broad network of brick-and-mortar and online retailers, DFS Group and Ant Group have partnered together in a global partnership. Because of Alipay+ it would enable DFS to provide its clients with an inclusive digital experience as it recognizes the trend of consumers adopting digital lives.

In this partnership, DFS and Ant will collaborate to deploy marketing cooperation, thereby increasing DFS’s visibility directly within Alipay and Alipay+ partner wallets’ apps. This collaboration aims to offer more targeted, personalised, and relevant rewards to shoppers, including exclusive offers, to enhance their shopping experience.

By integrating Alipay+ as a payment option, DFS enables cross-border payment acceptance from mobile wallets, making it convenient for travellers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand to use their home mobile wallets for payments. 

Speaking about the partnership, Long Chiu, executive vice president, global marketing and digital ventures of DFS Group, said, “This alliance with Ant Group is not just about numbers and statistics, it’s about creating a seamless and exceptional experience for travellers and shoppers. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction will be elevated to new heights through this collaboration.”

He added, “With Ant’s expertise and our passion for innovation and providing unforgettable services, there is no doubt that we will achieve remarkable success together.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ offline merchant services, Ant Group, expressed, “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with DFS, evolving to now incorporating more mobile wallets, marketing capabilities and D-Store online-offline integration via Alipay+.” 

She added, “DFS is a favourite retail destination amongst tourist right at the beginning and end of their trip, and we believe this partnership will sweeten travellers’ experience. As travel resumes, we aim to help more brands cater to these new digital-first habits and drive continued visibility and growth for them.”

Singapore – DoubleVerify, a software platform for digital media measurement, data, and analytics, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Scibids Technology SAS, a global AI-powered digital campaign optimization.

With the help of Scibids’ AI technology and media quality and performance data, along with DV’s product real-time campaign optimizations, advertisers will be able to accomplish real-time campaign optimization without the use of third-party cookies because of the acquisition. The transition from a performance proxy to observable business results is in line with advertiser goals.

Scibids creates AI technology that improves programmatic digital ad campaign buying for advertisers. Scibids AI develops personalised bidding algorithms that are in line with the advertiser’s particular KPIs and intended results by using DSP impression level data, first-party data, and measurement data from brands or agencies.

Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said, “The acquisition of Scibids is a decisive step in our journey to power superior campaign outcomes that started with developing and delivering the industry standard in media quality insights and has evolved into putting that data to work for advertisers.” 

He added, “The combination marries DV’s proprietary data with Scibids’ AI-powered optimization technology, letting us empower brands with unparalleled insights and control over their advertising performance.”

Speaking about the partnership, Remi Lemonnier,CEO and co-founder of Scibids, remarked, “DoubleVerify is a company that shares our commitment to independence, innovation and maximizing media performance, and we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level.” 

“This partnership will amplify the capabilities of our customizable AI technology and expand its impact across the digital advertising ecosystem to strengthen the open web. We look forward to working with the entire DV team to deliver new opportunities and maximize campaign outcomes for our global advertisers and partners,” Lemonnier added. 

Singapore – Singaporean mobile network operator M1 has announced an exclusive partnership with regional content-streaming startup Eazie TV to launch a new live TV streaming service optimised for a variety of platforms.

In the partnership, M1 will be adapting Eazie TV’s features in an app subscription, offering an efficient means of access where customers only need to download the app and sign up to immediately enjoy the available content offerings.

The app will offer over 75 live TV channels, including networks like History, CNN, TLC, AXN, Discovery, Nickelodeon, Hunan TV International, and more. Customers can watch their preferred live and on-demand programming from top international and Asian networks in popular categories like news, entertainment, sports, movies, documentaries, lifestyle, kids, and Asian.

Customers can watch content on as many as four streaming devices at home or on the go with a single membership account. Users of M1 pay S$19.98 per month for subscriptions, whereas non-M1 users pay S$24.98.

Existing M1 customers on M1 mobile, fibre and Maxx plans will also be receiving a free 30-days of access on their first subscription.

Singapore – Singtel has launched a short film titled “From Mudflats to Smart Nation” to celebrate Singapore’s 58th National Day.

The 23-minute documentary celebrates the nation’s growth and success as a global economic hub and pays tribute to the 100th birth anniversary of Singapore’s founding prime minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.

The film delves into Mr. Lee’s visionary ideas for the nation and commemorates his famous quote from 1965, where he envisioned transforming Singapore from humble mudflats into a thriving metropolis.

Mr. Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel Group CEO, expressed his delight in supporting Singapore’s development over the decades, from pioneering satellite services and laying the first submarine cable to providing fiber and internet access to every household.

Further, Moon emphasized the critical role of telecoms and technology in ensuring better lives and livelihoods, especially evident during the recent global pandemic.

In a statement from Ms. Lian Pek, Singtel’s vice president of strategic communications and brand, she highlighted how Singapore’s economic success is intertwined with its clever use of telecoms and technology, allowing the city-state to leapfrog ahead of competitors and give its citizens a head start in nation-building.

Meanwhile, the film’s release is a crucial moment for Singapore, reflecting its growth and the pivotal role of technology in shaping its identity as a Smart Nation. 

Singapore – Food delivery company Deliveroo and super app platform Gojek have announced that they have entered into a long term partnership, aimed at enhancing the user experience of their customer base in Singapore.

As part of the broad partnership, the two companies will introduce extensive new benefits and drive impactful cross-platform savings for both Deliveroo and Gojek users. 

Both companies will also work together on joint initiatives that build customer loyalty and create increased earnings opportunities for driver-partners and delivery-riders across both platforms. In addition, Deliveroo and Gojek will look to explore other possible areas for deeper alignment and collaboration, including community engagement and sustainability.

Moreover, co-branded Deliveroo and Gojek voucher packs can also be purchased via the Gojek app offering significant discounts to users. Available in ‘Lite’ and ‘Standard’ bundles, users can avail of combined savings on their food delivery and ride-hailing needs. Combined voucher bundles will also be available for purchase on ShopBack, providing even greater value for customers. 

Lien Choong Luen, general manager at Gojek Singapore, said, “As two of the leading providers in on-demand services, joining forces with Deliveroo makes a lot of sense for us. By collaborating across ride-hailing and food delivery services, not only are we able to bring additional value and exciting new benefits to customers, but this partnership will also help to provide increased earnings opportunities for our driver-partners.” 

He added, “Ensuring that they can build a sustainable livelihood on our platform will always be a priority for us, and collaborating with like-minded partners, such as Deliveroo, has an important role to play in helping us to achieve that goal. This long-term partnership is just the start and we look forward to working closely with Deliveroo to drive greater convenience and meet the changing needs of all our users across Singapore.” 

Meanwhile, Jason Parke, general manager at Deliveroo Singapore, commented, “Through this partnership with Gojek, Deliveroo reaffirms its commitment to enhancing offerings to consumers. Beyond that, we will also be able to create greater visibility for Deliveroo merchants to a wider pool of consumers. We have identified these synergies with Gojek as we work towards our mutual goal of providing convenience, value and the best service to our partners who keep us fed and get us where we need to go.”

He added, “With National Day around the corner, we further celebrate the nation’s milestone by bringing greater value to consumers through convenience and savings, along with wider contributions towards the daily lives of Singaporeans and the economy.” 

Singapore – NCS, a provider of technology firm services, has appointed Dentsu Singapore as its brand agency of record. The appointment expands dentsu’s remit as NCS’s incumbent lead agency partner since 2021.

As the official brand agency of record for NCS in the Asia-Pacific region, Dentsu Singapore will make use of its B2B solutions and integrated marketing knowledge to innovate for NCS. Dentsu is charged with providing strategic advice and recommendations across all brand touchpoints, and this assistance will be essential in elevating NCS during its upcoming stage.

Speaking about the appointment, Prakash Kamdar, CEO of clients and solutions, SEA, and CEO of Dentsu Singapore and Indonesia, commented, “As a network that takes a people-centered approach to business transformation, we are delighted to be able to support NCS’s vision to harness technology to advance communities and shape society.” 

He added, “This is an enduring relationship that has sparked remarkable brand outcomes in the region, and we are confident of scaling the NCS brand to new heights as we embark on our expanded partnership with this appointment.”

Meanwhile, Abigail Crosby, managing director, Merkle B2B, CXM Group, dentsu Singapore, expressed, “We are deeply appreciative for the opportunity to continue our work with NCS, helping to evolve the brand in the region. The best brand experience can only be delivered when it is thought through every touchpoint of the client journey, agnostic of the platform and content format.” 

“Our dentsu team is able to provide and demonstrate this holistic expertise and consultancy and we are thrilled that this shone through and enabled us to renew the partnership with NCS,” Crosby said. 

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.”