Tag: Singapore

Singapore – The recent FMCG brand rankings by YouGov has revealed that food brand Maggi and hygiene product brand Dettol are the most-considered fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands in Singapore.

Based on YouGov’s BrandIndex’s Consideration score, Maggi scored 30.3 points whilste Dettol scored 34.2 points. Said metric is a measure of likelihood of purchase from the category.

Next up on the food rankings were snack brands Calbee (27.5 points) and Oreo (25.9 points), followed by the first local brand to make the ranking, Singaporean biscuit manufacturer Khong Guan (23.0 points). 

Meanwhile, American potato chip brands Lay’s (22.7 points) and Pringles (22.3) – ranked in fifth and sixth – were within 0.4 points of each other, with Japanese convenience food and instant noodle company Nissin closely behind (22.2 points). Sweet snack Pocky (18.6 points), Malaysia-headquartered biscuit brand Julie’s (18.3 points) and Japanese biscuit Hello Panda (18.3 points) rounded off the top ten.

In the personal care product category, Unilever brands Dove (26.0 points), Lifebuoy (19.9 points) were next to come after first-ranked Dettol, followed by Lion Japan’s Kirei Kirei (18.6 points).

In addition, The Body Shop was ranked in fifth (18.1 points), with Japan-formulated body wash Shokubutsu closely behind (16.9 points). P&G’s Gillette was the next most-considered in seventh place (14.6 points), followed by its dandruff shampoo brand Head & Shoulders in ninth (12.2).

Lastly, skin and body care brand NIVEA was ranked eighth (13.6), while feminine hygiene product manufacturer Kotex rounded off the top ten most-considered personal care brands (12.2 points).

In a recent report, YouGov has also recently recognised DBS and POSB as the most-considered banking brands in the country. Meanwhile, in overall brand rankings, the country’s airline carrier Singapore Airlines emerged as the top brand for 2022, bagging the spot for five consecutive years.

Singapore – Popeyes in Singapore has launched a new campaign to promote its new Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets—in a rather quirky way. The catch? The chain invites Singaporeans to call its hotline and bare their life vents and complaints, in exchange for chicken.

Conceptualised alongside creative consultancy agency Happiness Saigon, a hotline was set up which gives callers a six-piece chicken nugget order for free.

Jazz Tonna, partner and creative director at Happiness Saigon, said, “We know people love to vent about life’s little problems. It makes you feel better. With stress levels rising globally and good food being proven to reduce stress, we set up the Popeyes Chicken Hotline. Now when life gives you problems, Popeyes gives you chicken.”

Happiness Saigon is also the agency behind a recent campaign with Carlsberg in Vietnam, which rewards someone with a free pint of Carlsberg beer if they manage to say the brand name right. 

Singapore – Community Chest, the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore, has launched a new campaign that aims to showcase the ‘potential’ of every individual. With its mission to add value to every person’s life, the campaign is also an encouragement for everyone to give donations to assist in the organisation’s support for children and adults with vulnerabilities and special needs. 

Community chest provides social services to children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and seniors and families in need of assistance. 

Titled ‘Champion Every Potential’, the 90-second campaign was developed together with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, who won the account in a pitch last July.

The campaign features 23-year-old Aurora, a dancer and painter with down’s syndrome and 45-year-old housewife Rushsidah, a graduate of a peer support specialist programme under the Social Service Institute, the human capital and development arm of NCSS. Both are supported by Community Chest.

Pearlyn Tseng, director of communications and marketing of NCSS, commented that their service users are a champion on their own and have the power to reach their full potential.

She added, “We have progressed from the early days, where we supported the basic needs of service users, to journeying alongside them to empower them to achieve their potential. We look forward to more partners joining us to uplift communities in need and build a caring and inclusive home for all.”

According to the org, the donations gathered from the campaign will be used to support over 100 social service agencies that run 200 social service programs.

The campaign will run across multiple channels including television, social media and OOH. 

Singapore – Global creative and media agency VaynerMedia has appointed Chan Woei Hern as the head of creative for Asia-Pacific, where he will further strengthen its credentials as an integrated consumer-centric agency in the region.

The seasoned creative brings with him an experience in the advertising world across the creative, media, content and film segments. He previously served as the executive creative director of VMLY&R Commerce for Malaysia and Southeast Asia, where he integrated and accelerated growth in the areas of creative commerce.

Woei Hern has also led the creative teams at advertising agencies Naga DDB, dentsu, and Ensemble and has worked with brands such as Grab, Nippon Paint, Maxis Communications, Petronas and Munchy’s.

In his new role, he will be reporting to Tim Lindley, managing director of VaynerMedia APAC.

Lindley said that when they started to find a successor for VJ Anand, who was recently promoted to the ECD position for the EMEA region, Woei Hern was on the top of their list. 

Lindley added, “His excitement for our attention-first model, his curiosity across platforms, and his passion to develop great people make us even more excited about the next phase of our growth. Woei Hern is an exceptional creative talent, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the team.”

Meanwhile, Woei Hern commented on how inspiring the energy is in the media agency. 

He added, “I can’t wait to see what an amazing adventure this will be to bring the culture to life through the work we do together as a team.”-

Last November 2022, one of the leaders of VaynerMedia APAC, Jonathan Gerard, who is its head of production, joined MARKETECH APAC as one of the speakers at the webinar, What’s NEXT 2023: Influencer Marketing in APAC. As part of the panel discussion, Gerard shared his insights on how brands should best engage with influencers as their content creator partners.

Singapore – Pizza Hut in Singapore has appointed global marketing agency TEAM LEWIS as its agency of record for integrated communications, including public relations as well as social media content creation and management.

The mandate, which started in January this year, will aid Pizza Hut Singapore in amplifying its brand story and bring its passion and celebration of pizzas to life. The agency is also responsible for providing consultancy and handling media relations, as well as content creation for social media while maintaining a prominent and consistent identity across communication channels. 

Jayss Rajoo, director of marketing and food innovation at Pizza Hut Singapore, commented on the appointment, “As the largest pizza chain in Singapore, we remain dedicated to continuously reinventing ourselves to stay relevant to our ever-changing customers’ needs. TEAM LEWIS won by a mile – having demonstrated a strategic understanding of the nuances of the Pizza Hut brand, our customers, and the Singapore market.” 

Rajoo added, “The team delivered creative strategies that embody our needs holistically, and we look forward to working with TEAM LEWIS to weave our brand identity into narratives that will boost our position as a thought leader in the F&B industry and a leading brand in the QSR space.” 

Meanwhile, Pamela Tor Das, managing director at TEAM LEWIS Singapore said, “The food and beverage industry is constantly changing in the face of ever-increasing food options. We are thrilled to partner with Pizza Hut Singapore and look forward to further cementing its position as Singapore’s favourite pizza QSR brand through creative campaigns and storytelling.”

TEAM LEWIS has also handled mandates for HMD Global and Singapore’s National Youth Council.

Singapore – Google’s year-end rankings in Search for Singapore in 2022 have revealed that Singaporean consumers are seeking to be in control of their identities, lifestyles, and what they value. 

The report has identified three key consumer trends based on search behaviours by Singaporeans that marketers can leverage to optimise their marketing strategies. These are ‘soul searching’, ‘value hunting’, and ‘finding joy’.

According to the report, Singaporeans sought more information on the well-loved travel destination Japan, as search interest in ‘Japan culture’ rose by 20%. The report also showed that the search interest in ‘gender inequality’ grew by 50%, signifying Singaporeans’ support of diverse identities.

In terms of value hunting, the search interest for ‘inflation’ grew by 160% as Singaporeans increasingly reassess what they consider to be of value and give attention to economic trends. Keywords like ‘recommendations’ and ‘top rated’ were also amongst the top searches, as consumers consider trust in brands even more.

Moreover, the report found that Singaporeans are looking for more ways to treat themselves and endeavour in post-pandemic revenge travel, with keyword ‘flight tickets’ gaining a 430% increase in search interest. 

It was also unveiled that Singaporeans are looking more into convenience, with the virtual clinic ‘doctor anywhere’ gaining a 260% search interest.

Singapore – Amadea Choo, formerly the head of marketing at SHOPLINE, has been appointed by Flash Coffee as its new head of marketing in Singapore. In her new role, she will be overseeing the development and implementation of Flash Coffee’s marketing strategies and play a key role in directing attention towards their brand.

During her stint at SHOPLINE, Choo led and grew a high-performing team that drove growth and awareness of SHOPLINE. She is also the founder and CEO of business consulting VFPLUSC, and was also the lead for the Singapore Fashion Week at Mercury Marketing & Communications.

She brings into Flash Coffee a proven track record of driving growth and success in various industries, including e-commerce, fashion, retail, and start-ups that come with her remarkable decade of experience in the field.

Speaking on her appointment, she said, “Marketing is more than creative ideas and campaigns but being able to use the different facets of Marketing as levers to solve problems for human beings. Flash Coffee is a lifestyle brand that transforms lives and I am thrilled to be joining the team in this dynamic season of growth to share our mission with more people. It also gives me great pleasure to join hands with a highly competent senior leadership team to scale the business in a tech-driven manner.”

Choo’s appointment follows the recent brand campaign of Flash Coffee alongside plant milk startup OATSIDE, which encourages customers to try out alternative milk options.

Singapore – Recommerce platform Carousell has launched a new end-to-end service ‘Sell to Carousell’ in Singapore; the latest movement of the platform following its acquisition of Laku6, an Indonesian electronics recommerce platform, in the early part of H2 2022.

The new service affords users in Singapore an advanced option to sell their mobile phones directly to Carousell in under 24 hours from the comfort of their homes or by dropping off their phones at any iStudio outlet, the Apple premium reseller.

At the heart of the new solution is the quick on-the-spot diagnosis which is made possible through Laku6’s proprietary AI-first diagnostic technology. Carousell is able to inspect the condition of secondhand mobile phones in under two minutes and confirm the final quote through its own smart pricing algorithm.

Quek Siu Rui, Group CEO and co-founder of the Carousell Group, shared that since the integration of Laku6, they have seen a growth of 55% in the past half year alone in mobile phone transactions.

“There is huge potential for electronics recommerce in Greater Southeast Asia, which is slated to grow over 2.5X to US$18.6 billion by 2026, and Carousell Group is well placed to cement our leadership,” said Quek.

Founder of Laku6 Alvin Yap shared that since finding out consumers’ sentiment of seeing the activity of selling their mobile phones as burdensome through their own user research, they have been working on developing solutions tailored to local market needs.

“Since the soft launch in September 2022, the program has shown signs of a strong product market fit with thousands of phones processed,” said Yap.

The process for ‘Sell to Carousell’ starts with users filling in a short form about their phone condition on the app or website to get an estimated quote. Afterwards, users will be able to choose if they want to have a Carousell agent visit their home for device inspection and have an instant payout or visit a physical store themselves to complete the process.

This process has been made fully automated to remove the element of human error during assessment, at the same time, allows users the flexibility to change their minds on selling with no obligations upon receiving the final quote.

According to Quek, they would soon be launching similar products in Vietnam and Malaysia through its brands Cho Tot and Mudah.my respectively. He further revealed that the group’s next milestone is to provide an advanced option to buy certified mobile phones that would come with warranty for users who want to buy secondhand with peace of mind. 

“These will give our users more choice and flexibility on how they wish to shop secondhand,” Quek added

Singapore – Committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs, Media investment company GroupM has officially launched its newest and largest agency EssenceMediaCom, which will provide modern integrated media solutions for brands. With pioneer agencies Essence and Mediacom joining forces, the breakthrough agency will deliver performance, data, analytics and creative technology DNA with scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise.

EssenceMediaCom comprises 10,000 people across 120 offices in 96 markets. The agency’s global roster includes Adidas, Bayer, Dell, Google, Mars, NBCUniversal, PlayStation, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company and Uber.

Through EssenceMediacom’s Operating System (EMOS), the modular suite of tools and data will connect Essence, MediaCom and GroupM’s technology to make it available for the agency’s teams and clients across the globe.

GroupM, being the media investment management arm of WPP, will be able to access the richest data, most robust benchmarks and most advanced capabilities in the market. This will make the agency in providing comprehensive solutions for all marketing challenges.

Rupert McPetrie, CEO of EssenceMediacom’s APAC expressed his excitement about combining Essence and MediaCom. He also highlighted that they look forward to working together and continually push media possibilities with category-defining innovations.

Meanwhile, global CEO of EssenceMediacom Nick Lawson said, “What will underpin our groundbreaking agency is our people, and we will be steadfast in our commitment to provide an environment of continuous learning so they can grow and be the best they can be. Together, and with analytics, data and technology at our heart, I have no doubt we will deliver breakthroughs across our entire client base.”

Lastly, Christian Juhl, global CEO of GroupM added, “The fusion of Essence’s measurement and data-driven DNA with MediaCom’s scale and strategic expertise creates something truly unique in the marketplace.”

GroupM announced the agency merger of Essence and MediaCom with the integration of Mindshare and Neo back in 2022. This was made to help clients in adjusting to the evolving media landscape and provide them with performance solutions.

Singapore – Amidst continuing its growth in Singapore and the broader Asia-Pacific region, marketing technology developer Broadsign has appointed Veronica Ong as its new sales director in Southeast Asia. She will be responsible for supporting the regional sales team in strengthening Broadsign’s partner offering and growing its portfolio of DOOH clients across the region.

Ong brings with her a strong background in OOH and sales. In her previous roles, she led the team of JCDecaux’s strategic and airport advertising accounts where she collaborated with major global brands buying ad space on the OOH leader’s network. She also managed sales for all media platforms for street furniture, retail malls, cinema, and large format advertising in the Singapore region.

Even before joining JCDecaux, she held a range of sales roles across multiple advertising mediums, including publishing at SPH Magazines in the fashion and beauty division.

Remi Roques, general manager at Broadsign, commented, “We’re incredibly thrilled to have Veronica join the team, especially at a very exciting time when we’re expanding our platform’s capabilities to support customer growth in 2023 and beyond.”

Roques added, “Her industry experience and passion for OOH are a tremendous asset to our team, and will help us continue reaching our goals.”

Meanwhile, Ong commends Broadsign for its offering and customer service which she personally experienced on the client side of her former role.

She added, “It has built the best OOH platform available for media operators of any size, and I look forward to working with the team to continue growing the business.”