Singapore – Scoot, the low-cost airline subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has named global communications agency BCW as its public relation agency partner in Singapore, following a closed-door competitive presentation process.
Through the mandate win, BCW will work with Scoot to raise awareness of the brand and reputation in the market, along with the safe and gradual resumption of international air travel.
For Cindy Lim, market leader at BCW Singapore, they are excited to work with the airline, noting that Scoot has been a household name and an ‘innovation-driven, youthful’ brand, one that invokes a sense of adventure.
“Singapore is, and will continue to be, a critical hub for both travel and tourism and strategic communications in Asia-Pacific, and our focus will be on leveraging our earned-plus capabilities to reach people wherever they are for Scoot as it enters its next phase of growth,” Lim stated.
Meanwhile, Agatha Yap, director for communication, brand and marketing, market partnerships and loyalty at Scoot, commented that Lim’s team immediately won them over with their understanding of the industry, clarity of thought and creative energy. She further added that they are excited to be partnering with them on their corporate communications efforts in Singapore.
“We believe passengers’ urge to travel is alive and well. Post-pandemic, we are confident Scoot’s strong value proposition, coupled with an innovative, safe and Scootitude-fuelled travel experience, will meet the demands of mass leisure travellers,” Yap stated.
Scoot had recently tapped cross-channel marketing platform Insider to create personalized, multi-channel experiences for customers on its website, therefore improving their online customer experience (CX).
Singapore – GrowthOps, a marketing technology company, has made strategic appointments to strengthen its teams in the Southeast Asia region, namely David Isaac Mathews as chief growth officer for the Southeast Asian region, Shaad Hamid as general manager for Singapore, and Chris Greenough as general manager for Malaysia.
Between Singapore and Malaysia, Hamid and Greenough will oversee a diverse team of some 200 professionals, in highly sought-after technology, user experience, creative, consulting, and marketing roles.
Prior to joining GrowthOps, Mathews was an innovation co-lead for ASEAN at EY-Parthenon’s TAS Digital, wherein he delivered digital transformation and strategy projects across a range of industries, covering business design and monetization for clients. Aside from his new role at GrowthOps, he is a mentor for Deep Technology Commercialization: formerly at Lean LaunchPad Singapore, and currently at the NUS Research Innovation Programme (GRIP) program.
“Driving growth increasingly requires regular innovation at the intersection of product and marketing strategy; our multi-disciplinary consulting and implementation teams are assembled to support that. At GrowthOps, we are guided by the customer experience and journey, and our aim is to implement the marketing technology needed to bring data-driven decision-making to the C-suite. Comprehensive marketing strategy and full-funnel marketing are the cornerstone of our best-practice methodologies, based on the learnings of what top-quartile CMO’s do to build, launch and grow,” David said regarding his appointment.
Meanwhile, Hamid’s past experience started off with DigitasLBi in Dubai, UAE as a senior account manager and then as SEO director, working on clients such as Etihad and Johnson & Johnson. He first joined GrowthOps in 2017 as the regional head of growth marketing services for Southeast Asia, a role he continues to hold up to this day alongside his new role.
“I am delighted to take up the role of GrowthOps Singapore’s General Manager, leading this brilliant team of people who bring passion, innovation, and diversity of thinking to work every day. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and we are all excited about our next phase of growth. We continue to be client-focused, hungry to create amazing work, and humbled by our responsibility to shape the future of marketing in our region – in partnership with our visionary clients,” Hamid stated.
Lastly, Greenough started off his career with FutureLab in 2011, where he was part of the founding team that would go on to become GrowthOps Malaysia after a series of acquisitions. Then in 2015, he co-founded Hyperlab, an enterprise Conversational AI startup that was acquired by global Customer Experience firm, Everise. At Everise, he was elevated to Chief Marketing Officer, where he led the rebranding of multiple acquisitions and repositioned Everise from a traditional call center into a leading digital customer experience outsourcing firm.
“My combined agency, startup and enterprise CMO experience gives me a well rounded perspective of the challenges leaders in various stages of growth and transformation encounter. Throughout my career I’ve blended the use of technology with creative marketing to build effective customer experiences. This is the working practice knowledge I bring to GrowthOps, which I hope will benefit our employees and customers,” he said regarding his new position.
Speaking about the new hires, Chee Hung Goon, CEO at GrowthOps Asia, commented, “Businesses today are rapidly evolving through digital transformation, but sustaining growth is difficult because the traditional ways of reaching a customer are no longer as impactful. We are growing, because our partners are gaining confidence from our ability to identify where their customers are, and how best to reach and retain them on digital platforms.”
Singapore – Stagwell, the global digital-first marketing and communications network based in the United States, has opened its new regional headquarters in Singapore to further drive its growth across APAC.
The new Singapore office comes as Stagwell scales its blend of transformative creative and connected solutions to brands in key growth markets worldwide. It will serve as a key geographic hub to anchor the network’s international client engagements and connect local teams with Stagwell’s platform of digital marketing services.
Following the opening of the new office, Stagwell has tapped Randy Duax, the senior vice president for executive talent, to lead APAC operations as the managing director. Duax will directly report to Mark Penn, the CEO and chairman, and will be leading the marketing talent and digital services in Singapore and APAC, serving as a direct line to global leadership.
Furthermore, Duax will be collaborating closely with Stagwell’s multiple agencies in the region, to expand the roster of Global Affiliates, including Beyond Media Group and Metric Design Studio.
Commenting on the expansion, Duax said that he is proud to contribute to the efforts in bringing the creativity, strategic, and digital expertise of Stagwell to APAC.
“I have made some of my greatest business partners – and even greater friends – in Singapore, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build out Stagwell’s anchor in this high-growth region,” added Duax.
Meanwhile, Penn said, “Singapore is the right location for Stagwell’s regional headquarters and I’m excited for the growth of our network throughout Asia-Pacific. Randy’s experience and long-term engagements in Singapore will serve our network well.”
Singapore – Income, the insurance company under NTUC, has appointed media company OMD Singapore to handle its integrated media mandate. Said mandate was won by OMD by presenting a strategic media planning approach tapping on the OMD capabilities to deliver targeted campaigns.
Said partnership will see OMD Singapore managing integrated media planning and buying campaigns for Income.
Anny Huang, head of digital business at Income, stated that with OMD’s understanding of their business and martech stack, they know that their appointment as their new media partner will bear fruit on the company’s journey towards a financial planning experience ‘made more personal’.
“Income is on a mission to better understand our customers’ needs online and offline, leveraging data and marketing technology. To keep our new brand promise of ‘Made Yours’, we need our media strategies to deliver the most seamless and delightful customer experiences as well,” Huang stated.
Meanwhile, Sadhan Mishra, managing director at OMD Singapore remarked that they are ecstatic to learn that their strategic and ‘no-nonsense approach’ to the pitch resonated with Income.
“Income understands the significance of finding the right balance between building a strong brand and delivering effective business performance. These two important elements should go in tandem to achieve successful campaigns,” Mishra stated.
He further added, “Their internal investments in people, processes and technology demonstrate progressive thinking, which is consistent with our own ambitions. This is homecoming for Income at OMD Singapore and we are excited to start this rewarding partnership.”
Singapore – EventX, the SaaS company providing hybrid event management solutions for businesses, has announced its expansion to SEA with the official launch of its Singapore operations, supporting its growth efforts in the region.
The expansion comes after EventX closed its US$10,000,000 series B funding round. According to the company, its business in Asia has grown significantly in recent years, and they are committed to continuing to expand its presence in the key Asian markets.
Sum Wong, EventX’s CEO and co-founder, shared that SEA is experiencing rapid digitalization to varying degrees, and with this, they have seen a growing hunger from businesses in Singapore to adopt technologies that would fit the needs of today’s world.
“Singapore is one of the key markets for EventX’s growth and we’re thrilled to empower our clients with a hybrid event management solution to accelerate their businesses anywhere and anytime without limitations,” said Wong.
In addition to the expansion, EventX will be offering new clients in Singapore with free platform trials, which can hold up to 1,000 attendees with unlimited time duration, which is available until December 2021.
Singapore – Pace, the fintech solutions company based in Singapore that allows customers to use BNPL service, has launched its latest campaign, transporting Singaporeans back to Technicolor 1980s.
Titled ‘I Got This’, which was created in collaboration with sole proprietor STUDIO AUTOMATIKA on the creatives, the campaign aims to bring shoppers back to an era that heralded the start of a fashion-conscious generation when pop culture and technology intertwined with everyday life.
Through this, Pace will be releasing a series of video shorts, shot with the era’s distinctive VHS effect which can be viewed on social media and Pace’s YouTube page. It will also be running across OOH in order for commuters to spot the campaign’s distinctive retro-futuristic decals on platform doors at Harbourfront station, and a fleet of double-decker buses wrapped with imagery reminiscent of classic shopping advertisements from the period.
Moreover, the campaign has started roaming island-wide to showcase Pace’s value proposition.
Daren Goh, Pace’s head of growth, shared that they took inspiration from the golden age of 1980’s advertising to show everyone their inner ‘I Got This’ element.
“This series of OOH, online and social media activations are aimed at letting people know how it feels to finally be able to grab what they want now and pay for it later with Pace,” said Goh.
Kristal Melson, STUDIO AUTOMATIKA’s creative director, believes that living in an increasingly homogenous world where people are more inclined to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, purchases that speak to their individual expressions and sense of self become less of a priority.
“When thinking of the creative concept for Pace on this campaign, we wanted to borrow the energy and nostalgia of the 1980s and find a spirited, exciting way to say ‘stuff it!’ to keep our desires at bay, to be daring and go forth and buy things that speak more to us as individuals,” said Melson.
Singapore – Voco Hotels, the premium hotel brand under IHG Hotels & Resorts has tapped global communications agency Redhill to manage the opening of its new voco Orchard hotel in Singapore .
The agency had previously worked with IHG Hotels & Resorts by managing the launch of Kimpton Kitalay Samui, the first resort in Thailand under IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury boutique brand, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
Tavy Cussinel, managing director of Redhill, said that it is a pleasure to deepen their working relationship with IHG Hotels & Resorts and be part of voco Hotels.
“Redhill are delighted to be working with the voco Orchard Singapore team. The lifestyle-focused property is steadfast in its commitment to offering an unstuffy guest experience, where people feel comfortable to relax, and just get on with relaxing along Singapore’s most loved shopping and dining belt,” Cussinel said.
voco Hotels’ brand proposition is letting guests “celebrate the individual spirit and character of each property.” As such, localized guest touchpoints at voco Orchard Singapore aim to speak to the history of the area.
Mark Winterton, general manager at voco Orchard Singapore, commented “We are looking forward to working with the Redhill team to inject a dose of voco vibrancy into this heritage property. Combining familiar faces and staple restaurants and bars with new experiences, we invite guests to ‘come on in’ to voco Orchard Singapore.”
Singapore – Global media and tech company Yahoo has delivered its first ever digital out-of-home (DOOH) omnichannel campaign for global asset and wealth management company Schroders. This marks the first time both brands have tapped into programmatic DOOH for their omnichannel campaign in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
The campaign, called ‘Beyond Profit’, leverages programmatic DOOH complemented by mobile retargeting capabilities over Yahoo’s omnichannel demand-side platform (DSP) to increase brand awareness, engage the right audiences, and influence consumer behaviors.
The campaign was launched across digital screens in Orchard and the Central Business District (CBD). Leveraging Yahoo’s omnichannel DSP and programmatic tools, the campaign sought to increase exposure and awareness for Schroders’ sustainable investment products and capabilities.
“Programmatic DOOH is shaping the future of OOH, bringing the benefits of digital channels to the traditionally place-based medium and significantly lowering costs and barriers to entry typically associated with OOH media buys. Now, advertisers can combine the high impact of DOOH, in high-footfall locations, into omnichannel campaigns that are agile and scale quickly, reaching their audiences in hyper-targeted ways that seamlessly complement their daily habits,” shared Carol Tay, senior director sales for Southeast Asia at Yahoo.
Tay also added that as people in Singapore venture out and movement patterns evolve, advertisers are looking for the ability to buy across multiple channels, formats, and screens, to reach and connect with the right audiences effectively. She also said that they look forward to working with advertisers on omnichannel, data-driven, hyper-targeted, measurable, and flexible campaigns that leverage the power of DOOH.
Meanwhile, Jerry Low, head of marketing for Southeast Asia at Schroders, commented, “At Schroders, we are always looking for fresh and innovative ways to connect with our audiences as we seek to make an impact through sustainable investing. Working with Yahoo on our first DOOH-led omnichannel campaign has allowed us to connect with our target audience effectively and impactfully – ensuring that they hear our message. The omnichannel campaign from DOOH to mobile provided quality and meaningful connections, through an integrated experience, that was easily scalable for growth.”
The omnichannel campaign utilized mobile retargeting to close the loop and drive click-throughs to Schroders’ website where audiences could find out more about their sustainability products and capabilities. Audiences at 38 DOOH screens across key locations in Singapore that would have seen Schroders’ DOOH ads were also served native and display ads through Yahoo’s DSP.
Singapore – The Singapore team ofcreative agency 72andSunny has announced three new senior appointments, namely Judy Ang, the new group brand director, Jaclyn Lee, the new senior strategy director, and Jonathan Tan, the new brand director, to further strengthen its 2021 growth momentum.
Ang has over 16 years of experience across major creative networks in Singapore and Shanghai. She has previously led and grew the Scoot business at Publicis and helmed the HSBC and Changi Airport Group accounts at J. Walter Thompson, which is now Wunderman Thompson. She has also worked on Unilever and Castro at Ogilvy and Mather Shanghai, and has client-side experience as regional marketing director at the Furama Hotel group.
Commenting on her appointment, Ang said, “I am super stoked to join the 72andSunny team. I’ve always loved how they put creativity and collaboration at the core of everything – the work, the people, and the business.”
Meanwhile, Lee has over 15 years of planning expertise, while Tan brings with him almost 10 years of account management experience. Both have been with the agency for over two years and have been leading the GIC, Carousell, and Singapore University of Technology and Design accounts, among others.
Ida Siow, 72andSunny’s president for Singapore, describes Ang as a powerhouse who knows how to “wrestle big, complex accounts and deliver results for her clients.”
“Jaclyn and Jonathan are both superstars with the smarts and the heart to lead their teams, build strong client partnerships and make the work work. They make me and everyone else look good,” said Siow.
Singapore – Global action star Jackie Chan was recently announced as top e-commerce Shopee’s newest ambassador in August which was launched as part of the platform’s 9.9 campaign. Shortly after, Chan makes a comeback to viewers’ screens for the platform’s 11.11 campaign.
In light of the backlash from some advertising and creative professionals on Shopee’s current ad for 11.11, MARKETECH APAC reached out to social listening platform Digimind to learn about how the mass audience perceives the latest campaign.
On October 25, just a few days after Shopee released its 11.11 ad with the international star, Singapore-based marketing expert Richard Bleasdale stirred quite a conversation on LinkedIn by sharing a post about the ad, describing it as the “worst ad ever made.” Soon, the post drew quite traction, serving as an invitation for other creative and marketing leaders to share their verdict on the ad–which was a unanimous disappointment over Shopee’s chosen creative direction.
The general audience, meanwhile, had been split on their perception of the ad. According to Digimind’s analysis, some had found the 11.11 campaign endearing, while a fraction showed displeasure over the latest campaign mixed with some neutral liking.
The main narrative of the ad in question was Jackie Chan fighting off bad guys ‘magically’ through the power of Shopee’s ‘big discounts’. For every press of the actor on his phone, discount bubbles pop up such as “$60 CASHBACK ALL DAY,” sending an enemy down and defeated.
Screenshots from Shopee’s latest 11.11 ad
Apparently, the negative sentiment by the mass audience drew some parallel with professional opinion, which is Shopee’s seeming failure to leverage Chan’s martial arts prowess. Following Bleasdale’s post, MARKETECH APAC formally reached out to some of the advertising professionals that commented on the post.
A consensus among the creative leaders was Shopee’s perceived faulty decision to favor a fictional story of ‘powerful’ discounts rather than spotlighting the ambassador’s renowned action-comedy branding.
A leader from ad agency Cheil Singapore described the ad as an “orange mess,” while an advisory board member from martech DAIVID said the ad could have been an opportunity to have “some whacky martial-arts impossibility” performed by the ambassador.
Digimind had rounded up some definitive comments which had been in agreement with the said professional flak.
Negative and neutral comments on Shopee’s 11.11 ad gathered by Digimind
One tweet said, “I guess Jackie Chan beating up people with a tap of a button is all [we’re] going to get in a Shopee ad.”
While another wrote on Twitter, “[Jackie Chan] did a [Shopee] ad, my life is ruined.”
Other hostile comments pointed out other ‘less-than-perfect’ elements of the ad such as Chan’s seeming wrinkle-free appearance and how the ad looked like a ‘deepfake’, which is the digital alter of a person’s face.
“I’m laughing, they [airbrushed] Jackie Chan’s wrinkles…,” one netizen tweeted.
While another one said, “Tell me why I’m so convinced that the Shopee ads with ‘Jackie Chan’ [are] [deepfakes]…”
According to the report, there were a total of 309 mentions in Southeast Asia, excluding promotional content, about Shopee’s 11.11 ad from the period of October 17 – 31 across leading social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
The study found that Malaysia conversed the most around the campaign with 40% of the mentions coming from the market, followed by the Philippines (30%) and Indonesia (20%).
Information from the study also showed that the inaugural Shopee ambassadorship of Chan for 9.9 in August garnered higher traction on social media than the sophomore campaign of the star for 11.11. There had been a 4530% fall in the total volume of mentions for the newer campaign compared to the previous 9.9 over the same period from August 19 – 31.
Shopee’s 11.11 ad was released on YouTube on October 18 across its covered markets in Southeast Asia. Thai viewership of the ad eclipsed the platform’s other markets, registering over 39 million views as of writing.
Digimind’s analysis covered the markets of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
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