Tag: Singapore

Singapore – In conjunction with the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, which was celebrated on 12th October, theAsianparent (TAP), the content and community platform for parents in SEA, has recently hosted a region-wide webinar series, to mark the first anniversary of Project Sidekicks, the platform’s corporate social responsibility initiative that aims to raise awareness around stillbirth in the region and promote real action to support families through their pregnancy journey.

The webinar series, which was hosted and moderated by Nadine Yap, theAsianparent’s chief product officer, was launched available in six countries, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as the Philippines, and Vietnam, with topics of pregnancy health habits, post-pregnancy recovery, and coping with pregnancy loss.

In Singapore, the event welcomed Minister of State (MOS) Xueling Sun from the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Education as the keynote speaker. Sun noted that in August this year, the Singapore government had amended the Child Development Co-Savings Act to better support parents of stillborn children, allowing working parents of a stillborn child to benefit from government paid leave, as well as maternity and paternity leave and shared parental leave. 

“This move would help support parents who would have undergone the trauma of a stillbirth. It would give them time, space, and help to recover physically and emotionally during such a difficult period of their lives,” said Sun.

Apart from benefit schemes for parents of stillborn Singaporean children, MOS Sun also highlighted the revised definition of stillbirth by the new Registration of Births and Deaths Act, which states that stillbirth is one delivered after the 22nd week of pregnancy and not after the 28th week as previously defined. 

Sun commented, “Through this amendment, we hope that more parents can be supported in terms of Government paid leave and benefits. We all know that parents struggle after the loss of a child, including after stillbirth. It is gut-wrenching to send off a young child, a baby, and the grief can have many downstream effects.”

Meanwhile, Roshni Mahtani-Cheung, theAsianparent’s group CEO and founder, commented that they are incredibly proud of what the government has done and their tremendous progress in helping to ease the suffering of parents who have suffered a stillbirth and provide them with the time and the space to heal and to return to daily life in a healthier way. 

“Here at theAsianparent, our mission has always been about making better parents, better children, and through that a better tomorrow,” said Mahtani-Cheung.

During the webinar, TAP has also launched ‘Project Sidekicks’ official video titled ‘A letter to Hope, a message of hope’, featuring the mascot, Hope the Penguin, to send a powerful message about finding hope in the mid of grief.

Singapore – CapitaLand Investment, the leading global real estate investment manager with a strong Asia foothold, and Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, today announced the launch of the second edition of the ‘CapitaLand x Shopee’ 11.11 campaign. The inaugural edition of the campaign was launched in 2020 similarly for the 11.11 sale event of Shopee, and the two aim to replicate the project which had driving the omnichannel model at its heart. 

In 2020, CapitaLand and Shopee launched an integration of online and offline shopper engagement for the campaign to drive sales, traffic, and engagement for six CapitaLand malls through gamification. Following this, in early 2021, Capitaland also launched the virtual shopping mall of its outlet giant IMM on Shopee, making it the first virtual shopping mall from Singapore on the platform. 

For this year’s 11.11 sale event, both partners will be recreating the omnichannel experience for 29 retailers in eight CapitaLand malls over a period of three weeks, from 22 October to 11 November 2021. CapitaLand and Shopee are also bringing back the popular co-branded games from last year’s 11.11 campaign, where shoppers can participate and win attractive vouchers that can be used in-app and at participating physical stores including Toast Box, LiHO, Etude House, and Giordano.

On the continuation of the partnership, Chris Chong, CEO of retail & workspace for Singapore and Malaysia at CapitaLand Investment, said, “This will allow us to enhance retailers’ consumer outreach and further engage with their customers digitally while driving footfall to their physical stores through online marketing efforts.”

From 22 October to 11 November 2021, S$125,000 worth of ShopeePay Scan and Pay vouchers, Shopee vouchers, and eCapitaVoucher will be given in the CapitaLand Lucky Prize game on the Shopee Singapore app. The ShopeePay Scan & Pay vouchers can be redeemed at eight CapitaLand malls, namely Bedok Mall, Bugis+, Bugis Junction, IMM, Funan, Plaza Singapura, Westgate, and JCube. 

Shoppers visiting any of the eight malls can simply scan the QR code at participating merchants and malls to play the ‘CapitaLand x Shopee’ Lucky Prize game and win ShopeePay Scan & Pay voucher to pay for their purchases using ShopeePay at 29 participating CapitaLand merchants’ offline stores. 

Shoppers can also try their luck in the ‘Guess the Weight’ campaign every weekend over the campaign period to win up to S$22,000 worth of eCapitaVoucher and Shopee vouchers. To participate, shoppers can proceed to the atrium of three shopping malls on selected weekends – Bugis+ on 23 and 24 October, Westgate on 30 and 31 October, and Plaza Singapura on 6 and 7 November – to guess the weight of five unexpected combinations of products, where one of them is the combined weight of a Dyson vacuum and a feather. Contestants must get the closest answer to qualify for the prizes.

Zhou Junjie, Shopee’s chief commercial officer, commented, “Following the success of last year’s CapitaLand x Shopee 11.11 campaign, we are excited to join hands with CapitaLand once again to support even more retailers under CapitaLand’s network by digitalizing the shopping experience.”

Zhou Junjie adds, “Shopee has always been passionate about empowering our sellers and brand partners to unlock the full potential of e-commerce to succeed in today’s digital economy. Through this omnichannel integration, we hope to help retailers deepen engagement with new customers, through an exciting and rewarding experience.” 

To find out more about the campaign, shoppers can head to the campaign’s microsite which will go live on 22 October. 

Singapore – #BuySingLit, a local-based movement aimed at promoting local literature, has appointed The Hoffman Agency as its official agency partner, effective 4 October. 

The Hoffman Agency will be responsible in strategizing and and overseeing #BuySingLit’s rebranding from a two-weekend campaign to a year-long program, including branding, creative guidelines, marketing activations, and counsel on media placement.

They will also be responsible for furthering the cause of celebrating stories from Singapore; advocating homegrown book publishers, retailers and literary non-profits to encourage more people to discover and embrace Singapore’s literature. 

#BuySingLit continues with its advocacy of ‘Buy Local, Read Our World’ where homegrown book publishers, retailers and literary non-profits come together to encourage more people to discover and embrace Singapore’s literature.

“The #BuySingLit committee is delighted to welcome Hoffman on board as our official PR, Media and Creative Agency. As a movement supported by a diverse range of industry players, we look forward to wider media outreach and deeper relationships in the coming year. Readers can look forward to more exciting updates coming soon,” said Chong Lingying, manager of Asiapac Books and member of the #BuySingLit Marketing Module.

Maureen Tseng, general manager for Singapore at The Hoffman Agency, commented that they are excited with bringing #BuySingLit’s initiative alive through a 360-degree integrated communications campaign, cutting across PR, media and creative outreach.

“Hoffman is proud to partner with #BuySingLit to raise awareness of the breadth and depth of local literary talent in Singapore. The Hoffman Agency’s mantra of storytelling is completely aligned with what this movement stands for – creating an inclusive, diverse and vibrant community of Singapore Literature lovers,” Tseng said..

The Hoffman Agency has recently won various accounts in Asia-Pacific this year, including of Microsoft HK for PR duties and Shutterstock for communications.

Singapore – Carousell Group, the classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia, has announced its acquisition of Ox Street, the end-to-end marketplace for authenticated sneakers and streetwear, in the aim to deepen its reach and scale to become a market leader for fashion and luxury goods in the region.

Ox Street will continue to operate as its own brand, retaining its name, platform, and team. The acquisition will be driving a synergistic partnership between the marketplaces.

The group said the acquisition reflects Carousell’s deep commitment to reimagining the classifieds experience, with a focus on trust and convenience, to make secondhand the first choice. The Ox Street team inspects and authenticates every pair of sneakers before it reaches its buyers. Carousell’s advanced and intuitive technology, extensive reach, and marketplace liquidity across a wide range of categories, combined with Ox Street’s authentication capabilities will further propel the mutual goal of creating an experience where transacting secondhand is as convenient and trusted as buying first hand.

Quek Siu Rui, the co-founder and CEO of Carousell, commented they are excited to acquire Ox Street in their mission to inspire the world to start selling, and they share common values in being user-first and in building communities, as evidenced by the brand love they have created among their dedicated community of sneakerheads and fashion enthusiasts, especially among the Gen Z.

“They have also built trust by authenticating every pair of sneakers that gets transacted on the Ox Street marketplace. We see immense opportunity in bringing that capability and their learnings to double down on our recommerce efforts. Most of all, we see this acquisition as joining forces to accelerate our shared vision of making second hand the first choice,” said Rui.

Meanwhile, Gijs Verheijke, Ox Street’s founder and CEO, shared that they initially started a conversation with Carousell on partnering up to provide authentication as a service for sneakers, but as discussions progressed they found so much common ground in how they see the future, that they decided it would be much more powerful for Ox Street to fully join the Carousell group.

“With Carousell’s reach and technological capabilities, we can supercharge Ox Street’s ability to innovate and reach more buyers and sellers. Last but not least, we have a lot of shared values and found a very strong cultural fit, and I cannot be more excited to partner with Siu Rui, Marcus, Lucas, and the entire Carousell team,” said Verheijke.

Sydney, Australia – Digital marketing agency Tug has been reappointed by Budget Direct Insurance in Singapore and one of its brands EasyCompare in Thailand, with an expansion of its remit to include content and UX.

Budget Direct Insurance is an online digital insurance company and part of an international insurance group providing insurance solutions worldwide. EasyCompare Thailand is one of its brands and is an online car insurance comparison website and broker in Thailand. 

Tug was first engaged by the two more than 12 months ago to manage link acquisition and competitor analysis to boost their local search rankings. In addition to extending its initial engagement, Tug will also work on on-page optimization, content strategy, creation, and UX to further grow both brands in each country.

The agency said it will increase site engagement for the two brands by incorporating thought leadership pieces, data-driven content, and infographics to drive overall expertise, authority, and trustworthiness which are key factors for a successful SEO strategy.

Simon Birch, CEO of Budget Direct Insurance, said, “Tug has the capability and experience to deliver effective strategic thinking and implementation of search optimization, more than most in our region. I’m delighted we are not only continuing our relationship with them, but expanding its range of services to ensure Budget Direct Insurance and EasyCompare Thailand continue to be top of mind for consumers.”

Tug’s CEO Nick Beck commented, “Having built a successful partnership with both teams, we’re delighted that our engagement has been extended and expanded. As we continue to grow the Tug network across Southeast Asia, we look forward to establishing an on the ground presence in Singapore and bringing our expertise to more businesses early next year.”

Tug will be managing the business from its Sydney office, with plans to open a regional Southeast Asia hub in Singapore during the first quarter of 2022, joining its network of offices in Toronto, London, and Berlin.

Tug has also recently announced acquiring the SEO mandate of resto booking platform Dish Cult and also an extended remit for software firm LEAP to add global media business. 

Singapore – GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, is celebrating its 40th anniversary and has partnered with creative agency 72andSunny Singapore to retrace the pivotal moments in its four-decade history. 

An entity’s history is inherently rich and even as a leading global investment firm, not a lot may be knowledgeable of how the firm came to be what is today, hence, the campaign’s objective. GIC was established in 1981 to manage Singapore’s foreign reserves to secure the country’s financial future. 

With ‘Bold’ as the star message of the campaign, GIC ‘subtly’ tells its story through innocuous objects that open up a particular historical bit of the firm.

GIC _Singapore

The firm complemented the ‘Bold’ stories with striking visuals, and for instance, in one collateral, a chair symbolizes how GIC started out from the humblest of beginning with its first managing director starting his tenure with an empty office and a borrowed chair. In another, a pen cues the pioneering vision of GIC’s founding leader Dr. Goh Keng Swee in rewriting how Singapore managed its reserves. 

Audiences’ interest are piqued through questions like, “How did the first-ever S$1 mark the beginning of Singapore’s journey towards financial independence?” and is drawn to a microsite – madeofbold.sg – that enlights with the detailed story behind the symbol.

In addition, each story is presented with an empowering message that is representative of the firm’s particular milestones such as “Bold writes its own stories” and “Bold stands its ground.”

Mah Lay Choon, GIC’s senior vice president of communications, said, “The role of the reserves as a rainy day fund was demonstrated so clearly during this Covid-19 pandemic. As part of GIC’s commemorative year, we wanted to create awareness of the little-known, historical episodes that shaped GIC’s pre-history, where Singapore’s founding leaders safeguarded Singapore’s reserves.”

“Through these stories, more will understand how GIC came to be, born of Dr. Goh Keng Swee’s bold vision, and how that spirit continues to drive GIC to secure Singapore’s financial future,” adds Mah Lay Choon. 

Johnny Tan, 72andSunny’s executive creative director, commented, “As we explored GIC’s history, we were surprised by the innovativeness, boldness and sheer conviction that made GIC what it is today. This is a story more Singaporeans deserve to know. And there’s more coming up.”

The integrated campaign has been launched across OOH, social and digital touchpoints like Spotify and TikTok.

72andSunny has been snaring remits from top local entities in the country such as Singapore University of Technology and Design and Buy-Now-Pay-Later brand Atome.

Singapore – E-commerce has provided businesses accelerated growth due to convenient access to the market for both sellers and buyers. Export is one of them and according to the latest MSME study by Amazon, MSMEs in Singapore anticipate greater sales growth prospects overseas than at home, with 35% of small businesses against 13% respectively. Currently, close to one-quarter (24%) of MSMEs in the country conduct B2C e-commerce, which of more than 90% use it for export.

The study found that Asia Pacific countries – Malaysia, China, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand – are seen as the top five e-commerce export markets in five years’ time, or by 2026. About 87% of those surveyed locally in Singapore agreed that e-commerce is critical for their ability to export, with top motivations including the ability to reach overseas customers, access to sales and marketing tools that are available on e-commerce marketplaces, and support for logistics and payments provided by these marketplaces.

So what would hinder companies to realize their export strategies? According to the report, key challenges foreseen by Singaporean MSMEs can be narrowed down to three categories – barriers in cost, regulation, and information and capabilities.

High cross-border shipping costs came out as the most common challenge faced by Singapore MSMEs with 81%. The study notes that while Singapore offers a robust range of grants to support local businesses on their e-commerce export journeys, about one-third of small enterprises (32%) surveyed admitted that they will find further support valuable.

Additionally, over three-fourths (78%) of MSMEs surveyed cited a lack of clarity in import regulations as a key barrier to selling overseas via e-commerce, while only 19% believe that current advisory support on importing regulations is sufficient.

Lowered confidence to compete in the global arena also emerged as a sentiment, where 72% of MSMEs in the country believe they lack the ability to fare well versus other sellers globally. Still within technical issues, 71% admitted that they are unsure of foreign consumers’ demands and preferences.

At large, the study found that the annual value of (B2C) e-commerce exports in Singapore is estimated at S$1.4b in 2021 and could reach S$3.5b in 2026 if MSMEs accelerate their pace of using e-commerce to sell overseas. MSMEs are estimated to contribute 45% of Singapore’s B2C value of e-commerce exports in 2021.

Singapore – Southeast Asia’s SME digital financing platform, Funding Societies, has announced that it has raised US$18m in debt for funding led by a trio syndicate of financial institutions, including lending company Helicap Investments, the newly launched Social Impact Debt Fund, and a Japanese financial services group. Helicap Securities acted as the sole mandated lead arranger on the secured credit facility.

Helicap provides private debt investments to a wide network of accredited investors, including family offices, high net worth individuals, impact funds, and institutional investors. In line with its support of sustainable lending, FinTech joined the round through its investments arm, Helicap Investments, after the deal was arranged by its securities arm, Helicap Securities.

Together with the funding received from European impact investors such as Triodos Investment Management for Indonesian business loans, Funding Societies is on track to  raising US$120m in institutional debt for funding the growth needs of MSMEs in SEA. This funding round also expands the platform’s institutional lender base, which is secured after passing financial and risk due to diligence conducted by the lenders. 

Moreover, Funding Societies will be placing the funds for lending to deserving MSMEs, propelling its mission of enabling financial inclusion in the region.

Kelvin Teo, Funding Societies | Modalku’s co-founder and group CEO, shared that the pandemic was an important test of resilience, and we are glad to have navigated it successfully, with a proven AI-led credit model.

“We are honored for the faith of Helicap, the Social Impact Debt Fund, and the Japanese financial services group, enabling us to further ride on the growth of SME digital financing. We believe this is a start of a long-term relationship and continuous evolution of Funding Societies,” said Teo.

David Z. Wang, the co-founder and CEO of Helicap, the parent company of Helicap Investments and Helicap Securities, commented they are delighted to have assisted Funding Societies in its goal of providing access to capital for underserved MSMEs. 

“Helicap was founded with the aim of breaking down traditional barriers for those who need capital and those who can provide it. This transaction demonstrates the ongoing institutional and individual appetite for private debt investment, and Helicap is well-positioned to provide access to quality opportunities through our relationships with leading issuers such as Funding Societies,” said Wang.

Funding Societies said that the syndicated facility of US$18m is expected to increase further with interest from investors across Asia and Europe.

While Singaporeans have lived through fluctuating restrictions – like Circuit Breaker and heightened alerts – one thing that has remained constant over the last 18 months is the lifeline to normality that applications and digital services have provided. Whether it’s staying connected to loved ones, ordering food and groceries, work, study, or rest, the role that apps play in our lives has never been more prominent.

Tellingly, in the latest report led by Business Observability platform AppDynamics, a significant 95% of Singaporeans reveal that digital services have helped them get through the pandemic in a positive way. It’s clear that as life threatened to grind to a halt with COVID-19 putting the brakes on travel, entertainment, and work as we knew it, apps have enabled us to get on and continue functioning.

For many people, this widespread transition to the online sphere opened their eyes to the many benefits that digital services promise. Be it virtual activities for leisure, or access to essential services, many consumers have found themselves trying something they would ordinarily have never considered before. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2020 report, more than 1 in 3 digital services that consumers started using last year were because of the pandemic.

Realizing that a viable and convenient digital alternative is readily available to the traditional ways of doing things, consumers in Singapore are now likely to continue relying on these options beyond the pandemic. In fact, 83% of people in Singapore have already expressed their intention to use these services even after the restrictions imposed because of COVID-19 have disappeared.

This change in mindset and behavior will no doubt have implications on both consumer expectations, and how businesses must respond – not only in the short run but also in the longer term as we transition to endemic living.

Customers recognize the investment efforts from brands

Even people who don’t work in technology have witnessed the extent to which organizations across many sectors have innovated over the last 18 months. Launching new services to meet the evolving needs of customers, we’ve seen work and learning go virtual, as have banking, shopping, entertaining, and more. But of course, simply ‘going digital’ isn’t always enough for brands to win the hearts of their customers.

All over the world, we’ve seen organizations that have instead, quickly kickstarted and implemented full-scale digital transformation programs to improve operational processes and deliver apps and digital experiences that meet the needs of their customers. And their efforts have not been for naught. The same study by AppDynamics has discovered that consumers actually recognize and are thankful for the efforts that brands have invested into delivering these apps.

As people sought control and normalcy amid a most uncertain and challenging period, apps have been critical to empowering consumers during the pandemic. Almost 80% of those in Singapore say they are grateful to the brands that have invested in digital so they could access the services that they love. Those that have gone above and beyond with the quality of their digital services have also enjoyed the fruits of their labor, with 75% of people in Singapore feeling more loyal towards these companies.

It appears that creating and maintaining lasting relationships with customers increasingly rests on the delivery of seamless and faultless digital experiences. Brands that can ensure they make a positive impact on the lives of their consumers will have massive opportunities to forge these deeper connections and stay competitive.

Perfection is non-negotiable

As people of all ages across the globe depend on their apps for almost every facet of life, expectations have naturally skyrocketed. In particular, consumers increasingly seek the ‘total application experience’, which in addition to being reliable, secure, and personalized, is also simple, helpful, and fun to use. The bar has been raised forever and brands must now meet these expectations of performance and functionality.

But while consumers are showing more love towards the brands that meet their sky-high expectations with first-class services, tolerance for sub-optimal experiences has hit rock bottom. Indeed, expectations have changed during the pandemic and almost 70% of those in Singapore now expect nothing less than the best and will no longer tolerate poor performance.

As with most tech, digital services are susceptible to disruptions originating from various sources. And while slow loading pages, poor response time, and security lapses are often due to the app itself, other factors like internet connectivity, or issues with third-party plug-ins remain beyond the app owner’s control.

Despite the multitude of possibilities behind an app’s failure or technical disruption, most consumers believe it’s the brand’s duty to ensure their digital service always performs at an optimal standard. To 78% of the consumers in Singapore, it doesn’t matter what causes the poor performance. While external factors like a poor internet connection or weak mobile signal may be to blame, consumers expect application owners and the brands to take responsibility.

Consumers leave at the first sign of trouble

Although encountering problems with digital services is not a new phenomenon – with a majority of people saying they have experienced an issue over the last 12 months, what is increasingly worrying is how unforgiving consumers have become. No longer happy to just ‘try again later’ or continue struggling with an app, consumer patience has waned, and quickly switching to alternatives is now a norm.

Additionally, beyond simply deleting a poor-performing app from their device, consumers are also more vocal, often sharing and amplifying their negative experiences to others. With only one chance to impress consumers, brands and app owners need to go big and do right, as they can no longer afford even the tiniest blips in the digital customer experience.

To ensure issues are discovered and resolved before customers are affected, the ability to conduct full-stack observability that provides real-time insights, for instance, will be critical in today’s digital age. Filtering through the complexity and noise to identify and prioritize fixing issues with the greatest business impact is the only way for brands to create and maintain the flawless digital experiences that their customers have grown accustomed to and will continue to demand.

This article was written by Gregg Ostrowski, Executive CTO at AppDynamics.

Singapore – National Arts Council, the government agency that specializes in the development of the literary, performing, and visual arts, has partnered anew with Singapore Tourism Board (STB), to launch a new campaign film, aimed at flaunting the vibrancy and color of the city’s walls while showcasing Singapore’s diverse precincts.

The film, which follows last year’s ‘Dance to a New Beat’ campaign, features more than 30 local dancers performing at various artistic locations across the city, where each is paired with a different style of dance to complement the theme of the location. Managed by local dance company O School, the styles stretch across hip hop, street jazz, contemporary, and various other street styles. 

Titled ‘Be Drawn In’, which is created in collaboration with creative agency TBWA\Singapore, is part of the SingapoReimagine, a major campaign launched by the board to create conversations, stories, and engagement in shaping local tourism, and #SGCultureAnywhere, a campaign that aims to reach out to home-grown audiences and those around the world, while supporting our Singaporean artists and arts organizations.

Moreover, the campaign seeks to encourage the discovery of Singapore through the arts and heritage – this time showcasing the multiculturalism and diversity that the country has to offer.

Serene Lim, the director of performing arts at National Arts Council Singapore, shared that this is the second of a trilogy of dance films, and this piece celebrates the beauty of rhythm and movement in visual synchronicity through dance.

“Our partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board that resulted in this series will add to the diversity and vibrancy of our arts landscape, made possible by our artists,” said Lim.

Meanwhile, Georgina Koh, Singapore Tourism Board’s director of digital and content, said, “Through our long-standing collaboration with the National Arts Council, we hope to showcase more of our destination to global audiences, while inspiring greater interest and engagement in Singapore’s arts.”

Pete Callaghan, TBWA\Singapore’s creative director, noted this film ignites travel inspiration in a unique and energetic way, drawing people in by highlighting the breadth of art they have hidden around Singapore.

“It was equally important to provide a global stage for our local dancers to showcase the amazing talent, enthusiasm, and appreciation for the performing arts scene in Singapore,” said Callaghan.