Tag: Singapore

Singapore – Insurance company AIA Singapore has created a new role within the firm, chief product proposition officer (CPPO), and it has elevated its former regional business development director, Irma Hadikusuma, to take on the new position, where she officially starts in September.

The new role was created as part of AIA Singapore’s commitment to focusing on reorienting strategic priorities to stay ahead of the curve and provide innovative experiences and propositions to customers.

As part of her elevation, Hadikusuma and her new product proposition team will be providing strategic direction to drive the innovation, development, and management of a compelling, customer-centric, and synergetic proposition portfolio for all the company’s distribution channels. 

Hadikusuma brings with her more than 18 years of experience. She joined AIA Singapore in 2013 as head of customer segment management, and this was followed by a five-year stint as head of product, funds development, and implementation team, overseeing the development, management, and implementation of products, as well as ‘Investment Linked Policy’ (ILP) funds in Singapore. Prior to joining AIA Singapore, she has also held several actuarial, business development, and marketing roles at various life insurance firms.

Sze Keed Wong, AIA Singapore’s chief executive officer, commented that she is delighted to welcome Hadikusuma as the new chief product proposition officer, where she will play an essential role in our transformation into an ‘Organization of the Future’ and digital-first life insurer.

“With her extensive and rounded experience in marketing and actuarial science, Irma will lead AIA Singapore’s ambition to elevate our innovative offerings to a whole new level, all with the intention of fulfilling our brand promise of empowering Singaporeans to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives,” said Wong.

Singapore – The Southeast Asian region has seen a steadfast growth in its advertising realm, more specifically in social media which has jumped to 74.29% this year, according to the latest data from a report by customer experience and social media marketing company Emplifi.

Based on their latest findings, said percentage was evident on Facebook and Instagram advertising on a year-on-year (YoY) end basis during Q2. The report noted that SEA brands spend US$2,287.22 per ad account on average per month, registering the advertising cost growth to 85.75%.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the social ad spend surged to 106% YoY to US$2,162.96 per ad account per month. Under this factor, the e-commerce category accounted for 41.8% of the total interactions of brand pages on Facebook in Q2 2021. On Instagram, the services sector took up the most interactions at 17.6%, followed by the retail category with 16.8%. These industries are mainly service-based, demonstrating that brands are adapting to the modern consumer and providing customer support and customer service through social media platforms.

According to Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer at Emplifi, the ongoing increase in social media ad spend is proving to be more than just a pandemic-related ‘bounce-back’ scenario, adding that more and more brands are relying on social media marketing to engage with their audiences meaningfully and at scale.

“Social commerce and the formats which support it are also becoming more prevalent as the year goes on. As more brands recognize the value of live streaming and start to leverage more live content to cater to users at different stages of the customer journey,” Arlia stated.

Another factor tackled in the report is that Facebook Live videos earned the highest number of organic post interactions and delivered three times the engagement rates of standard videos globally, but account for less than 1% of branded posts. In Singapore, Facebook Live videos and video posts performed the best compared to other formats such as status, photo, and links posting.

On a global scale, global social ad spend saw a 50% YoY jump while the overall worldwide CPC grew by 85.1%. Marketers spent 49.9% more on Facebook and Instagram advertising globally compared to Q2 2020.

“As more and more consumers begin to expect a brand’s social media channels to facilitate outstanding customer experiences across many stages of the customer journey, the importance of engagement and interaction data is taking on a greater significance. What we’re seeing is that an engaging and responsive social media presence is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ for consumer-facing brands, it’s a key point of differentiation,” Arlia added.

Singapore – India’s startup-focused PR agency, Value 360 Communications, has announced that it will be expanding its market to Singapore, to unlock growth opportunities in the country’s burgeoning start-up space.

Value 360 Communications handles various brands across industries such as fintech, proptech, lifestyle, and hospitality, among others. These brands include e-wallet Paytm, motor marketplace Droom, and car rental company Zoomcar, as well as healthcare platform Practo, and home services firm UrbanCompany.

The strategic expansion is driven by SEA’s growing stature as a hotbed for high-growth start-ups. Through this, Value 360 Communications will be tapping into its client base and identifying Indian partner brands operating in Singapore. In addition, the agency will be investing S$2m to develop and strengthen its presence in the new market.

In line with this endeavor, Value 360 Communications said that they had already spoken with some of its clients about offshoots in Singapore, which will lay the foundation for disrupting the region’s start-up ecosystem over the next few months.

Kunal Kishore Sinha, Value 360 Communications’ founder and director, commented that they are delighted to announce their foray into Singapore, especially since their very first steps in this new market will be in tandem with the brands that they have helped build in India. 

“As the Southeast Asian economy is witnessing the emergence of several promising start-ups, it makes Singapore the perfect avenue for our strategic international expansion and we foresee hyper-growth on the horizon for Value 360 as well as its partner brands,” said Sinha.

Singapore – Catering to a new age of work based on hybrid and remote workspaces, telco operator MyRepublic and global IT solutions operator Inspira Enterprises have announced the launch of its cybersecurity suite that will benefit small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore.

MyRepublic and Inspira aim to bridge this gap and make it simple for SMEs to adopt up-to-date cybersecurity tools and best practices that can be implemented consistently across their organization. This includes managed services such as managed firewall and managed endpoint, giving customers the peace of mind to focus on their business whilst their company is being protected by a globally recognized security provider.

The cybersecurity suite includes cybersecurity consulting, incident response, data protection, and vulnerability testing. Potential customers will benefit from a free end-to-end assessment to determine their exact requirements and the solutions that are best fit for their operations.

Lawrence Chan, managing director at MyRepublic Singapore, said that as more SMEs shift to remote or hybrid work environments, cybersecurity threats targeting their vulnerabilities will continue to rise.

“MyRepublic believes that all organizations deserve world-class protection no matter their size. Our new cybersecurity solutions bring enterprise-grade protection to small and medium businesses and give them one less thing to worry about, as they continue to manage the impact of the pandemic,” Chan stated.

The announcement comes after data from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), shows that cybercrime cases accounted for 43% of total crime reported in Singapore in 2020. In particular, there were significant spikes in ransomware and botnet attacks last year. The former rose by a staggering 154%, mostly targeting SMEs in the manufacturing, retail, and healthcare sectors. 

Josef Figueroa, vice president of ASEAN at Inspira, commented, “SMEs are more susceptible to cyberattacks because they may lack the knowledge and ability to deal with such threats. Our experience with SMEs also shows that they may be reluctant to adopt modern cybersecurity tools due to their perceived high cost and complexity.”

The cybersecurity suite solves some of the potential misconceptions SMEs have regarding cybersecurity. For instance, SMEs may think basic antivirus software installed on employee laptops are sufficient protection against today’s sophisticated threats. They might also rely on various business tools riddled with vulnerabilities and incompatibilities of which they are not aware.

“In a digital economy, it’s not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ you will be targeted. Our suite of cybersecurity solutions are designed to help SMEs get their modern threat protection up and running with minimal hassle. We look forward to contributing a new line of cybersecurity defense to Singapore’s fight against cybercrime,” Chan concluded.

Singapore – Float Foods, the local home-grown foodtech startup, has tapped the services of dentsu Singapore to be its brand and digital strategy partner to aid the startup in the commercial launch of Asia’s first plant-based whole egg product, OnlyEg.

Through the appointment, dentsu Singapore will be responsible for developing the product’s go-to-market brand strategy, identity, design and launch campaign in Singapore in 2022.

Speaking about the startup launch in Singapore, Vinita Choolani, founder and CEO at Float Foods, said that the prime reason they aim with the launch is due to the fact that COVID-19 has highlighted a burgeoning food security problem, especially in Singapore, adding that they have identified a critical need for Singapore to plug that gap to ensure the long-term safety of our food ecosystem. 

“Equally important, we recognized that it needed to be done in a clean and sustainable way that allowed people to eat healthily and economically. That was why Float Foods was born and our breakthrough plant-based whole egg protein product will be able to change the way eggs are consumed in Asian cultures where it is a key diet,” Choolani said.

She added, however, that any game-changing product and technology requires radical collaboration with partners who believe in it, further stating that it has therefore been important for them to work with investors and partners who appreciate the startup’s vision to advance Singapore’s food ecosystem.

“That is why dentsu Singapore is a clear choice for us as a partner for the launch of OnlyEg. Its appreciation of Float Foods’ longer-term value to the food landscape in Singapore, combined with dentsu’s capabilities in brand and digital strategy, was a strong proposition for us. We look forward to bringing this to launch together,” Choolani stated.

Meanwhile, Prakash Kamdar, CEO at dentsu Singapore, commented that their company’s commitment for being a force of good and growth is stemmed from their focus on helping businesses achieve good for growth, yet it is not every day that they get to work with a partner who is positively revolutionizing the landscape in which it operates in.

“As such, we are incredibly delighted to be able to support Float Foods in its go-to-market strategy and execution as it champions change in the way we manage food supply and security in Singapore while taking care of the environment. We are grateful for the confidence placed on our ability to bring our integrated thinking and capabilities to the table. Our team has a deep appreciation for Float Foods’ vision and principles, which will be applied in building a strong brand strategy that will help to successfully launch OnlyEg to the market once it is ready,” Kamdar concluded.

In overview, Float Foods has raised US$2.2m in seed funding and is collaborating with research and development agencies in Singapore to optimize OnlyEg for commercial readiness by 2022. The foodtech startup also plans to roll out more plant-based products in Singapore and the region in the next two years.

Singapore – Global ad location Blis has announced that it will be rolling out its Consumer Confidence Pulse in Singapore, which acts out as an interactive dashboard that is built on existing trending data around consumer mood to analyze COVID anxiety.

Said dashboard also now tracks consumer movement over a rolling 13-month period, across 18 retail and lifestyle sectors including airports, gyms, malls, restaurants and grocery stores.

The platform launch comes after COVID concerns in the country had been at an 18-month low before the latest Phase 2 or heightened alert measures. Blis also notes that retail foot traffic remains steady versus the same time last year., adding that the number of people choosing to invest their money rose sharply between June-July 2021 further suggesting confidence is returning.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen brands pivot their operations, strategy and messaging multiple times to meet their consumers’ concerns about safety. The new dashboard will be an invaluable tool for brands to get ahead of the curve by ensuring their campaigns and messaging are striking the right tone and audiences at the right time,” said Emma-Jayne Owens, managing director at Blis.

Each month, the platform tracks responses to four questions around the economy, household financials, spend intent and COVID-19 anxiety. Coupled with consumer movement analysis, the dashboard enables brands to better understand trendlines by industry sectors.

For Alex Wright, global insights director at Blis, their data shows that consumers around the world are capable of exercising their own caution in advance of government-imposed restrictions. He added that while Singapore struggles through its latest set of restrictions, recent history suggests the post-lockdown recovery this time around may not be as gradual as when the pandemic first started.

“In Singapore, our respondents posted the lowest level of COVID concern across the 9 markets we track, prior to Phase 2 measures. This is likely linked to Singapore’s high vaccination rate and low death rate. Even so, consumer mobility in July demonstrated caution amidst rising cases until the tightening of restrictions on 22 July. Despite this caution, retail foot traffic remains steady versus the same time last year,”

The platform is currently rolled out as well across the UK, USA, Netherlands, Italy, and Australia. The markets of India, New Zealand and the Philippines will see the platform launch in the coming months.

Singapore – With employee well-being a key factor in determining an organization’s success, AXA Insurance has decided to launch its new ‘Better Me Business’, an employee benefits solution designed for SMEs and start-ups in Singapore.

The new ‘Better Me Business’, which is part of the company’s enhanced #BetterMe employee benefits proposition for businesses of all sizes and needs, features a wide range of plan and rider options that cater to different coverage needs and budgets. It also goes beyond medical benefits to include supplementary health and wellness services that can help boost employee satisfaction and productivity, and it does not come with any minimum group size requirement. 

Firstly, companies and their employees will get comprehensive coverage without the constraints of sub-limits, allowing them to have greater certainty about how much of their medical bills will be covered if they have to undergo major or minor medical procedures.

Another employee benefit is a range of health and wellness services that are more often associated with larger companies, such as a chronic disease management program, mental support through in-person or virtual consultations, and fitness and wellness experiences at exclusive rates, as well as discounted health screening packages.

Meanwhile, employees can also get an added layer of personalization with the option to enhance their coverage according to their needs, such as critical illness insurance, personal accident insurance, and general practitioner coverage, as well as specialist coverage, and dental coverage.

And lastly, the solution offers both the company and employee the convenience of accessing policy information and services through a one-stop HR portal and MyAXA app. They will be able to easily track claims and generate reports on the platform, which helps to reduce administrative work and increase efficiency.

Julien Callard, AXA Insurance’s managing director for Retail and Health, shared that they want to better serve enterprises by offering a comprehensive employee benefits solution which not only takes care of their employees’ health protection needs for peace of mind, but that can also help improve their physical and mental well-being. 

“Companies who invest in the well-being of their employees can benefit from improved productivity and performance, and importantly build a stronger and more resilient workforce,” said Callard.

Singapore – The island nation of Singapore has long been well-known as a haven for food lovers, with dining out being a large culture among Singaporeans who can choose from a wide variety of food courts. Tapping this large local ‘foodie’ culture is the latest endeavor tackled by the project of cooked food operator Kopitiam and the Association of Advertising and Marketing Singapore (AAMS), alongside its technology partner Moving Walls.

Said project, known as an ‘Industry Standard Measurement Project’, aims to bring accountability to Food Court advertising by deploying Moving Walls’ patented audience measurement to accelerate the adoption of technology on these media assets.

AAMS is currently championing an industry-wide regional Outernet media measurement initiative with Moving Walls. The project, through measuring physical location and people’s movement, powers planning, selling, verification, and re-targeting audiences using location-based Outernet media, has hit the ground running with the launch of its Outernet Marketing Innovation Group (OMIG) initiative.

For Bernard Chan, CEO of AAMS, said initiative is targeted to help open up untapped media segments in this space in response to increased demand for measurable media outside the internet world.

“Kopitiam has one of the largest footprints in various food services formats, and its participation in this project will be a big boost to our efforts. Outernet digitalization is going to be a game changer for the industry,” Chan stated.

Meanwhile, the project will also entail the implementation of a research layer using a synchronous mobile layer to understand the impact of this media, according to Srikanth Ramachandran, founder and group CEO at Moving Walls.

“Our patented solutions analyze these food courts to build a predictive forecasting of total potential views, unique reach, and frequency based on historical data points,” he added.

In terms of commitment, Vivek Kumar, director of strategic marketing and omnichannel monetization at FairPrice Group, their company commitment leans towards data-backed targeting and extended outreach to their partners.

“As part of FairPrice Group Media, the food media network of Kopitiam is an effective medium that not only reaches people like me who are ‘food lovers’, but can also help advertisers reach hyper-local communities to offer relevant products and services,” Kumar stated.

This is also seconded by Pauline Png, head of customer experience and marketing for FairPrice Group Food Services Business, who said that as part of the company’s business transformation journey in the food and beverage industry, it is important that they can understand their customers’ needs and experiences better in various food spaces, be it in mall food courts, coffee shops or hawker centers.

“This project with AAMS’ technology partner Moving Walls is a step in the right direction. I am excited to be able to develop superior experiences, food offerings, and communication that will delight our customers, tenants and partner brands,” Png concluded.

Singapore – Strategic communications consultancy RICE has appointed Raymond Lau as the new account director in its Singapore office, where he brings over a decade of journalism, agency and in-house experience, and will be leading key accounts as the firm’s client portfolio continues to grow.

Prior to RICE, he led chemical company Linde’s digital communications function in Asia-Pacific, where he oversaw internal and external communications activities across the region. He previously served as regional public relations manager for consumer electronics company Razer, driving the company’s global and regional communications campaigns.

Lau began his career in journalism, contributing to publications like The Straits Times, Yahoo! News, Hardwarezone and Techgoondu.

Speaking about Lau’s appointment, Mayda Jutahkiti, general manager for Singapore at RICE, commented, “We are thrilled to have Raymond join our team. Having worked across both agency and in-house roles, and with extensive experience in B2B and technology sectors, he brings valuable perspective and depth to the table.”

She added, “We look forward to working with Raymond as we continue to hire consultants across all levels and expand the team.”

RICE also recognizes the promotions of three consultants: Lizzy Li and Eugenia Siah have been promoted to senior account managers and Lydia Lee to account manager.

Singapore – The multinational pharmaceutical company, iNova Pharmaceuticals, has just launched its latest campaign for one of its brands, ‘Difflam’, in Singapore and Malaysia.

iNova Pharmaceuticals develops and markets a range of over-the-counter and prescription medicines to the Asia Pacific, South Africa, and other markets. Its product portfolio includes weight management, pain management, dermatology, and cardiology, as well as respiratory health, and allergy.

The campaign, which is created in collaboration with creative agency The Teeth, includes a series of films, social media content, and in-store communications. It aims to show that high achievers cannot afford to be hindered by mild illnesses such as a sore throat, positioning its Difflam lozenges as a trusted solution.

Titled, ‘Feel The Relief with Difflam During Your Big Moments’, the brand films capture the functional and emotional benefits of Difflam. With striking imagery designed to stop people in their tracks, it immediately communicates the physical and metaphorical pain produced by an unwelcome sore throat in a way that’s hard to miss.

The films cover different relatable situations such as when attending a Zoom meeting, being at a birthday party, or asking someone for a date, as said scenarios, the brand says, have become even more meaningful in the middle of a pandemic.

Ben Agnew, The Teeth’s co-founder and managing partner, shared, “Last year, Difflam established its pain-relieving credentials by featuring a bride on her wedding day. This year we wanted to go deeper and feature more frequent high-stake moments.”

Meanwhile, Zee Agnew, The Teeth’s founder and business partner, shared that in developing the campaign, they needed a creative idea to make the point that they have the best range of products to treat the two kinds of sore throats that Difflam has solutions for – the dry and itchy, and the painful stabbing ones. 

“The visual language had to be understood across all the markets we had to reach, so we went to great lengths to get it right. The films were produced by Breed and the photography by Colossal, in Singapore. And to create the most realistic blend between the cactus and the neck, we commissioned the visual effects to The Imago in Brazil,” said Agnew.

Jenny Shortall, iNova’s marketing director for Asia, commented, “We are all really impressed and proud of the new brand assets. It’s great to see a clear linkage to our brand strategy, footprint, and past campaigns, and on top have really high-quality material. It was a big effort catering for all the market’s requests.”

The pharmaceutical company also announced that the campaign will be launched in Hong Kong later this year.