California, USA – Instagram launched a new streaming feature for creators, ‘Live Rooms’, which has been upgraded to now enable up to four streamers to run a broadcast session.
With the update, Instagram aims to provide more creative opportunities for the users, such as starting a talk show, hosting a jam session or co-creating with other artists, or to simply hang out with friends.
Furthermore, the platform’s Live Room was also recently enhanced to give creators more means to build a business and earn money, as viewers can now purchase badges of their favorite creators and use other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers. Instagram said that in the coming months, users can expect more interactive tools, such as offering moderator controls and audio features.
To start a Live Room, hosts will have to swipe left and pick the Live Camera option. Afterward, they must add a title and tap the Rooms icon to add the guests. People who have requested to go live with the host will appear. While the hosts can also search for guests to add. Guests’ followers can also be notified to increase the live stream’s reach.
Instagram also assures that the new update was designed with safety in mind. Users that are blocked by any participants in the Live Room will not be able to join the live stream, as well as guests who have had their live access revoked because of violations of the Community Guidelines.
The current available features for Live Room hosts include the ability to report and block comments and apply comment filters.
Instagram said the updated Live Rooms will soon be available globally.
Dhaka, Bangladesh – OBHAI, the locally-based ridesharing application, has expanded its online services to WhatsApp, tapping on the communication app’s ease of use and application to all walks of life.
The new WhatsApp integration fits the accessibility bill, as WhatsApp has 1.5 billion monthly active users around the globe, and 22% or around 40 Million users in Bangladesh.
“As Bangladesh marches forward towards a more sophisticated digital era, the masses are now more accustomed to having the world at the palm of their hands. As such, the frequency of communication via social media platforms, the likes of Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp etc. are increasing significantly,” the company said in their press statement.
It added, “Keeping the need and comfort of the citizens of Bangladesh in mind, OBHAI edged a step ahead and introduced its own WhatsApp service to complement its ride-sharing offerings, and to provide passengers a more personalized experience.”
Through the OBHAI app, users can book the OBHAI G (car), CNG (three-wheeler), or OBHAI Express (parcel) on WhatsApp. Commuters can save +8801313201222 in their address book as ‘OBHAI WhatsApp’ to which they will type ‘Hi’, as automated replies will pop up, to which one would simply punch in the corresponding number to their needed service.
“WhatsApp OBHAI booking will help a lot of OBHAI users to simply order an OBHAI Gari, OBHAI CNG, and even order OBHAI Express services in few keystrokes,” said Anis Ahmed, startup founder and investor at OBHAI.
OBHAI WhatsApp can be used by current OBHAI customers seamlessly, and all facilities including refund requests, complaints, billing, reviewing ride history, and suggestions will be available within minutes from OBHAI call center representatives.
The ridesharing app has existing services across 53 cities in Bangladesh.
Malaysia – The first month of the year is coming to an end, but it seems thank you messages have yet to reach their deadline – especially when it’s done creatively and sincerely.
One social and content agency based in Malaysia melted hearts when it surprised each of its partners on its Facebook page with a personalized thank you and appreciation card.
Kingdom Digital, whose main services are social media and content marketing, pulled its own expertise in whipping up its #KDWrapUp2020, creating a total of 340 messages for all of its partners – from clients and media partners down to its own employees – through brief clips. Receiving a year-ender regards from the people you’ve worked with is touching enough, but Kingdom Digital, on the other hand, takes it up a notch by curating each of the messages as sincerely as possible, truthful of the relationship it had with the partner.
One of its messages, for Malaysian leisure and entertainment resort, Resorts World Genting, whose account Kingdom Digital bagged for the year, read, “Thank you for choosing us this year! We managed to create something awesome despite the tough year. Hopefully, we can work on more amazing projects in years to come.”
Of course, long-time partners got the share of the love from Kingdom Digital, such as local wedding vendors platform, Weddings Malaysia.
In its message, the agency emphasizes its eight-year affiliation with the brand, saying, “Where do we begin. Still in love after 8 years. Yup, we’ve been counting. Together, we created a space where lovebirds flock to. And since then, it has been the go-to nest for these lovebirds.”
The same kind of touching messages was also given out to its media partners, while for employees, the message highlighted their most memorable achievement in 2020, along with their hopes for the new year.
For the agency’s message for yours truly, it highlighted the new relationship we have forged which started in the latter part of the year.
According to Kingdom Digital’s Head of Strategy Edmund Lou, the key message behind the initiative is ‘gratitude’.
“Despite the unpredictable times in 2020, we wanted to show that we’re grateful for the little things that kept us going and brought joy to an otherwise distressing year. Through this, we hope we can also encourage others to appreciate the present and look forward to future opportunities,” said Lou.
Lou added, “Being a creative agency, we are always finding new ways to tell stories. The idea spawned from our behavior of sending personalized festive greeting cards. So, we thought, why not? We love it when we receive something personal, don’t we?”
Aside from Facebook, clips were also uploaded on the agency’s Instagram stories. In creating the videos, which required 170 varied visuals and copy, Kingdom Digital shared it made use of its proprietary system, Digital Creative Automation (DCA), which deploys personalized banners.
The agency’s wrap-up initiative this year definitely ran the extra mile, where last year’s year-ender was a simpler single video format highlighting the agency’s 2019 achievements.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people into lockdown restrictions, making way for prolonged work-from-home setups and social distancing protocols, media consumption in Malaysians have seen some significant change, statistics from a recent study from marketing consultancy Entropia shows.
The report stated that radio, streaming media which includes audio and video, reading online news, watching television and checking social media are the ‘gainers’ from this newly-found media consumption, while out-of-home (OOH) media, cinemas, newspapers and physical events have downplayed to become the ‘losers’.
Spending more time on Facebook and Instagram ranked first in media activities to which respondents engaged in during the country’s movement control order (MCO) with 58.6% followed by listening to radio while at home and working (34.6%), watching YouTube while exercising (34.2%), and spending more time streaming on Netflix and watching with friends and family (26.7%).
In terms of age profiles and media behavior, the study noted that there has been an overall marked increase across age segments for Facebook and Instagram, with over 25% of all segments between 21 to 55 years indicating increased time spent on these platforms. A higher increase in radio consumption has been also among those over 45 years, while young adults under 24 years showed higher consumption of YouTube and Netflix. Meanwhile, those over 55 years showed the greatest increase in time spent on news channels.
The report said that increase of media consumption across all age groups can be attributed to increased need for news where viewers turn to channels they perceive as credible.
“As people around the world sought to remain updated on the rapidly changing crisis, consumers’ reliance on media also increased, resulting in a more captive audience. Here’s where media companies and advertisers can benefit most – the opportunity to leverage this enhanced engagement, grow their subscriber base, and expand their reach,” said Syahar Khalid, partner for integrated media at Entropia.
“Our clients’ universal objective is to make an impression on audiences and break through the clutter. Going forward, media strategy will require retaining consumers’ attention where they’re most likely to spend their time – be it for leisure, career, education or wellness,” added Khalid.
“The Malaysian government has just announced MCO 2.0 and with it, brands in some categories will again face challenges owing to adverse market forces. Some have already made significant moves towards continued investment in advertising, and we hope this study will provide some clarity on the media channels appealing to their specific target audiences,” Syahar concluded.
Singapore – Singapore-born e-commerce company Shopmatic has announced the launch of four new solutions and platforms for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand into emerging markets.
First on their releases is Shopmatic Chat, which allows SMEs to be connected and sell to their customers via Chat such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Line, among others Via the feature, SMEs will also be able to do their customer interactions via Shopmatic Social on Facebook and Instagram.
Meanwhile, sellers can also venture out their marketplace to various marketplaces like Amazon, Lazada, and Shopee through Shopmatic’s MarketPlaces. This then allows sellers to control all of their multiple marketplace presence all through one dashboard by Shopmatic.
Another new solution, Shopmatic Webstore, allows sellers to create a web store ecosystem, complete with all features like payment and shipping integrations, chat and social selling, multiple beautiful templates, and domain name.
Aside from the four platforms released, Shopmatic is also working on a Single Checkout link, to which the sellers can share across their multiple marketplace presence. This then allows the buyer less interaction with the seller, ensuring improved conversion rates.
“With years of working closely with small and medium business owners and individual entrepreneurs, we understand the unique needs of different sets of customers. We realise that offering a one solution approach for all sellers makes it challenging for some sellers and caters to a small segment of merchants in emerging markets. With the new solution, we are extremely excited that we can now bring in millions of sellers in the emerging markets into the eCommerce ecosystem,” said Anurag Avula, co-founder and CEO of Shopmatic.
He also added, “We are delighted with the exciting innovations of four different eCommerce solutions and the Single Checkout Link that will enable sellers to be successful easier and faster. We believe this to be game-changing in our continued desire to support sellers with unique and relevant eCommerce solutions.”
The new solutions are available in the Shopmatic platform for a fee of SGD 1 per month of hosting, or SGD 20 for a year of subscription.
Santa Monica, California, USA – Avatars made on Emoji maker platform Bitmoji gets a fashion upgrade with Bitmoji through a new partnership with global clothing brand Levi’s. As its in-app avatar creator, the “wardrobe” addition will also be applied to social media platform Snapchat.
Through the Levi X Bitmoji partnership, which was brought on to appeal to Gen Z consumers, users will now be able to customize their avatar with select Levi’s “apparel”, which includes 12 curated Levi outfits, the 501® Original Fit Jeans, Trucker Jackets, and Western Shirts, all available in multiple washes.
Once finished customizing their digital avatar, users can use and see their designed avatars in various Snapchat features, such as chat and games, on the Snap Map, in Lenses, and in personalized content like Bitmoji Stories.
(Left) A model sporting Levi’s Trucker Jacket, (Center) A Bitmoji avatar sporting a digital version of the Levi’s Trucker Jacket, (Right) A SnapChat QR Code for users to check on the rest of the featured Levi collection.
“As people live more and more of their lives online, it’s crucial for brands to find authentic ways to exist in the digital world,” says John Imah, Snap’s head of games and entertainment partnerships.
“Leading fashion brands like Levi’s have embraced Bitmoji’s ability to foster genuine connections with consumers in the digital spaces that they live in. We’re pleased to bring together the world’s most loved avatar with one of the world’s go-to denim brands in this exciting partnership,” he added.
The Levi’s® x Bitmoji collection is now available worldwide for Snapchatters and Bitmoji users on Android and iOS devices.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysian branch of global alcohol beverage manufacturer Moët Hennessy Diageo has appointed Kingdom Digital as its digital agency to handle the Diageo portfolio, specifically Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker and its single malt Scotch whisky brand Singleton. The agency was appointed in September following a pitch in April.
Under the appointment, Kingdom Digital will be responsible for assisting both Johnnie Walker and Singleton brands in their content planning and creation, creative development, along with social media management and performance analysis. The agency said the appointment is for a period of four months, with a possibility of extension.
Rajesh Joshi, marketing director of Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia for Diageo brands, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Kingdom Digital. The agency has demonstrated a good understanding of our brands, digital strategy, and goals in driving our business forward through innovative ideas. We look forward to producing campaigns that resonate well with our brands’ audiences and deliver exciting work for the Malaysian market.”
Meanwhile, Kingdom Digital’s CEO Ryan Ong commented, “It’s an honor for us to work with such esteemed brands. Through this partnership, we are confident that we’ll be able to assist Johnnie Walker and Singleton in strengthening their brand awareness and expanding their reach through a more digital-first approach.”
One of the agency’s first campaigns for Johnnie Walker includes promoting its newly-launched limited-edition John Walker & Sons XR 21 – The Legacy Collection. The latest collection aims to celebrate the rich heritage and diversity of the Malaysian Chinese communities.
To support this, Kingdom Digital produced a short, animated video that centered on the intricate heritage of the Cantonese, Hakka, and Hokkien clans. The video was released early November on Johnnie Walker’s Facebook.
The second phase of the XR 21 Legacy Collection campaign, set to roll out in December, will be focusing on a few other Chinese communities. Aside from digital asset development and video production for the campaign, Kingdom Digital will also be leveraging on Johnnie Walker’s social media channels for further visibility
Singapore – As chief executives of their respective firms, CEOs are sure mentioned and displayed a lot on online media, and this year, DBS Bank’s Piyush Gupta emerged as the most visible CEO in local digital media in Singapore, according to a report by market intelligence firm CARMA ASIA.
Gupta had the largest volume of online articles that mentioned him, amounting to 90 articles from the period of May to October this year. CEOs’ visibility, or frequency of mentions, was studied on both mainstream media – which are local online publications such as The Straits Times, The Business Times, and The New Paper – as well as on social media, particularly Twitter mentions.
Gupta retains the crown, being hailed in the same rank last year. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines’ Goh Choon Phong received the highest social media engagement with 999 mentions.
According to the report, Gupta outperformed other CEOs due to his frequent communication around DBS’ efforts to navigate the COVID-19 crisis.
The report also looked into how ‘favorable’ the visibility of CEOs are on media, and for this strand, Wilmar International’s CEO Kuok Khoon Hong took the reigns.
Favorability was measured via an article’s disposition, such as whether a company appears in the headline, the tone of the sources inside the article, and the sentiment of the journalist and the media outlet. Meanwhile, the mood of Twitter mentions was determined via the tone of the messages as well as the type of emojis and GIFs placed.
The report said Hong’s favorability in the media emanated from the depiction of Hong as resilient, financially sound, and supportive towards the community by giving away the company’s largest-ever S$7m donation as well as the firm’s acknowledgment that the business had continued to record positive performance in 2020.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines’ CEO Goh Choon Phong was commended for being the first to publicly address the news surrounding SIA including staff layoffs and pay cuts, as well as their rapid response to the backlash following new initiatives such as the ‘Flight To Nowhere.’
OCBC’s Samuel Tsien, Singtel’s Chua Sock Koong, UOB’s Wee Ee Cheong were also among the most visible CEOs with a total of 60, 40, and 22 articles respectively. These were due to their prompt responses to the COVID-19 crisis, assurance of the companies’ financial positions, and introduction of digital transformation initiatives to ensure their companies are able to weather the COVID storm.
CARMA ASIA’s Managing Director Andrew Nicholls spoke about the importance of CEOs being vocal in a time of crisis.
“In a period that has shaken confidence, the pressure on CEOs to provide guidance and reassurance to shareholders, employees, and customers has intensified.”
United Kingdom – In celebration of the company’s 40th partnership anniversary with children charity foundation Make A Wish, Disney EMEA launches its “From Our Family To Yours” campaign, and features an animated video advertisement centered on the spirit of Filipino Christmas.
Featuring two characters, a grandmother (Lola) and her granddaughter, the video shows notable Filipino Christmas traditions, specifically parol making, or making of Christmas lanterns.
The video starts off in a Philippine location in the 1940s where the grandmother in his childhood days strolls around in a plaza or a public quadrangle and meets up with her father. He then gestures a mano, a Filipino honorific way of showing respect to the elders (0:15 video timestamp). She is then given by her father a Mickey Mouse doll as a Christmas gift.
Fast forward to 2005, and the grandmother and her granddaughter live under the same roof, and bond over making parols, a Christmas version of Filipino lanterns made from bamboo stilts and colored paper (0:50 video timestamp). However, as time passed by, the granddaughter lost interest in lantern making, evident in the granddaughter’s shift to other teenage things.
One particular scene provokes Lola’s sadness, as her granddaughter leaves the house, leaving her alone and the old Mickey Mouse doll she has been holding on for decades, an ear ripped off.
However, the video concludes with the daughter realizing that the Mickey Mouse was a memento of her Lola and decides to surprise her grandmother with a plethora of Christmas lanterns around the house and gifting her a fixed Mickey Mouse doll. Both are brought back to their cherished memories, and hug each other at the end.
The video’s official soundtrack is titled “Love Is A Compass” performed by UK artist Griff. Digital download purchases of the track and a limited edition vintage Mickey Mouse soft doll are eligible to support the Make a Wish Foundation, as 100% and 25% of the item sales respectively are donated to the said foundation.
Limassol, Cyprus – To address the growing demand for Chinese market-targeted advertising, digital performance agency Mobiblade launches an automated ad service solution for advertisers seeking to launch ad campaigns to Chinese consumers.
The said service, which is available at the Mobiblade Portal, caters to clients by providing services such as social planning, social and search planning, or programmatic advertising. These are then targeted to Chinese websites or applications. After inputting required information such as company details and Chinese network documents, clients may then pay online and links to the availed portal services will appear on the client’s user portal. Additional services may be also purchased on top of the availed services.
The company, with full digital services offered to global clients, offers ad campaigns for various industries, ranging from finance to travel. Ad services include in-app ads, social media ads, and remarketing services.
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