Tag: South Asia

New Delhi, India — PharmEasy, a consumer healthcare super app in India, has launched its latest campaign starring Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, entitled #GharBaitheBaitheTakeItEasy. 

The campaign, which was done in collaboration with creative agency FCB in India, brings Khan into a set of quirky, disruptive and ‘mad-humour’ genre TVCs. Khan plays the triple role of the PharmEasy delivery person who pops up in the oddest places and in a quirky manner to tell customers about all the offerings from the PharmEasy brand and how all that people need to do is ‘Take It Easy’, PharmEasy’s ethos.

Gaurav Verma, CMO at API Holdings, the brand’s parent company, said, “Collaborating with someone as versatile as Aamir Khan fills us with immense joy. We are absolutely thrilled to have him on board as the face of the brand PharmEasy. He truly knows how to engage with the audience. With this association, we aim to reach more people while making affordable healthcare accessible to everyone. We are looking forward to a great collaboration with him this year and widening our reach through offerings and such campaigns.”

Bollywood superstar Khan commented on the collaboration, saying, “It is indeed a pleasure to work together with the PharmEasy brand, to help provide economical healthcare at each person’s doorstep. I feel that in today’s times, PharmEasy is providing an essential service, in a sector that is itself a fundamental requirement for all of us, and I look forward to this association.”

Meanwhile, Surjo Dutt, CCO of FCB India, shared that PharmEasy has a very distinct voice and tonality crafted over many years of commitment to disruption through humour. Dutt added that the company’s challenge was to stay true to this commitment and create a campaign that would take forward this legacy.

“The idea was to use Aamir Khan in a funny, unexpected, and effective way to create a campaign that is attempting to bring in many new users to the PharmEasy fold. Hence the triple role and the over-the-top style storytelling was thrown into the blender along with simple and clear benefits that the brand brings into the Indian consumer’s life! When madness and simplicity are thrown into a blender, magic emerges,” Dutt said.

FCB said the campaign aims to help towards building the PharmEasy brand and creating consumer awareness for healthcare in India, making it a household name for everything healthcare

India – Dentsu has appointed Sunil Lulla, former CEO at television measurement science industry body BARC India, to be its new consultant advisor for India. 

In his new role, Lulla will be working closely with, and reporting to, Peter Huijboom, dentsu India’s interim CEO, to focus on driving business growth and activation in the market while the agency continues its search for the right candidate to lead the dentsu India business. 

Moreover, Lulla will be partnering with key members of the India Leadership team to capitalise on the opportunities delivered through dentsu India’s rapid transformation to realise dentsu’s global vision of being the world’s most integrated network by 2024. He will also work on ensuring the competitiveness of dentsu India’s distinctive, integrated capabilities in a fast-paced, evolving marketplace.

Commenting on his appointment, Lulla said that he could not refuse an opportunity to work with a business that is relentlessly focused on shaping its own business to help clients navigate the changing market context and pioneer a new way forward. 

“I am excited to partner with Peter and build on the progress made with the leadership team, being a part of the team that works together to transform into the agency of tomorrow,” he added.

Meanwhile, Huijboom shared that Lulla is joining them at a critical time as they realise the benefits of their transformation through their integrated offering. 

“We see significant opportunity in the India market and I am pleased with the momentum we are seeing. Sunil will continue to accelerate our growth trajectory while working with our teams to define, activate, and ignite dentsu’s winning culture in the market. It’s an exciting time to be at dentsu India,” said Huijboom.

The appointment will be effective on 4 April and Lulla will be working with the business until dentsu India hires a permanent CEO.

Bangladesh – Bangladesh-based private commercial bank BRAC Bank has partnered with Singapore’s consumer bank DBS, aimed at allowing Bangladeshi migrants working in Singapore to easily transfer their hard-earned income to their families back home, with minimal fees and in real-time using DBS Remit, a remittance service integrated within the digital banking platform, DBS digibank. 

The new partnership will enable DBS and POSB customers in Singapore to remit funds to any of BRAC Bank’s 187 branches and more than 700 agent banking outlets across Bangladesh. Furthermore, customers can credit their remittances via DBS Remit to any bank account in Bangladesh. By the end of 2022, customers will also be able to use DBS Remit to transfer funds to Bangladesh’s mobile wallet bKash, a subsidiary of BRAC Bank.

For remittances to Bangladesh, DBS Remit has no service fee charges, provides guaranteed exchange rates, as well as real-time automated deposits to any bank account there. BRAC Bank’s extensive network also allows recipients in Bangladesh to easily collect funds in cash if they prefer. For remittances deposited to a BRAC Bank account, BRAC Bank customers can use the bank’s app, Astha, to pay for utilities, insurance and loan installations, credit card and phone bills, as well as transfer funds to any bank account or mobile wallet in Bangladesh. They can also withdraw their cash at any ATM around the nation.

Rhidoi Krishnakumar, the regional head of DBS Remit, commented that they are very pleased to partner with BRAC Bank, one of the most innovative financial institutions in Bangladesh, to enhance their DBS Remit capabilities and provide more accessible, affordable and secure remittances for their customers. 

“We also look forward to enabling remittances to bKash wallet by the end of this year so customers can remit to even more touchpoints across Bangladesh,” said Krishnakumar.

Meanwhile, Selim R.F. Hussain, BRAC Bank’s managing director and CEO, shared that inward foreign remittance is one of the backbones of the economy, and they are always working hard to facilitate its continuous growth. 

“We joined hands with DBS Bank, the leading digital bank in the world because they, like us, offer their customers the best service experience, backed by the most advanced technologies,” said Hussain.

Karachi, Pakistan — Automobile company PEUGEOT has officially launched operations in Pakistan through its exclusive partner Lucky Motor Corporation in Karachi. The partnership commenced with the opening of eight 3S dealerships that offer sales, after-sales and other services in six cities namely Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Gujranwala.

The tie-up also aims to facilitate the creation of state-of-the-art assembly facilities in Karachi to boost employment, localization and local automotive industry in Pakistan and enhance the internationalization of PEUGEOT.

PEUGEOT is an inventive brand that has been a pioneer in the automotive industry for over 200 years guided by its brand values; ‘Allure, Emotion and Excellence’, which represent sharp design, intuitive driving pleasure and uncompromising quality. With its entry into Pakistan, these values will be upheld as the brand strives to provide the market with the latest innovations and mobility solutions.

Linda Jackson, CEO of the PEUGEOT brand, said, “We are delighted with this partnership. This will be the first time a European car is assembled in Pakistan and we are excited to work with Lucky Motors to support employment, localization and the local automotive industry in the country. Internationalization is a key focus for PEUGEOT, with the B and C segment SUV growth in Pakistan, representing a great opportunity for us. This is also bolstered by the evolution of the legislation of the country towards electrification which is fully in line with our own strategy.”

Simultaneously, Samir Cherfan, chief operating officer of Stellantis Middle East and Africa, commented, “We are excited to embark on this journey in Pakistan with our new partner, Lucky Motor Corporation. We see tremendous potential and opportunity for PEUGEOT in Pakistan and are looking forward to serving customers in this exciting market.

Lucky Motor Corporation is a subsidiary of the Yunus Brothers Group, which has a legacy spanning over five decades. Yunus Brother Group’s robust and dynamic approach has enabled it to gain considerable market share in the Pakistani automotive industry and to set new benchmarks in terms of product offering and customer service. With the introduction of PEUGEOT, the company now aims to provide the best mobility solutions the European brand can offer its customers.

Asif Rizvi, chief operating officer of Lucky Motors Company, shared that Lucky Motors is set to change the automotive landscape of Pakistan by introducing PEUGEOT, the first locally made European brand in the country. Rizvi added that they are very excited to partner with Peugeot and look forward to being associated with Stellantis, a company that strongly believes in futuristic mobility solutions.

“Pakistan, with its 220 million population, offers a great opportunity for someone to come in and disrupt the automotive market. And we have no doubt that the Stellantis with its 14 brand portfolio, will be the one to do so. Lucky Motors is proud to become the first company in Pakistan to have multi-brand manufacturing and dealers. We are delighted to embark on this adventure, bringing with it the best automotive solutions, while also making meaningful contributions and investments that will support economic and social development in Pakistan,” Rizvi said.

The first step of the partnership will begin with the introduction of the locally built PEUGEOT 2008 model. The full-electric e-2008 local production is also considered. The introduction of the PEUGEOT 2008 is the first step of this ongoing commitment to Pakistani customers.

India – India’s disposable hygiene products manufacturer, Nobel Hygiene, has launched a new digital campaign, aimed at introducing its new flagship product, Snuggy Gold Pant-Style Diapers.

The new campaign, which was conceptualised in partnership with creative agency The Womb and produced by Bang Bang Films, has been shot in Kerala, a state closely linked to the history and ethos of the brand. It is a quirky take on one of the key product features – The Susu Meter or the wetness indicator strip – which runs along with the diaper and changes from yellow to blue to indicate when it is time for a change.

Titled ‘Introducing Snuggy Gold – Your Baby’s Best Companion’, the film features a mother in a snake boat being rowed by locals to her newborn child. It is a quirky take on the wetness indicator that signals to mothers everywhere when it’s time for a diaper change.

Kartik Johari, Nobel Hygiene’s vice president of marketing and commerce, shared that when they sat down to brainstorm with The Womb, they knew they wanted something different, something as away from the usual visual mould of diaper ads, seeped in the Keralite ethos of India’s oldest Made in India diaper, Snuggy. 

“The result is this ad that we had a lot of fun making, and hope you will have equal fun watching,” said Johari,

Meanwhile, Suyash Khabya, The Womb’s creative head, said, “We took something cultural in the South, married it to a much-needed product feature, sprinkled it with a catchy line – Neela Matlab Geela and went slightly over the top with the execution. All so, it becomes interesting to watch.”

The campaign is now available on Noble Hygiene’s digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, while the TV campaign will kick off in the first week of April. In addition, the brand will be running a campaign featuring more than 25 Kerala-based influencers on its digital platforms illustrating its premium features.

Karachi, Pakistan – Pakistan-based fintech NayaPay has raised US$13m in one of the largest seed rounds in South Asia, which was led by Zayn Capital, global fund manager MSA Novo, and early-stage VC Graph Ventures from Silicon Valley, as well as the participation of Singapore-based Saison Capital, amongst many others.

NayaPay aims to be at the forefront in the digitisation of Pakistan with its two-sided platform for the underbanked. The fintech has launched its chat-led super app targeted primarily at students and freelancers, and is building a SaaS-based platform called NayaPay Arc offering universal payment acceptance and financial management tools for SMBs. NayaPay’s platform strategy will harness the network effects between consumers and merchants, as seen in platforms such as Square Cash/Square, WeChat Pay, and AliPay as well as Venmo in their native markets.

According to NayaPay, Pakistan presents a significant market opportunity for the platform, where over 50 million adults are unbanked and only 33% of women have a bank account. With 70% of the population under 35 years old, there is a significant mobile-first generation. It also said that almost US$4t payments are made each year but only 1% of these are made digitally currently, while on the merchant side, the majority of SMBs in Pakistan are unregistered. They only have traditionally dealt primarily in cash, and have very limited access to business banking.

Danish A. Lakhani, NayaPay’s founder and CEO, shared that micro, small and medium businesses make up 90% of the merchant base in Pakistan and yet they are underserved when it comes to access to basic financial services. 

“NayaPay Arc will provide universal payments acceptance and a range of business financial management tools to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners. The tools are intended to give business owners visibility of their cash flows, pay suppliers and grow sales. Our goal is to enable them to focus on growth while we take care of the rest. By helping small businesses harness the power of technology, we believe we can transform the Pakistani economy,” said Lakhani.

Meanwhile, Faisal Aftab, Zayn Capital Frontier’s managing partner and co-founder, commented that they were impressed by the completeness of the vision of the founding team at NayaPay, and their differentiated platform-based strategy, first focused on servicing the needs of underbanked consumers and SMBs with specific use cases and building out from there. 

“With a proven ability to execute on the ground, the founder has an impressive track record of building and scaling businesses in Pakistan, including the country’s largest fibre broadband service, StormFiber,” said Aftab.

Omar Siddiqui, Graph Venture’s general partner, said that they are excited to see the mobile and fintech technology trends that have empowered consumers in these markets also emerge in Pakistan. 

“NayaPay already offers the most robust solution for consumers to access next-generation financial conveniences in Pakistan, and we look forward to working with the team as they roll out new products and grow their consumer base,” added Siddiqui.

Karachi, Pakistan — Media investment group GroupM announced the Pakistan launch of its AI-powered brand-safe influencer marketing solution, INCA during its latest virtual event. Leveraging GroupM’s remarkable scale, INCA connects brands to a vast network of reliable publishers and influencers to create and promote content in social channels that will drive brand engagement across digital platforms.

With the platform now entering Pakistan, clients in the country can now leverage the additional benefit of global expertise and run campaigns across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Assisting these clients is INCA’s specialist teams in four regions and 30 countries who have created more than 2,500 campaigns with over 100,000 content pieces for more than 300 unique clients around the world.

INCA’s proprietary end-to-end AI-powered platform provides numerous useful offerings namely unique creator and audience insights, fraud detection, workflow tools, content amplification, and detailed campaign reporting dashboards. It leverages a proprietary algorithm that uses real-time data to source, curate, and match influencers and publishers to a brand’s campaign objectives to deliver the most credible partners and content for the greatest impact.

Naveed Asghar, CEO of GroupM Pakistan, commented, “We are thrilled about INCA’s launch in Pakistan. We look forward to helping brands scale up their digital campaigns through our best-in-class AI-enabled influencer marketing technology to guarantee not only effective marketing but also connect brands with relevant, authentic influencers and publishers.”

With INCA’s trusted and scalable solutions, the platform can accommodate publishers, influencers, and their content needs to be manually identified, screened, and managed to ensure quality and brand safety, as the trend of fake followers enabled by bots makes it harder to tell if an influencer is a genuine and valuable creator.

Ghulam Jillani, business director (INCA) of GroupM Pakistan, said, “Using technology to challenge norms is the route to change the landscape. INCA addresses these challenges to provide a trusted network of verified influencer partners and campaign management processes. With this step, we expect for the ecosystem to change in order for us to bring that change in Pakistan we have INCA at GroupM.”

Meanwhile, Ateeq Rehman, CIO of GroupM Pakistan, shared, “At INCA, we build genuine relationships between brands, consumers, and creators to drive business outcomes for clients and maximise returns on their digital spend. Influencer marketing is growing at a phenomenal pace in Pakistan and we look forward to implementing INCA’s influencer marketing solutions for our valued clients in this region.”

Pakistan – Pakistan-based bank network HBL has partnered with Temenos, a global banking software company, to adopt the company’s core banking platform, aimed at providing domestic and international operations with a cutting-edge banking experience.

Through the partnership, HBL will be onboarding over 25 million of its clients onto Temenos’ open platform for composable banking, which will accelerate its services across all segments, markets, and channels. HBL clients will now have an enhanced user experience in the form of increased reliability, security, and a modern platform that will enhance the bank’s digitalisation journey.

In addition, the Temenos implementation will include a full suite of client-friendly products and services that will provide end-to-end, technologically advanced solutions to both HBL’s conventional and Islamic banking clients. This faster onboarding and quicker transaction processing will provide a more seamless client experience, enabling HBL to increase its digital footprint across Pakistan and internationally.

The new system will also enhance adherence to local banking regulations and improve reporting standards for international markets in China, GCC, Europe, and SAARC countries.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, HBL’s president and CEO, said “The open technology platform provided by Temenos is flexible, global-ready and has the breadth of banking services to meet our clients’ fast-developing banking needs. This partnership contributes to our goal to become a ‘Technology company with a banking license’.”

Meanwhile, Sagheer Mufti, HBL’s chief operating officer, noted, “At HBL, we are always looking at better ways to serve our clients. By adopting this leading platform, we will add to our capability to give clients an improved experience when using our services, now and for many years to come.”

Max Chuard, Temenos’ CEO, commented that HBL is a forward-looking bank with a pioneering approach to shaping the future of banking, and Temenos’ open platform for composable banking will free the bank from legacy constraints. 

“To innovate safely at speed, as well as scale its offering and achieve its growth goals. We are proud to support HBL as it delivers on this exciting vision for more than 25 million clients worldwide,” said Chuard.

Mumbai, India – Global payments network EMQ has launched its real-time cross-border payments across South Asia, including direct access to Nepal and India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and additional markets in the pipeline.

The enhanced payment capabilities to Nepal and India provide a more transparent and cost-efficient payments solution for its customers in the region, while enabling them to capture new opportunities across the emerging markets. Moreover, customers can now send a maximum of INR500,000, which has increased from INR200,000, directly into local banks in real-time under IMPS and higher amounts via same-day fund transfers to India through a single EMQ Connect API integration.

Meanwhile, customers in Nepal will also have direct access to real-time bank transfers of up to NPR1m with additional same-day payment options available in the country. These extended service offerings enable enterprises to focus on growing their business without the need to manage complex network infrastructure.

Steven Liu, EMQ’s global head of networks and expansion, shared that they will continue to expand their network with more global market touchpoints across the fastest growing economic corridors.

EMQ said that it continues to expand its product suite with real-time payments capabilities across Europe (Sepa Zone), Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Singapore, India, and Indonesia, as well as Nepal, and 19 markets in Africa, amongst many others, with expansion underway in the USA, Canada, and Latin America.

“Our enhanced coverage across Nepal and India further complement our efforts to offer differentiated value propositions with greater speed, agility and flexibility in both consumer and business payments that meet the evolving business models,” said Liu.

India – dentsuMB, the integrated communication agency under dentsu India, has been appointed for the digital creative mandate for Social Alpha, the multistage innovation curation and venture development platform for science and technology startups, which will be handled by the agency’s Bangalore office.

Social Alpha seeks to address the most critical social, economic and environmental challenges. It supports mission-aligned entrepreneurs through a network of innovation labs, startup incubators, accelerator programmes, and seed funds, as well as market access mechanisms. 

As part of the mandate, dentsuMB will be developing the communication framework and creating campaigns that showcase the initiatives across Social Alpha’s social media assets. The focus will be on the core mission of the brand, which is to create social, economic, and environmental impact through the power of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Manoj Kumar, Social Alpha’s co-founder and CEO, said, “While we take extreme pride in what our startups do, we needed help in communicating the inspiring work of our portfolio companies with an intent to attract more innovators and enablers to this emerging sector.”

Meanwhile, Indrajeet Mookherjee, dentsuMB’s managing partner, shared that this partnership will be a unique journey given the nature of services that Social Alpha provides and the divergent startup sectors it works with. 

“At the heart of Social Alpha, is a clearly defined purpose ‘of making a difference to the lives of millions’ and we hope to collaborate on bringing these beautiful stories of impact and change to a larger audience,” said Mookherjee.