Tag: Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Superapp Grab and electronics company Panasonic have partnered to launch a marketing campaign for in-car air quality that provides overall in-car experience enhancement.

The marketing campaign will combine both offline and online advertising solutions, as Grab will turn 5,500 GrabCar Premium vehicles across four countries into mini-showrooms for Panasonic’s nanoe™ X generators. The promoted product is an air-purifying unit which cleans the air, and improves air circulation. Ads will also grace the Grab app. 

“Our partnership with Panasonic reflects our belief that advertising is not a one-sided relationship, but one where there is a value exchange between brands and customers. It also marks a milestone for our fast-growing GrabAds business that is increasingly becoming the advertising platform of choice for brands within and outside of our ecosystem to better connect and engage with the everyday Southeast Asian consumer,” said Ken Mandel, regional managing director for GrabAds, the advertising arm of Grab.

“We will continue to take a collaborative approach in working with brands and agencies to ideate and launch impactful campaigns in Southeast Asia,” added Mandel.

The campaign will also provide additional income opportunities for Grab driver-partners who will earn a monthly product placement fee throughout the campaign period, as well as  5,500 air purifiers to participating drivers at no cost.

The Grab x Panasonic collaboration will span across Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta for a period of two months, starting this January.

Singapore – Singapore-based e-commerce enabler Shopmatic has revealed that it is eyeing further expansion in Southeast Asia. 

Shopmatic, which offers various solutions for SMEs to establish their online store, is currently serving SEA markets Singapore and Malaysia, with a presence in Hong Kong, and India. 

In the nine months into 2020, the company has reported a revenue of over S$7M, between the period of April to December, exceeding its targets by 40%.

According to a press release, Shopmatic has witnessed great demand from customers in its markets, a testament to the digital wave which has been accelerated due to the effects of COVID-19. This led the company to introduce new solutions in response.

In April 2020, Shopmatic focused its efforts on providing managed solutions through one of its locally acquired companies, multichannel e-commerce solution CombineSell, in an aim to help move Singapore SMEs online by providing them an opportunity to outsource their digital team. A month after, Shopmatic launched a special solution for grocery or ‘kirana’ stores to go online and found great adoption from businesses across India and Singapore.

Speaking on what 2021 holds for Shopmatic, Co-founder and CEO Anurag Avula, said, “We are very happy that we were able to close 2020 on a hugely positive note and are now able to step into 2021 with even more aggressive plans to digitize local businesses and entrepreneurs in Singapore, India, Malaysia & Hong Kong.” 

Avula added, “We continue to make significant investments behind key resources to be able to drive our organization to the next level and expand footprint into new markets in South East Asia. At Shopmatic, our focus is to build a sustainable & profitable business and we are delighted that we’ve been able to reach this significant milestone a year ahead of plan.”

The company revealed that it is in advanced discussions with several investors for a Series B fund raise. Just very recently, Shopmatic has launched a whole new range of solutions allowing SMEs to choose from four different ways to run e-commerce via Shopmatic Chat, Shopmatic Social, Shopmatic Webstore, and Shopmatic Marketplaces.

Singapore – As Shopee celebrates its fifth year in the business, the Southeast Asia and Taiwan platform shared the three key strategies it lived by to propel the company’s leadership in the e-commerce landscape today. 

In 2019, Shopee reigned over Alibaba-owned Lazada and Indonesia-grown Tokopedia, where it emerged as the most used e-commerce app with the highest number of monthly active users, at the same time, coming out as the most visited e-commerce website in Southeast Asia, according to a collaborative report by iPrice, App Annie and SimilarWeb. 

This 2020, the platform continues to set new records with its recent shopping events, with the just concluded 11.11 sale recording 200 million items sold across the region.

Chris Feng, CEO at Shopee

Shopee was born with the vision of making online shopping accessible, easy, and enjoyable. We built Shopee from the ground up, listening to the specific needs of people in each of our markets, and turning our understanding into well-executed localized strategies that make Shopee what it is today.

Chris Feng, CEO, Shopee

Shopee shared that in shaping the platform, it circles its strategies on three e-commerce trends: social, personalization, and integration.

With social, Shopee recognized the power of replicating the human touch to online shopping. Advancements in technology have increased consumers’ expectations of their shopping experience, demanding more engagement, one with rich and unique content.

To address this consumer need, Shopee was one of the first e-commerce platforms in the region to launch a live chat function, Shopee Live Chat, in 2016, enabling direct conversations between buyers and sellers.

Through the years, Shopee has continuously improved on and introduced new in-app engagement features such as Shopee Games, Shopee Feed, and Shopee Live, to retain the social experience in the platform.

Another trend, hyper localization, has grown to be an imperative among brands, and as a platform that runs on seven different markets, Shopee lives and breathes such strategy.

“Personalization is critical in the e-commerce of today. A highly personalized experience is crucial to make online shopping more efficient, enjoyable and unique for consumers, while helping brands and sellers drive increased traffic and growth,” said Shopee in a press statement.

To do this, Shopee continually refines its recommendation engines to offer more customized and relevant shopping suggestions made to fit consumers’ needs.

For brands and sellers, being able to offer personalized recommendations helps to increase overall awareness and conversions. Through Shopee’s own AI capabilities, the advertisements on the platform are ensured to be delivered to the right users at the right time and place.

Lastly, Shopee stresses the importance of integration or creating a seamless customer journey online.

The rise of e-commerce has shifted the physical shopping experience to a virtual one, and with the pandemic rigidly restricting in-person interactions, the need to enhance the online customer experience has been more resounding.

As more retailers switch to online selling, Shopee helps brands and sellers of all sizes to rightly deliver across customer touchpoints by providing fundamental operational support through integrated payments and logistics, while making the experiences innovative that value-add to the overall customer journey.

For its 11.11 sale event last month, the platform partnered with CapitaLand mall in Singapore for an online-to-offline experience. Both parties designed a new version of the popular Shopee Slice game, allowing users to play and earn CapitaLand vouchers, which could be redeemed in-store to boost traffic for offline retailers.

Source: CapitaLand

Shopee also doubled down on defining the integration of physical experience to online when it partnered with consumer goods company P&G in July, introducing the first-ever experiential online Show Me My Home initiative, which allowed shoppers to discover and shop for P&G’s popular household items in a simulated household environment.

“2020 has been a transformative year. It has shown us the importance of technology and its ability to not only connect people and meet their basic needs but also to entertain and engage. We are just at the beginning of our digital journey and looking ahead, we believe e-commerce will have an even more profound impact on businesses and consumers, creating new ways of living, working, and engaging,” said Feng.

As Shopee’s 12.12 Birthday Sale approaches, Feng also commented, “This year’s 12.12 Birthday Sale has added significance as we celebrate our fifth birthday, and as we come together with our brand partners, sellers and shoppers to support one another through a challenging year. As we look back on our journey, we are proud to have adapted quickly to serve the needs of our local communities.”

Shopee believes the three key trends which have shaped e-commerce, including its own, will continue to drive the growth of the medium in 2021 and beyond. As it anticipates this, the platform said it will continue to drive initiatives around such trends like its Shopee Mum’s Club, which provides like-minded mom consumers with one-stop exclusive access to baby product deals and parenting content, its Book Club for a new generation of digital readers in Vietnam, and a “Pawrents” club, which it mounted for Singapore consumers to meet the growing online demand for pet products in the country.

Indonesia – theAsianparent, Southeast Asia’s parenting-focused content platform, has announced a new country head for its Indonesian arm, marketing maven Rotsen Quispe. 

Prior to joining theAsianparent, Quispe was head of marketing for two leading hospitality brands: the Southeast Asia and Middle East markets of India-origin hotel chain OYO and the international markets of Indonesia-grown airline and hotel booking platform Traveloka. 

In his new role, Quispe will be responsible for growing theAsianparent 10 times in the next 18 months. He is in charge of all business functions such as traffic, sales, marketing, and operations to drive user engagement on the platform while ensuring clients’ satisfaction through the delivery of innovative brand solutions.

“I am excited to join social impact company theAsianparent. With my diverse experience coupled with my passion and interest in innovation and disruption, I am looking forward to improving processes and optimizing resources to achieve the goals we have for the Indonesian parenting market,” commented Quispe.

theAsianparent features content on the full parenting journey, from pregnancy to managing a toddler. The platform, which has presence in countries such as Singapore and Philippines, employs a localized approach, adapting its content to display the country’s local language instead of the universal English.

Roshni Mahtani, founder and Group CEO of theAsianparent commented, “Having Rotsen leading theAsianparent team in Indonesia would enable us to leverage on his experience to further scale our business efficiently with a strong focus on data-driven processes and profitability. We are pleased to have him onboard and look forward to gaining market share in our most important market.”

Singapore – Southeast Asia fans of global sports apparel brand Nike has now more ways to avail of its products with its new flagship store in eCommerce platform Lazada.  

With the new store in LazMall, Lazada’s in-app ‘mall,’ Nike is able to directly retail to consumers across five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

According to Ken Yamada, GM of Nike direct digital commerce in Southeast Asia and India, the flagship store will be complimenting Nike.com and its existing strategic partnerships to enrich its offerings and choices for consumers within the Nike digital ecosystem.

“This venture enables us to consistently offer product accessibility, enjoyable shopping experiences, and a wide variety of innovation and design to our regional consumers in line with our digital growth,” said Yamada.

The initial phase will give consumers access to a wide variety of Nike products online – from footwear to apparel and equipment for men, women, and kids. The assortment will continue to evolve to cater to the unique tastes and needs of consumers in each market.

“Lazada is proud to serve as Nike’s online retail partner for Southeast Asia. Consumers across Southeast Asia will be delighted to have first-hand access to a wide assortment of Nike’s world-renowned designs, especially in the upcoming 11.11 shopping festival,” said Jessica Liu, co-president and regional head of commercial at Lazada Group.

The new collaboration between Nike and Lazada has kicked off in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and will be made available in Thailand soon.

Thailand – Colgate has released a new campaign in Thailand for Colgate Total, its high-performance toothpaste product, where the ad spotlights “greatness,” featuring professional climber and Academy Award-winning documentary director Jimmy Chin.

Titled “Made for Greatness,” the campaign comes after Colgate’s recent release of the #SmileStrong campaign in various markets such as ANZ, Philippines, and in Malaysia, where it has been locally adapted as #SmileStrongBersama, where Bersama means together. The said campaign displayed the main theme of optimism amid challenges and prejudices in life.

For the current one, Colgate has decided to move to feature the message of “greatness,” matching the extra hardworking anti-bacterial formula of its Colgate Total. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=vSWCjfAxt24

Chin is known for his numerous climbing expeditions in different countries such as China, Pakistan, and Nepal. In 2019, his documentary chronicling a rock climber’s journey won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Displaying the brand’s color palette of Red and White, the ad shows Chin attempting an arduous mountain. In the middle of the climb, he is seen taking a break and refreshing using Colgate Total. 

The creative brain behind the campaign is Red Fuse, global communications company WPP’s integrated global team for Colgate-Palmolive. 

The campaign will be progressively rolled out across Singapore, Malaysia, Australia & New Zealand within the next few weeks.

Colgate’s Regional Marketing Director Lyndon Morant said, “Now, more than ever, people have a stronger resolve when it comes to the world becoming a better place for all. This campaign really shows a turning point – not just for Colgate Total – but for the category as a whole that we can move into a broader, richer territory to connect with people in a way that our category hasn’t done before. Greatness is about demanding more every single day, and that’s the exact attitude we bring to Colgate Total.”

Outside of the film, the campaign also includes integrated communications across out-of-home, digital & eCommerce, and in-store displays.

Singapore – Super app Grab and Marriott International, Inc. has today announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership that will see both companies integrating their offerings to bring premium hospitality experience into the hands of consumers in Southeast Asia. This will the global hotel brand’s first extensive integration with a super app platform in Southeast Asia, as well as Grab’s most comprehensive agreement with a hospitality group to date.

Under the terms of the parties Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Marriott International will integrate into Grab’s platform in phases across food delivery, payment, transport, loyalty, and rewards, as well as advertising. Marriott International will also have access to Grab’s sizable customer base via GrabFood, GrabPay, and GrabAds, enabling them to serve a growing pool of customers who are increasingly transacting online. 

Meanwhile on Grab’s side, GrabFood will feature approximately 600 restaurants and bars from Marriott International’s portfolio in six different Southeast Asian markets. In addition, customers will be able to conveniently pay for their dining experiences through GrabPay at selected Marriott International hotels. Customers will earn GrabRewards points for all transactions on the Grab platform, which can be converted to Marriott Bonvoy points and vice versa.

Marriott Bonvoy is the travel program of Marriott International that encompasses the company’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands and premium home rental offerings, Homes and Villas by Marriott International. Once in place, Grab customers will be able to redeem their converted points for exclusive member benefits at over 7,400 hotels and resorts in 135 countries and territories.

APAC President of Marriott International Rajeev Menon said the collaboration is one way we the company is designing a more seamless travel experience by leveraging the expertise of a super app in the region 

“Marriott International is constantly looking for ways to innovate and bring value to travelers and Marriott Bonvoy members as part of our partnership strategy,” said Menon.

Meanwhile, Group Managing Director for Operations at Grab Russell Cohen commented, “We are excited to partner with a world-renowned hospitality group like Marriott International that is at the forefront of delivering customer-first hospitality experiences. The breadth of our collaboration reflects our value as a platform of choice in supporting global brands on their digitalization journey in the new normal, and in particular, represents a milestone for our fast-growing GrabAds business.”

Other initiatives within the partnership include:

  • GrabPay: Piloting in Q1 2021, first in Singapore, travelers will be able to make cashless payments through GrabPay at participating Marriott International hotels. F&B outlets that accept GrabPay can soon also access Grab’s Merchant Discovery feature to notify guests in the vicinity of participating hotels about ongoing promotions and events. This will help businesses increase sales, grow customer loyalty, and drive more foot traffic to physical outlets. 
  • GrabAds: Grab and Marriott International will jointly create impactful marketing campaigns that are relevant and personalized to customers. With GrabAds’ solutions, Marriott International can connect with customers in a targeted way through audience data, integrated marketing communications across touchpoints, and track campaign performance in real-time. 
  • GrabRewards: Starting in Q1 2021, Grab customers and Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to enjoy two-way points transfer. This will allow consumers to convert GrabRewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points and vice versa, enjoying flexibility and benefits on GrabRewards, Southeast Asia’s largest rewards platform by users, with nearly 800 merchants. 

Both companies will also launch more loyalty initiatives in the coming months, including dining rewards at Marriott’s F&B outlets. 

The strategic partnership will begin in Singapore in November 2020, with Marriott International and Grab to roll out more products and services across Southeast Asia in multiple phases.

 

Manila, Philippines – In a new study about the online content viewing behavior of Filipinos, it was found that 49% of Filipinos online admit to using streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The results also showed that the numbers spike to about 53% within the 25-34 age demographic.

Commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, the survey found that out of the 49% who do use streaming piracy websites or torrent sites, 47% of consumers who accessed them have cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

In comparison to neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia, who have seen a decline in online piracy over the past year, online piracy in the Philippines is rising. Indonesia’s YouGov survey showed a 55% reduction in Indonesians accessing piracy services while Malaysia’s found a 64% decline. 

This decline in both Malaysia and Indonesia is due to the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiatives which has helped in the reduction of online piracy. 

Currently, the Philippine government is looking into doing the same. A bill before the Philippine Senate (Bill #497) entitled the ‘Online Infringement Act’ proposes a regulatory site blocking mechanism which would empower the authorities to ensure that ISPs take “reasonable steps to disable access to sites whenever these sites are reported to be infringing copyright or facilitating copyright infringement.”

The survey results showed that the majority of Filipinos think that these initiatives will deter the rise in online piracy with 53% of them agreeing that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

According to Atty Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), Filipino consumers should not patronize pirated content because of its risks and consequences. 

“The wide variety of legal services in the Philippines which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organizations who are behind these illegal websites.”

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) also commented, encouraging the legal consumption of content.

“We are confident that Indonesia and Malaysia will rise to become market leaders in video IP protection in the region, as a result of their site-blocking strategies. We are also confident that other countries in Asia, such as the Philippines, will take note and follow suit, boosting the growth of legal consumption of Filipino and international content.”

Singapore – Southeast Asia eCommerce platform Lazada has partnered with one of South Korea’s most popular leading men Lee Min Ho to become the regional face of the brand, ahead of its 11.11 sale.

Prior to the partnership, Lazada’s ambassadorship has been focused on local personalities from key markets. Lee will be the first-ever to represent the whole of Southeast Asia.

Lazada’s Group Chief Marketing Officer Mary Zhou said that the annual 11.11 shopping festival is its most anticipated and biggest one-day sale of the year, and they want to be able to capture the imaginations of their shoppers with a regional ambassador who can positively inspire SEA consumers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGWYElsFFeN/

On choosing Lee, Zhou said, “Lee Min Ho’s exuberant, optimistic, and encouraging personality resonates with Lazada shoppers. [He is] reminiscent of Lazada’s spirit and tagline Go Where Your Heart Beats and [the] signature finger-heart gesture.”

Lee gained a massive fan base when he starred in the television series Boys Over Flowers in 2009. Since then, his popularity grew all over Asia, and is now the most followed Korean actor on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Weibo. He most recently appeared in the Netflix-produced The King: Eternal Monarch.

Lee commented, “I’m excited to join the Lazada family for the 11.11 shopping festival as their first regional brand ambassador. Lazada is known across the region for its innovative and customer-focused approach to online shopping, and working with the Lazada team has been a really fun and creative experience so far. I look forward to introducing more fans and friends in Southeast Asia to the lifestyle platform.”

As part of the campaign lineup, Lee will be starring in a TV commercial which will showcase his online shopping routine. Another commercial will also see him joining the brand’s local ambassadors from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Zhou shared that virtually bringing together both Lee Min Ho and the local brand ambassadors is Lazada’s way of connecting the community despite being geographically separated.

“As 2020 comes to a close, Lazada wants to foster a deeper understanding of the power of the commonalities that exist within our diverse community across Southeast Asia, and how we can unite to harness this strength to support each other through challenging times,” she said.

Singapore – P&G-owned skincare brand Olay has launched a brand new campaign – Adult Fearlessly – and it has partnered with Shopee to exclusively run it on its platform ahead of Olay’s special sale event Brand Day. The event will be held on October 14 to 16.

The campaign seeks to reach and engage with millennial women around Southeast Asia to bring a message of empowerment that they can #adultfearlessly, and overcome the perceived challenges of “adulting,” such as that with investing in their skincare needs.

Together with Shopee, Olay has conceptualized and co-created content such as a video called “Fearless with your choices,” which aims to shift the mindsets of millennials as they confront their fears of turning 30. It is also said to highlight the positive aspects of the journey leading up to such age.

The campaign will be rolled out in phases across six markets including Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Lucy Moran, Senior eCommerce Director of Olay for APAC shared that the brand wants to focus on how consumers are integrating their lifestyle with their skin needs.

“As one of the top facial skincare brands in the world, we are continually innovating and advancing the way we connect with our consumers. With e-commerce driving a major shift from offline to online sales, there is potential to achieve further growth in this segment,” said Moran.

“Riding on this momentum to broaden our reach in Southeast Asia, we are partnering with Shopee once again to bring more engaging and convenient experiences online, where consumers are able to access Olay products– all at the click of a button,” she added.

Meanwhile, Shopee’s Regional Managing Director Ian Ho said that the Health & Beauty category is one of the top-performing on the platform as the new normal has driven even more consumers to browse and buy skin care products online.

“We are proud to be able to support Olay in their e-commerce growth through this campaign. Our shared consumer insights and widening base of millennial users have enabled a hyperlocal strategy for Olay to deliver the best online shopping experience. We are confident in supporting Olay to achieve another successful campaign with us,” said Ho.

This will be the second collaboration between the two brands. In April, Olay’s regional campaign for its Retinol 24 product line was also run by the partnership with Shopee.