Tag: Southeast Asia

Singapore – VMLY&R has been appointed to handle TikTok Shop’s major multimarket push around the year’s biggest online shopping days – and has already delivered stunning sales for 11.11 – building to the 12.12 finale, in Southeast Asia.

VMLY&R has been tasked with delivering TikTok Shop’s unique ‘shoppertainment’ proposition, bringing shopping and entertainment together as the antidote to e-tail stress and boredom during the shopping season. The mandate covers TikTok Shop Southeast Asia’s biggest markets – Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Moreover, VMLY&R teams in Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong in partnership with TikTok Shop launched the concept of ‘double’ with the 11.11 campaign – doubling down on shopping and entertainment experiences. Assets include video, key visuals, and offline & digital activation ideas on the same creative platform across the markets.

Nicky Lee, client services director at VMLY&R, said: “VMLY&R prides itself on striking the perfect balance between Brand Experience (BX), Customer Experience (CX) and Commerce in order to create truly connected brands. By staying true to TikTok’s brand truth – to entertain – we were able to highlight how TikTok Shop seamlessly integrates entertainment, community and commerce to deliver a joyful customer shopping experiences which sets it apart from the competition by putting the fun back into e-tail.”

The campaign video for 11.11 entitled ‘The Joy Lift’, sees a person enter an elevator just before midnight on 10.11 and start to browse TikTop Shop. As midnight turns the date to 11.11, a bounty of fun content entertains them, during which they finds a product they wants at a discount price. The video aims to showcase how whilst enjoying yourself, TikTok Shop helps the products you’re interested in find you.

In addition, the 11.11 campaign saw VMLY&R teams across 3 offices producing over 80 pieces of content for TikTok Shop, delivering an impressive 1.5 billion exposure for the brand during the campaign period.

Meanwhile, Treidy Rahmatsyah, regional brand marketing lead at TikTok Shop, commented, “We partnered with VMLY&R for many reasons including their deep capabilities and strength and connections across multiple markets, but also their deep understanding of consumer behaviour, which was key in positioning TikTok Shop for different audiences as the shopping platform that’s enjoyable, full of inspiration and makes buying easier.”

He added, “As one of the world’s biggest providers of short-form entertainment, TikTok Shop is the perfect antidote to e-tail boredom, offering ‘shoppertainment’ content that young people want to browse while they shop.”

Seoul, Korea – Korean telecommunications provider SK Telecom(SKT) has announced its collaboration with Malaysian telecommunications provider CelcomDigi Berhad, Indonesian game developer Agate, and Philippine IoT platform provider and consumer electronics company Cosmic Technologies, creating mutually beneficial business opportunities through publishing partnerships for SKT’s metaverse platform, ‘ifland’.

For this initiative, SKT recently signed MoUs with Agate and Cosmic Technologies, and will further expand its previous partnership with CelcomDigi to carry out activities to boost ifland through localised content and marketing, and primary customer support.

Through the collaboration, Ifland will be updated with four additional languages, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino and Spanish. The platform will also be equipped with curative services so that it can promote tailored content for users in different countries and SKT will provide the necessary services to improve service quality.

SKT expects the partnerships to bring mutual benefits. The partners will be able to gain experience in the metaverse service without making initial investments for service development, and SKT will be able to offer content tailored to each country or region and conduct effective localised marketing via its partners.

Going forward, the company will provide more administrator rights to its partners to vitalize the use of ifland in each different region, and in the long run, it will seek partners in the U.S., India and Europe to accelerate the global expansion of ifland.

Talking about these partnerships, Yang Maeng-seog, vice president and head of metaverse CO at SKT, said, “We partnered up with three representative IT companies in Southeast Asia and are now able to promote the platform through tailored marketing that will be provided through our partners.” 

“Through these partnerships, we will continue to do our best to provide ifland users with content and services that understand their culture and society by partnering with more local companies,” he concluded. 

SKT began expanding ifland to the global market by launching the service in 49 countries in November 2022. Since then, it has been making efforts to increase ifland’s global presence by discovering a wide range of attractive content and features for global users, such as virtual meetups with K-pop stars.

Indonesia – Digital Classifieds Group (DCG) has appointed Salvatore Britti as chief marketing officer, while Mohammad Rafatnejad has been named chief operating officer. 

Following the acquisition of the real estate marketplace Lamudi in Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as BProperty.com from Dubizzle Group (previously EMPG), DCG, based in Australia, has begun a leadership turnover.

Following Britti, who moved to his new capacity after nearly three years of managing DCG’s technology, R&D, and marketing projects, Rafatnejad took up the role following him in the succession.

Rafatnejad was previously the chief commercial officer at the listings marketplace Kaidee.com, which was acquired by the car marketplace Carro from EMPG at the time.

Rafatnejad also worked as a senior growth director at the Turkish real estate site Emlakjet.com. He graduated with honours from Allameh Tabataba’i University with a master’s degree in marketing management and Sharif University of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in materials engineering.

Britti has worked for DCG for more than nine years, where he focuses on marketing and product development.

He received a bachelor’s degree from John Cabot University with a major in marketing and a minor in communication after studying marketing at the University of Miami with a communication minor. 

Hong Kong – Trip.com and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced that it is extending its ‘Hello Hong Kong’ campaign to the Southeast Asian markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is part of  HKTB’ global ‘Hello Hong Kong campaign’, which was first introduced earlier this year to encourage travellers to visit Hong Kong.

This collaboration marks the first themed marketing campaign between Trip.com and HKTB outside of mainland China after the pandemic, and will see travellers from the four countries enjoy a discount when they make Hong Kong hotel bookings on Trip.com during the promotion period, with no minimum spend requirement.

In addition, travellers to Hong Kong who make their hotel or air ticket bookings through Trip.com can also claim a special ‘Hong Kong Night Treats’ voucher worth HKD100. 

Visitors will be able to enjoy Hong Kong’s vibrant nightlife and indulge in its culinary treasures with the voucher, available for use in participating restaurants and bars across the city after 6pm – allowing them to take their taste buds on an unforgettable gourmet journey after dark.

Edison Chen, vice president of destination marketing and strategic alliances at Trip.com Group, said, “Southeast Asian travellers have traditionally enjoyed visiting Hong Kong, as shown by the visitor numbers – in the first nine months of 2023, five of the top eight short-haul visitor arrivals in Hong Kong were from Southeast Asian countries, with visitors from Malaysia growing by more than 90 times compared to the same period in 2022.”

He added, “Our Trip.com data from the same period also bears this out, with the four countries participating in the Hello Hong Kong campaign ranking in the Top 10 markets booking trips to Hong Kong. We are happy to partner the HKTB to welcome more travellers from Southeast Asia to Hong Kong.”

Manila, Philippines – Alodia Gosiengfiao, one of the co-founders of SEA-centric esports and video gaming-oriented entertainment agency Tier One Entertainment, has announced her departure from the agency. At the time of this writing, she has been with the agency for over six years.

In a Facebook post, she stated that her departure from Tier One Entertainment was due to their visions and values not being aligned. Despite this, she has stated that the journey she has shared with the company has been both challenging and rewarding.

“I am grateful for the experiences, relationships, and accomplishments we’ve achieved together,” she stated.

Meanwhile, a separate post from Tier One Entertainment stated that they all wish her the best in the next chapter and hope she finds a new endeavour.

“There is no reality where Tier One Entertainment would have reached the heights we have reached without you. You are an unwavering beacon of excellence and continue to be an inspiration to cosplayers, content creators, and our industry as a whole. we are truly grateful for the time and dedication you have given us over the years. In the Philippines and around the world, you are undeniably one of one,” the company stated.

Tier One Entertainment was founded alongside Gosiengfiao, esports player Tryke Gutierrez and entrepreneur Brian Lim back in 2017. It received funding from Warner Music Group and Gobi Partners back in April 2021, with some of the funding used to expand to the Japanese market in October that year. It had also previously signed advertising partnerships with GroupM and Admazing Co., as well as a content creator monetisation partnership with Bent Pixels Asia.

Gosiengfiao’s departure from the company comes recently after Tier One teased its ‘Esports Arena’ as part of its e-sports school course partnership with Lyceum of the Philippines. Other recent ventures by the company include a Web3 incubator programme ‘ALLIANCE‘, and its merchandise brand BLCKBOX, with a brick-and-mortar store launched in December last year.

Manila, Philippines – Following the significant digital participation of AI, Google’s latest e-Conomy report for Southeast Asia revealed the accelerated growth for Philippines is expected to reach double digital growth from 2023 to 2025, positioning itself as one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.

Amongst the findings, it was reported that e-commerce continues to be the primary driver of the country’s digital economy, accounting for its 70% overall online activities. Benefiting from the shift of informal, unorganised commerce to organised digital platforms, it is also expected to reach $24B GMV by 2025 at 21% CAGR. 

By 2025, the local digital economy is set to continue its double-digit climb towards $35B GMV, growing at 20% CAGR making the Philippines a fastest-growing digital economy.

Meanwhile, online travel demonstrated the largest growth from 2022 to 2023 at 88% due to the ongoing momentum of tourism. 

Specifically, both domestic and regional transport providers are growing into outer cities. Businesses have also embarked on expanding their two-wheeler products as a more cost-effective alternative form of transportation in an effort to attract these markets. 

Speaking about the report, Nikki Del Gallego, head of data and insights at Google Philippines, said, “With continued double-digit climb towards $35B by 2025, the country’s digital economy continues to exhibit resilience and generate opportunities for Filipinos despite macroeconomic headwinds. This momentum is poised to continue, fueled by the immense potential of AI and the digital participation of internet users outside Metro Manila which could drive medium to long term growth.”

Bennett Aquino, partner at Bain and Company also commented, “It really is quite a feat that both Southeast Asia’s digital economy GMV and revenue continued their double-digit growth momentum despite this challenging macroeconomic environment, with revenue breaking the $100B mark in 2023.”

“More than anything, this shows the resilience of the Southeast Asia digital economy and that the key players are figuring out the monetization puzzle and making headway towards healthier unit economics. Despite external headwinds, we are optimistic that the digital economy – both for SEA and the Philippines – will continue to grow substantially in the longer run,” he added.

Meanwhile, Fred Pascual, secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry, said, “It is truly remarkable that the Philippine digital economy is on track to achieve sustained double-digit growth. Through a whole-of-government approach, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) remains committed to collaborating closely with partners from various sectors, including Google, to empower Filipinos in realising the benefits of the growing digital economy through upskilling opportunities.”

This year’s SEA digital economy revenue also is projected to reach $100 billion, expanding at a rate 1.7 times faster than the GMV of the area. This further delves into the opportunities of increasing digital participation to unlock the potential of raising digital engagement.

Singapore – Global retail company Muji has recently reopened its Singapore flagship store, MUJI Plaza Singapura, which also comes back as the current largest global flagship store for MUJI in the SEA region.

Spanning 38,400 square feet, the expansive store will feature MUJI’s increased product range across various concepts, scales, and varieties, including the Singapore-first MUJI Renovation.

Comprising over 15 departments and more than 3,000 products, MUJI Plaza Singapura’s new services and ranges include ‘Everyday Good Price’, which are daily essentials priced under $10, and maternity wear. Existing MUJI concepts will also be broadened to show a more complete range.

Specifically, the new flagship store includes clothes and fashion items, health and beauty items, travel goods, stationery, kitchen tools, a food section, a cafe, home related items and appliances, a renovation showcase, a community market with local goods, a bicycle section, refresh zones to relax, and the Everyday Good Price section. 

Speaking about the reopened store, Katsushi Onishi, managing director of MUJI Singapore, said, “We deeply appreciate the opportunity to expand and present our increased product range in our revitalised flagship store, situated in the heart of the city.”

“We are eager to introduce MUJI’s new product line and services to Singapore through the new MUJI Plaza Singapura, and hope to extend these offerings to our other stores in the future,” he added. 

Singapore – A new research from Magnite has found that ad-supported streaming services deliver scale for brands and that 71% of TV viewers in Southeast Asia watch ad-supported streaming. According to the report, said trend in the streaming industry serves as a signal for the future of streaming in the region.

According to the report, ad-supported streamers are embracing content across devices, which leads to more meaningful connections with brands and influences purchasing decisions. 

Around 68% of ad-supported viewers take action after seeing an ad on streaming platforms, and 94% are more likely to make a purchase from a brand they engaged with across multiple devices.

Meanwhile, ad-supported streaming audiences are highly engaged when watching streaming, which is winning viewers’ attention over social video. Around 92% of ad-supported viewers report being engaged when watching streaming content as compared to 62% of social media users who say user-generated videos on social media don’t hold their attention very long.

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Gavin Buxton, managing director of Asia at Magnite, he explained that in order to effectively leverage ad-supported streaming, brands should identify partners who can provide access to inventory from multiple streaming platforms at scale and support them in understanding targeting, creative and measurement opportunities.

“Streaming provides scale and reach at a level rivaling traditional TV and consumers in Southeast Asia are adopting ad-supported streaming in growing numbers. With streamers viewing content across multiple streaming platforms and devices, brands have more opportunities to increase the scale of their campaign investments to reach a growing audience of streamers across these platforms. This will enable brands to drive even greater awareness and impact,” Buxton stated.

When asked about how big is the scale of SEA’s ad-supported streaming industry, he stated that they look forward to many global streaming platforms launch their ad-supported streamers first in the region over the coming year.

“Our research establishes that streaming in the region is growing in scale, with 71% of TV viewers tuning in and 79% stating they prefer to watch free or reduced-cost content with ads versus 21% who prefer an ad-free experience. SEA was historically a free-to-air-dominant region, likely resulting in a lasting understanding of the value exchange between advertising and lower-priced or free access to premium content,” he said.

With many ad-supported streamers fully grasping the fact that streaming services have become a necessity for households in the region, Buxton expects that given this continued appetite for content, publishers and broadcasters will continue to increase investment in digital-first video content. 

“While video on demand (VOD) has been the main growth driver of ad-supported streaming in the Southeast Asia region, we can expect programmatic addressable, live sports, and free ad-suppoted television (FAST) adoption to also influence the growth of ad-supported streaming in the future. With linear TV now increasingly consumed in streaming environments, this opens up the opportunity to reach addressable audiences at scale,” he said.

Buxton further added, “Consumption of live sports on streaming platforms is also experiencing growing momentum, according to our research, and we expect this upward trajectory to continue, generating more opportunities. FAST adoption has been on the rise across the US and EMEA and is now starting to gain momentum across SEA, with device manufacturers and broadcasters launching more FAST channels to cater to a variety of user interests. All of this will enable advertisers to reach audiences more effectively and at greater scale.”

When asked what advice would brands consider when placing ads on as-supported streaming platforms, he said that brands should seek out and work with providers who have an understanding of the nuances of the streaming market across the SEA region. Moreover, it is also important that partners have direct relationships with streaming platforms and can provide transparency into media planning and reporting across these platforms, as well as the programmatic capabilities to maximise scale.

“As media owners continue to invest in quality content and internet-connected device ownership increases, Southeast Asia’s streaming TV ecosystem offers significant opportunities and benefits to advertisers looking to reach highly engaged audiences across all devices. For those that are newer to streaming, now is the time to dive in and test campaigns to become more familiar with the format, while those already investing should extend these investments across multiple streaming platforms and devices to capitalize on the current growth of CTV in addition to other screens,” he concluded.

Philippines – Philippine super app Gcash has recently unveiled its reinforced international services during the Singapore FinTech Festival this 2023, aiming to deliver the convenience of using the app towards Filipinos looking to travel or work abroad. 

Notably, GCash also revealed a new feature in the app where users can view real-time foreign exchange rates in select countries such as Singapore, Japan, and the USA.

This strengthens the efforts of GCash, which has been growing its reach beyond Philippine shores through its partner, global payments giant Alipay+, by allowing travellers to use the e-wallet for cashless transactions in 17 countries such as Singapore, Japan, and the USA. 

This initiative in turn has enabled users overseas to sign up for GCash using international mobile numbers in six countries such as the USA, Italy, and Japan.

Partnering with Visa as well, GCash users can also make cashless transactions with over 80 million merchants across 200 countries. Customers can order the new GCash Card via the app, and can pay with GCash in establishments that accept Alipay+ by either scanning their QR codes or generating a code.

Talking about these features, Martha Sazon, president and CEO of Gcash, said, “Through GCash services, Filipino travellers as well as those who live and work overseas can enjoy the same benefits as those who own credit cards and bank accounts. They can use the app to pay in stores and establishments that accept Alipay+ or accept card transactions.”

Singapore – This Christmas season, Grab celebrates its food merchants across Southeast Asia by featuring their signature meals as the focus of the company’s latest billboard commercial at the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. 

In this case, Grab has set aside the area to provide 53 domestic retailers visibility on the international scene. The program seeks to show the wide variety of culinary options that visitors can choose from when visiting Southeast Asia using the Grab app. 

The advertisement features a variety of regional favourites, such as Crispy Sisig from the Philippines, Prata from Singapore, Nasi Campur from Indonesia, Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng from Malaysia, and Bánh mì from Vietnam.

Grab has used the billboard space since its launching in 2021 to thank and recognize Grabbers, its community of driver, delivery, and merchant partners that assiduously service millions of customers every day throughout the area.

Although Grab is known for its ride-hailing service, international passengers are also becoming more aware of its food choices. For travellers from North America coming to Southeast Asia, a significant inbound travel market for the area, this peak travel season offers an opportunity to solidify Grab’s lead in the food sector.

In line with this, Grab has created the Traveller Homepage to help travellers plan their trips, particularly in unfamiliar areas. This feature allows users to navigate a city within the Grab app. Travellers can browse for points of interest, peruse the region’s cuisines and restaurants, and save their discoveries to a personalised list, which is available for 33 of the biggest cities often visited by visitors in Southeast Asia.