Tag: Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – With its commitment to promoting gender equity, digital-first agency Lion & Lion has rebranded itself to be called ‘Lion & Lioness’ for the entire duration of international women’s month. This is to celebrate the said designated period of honouring women, with the brief name change also coming with an empowering tagline, ‘Roaring for Equity’; and a new logo to boot showing a lion and lioness.

With a team that is currently consisting of 60% female, Lion & Lion emphasised that the agency is taking meaningful steps to establish a network that values and recognises the contributions of its female staff whilst creating a more effective team that can better serve the clients.

Some of these efforts include introducing two initiatives for the support of female employees such as creating a ‘priority room’ in the Kuala Lumpur office to give a comfortable space for upcoming mothers who need a private area to breastfeed or rest and an alarm keychain that can be used in times of danger.

This Women’s Month, Lion & Lion also gives a spotlight to its female leaders or ‘lioness’ from the different departments of people & culture (HR), traffic, media planning, and in-house marketing & communication team who play significant roles in operating internal processes and client servicing. 

These female executives include regional head of people & culture Mawar Mustaffa; client services manager Julia Michelle Boudville; media lead Rafeah Siron; and senior marketing manager Menuka Vejasegaran.

The special rebranding comes with an on-ground celebration at the Kuala Lumpur office on 8 March where all employees, regardless of gender, can enjoy the team building and engaging activities.

As an agency that aims integrate data and creativity, Lion & Lion continues to drive efforts in providing impactful solutions for clients. Earlier this year, it expanded its offerings by launching a film production studio to connect its integrated creative, social, and digital experience solutions.

Singapore – YouBiz, the corporate card and finance management platform by YouTrip, has announced their strategic partnership with cloud-based accounting software provider Xero. Said partnership aimed at reducing operational costs remains amongst SMEs in the Southeast Asian region.

It also aims to equip local businesses and startups with more capabilities to manage their corporate expenses efficiently through the integration of Xero’s accounting software.

Through this integration, YouBiz users can unlock automated sync on all multi-currency accounts with Xero, reducing manual reconciliation of expenses and erroneous accounting entries. YouBiz users who are new to Xero can also enjoy 50% off on any Xero accounting plan for 6 months.

Caecilia Chu, co-founder and CEO at YouTrip has expressed their excitement with said partnership, remarking that with growing inflation and rising prices, finance automation platforms with enhanced accounting capabilities will allow SMEs to cut down on operational costs significantly and redirect valuable funds and resources towards their global expansion plans.

“With Xero on board, YouBiz users will have better control and greater visibility over their business spending. And as we continue to be a valuable and reliable partner to SMEs, YouBiz will strive to forge more partnerships with digital brands and businesses that SMEs work with, to bring more returns and cost savings beneficial to companies, and aid them in their digitalisation efforts,” Chu said.

Singapore – Popular Canadian coffeehouse and restaurant chain Tim Hortons has announced its expansion to Southeast Asia, starting off with Singapore, and later on to Malaysia and Indonesia.

The expansion was made possible by Tim Hortons APAC and multinational conglomerate Marubeni Corporation. Whilst the launch ofTim Hortons in Singapore has been already set, the expansion to Malaysia and Indonesia is still subject to regulatory approvals and finalising agreements.

Tim Hortons is operated under the Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which also handles other restaurant brands such as Burger King, Popeye’s, and Firehouse Subs.

Said expansion is part of Marubeni’s ‘Next Generation Corporate Development Division’, its first investment in the region. The new division, launched in 2022, aims to invest in businesses that capture the growth of next-generation consumers in Southeast Asia.

Singapore – To expand its marketing suite for hospitality operators, global guest experience and retention platform for the hospitality industry SevenRooms has launched an e-mail marketing tool that is built with a set of personalised trigger-based emails from operators to customers, aimed to help in continuous engagement with guests.

Working in conjunction with SevenRooms’ automated e-mails, the customers will be able to send one-time, customised marketing emails directly to the SevenRooms platform in order for operators to control the way they use their guest data. 

The platform will also allow operators to build their brand by having direct touchpoints with guests, whilst being provided with insights that matter to their business including the reservations, covers, and revenue attributed to each email. 

In addition, this will support operators with a solution that is connected throughout a restaurant’s tech stack, without using third-party email service providers. It is directly linked to the SevenRooms CRM and operating system so operators have full control over their messaging and its receivers.

Meanwhile, in line with the goal of enhancing the guest experience, this gives updates about their favourite venues, receive targeted messages and promotions, or simply control the venues from which they receive marketing. 

Allison Page, co-founder and chief product officer at SevenRooms said that SevenRooms provides an email marketing product with a functionality that cannot be seen in other traditional email marketing platforms.

“While other email service providers promise revenue, SevenRooms can prove it with accurate data on the revenue generated by each campaign to truly measure email marketing performance,” she added.

Manila, Philippines – In line with its commitment to championing naturality, shampoo brand Palmolive in the Philippines has used artificial intelligence in its latest social campaign to render a representation of a Filipina – one that authentically showcases what a native woman in the Philippines looks like.

The woman was generated after the prompt ‘Filipina Gen Z Palmolive Girl’ and the result is a tan-skinned woman with long and thick hair and low nasal bridge – a close resemblance to a native Filipina.

Upon posting the AI Palmolive Girl on social media, the brand engaged audiences with a poll, asking the question, “According to AI, ito ang look ng isang Palmolive Naturals girl. Agree ba kayo?.” (“According to AI, this is what a Palmolive Naturals girl looks like. Do you agree?)

The poll was closed after 24 hours, with 90% of the respondents saying ‘yes’.

Bea Atienza, impactful brand experience lead at Colgate-Palmolive, said that they’re thrilled with the positive response towards the said campaign. 

“It proves that naturality and AI can coexist in today’s world. We’re excited to continue working on this project and create something truly beautiful and collaborative,” she added.

Singapore – Property technology company PropertyGuru has announced the appointment of Manav Kamboj as the new managing director of its fintech business. Kamboj will retain his role as the chief technology officer of the company.

In his expanded role, Kamboj will lead the business, leveraging technology, data, and analytics to drive further digitisation of the home loan process and operational excellence. He has been working closely with the Fintech team since it was established which also helped him in gathering insights into his new role.

Kamboj has extensive experience in the consumer internet industry across eCommerce, mobile applications and technology consulting. Furthermore, he has led cross-functional teams in retail lending, product management and customer acquisition strategy.

Kamboj started to join the PropertyGuru group as chief technology officer in 2017, leading a distributed team of engineers, software developers and data scientists who deliver technology solutions to address the ever-changing needs of home seekers, real estate agents and property developers across the region. 

He also spearheaded the inauguration of PropertyGuru Group’s technology Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, India, which marks the Group’s sixth country office alongside offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. 

Before joining PropertyGuru, he was with e-commerce platform Snapdeal as vice president of technology where he shaped the product and technology roadmap for buyer platforms.

Hari V Krishnan, chief executive officer and managing director at PropertyGuru Group said that Kamboj’s strong skillset in technology and finance will help the company’s Fintech ambitions, including digitisation of home loan process in Singapore.

Kamboj expressed his excitement as he takes a new role in the company because of new opportunities to help the consumers.

“Our focus will be on developing products and solutions for the mortgage market that guide the home buyers’ financing needs and that are more often than not the biggest hurdle in their home ownership journey,” he added.

Last month, PropertyGuru also appointed Disha Goenka as its new chief marketing officer.

Singapore – Singapore Airlines, the national air carrier of Singapore and the market’s most considered brand, has released its latest global campaign which spotlights the real meaning of world-class. 

In collaboration with agencies TBWA\ and PHD, the latest campaign is presented through the eyes of the airline’s cabin crew who, through travel, encounters people, cultures, and places around the world, reflecting that the airline can bring this kind of exceptional experience to their customers.

Lee Lik Hsin, executive vice president for commercial of Singapore Airlines, said that the airline is committed to giving excellent service, citing that the customer is the ‘heart’ of everything they do. 

Mandy Wong, president of TBWA\ Singapore added, “We needed the new narrative to be futureproof so it could maintain relevancy in the ever evolving travel landscape of consumers’ changing travel motivations. With Welcome to World Class, it wholly captures the Airline’s unparalleled service leadership, and digital experience offerings.”

Other works from the campaign are shared across global and local channels from mainstream broadcast stations to digital and print, and key OOH placements in London, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. More materials will be released this year such as new innovative media in the pipeline, with key brand assets, and content series starring its cabin crew through an authentic lens.

In 2021, the airline also released a campaign titled ‘Look forward to flying again with Singapore Airlines’, indicating a significant step in its recovery when the borders reopened across the world.

Singapore – Wunderman Thompson has announced the appointment of Shailesh Iyer as its new chief strategy officer for Singapore where he will be working with the agency’s Unilever brands as well as the agency’s partnerships with brands HSBC and J&J, amongst others.

Iyer brings with him a strong leadership experience in integration-driven strategic approaches across a multitude of categories and clients. He was previously with public relations company Publicis Groupe Indonesia as chief strategy officer where he led the strategy practice across creative and digital, working across the three markets of Singapore, UAE and Indonesia.

Furthermore, Iyer has also worked on various global brands such as McDonald’s, Oreo, Cadbury, KraftHeinz, Samsung, Nestle, Coca-Cola, SK-II, Tide, IKEA, HSBC, Citibank and more.

Nimesh Desai, chief executive officer of Wunderman Thompson Singapore, said that they were thrilled to have Iyer in their team knowing of his proven expertise in strategies, bringing a creative and grounded human approach to the agency.

Meanwhile, Iyer commented, “I am super excited to be a part of the Wunderman Thompson family. The agency has everything it takes for the next phase of how the industry evolves. The right leadership, right skillsets and the right vision to help us create meaningful work that inspires growth for us and our ambitious clients.”

Earlier this month, Wunderman Thompson also announced other leadership appointments including KJ Lee as managing director for South Korea and Richa Dholi as VP for strategy planning for India.

Singapore – Community Chest, the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore, has launched a new campaign that aims to showcase the ‘potential’ of every individual. With its mission to add value to every person’s life, the campaign is also an encouragement for everyone to give donations to assist in the organisation’s support for children and adults with vulnerabilities and special needs. 

Community chest provides social services to children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and seniors and families in need of assistance. 

Titled ‘Champion Every Potential’, the 90-second campaign was developed together with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, who won the account in a pitch last July.

The campaign features 23-year-old Aurora, a dancer and painter with down’s syndrome and 45-year-old housewife Rushsidah, a graduate of a peer support specialist programme under the Social Service Institute, the human capital and development arm of NCSS. Both are supported by Community Chest.

Pearlyn Tseng, director of communications and marketing of NCSS, commented that their service users are a champion on their own and have the power to reach their full potential.

She added, “We have progressed from the early days, where we supported the basic needs of service users, to journeying alongside them to empower them to achieve their potential. We look forward to more partners joining us to uplift communities in need and build a caring and inclusive home for all.”

According to the org, the donations gathered from the campaign will be used to support over 100 social service agencies that run 200 social service programs.

The campaign will run across multiple channels including television, social media and OOH. 

Malaysia – Malaysia Airlines has appointed Juliana Chua as its new head of brand, strategy, and creative. Chua shared the announcement on a personal LinkedIn update.

Chua brings with her more than 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising, working with media, creative, and event agencies. In her last stint, she was with mattress company Sonno as head of marketing.

In addition, she also headed the brand and marketing of technology solutions provider Vettons. She has also worked with Kuala Lumpur Pavilion as its general manager of brand and marketing. Moreover, she also assumed the general manager position of branding agency Ignite.

Her other notable roles include being the business director and head of activation at advertising agency TBWA Kuala Lumpur, brand manager and planning director at media agency Zenith Media, and senior account manager at media investment company GroupM.