Tag: Southeast Asia

Singapore – National Youth Council (NYC), a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and a co-ordinating body by the government for youth affairs in Singapore, has appointed marketing agency TEAM LEWIS, to be its agency partner for social and digital content creation, management, and optimisation for Somerset Belt, a key project under the SG Youth Action Plan.

The Somerset Belt – a stretch that extends from *SCAPE to the junction of Somerset and Killiney roads – aims to be an entrepreneurial, creative, and incubation space for youths. It is designed to be a precinct where they can have a direct hand in contributing ideas on programming and infrastructural changes; working with one another, the communities, businesses, and the Government.

Joseph Prakash, assistant director of the Somerset Belt Office, shared that to inspire youths from all walks of life to work with us to shape Somerset Belt, it is important that the agency they work with not only has digital capabilities at its core, but also understands the identity they are building to stay connected with youths. 

“TEAM LEWIS has demonstrated creative and bold thinking in its storytelling to help youths connect with one another, while celebrating their collective ideas, interests, and aspirations,” said Prakash.

Meanwhile, Mark Tay, head of content for Singapore at TEAM LEWIS, commented that they are excited to partner with National Youth Council and look forward to demonstrating how incorporating youth-centric sentiments in the heart of storytelling can help band a community of diverse audiences together. 

“This is an incredible opportunity for us to build a distinct identity for Somerset Belt while positioning the space as a place for youths to appreciate, participate and create programmes,” said Tay.

Singapore – YoloFoods, a healthy food delivery service in Singapore and Malaysia, has partnered with impact.com, a partnership management platform, to accelerate its affiliate and influencer marketing initiative – ‘YoloFoods Health & Wellness Programme’. 

Targeting healthy food junkies, the programme aims to incentivise and equip community ambassadors with information and resources on leading a healthy lifestyle.

In order to inspire and motivate more consumers to make healthy lifestyle changes across Singapore and Malaysia, the YoloFoods Health & Wellness Programme onboards affiliates and content creators on a commission-based reward system, to share reliable Health & Wellness information and offers with their respective audiences. To roll this out at scale, YoloFoods is leveraging the vast network of affiliates and influencers which impact.com provides.

Yolofoods said that as managing influencers and affiliates at scale requires many manual steps and reconciliation, having a robust platform like impact.com that automates contracting, tracking, payouts to affiliates, and data consolidation will help the platform to make more informed business decisions.

Alex Bauduin, CEO of YoloFoods, noted nutrition and wellness have always been a point of passion for them, and they’re excited to kickstart this strategic partnership with impact.com.

“This launch will not only allow us to make a positive mark on our local community, but is also an opportunity for YoloFoods to further scale our brand growth and customer acquisition in the region and increase our ROAS by tapping into the wider network of consumers while expanding beyond our existing channels,” said Bauduin.

Meanwhile, Antoine Gross, impact.com’s general manager for SEA, commented, “We are thrilled to be partnering with YoloFoods on this initiative. Great collaborations are a result of a common goal and shared values, and we look forward to helping YoloFoods grow their e-commerce business in Singapore and Malaysia and helping improve the wellness of local communities. 

“Joining a growing group of brands in the region who are finding success through affiliate partnerships, YoloFoods will be able to reach their target audience in an effective way while rewarding the affiliates who help make it happen,” Gross said.

Singapore – Programmatic media partner MiQ has appointed James Parker, former vice president of platform and agency growth at Amobee Singapore, to be its new head of revenue and growth for Southeast Asia. 

In his new role, Parker will be responsible for leading MiQ’s sales and commercial approach in the region to expand and accelerate the company’s growth. 

Originally from London, Parker has spent the last 10 years in Singapore and moved there to lead the newly created Annalect team for OMG, focused on delivering marketing intelligence solutions to regional brands. He then joined Xaxis to spearhead the roll-out of the agency’s proprietary DMP. In the UK, he worked with OMG and Mediaedge:cia.

MiQ said that Parker’s appointment comes as former managing director for Southeast Asia, Marcus D’Souza, transitions back to London later this summer in a new global commercial role. With this, all MiQ’s Southeast Asian sales leads will be reporting to Parker.

Commenting on his new role, Parker said, “What impressed me the most about MiQ during the interview process was their platform agnostic approach to driving outcomes and the automation initiatives across the programmatic campaign lifecycle; from campaign setup, creating custom performance algorithms, to analytics and reporting. I am thrilled to be joining a fantastic team and leading MiQ into the next stage of growth in Southeast Asia.” 

Meanwhile, Jason Scott, MiQ’s CEO for APAC, shared that Parker is well credentialed to ignite their commercial approach in the region, given his decade of living and working in Southeast Asia on both the agency and platform side.

“He has an established and comprehensive set of commercial relationships, alongside vast and relevant product experience. I’m delighted to work with James and the sales team as we enter an exciting stage of growth and see how his leadership can help accelerate our fastest-growing region,” Scott said.

In June 2022, MiQ elevated Scott to the new role of CEO for APAC, adding SEA to his leadership remit. In his upgraded role, Scott will be responsible for driving business growth and expansion throughout SEA.

Manila, Philippines – BillEase, a consumer finance app in the Philippines, has closed an up to US$ 20m debt facility arranged by Helicap Securities, a Singapore-based financial technology company providing private debt investment opportunities for accredited and institutional investors, bringing the total raised by the lending platform to US$55m in debt and equity.

BillEase said that it is well positioned to further expand the reach of its financial services in a market where low-cost credit is not accessible enough for many consumers. The Philippines is amongst the emerging markets with low credit card penetration but has a tech-savvy and digitally-forward population, creating more growth opportunities and capturing a largely underserved market for the company.

Earlier this year, BillEase raised US$11m in a Series B round led by BurdaPrincipal Investments, the growth capital arm of German media and tech company Hubert Burda Media. Centauri – a joint investment vehicle of MDI Ventures and KB Investment, 33 Capital, and Raisin DS CEO Tamaz Georgadze also joined the round. While in March, BillEase also raised US$20m in secured debt from the UK-based Lendable, an emerging market credit provider, to further accelerate the growth of its lending products.

Georg Steiger, CEO and co-founder of BillEase, commented that they are delighted to have secured a new facility which will further grow and expand their loan portfolio, demonstrating the confidence private investors have in their sustained growth trajectory and profitability.

“Being able to collateralise our loan book allows us to access funding to continue serving our fast-growing, underserved customer base. Our new funding comes at the right time as we develop and launch new products and continue to see strong growth. At the same time maintaining profitability means we can be a sustainable and long-term partner for consumers and merchants,” Steiger said.

Meanwhile, Zhiwei Tan, executive director of Helicap Securities, said that they are excited to support BillEase’s growth with this debt facility, and they are impressed by the company’s growth over the past 3 years and its mission to further financial inclusion in the Philippines. 

“The rising acceptance of digital payments is changing the landscape of consumer lending and we are seeing BillEase as one of the few companies that can leverage and scale with the use of their AI-driven credit engine which allows them to offer consumer-centric, responsible financial products and highly personalized digital experience,” added Tan.

This year, BillEase has also launched its in-store QR payment to tap into payment transactions that usually happen offline as well as payment links which are now highly used in social commerce, allowing the company to offer an omnichannel shopping and payment experience for both customers and its merchants.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – To honour Malaysia’s Independence Day and National Day, PETRONAS has launched the fifth episode of 366, the company’s original drama series for the year, Day 243. This episode pays tribute to sports and its importance in the lives of Malaysians.

Developed in collaboration with creative agency Ensemble Worldwide, ‘366’, the seven-episode drama series is anchored upon the overall PETRONAS 2022 festive campaign themed ‘Live Again’, and sets out to portray the resilience, fortitude, and togetherness of Malaysians during trying times.

The series was launched in February with ‘Day 32’ for Chinese New Year, with the title of each episode corresponding with Malaysia’s festive celebrations. Subsequent episodes aired in April and May to commemorate Hari Raya (Day 123), and the cultural festivals of East Malaysia – Kaamatan (Day 151), the harvest festival celebrated by ethnic Kadazan-Dusuns and other related ethnic groups in the state of Sabah; as well as Hari Gawai (Day 151), a thanksgiving and harvest festival celebrated by the Dayak people of Sarawak and Sabah. 

The series revolves around the main characters, Zhi Yi, Poji, and Adam as they experience the complexities of life together with family and friends, and recognise the ties that bind them. This latest episode continues with the story of a youth football team that wants to achieve its dream of winning the Malaysian Football Festival.

Episode 5 was directed by Kabir Bhatia, a director/producer who has spent the last 20 years in Malaysia stamping his strong visual style in the film industry. It features flashbacks of badminton, a favourite grassroots sport are seen, alongside living football legends Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali (Safee Sali) and Datuk Wira Soh Chin Ann, also known as Tauke.

Didi Pirinyuang, executive creative director of Ensemble Worldwide, said that drafting 366 over the course of the year has been a real experience, and as they develop each character, they become more and more invested to see how life pans out for them. 

She further shared that injecting the theme of sports this time also added a new fun element as the love of sports is synonymous with Malaysians, and they were privileged to recognise their legendary past.

“Shaping the storyline is a collective process, not just between us and the PETRONAS team, but with all Malaysians out there who are sharing in this journey of discovery with us. We still have two episodes to go before the end of the year, and we’re excited to see where their stories take us. Bravely forward, down new paths of inspiration,” added Pirinyuang.

The ‘366’ series is available for viewing on PETRONAS’ official YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Singapore – Digital commerce enabler in SEA, CREA, has announced a new and enhanced offering that will enable it to efficiently import international brands to Southeast Asia, acting as their gateway to the market.

The extended offering means that CREA now offers brands the full spectrum of support regarding importation, licensing, product strategy, and distribution across online, social, and offline commerce channels. With this, brands will be able to rapidly accelerate their entrance to the Southeast Asian market, which is estimated to be made up of 350 million online shoppers, according to an annual study conducted by Bain & Company and commissioned by Facebook.

In addition to this end-to-end support, brands can now leverage CREA’s community of digital content creators to amplify their reach and drive mass awareness and engagement amongst consumer audiences through social channels such as TikTok and Instagram. Brands will also be able to access its in-house marketing, branding, and data-driven insight capabilities to further drive sales and reach new audiences, with the aim of establishing themselves as household brands in the region. CREA will also be offering brands access to its technology-driven logistics network, further streamlining their entrance to the market.

Aimone Ripa di Meana, founder and co-chief executive officer of CREA, shared that this transformation of their business was a natural progression for their company, and they are proud to see how much they have grown in such a short space of time. 

“We started working with brands in Southeast Asia that were looking to ramp up their digital presence, and now with our expanded capabilities, we can support international brands on their journey to enter the market. We look forward to bringing more global brands to the region and driving their success,” he said. 

CREA said that the new offering launches with it having already secured exclusive rights to distribute and manage some of the hottest new-generation brands from the United States, including skincare and beauty brands Mario Badescu, ILIA, and Malin+Goetz. More brand partners will be announced in due course.

Singapore – Global digital ad verification company Integral Ad Science (IAS) has elevated Megan Reichelt, former head of programmatic for APAC at IAS, to be its new country manager for SEA.

In her new role, Reichelt will be actively working with brands, agencies, publishers, and technology partners to increase digital media quality and programmatic growth across SEA. She will also be developing sales strategies to best support current clients while building new partnerships with key stakeholders to help them go beyond verification and make every ad impression count. 

Reichelt joined IAS in June 2021 as strategic partnerships manager, and within a short span was promoted to APAC head of programmatic business. With programmatic sales and marketing experience across Australia and Singapore, she brings strong expertise in business development, sales strategy, and scaling local market programs. Before joining IAS, she was the marketing lead for Accor hotels, working on digital advertising and content strategies.

Commenting on her appointment, Reichelt said, “Southeast Asia’s digital media market is evolving quickly, and I look forward to working with marketers and publishers to tap into IAS’ solutions that can help drive efficiency and return on their investments in new ways.”

Meanwhile, Laura Quigley, SVP for APAC at IAS, noted that with their continued investment and growth plans in Southeast Asia, they have rapidly expanded their team across multiple functions in Singapore, and she is thrilled to have Reichelt provide operational excellence, team management, and sales leadership in the region.

“She has already been very successful in her programmatic lead role with strong track records of building strategic partnerships across these markets and growing business within the ad tech space. I am confident she will successfully guide the teams and help clients improve their digital spending outcomes,” said Quigley.

In July 2022, IAS and Anzu have recently announced a partnership to enable global brands and agencies to effectively monitor the quality of their in-game media investments in mobile gaming environments.

Singapore – Technology company Yahoo and StarHub, Singapore’s official broadcaster of the Premier League, have teamed up to launch a dedicated Premier League topic hub on Yahoo Singapore. This will serve as a one-stop destination for avid Premier League fans, comprising all the latest news, results, analyses, and player transfers during the 2022/23 season.

As part of the campaign, which will run till 31 December 2022, readers will be able to access all Premier League-related content within the topic hub – featuring a mix of Yahoo’s editorial and aggregated content and StarHub’s branded content that includes pre-match predictions, post-match reviews, and team and player analyses. 

Moreover, connecting users to their passions and as part of efforts to continually reinvigorate content, the topic hub will see the launch of an all-new ‘Footballing Weekly’ talk show that discusses the latest news and issues surrounding the exhilarating football action, co-hosted by Yahoo Editor, Chia Han Keong, and author and Yahoo columnist, Neil Humphreys.

The campaign will also serve as the twelfth man to StarHub’s exclusive Premier League offerings – combining the best of contextual advertising and branded content into a relevant, useful and seamless branded experience for StarHub and its target audience.

The takeover will see the StarHub Premier League banner replacing the regular Yahoo banner with a prominent feature on the hub, alongside other StarHub ads that take readers to StarHub’s online store to explore the Premier League offerings and packages.

Carol Tay, Yahoo’s senior director of sales for Southeast Asia, shared that at Yahoo, they constantly explore new and interesting ways to help brands and advertisers connect audiences to their passions, and this campaign is a great example of employing creative and simple solutions, backed by their unified ad tech stack and ad solutions, to meet audacious ambitions and unlock the full value of marketing at scale.

“As a key destination for news, finance, sports, and lifestyle content, we look forward to giving consumers more of what they want and helping brands drive meaningful connections,” said Tay.

Meanwhile, Maneesh Varma, VP of marketing at StarHub, commented that they are eager for as many football fans to enjoy this enriched viewing experience, at a fraction of the price the Premier League was offered in prior seasons. 

“To that end, we struck up a partnership with Yahoo, tapping on their strong editorial lineup of Premier League-related content alongside branded content pieces that will reach our ideal target audience through their engaged sports readership,” said Varma.

The campaign will also be promoted through Yahoo Native ads and across Yahoo’s owned social media channels.

Singapore – Global food company Yummy United has officially unveiled its kid board of directors following its recruitment campaign launched in July. The new kid board of directors will be responsible for the food company’s rebrand effort of its cheese curd bar product Lakto in Singapore.

The new kid board of directors are composed of four selected kids who will take the roles in creative, finance, public relations and marketing for the campaign. 

Leading the creative role is 9-year old Lucas Lim, who will be leading the team in designing strategies to advertise and market the products. Meanwhile, 11-year old Chloe Oh is appointed to handle finance, where she will be overseeing all financial activities including revenue, cost calculation, forecasting, and budgeting.

Furthermore, 8-year old Shannon McGovern is appointed as the campaign’s public relations director, and will be the brand’s spokesperson, liaising with the media, and building a positive brand image. Lastly, 10-year old Eliana Yazdi will lead the campaign’s marketing effort, and will be providing clear leadership in marketing channels such as social media, campaigns, and branding materials.

The four directors were chosen from a pool of 50 candidates, each having had to go through a strict interview process. Those shortlisted attended workshops designed by Hustle, a marketplace that engages freelancers, and the curious with hands-on workshops for learning and upskilling.

The programme will eventually culminate in an official launch of the new Lakto range with Yummy United in March 2023. 

Thailand – Klook, a travel and leisure e-commerce platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central Pattana plc, Thailand’s retail-led mixed-use real estate developer and operator of central shopping centres, residential and office buildings, and hotels, to boost inbound tourism to Thailand.

The partnership, which begins in October 2022, seeks to leverage the strengths of Central Pattana’s leading retail presence, which encompasses over 37 shopping centres across Thailand’s most popular destinations, with 19 branches located in 15 provinces, both in major and secondary cities, and Klook‘s digital reach and global user base, to position Thailand as the destination-of-choice for travellers from key Asian markets, including Singapore, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

Moreover, the partnership will also include a variety of digital marketing initiatives and online-to-offline (O2O) campaigns to increase the visibility of Thailand’s tourism businesses and exposure to international markets. Klook will also collaborate with Centara Hotels & Resorts, the Thailand-based hotel chain, to offer customers specially curated deals and seamless accommodation booking experiences.

Marcus Yong, Klook’s vice president of global marketing, commented that they are excited to be the first travel and leisure e-commerce platform to partner Central Pattana on an integrated marketing campaign to drive tourist arrivals and increase spending in Thailand.

He further shared that partnership enables them to tap into their respective strengths and innovate on offerings that combine travel and retail to help build travellers’ confidence and drive recovery.

“At Klook, we are ramping up to support and drive the next stage of travel recovery in Thailand, which will not only see tourists resuming their favourite pre-pandemic activities like eating local cuisines and shopping, but also branching out to discover more of what Thailand has to offer,” said Yong.

Meanwhile, Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice president of marketing at Central Pattana plc, noted this partnership will enable Central Pattana to leverage Klook’s digital capabilities, strong user base and presence in multiple markets to capture new audiences.

“We look forward to working closely with Klook to create joint offerings that will attract and help us welcome more tourists back to Thailand by launching exclusive promotions for foreign customers: get a free Starbucks e-Coupon worth 100 baht when spending 2,000 baht, a free Klook discount code worth 200 baht when spending 2,000 baht on shopping at Central Ayutthaya or 2,500 baht at centralwOrld and Central Phuket. Organising the ‘Pick Up & Drop Off One-Day Tour’ area for international tourists at both centralwOrld and Central Ayutthaya in addition to Klook Downtown Service Counter at centralwOrld, the first comprehensive tourism service in Bangkok,” said Tangpoonsinthana.