Tag: Standard Chartered

Singapore – Snigdha Nandan, most recently the director of B2C and digital marketing for APAC at Mastercard, has taken a new role as the executive director and global head of digital marketing at Standard Chartered. In a conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Snigdha mentioned that she will lead all digital marketing initiatives for the brand’s top markets in the Wealth and Retail Banking (WRB) space.

“This includes driving global marketing campaigns at scale, optimising performance marketing efforts for our key consumer segments and driving a digital transformation initiative that enables us to champion personalised marketing campaigns across the consumer lifecycle. I also lead marketing analytics and effectiveness in my role,” she explained.

In her recent role at Mastercard, she played a pivotal role in shaping brand marketing, paid media, performance marketing, and social media strategy across Asia-Pacific. She spearheaded strategic B2C marketing programs to expand consumer engagement in key passion areas such as travel, culinary, sports, music, and gaming.

Moreover, she also played a key role in the global launch of Mastercard Gamer Xchange and introduced AI/ML-powered solutions like the Digital Engine in Asia.

Prior to Mastercard, Snigdha spent 10 years with PayPal, and held several key leadership roles across consumer and B2B marketing, driving strategic initiatives in international and regional markets. Moreover, her expertise in strategic partnerships, performance marketing, and cross-border commerce played a crucial role in strengthening PayPal’s market presence across diverse regions in APAC.

Speaking on how her past experiences will play out in her new role at Standard Chartered, Snigdha said, “With my almost 14 years of marketing experience in the fintech and payments space, I have a lot of learnings to take to my new role at Standard Chartered. I have worked across different players in the financial services ecosystem now–from a wallet, to a card network to now an issuer/bank.”

She added, “These organisations often work in partnership to meet a consumer’s financial needs. For example, the affluent customer segment has been a common one across various roles and I have seen these segments’ digital behaviours over the years. That, in my opinion, is definitely an advantage. I also carry my 14 years of experience in digital marketing to drive excellence as a subject matter expert.”

She joins Standard Chartered ahead of the rollout of the brand’s ‘Now’s your time for wealth’ campaign, which she was a part of. The campaign, done in collaboration with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong and Singapore, delivers a compelling message: “The cost of waiting could mean falling short of one’s wealth ambitions.”

When asked about what lies ahead for her role at Standard Chartered, she stated, “One month into my role,  I am amazed to see the innovation that is happening in the bank and in the financial services space. The way Standard Chartered is innovating with its products to provide more tailored solutions, creating seamless onboarding journeys for customers, driving personalisation across channels, and quickly adopting tools and technology backed by AI to drive this personalisation is impressive.”

She added, “The Digital Transformation initiative that I will lead will be another step in future-proofing our marketing campaigns. There’s a lot more to come.”

Singapore – Standard Chartered (the Bank) has launched its latest global wealth campaign, inspiring affluent clients to take charge of their financial ambitions and capitalise on opportunities to grow their wealth.

In collaboration with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong and Singapore, the ‘Now’s your time for wealth’ campaign showcases Standard Chartered’s global network, expertise, and wealth investment solutions.

The Bank’s campaign delivers a compelling message: “The cost of waiting could mean falling short of one’s wealth ambitions.” It highlights the Bank’s key differentiators—its global network, client continuum, and wealth expertise—designed to help affluent clients, including global Chinese, global Indians, entrepreneurs, and sophisticated investors, grow, protect, and pass on their wealth.

Samir Subberwal, global head of wealth solutions, deposits and mortgages, and chief client officer, said, “For over 170 years, Standard Chartered has been faithfully serving our clients in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Now’s the time to let our clients know that we are with them on their wealth journey. We are well positioned to continue showing them market opportunities and supporting their wealth ambitions with our diversified wealth product offering, a clear wealth advisory approach that is enabled by digital wealth capabilities, and our open architecture platform of differentiated and comprehensive wealth solutions tailored to their needs.” 

The global wealth campaign underscores Standard Chartered’s commitment to data-driven, personalised marketing for a more holistic client engagement. It also highlights the Bank’s goal to grow its affluent business, targeting USD 200 billion in affluent Net New Money and double-digit Wealth Solutions income by 2029.

The campaign will be showcased through a mix of out-of-home advertising at airports and city locations, print ads, film, and content partnerships with leading international, regional, and local media across seven key markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Korea, Taiwan, the UAE, and India. 

Haymans Fung, global head of marketing for wealth and retail banking, said, “The genesis of our campaign is inspired by our clients and their wealth ambitions, now and in the future. We wanted to break away from the norms of speaking esoterically to the meaning of wealth planning and instead espouse a refreshingly human and direct tone that is in lockstep with the reality of our clients  needs and ambitions. We are excited to unveil our “Now’s your time for wealth” campaign across our network and let the power of the creatives tell the Standard Chartered story.”

Singapore – PUMA Southeast Asia has tapped GOVT as its creative and activation agency to bring its bring PUMA NITRO™ Technology to runners at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2023. 

Through the mandate, GOVT will provide end-to-end brand, creative and activation solutions for PUMA to deliver a consumer experience to engage with the estimated 50,000 runners who will show up between 30 November to 2 December 2023 to collect their race packs.

Eleanor Wang, head of marketing at PUMA Southeast Asia, said, “Running has always been at the heart of PUMA’s brand ethos of being forever faster, and PUMA NITRO ™ Technology is the exemplification of our brand’s commitment to innovate a product that makes running even more effortless.”

She added, “And for our second year as the Official Apparel and Footwear Sponsor at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, we are happy to be able to partner with one of Singapore’s leading independent agencies to bring this value to the running community.”

Meanwhile, Alvina Seah, managing director at GOVT, commented, “This collaboration is meaningful because we are working with a brand that wants to make an impact to the category, set on an iconic running platform like the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. So we are certainly looking forward to the work we will be creating together.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Chayenne Tan has announced that she is joining financial services company Standard Chartered as its head of consumer, private, and business banking–according to her LinkedIn profile.

She was previously with CIMB, where she was the head of sustainable finance for consumer banking. She also previously held other marketing roles in CIMB, including director of performance marketing and director of consumer marketing, among others.

Some of her work in CIMB revolved around growth marketing, integrated marketing, remarketing, martech, performance marketing, and brand management. 

Prior to joining CIMB, she was also the head of strategic planning and integrated marketing at marketing agency ROOTS Asia Pacific, where she worked with clients such as Adidas, Unilever, HTC, and Goodyear, amongst others.

In addition, she’s held other marketing and communications-related roles at companies Deloitte, Hong Leong Bank, and Siemens.
Standard Chartered recently teamed up with NTUC in Singapore and Bukalapak in Indonesia to launch respective new digital banking services in each market.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Global financial services Standard Chartered and Indonesian e-commerce company Bukalapak have announced the launch of a new digital banking service in Indonesia named BukaTabungan. The new digital banking service aims to serve the underbanked segment in Indonesia.

BukaTabungan, which is offered on the Bukalapak platform, will offer services inclusive, easy, and secure banking for the Bukalapak ecosystem which consists of more than 110 million users and 20 million registered businesses. This service also supports completely digital, face-to-face registration.

Through offering its banking access, BukaTabungan also aims to support business continuity and development of micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that constitutes 97% of the Indonesian workforce, where many of them do not have access to formal financing services and are still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.

In addition, the collaboration between Bukalapak and Standard Chartered is strengthened by the strong commitments between said parties to a common vision to bridge the financial inclusion gap and promote sustainable impact in developing regions in the country.

Victor Lesmana, president of commerce and fintech at Bukalapak, said, “We are very enthusiastic about this partnership because it supports our mission of supporting the growth of MSMEs in Indonesia and continuing to expand financial inclusion across the country. We convey our greatest appreciation to Standard Chartered for their trust and passion for this collaboration.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Chia, cluster CEO of Indonesia and ASEAN markets at Standard Chartered, “We are proud to partner with Bukalapak to present BukaTabungan as one of the first digital banking services in Indonesia, which combines Bukalapak’s e-commerce ecosystem with the e-commerce banking expertise from Standard Chartered.”

Singapore – Trust Bank, a new digital bank backed by Standard Chartered, NTUC Enterprise and FairPrice Group, has officially launched in Singapore. Trust Bank is the first of the nation’s new wave of digital banks and launches with a range of products for its customers, comprising a credit card, savings account and family personal accident insurance.

Trust Bank brings together reliable banking foundations with an extensive consumer ecosystem that delivers more than 1 million customer experiences nationwide each day. These organisations have more than 200 years of combined experience of serving the community in Singapore.

In addition, TrustBank is integrated into the FairPrice Group ecosystem and brings best-in-market rewards of up to 21% as a promotional launch rate on everyday spending at the FairPrice Group’s touchpoints across NTUC FairPrice, Kopitiam, Cheers and Unity. 

“Trust has been built specifically for Singapore based on the extensive feedback received during its user testing period. This customer-centric approach is at the heart of Trust’s culture and is enabled by the use of best-in-class technology to create a great user experience. Today’s launch is the starting point for Trust and customers can expect further products and features to be developed based on their feedback,” the bank stated in a press statement.

Dwaipayan Sadhu, chief executive officer of Trust, said, “We are hugely excited to launch Trust in Singapore and delighted to introduce a breakthrough client experience enabled by our best-in-class technology platform. Through listening to our customers and by leveraging the strengths of our partners, we are committed to bringing real tangible value to our customers in Singapore through accessibility and convenience, and making Trust a part of their everyday lives.”

Trust offers a differentiated customer experience, designed to make things easy and delightful. Customers with Singpass accounts are able to sign up for a Trust account in a matter of minutes and use their digital card immediately to generate significant savings. The Trust app also offers enhanced accessibility, with customers able to switch between English and Mandarin language based on their preference.

Judy Hsu, chief executive officer of consumer, private and business banking at Standard Chartered, shared, “Standard Chartered has been serving clients in Singapore for more than 160 years, and the launch of Trust further extends our commitment to continuously invest in innovative ways to serve the communities in Singapore. Backed by Standard Chartered’s track record in building successful digital banks globally and our partner FairPrice Group’s strong brand and extensive ecosystem, Trust offers at launch a well-rounded suite of savings, credit and protection solutions coupled with rewarding lifestyle offers and benefits. By integrating Trust’s digital-first services seamlessly into customers’ everyday lives, Trust is making banking accessible, secured and effortless for everyone.”

Lastly, Kee Teck Koon, chairman of FairPrice Group, also shared, “Trust’s digital banking solutions will complement FairPrice Group’s omni-channel offerings to meet the needs of our customers better. Trust’s credit card and savings account will empower our customers to enjoy savings from groceries to food and everyday spend via seamless integration with FairPrice Group’s Link Rewards programme, while benefiting NTUC union members with an easier way to earn higher Linkpoint rebates and savings account interest. Together with the trusted partnership of Standard Chartered, we are confident that the synergies created through our combined strengths and heritage will make Trust’s banking solutions convenient and accessible for all.”

Singapore – Global financial services company Standard Chartered has awarded to Publicis Groupe its global creative mandate, ending TBWA\’s 18-year streak of handling said account.

The global account will be led out of the Singapore office. Through the win, Publicis Groupe will be working on Standard Chartered’s wide-ranging communications mandate covering creative, digital and production services.

Claire Dixon, group head of corporate affairs, brand and marketing at Standard Chartered, said, “Following a rigorous pitch process, we have made the decision to award the mandate to Publicis Groupe. We are confident that they will be the right partner to take our narrative to the next level, by pushing our creative and digital boundaries.”

She also added, “We are thankful to TBWA\ for their support during the past 18 years to bring Standard Chartered’s brand to where it is today.”

Meanwhile, Amrita Randhawa, CEO for Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, commented, “It’s refreshing to be given the opportunity to work with a brand with such a purposeful belief, which was so clearly reflected in all the people that we met through this process.” 

She added, “It’s a privilege to be shaping a global brand of this stature and ambition out of Singapore and I could not be prouder of the team behind this win – they are absolute champions. We look forward to bringing the best of Publicis Groupe to bear on the business.”

The recent win comes after Publicis Groupe’s consolidation of the Singapore Tourism Board business in January 2022, and its spate of wins this year that includes Singtel in Singapore, L’Oréal in Southeast Asia and PepsiCo in APAC.

Hong Kong – Banking institution Standard Chartered in Hong Kong has partnered with The Sandbox, a decentralised gaming virtual world, to create innovative experiences for its clients and community.

Standard Chartered Hong Kong deems to be the first bank to acquire virtual land at The Sandbox metaverse’s Mega City district, a culture hub based on or inspired by the country’s talents. Led by SC Ventures, an innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm under Standard Chartered Group, Standard Chartered Hong Kong will be actively engaging its clients, partners, staff, and the tech community, to explore co-creation opportunities in this new and exciting space, with the goal of experimenting and building new experiences for clients, as well as bringing the local sports and art communities into the metaverse.

Mary Huen, Standard Chartered’s chief executive for Hong Kong, noted that their involvement in the metaverse allows them to reimagine their relationship with existing and potential clients on this new platform and their approach to enhancing client journeys. 

“Having acquired virtual land in Mega City, a natural choice for the Bank given its distinctive Hong Kong theme perfectly fits with our promise of strengthening our continued presence in Hong Kong, whether physical or virtual,” said Huen.

Meanwhile, Alex Manson, Standard Chartered’s head of SC Ventures, said that for the past few years, they have been building business models in crypto and digital assets, and see the rise of the metaverse as a critical milestone in the Web 3.0 evolution. 

“We are excited for this opportunity to explore and innovate in partnership with The Sandbox, but also with our clients and partners who will play a crucial role in how this space develops,” added Manson.

The bank said that its SC Ventures has been investing in disruptive financial technology and exploring alternative business models, and the innovation arm will continue to drive Standard Chartered Hong Kong’s entrance into the metaverse and exploration of future Web 3.0 opportunities.

Singapore – Global banking institution Standard Chartered has released a new ‘colorful’ ad that aims to reiterate the danger of carbon emission to the environment and the bank’s commitment to helping to achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. 

The bank recently announced its new net-zero approach which aims to mobilize US$300b in green and transition financing in helping clients reach net-zero targets and to reduce absolute financed thermal coal mining emissions by 85 percent by 2030, among others.

“Carbon – it’s helped build everything we have, but to keep moving forward, we need to leave carbon behind,” said the ad.

Developed together with creative agency TBWA\Singapore, the ad rightly focuses on the imagery of carbon, where ‘carbon’ is the ‘star’ from start to finish. From a massive cloud of black carbon enveloping the community, it is eventually met with carbon in Standard Chartered’s bright brand colors of blue and green symbolizing how the bank is stepping in to help impede the growing environmental hazard.

TBWA\Singapore said that with the ad, which used an underwater technique to deliver the stunning imagery of smoke, they aimed to move beyond the clichéd visuals typically associated with sustainability communications.

“While the conversations around sustainability and carbon transition have been re-energized in recent months, the depiction of these initiatives in mainstream advertising is anything but fresh,” said Asheen Naidu, global creative director at TBWA\Singapore.

Naidu adds, “To disrupt the sea of sameness and really get our message noticed, we opted for a more artistic approach – partnering with the brilliant Eben Mears of Psyop, to tell the story of a world under threat and visualizing how Standard Chartered is working to minimize and ultimately remove that threat.”

The ad was produced by production studio Psyop. According to the campaign’s team, they used a unique production technique involving jets of food colorant in a water tank, creating the illusion of smoke engulfing a city and its residents. As the black clouds billow through the 3D-printed underwater model, two more jets of colorant are then introduced – this time Standard Chartered’s signature blue and green brand colors.

The StanChart team further shared that the film was developed without CGI and shot using a high-speed robotic motion control system, allowing the camera to move through the model city at precise angles and speeds. The jets were also carefully controlled to create sharp, vivid footage of the food colorant flowing through water at varying pressures and speed in the aim to create a captivating film that artistically showcases the role of the bank in transitioning to a carbon-free future.

Emma Sheller, global head of brand and marketing at Standard Chartered, commented, “Coinciding with the recent announcement of Standard Chartered’s pathway to Net-Zero, the new campaign leverages the power of creativity to portray our commitments to tackling climate change and helping countries and businesses accelerate their transition to carbon neutrality.”

According to the team, to stay true to the theme of the campaign, the film production had an exceptionally low carbon footprint, and the entire shoot was conducted remotely with the agency in Singapore, director in New York, and production team in Germany.

Singapore – Global media and digital marketing communications network dentsu International has retained the global media remit for financial services company Standard Chartered, extended for five more years following a competitive pitch. Said assignment covers Standard Chartered’s global markets across media planning, strategy and buying.

For Emma Sheller, global head of brand strategy and consumer for private and business banking marketing at Standard Chartered, dentsu came to the table with a deep knowledge of their business, commitment,s and how they can drive growth from the media with an impressive service model and a team aligned to that value set.

“At Standard Chartered, we are here for good. It’s the motivation of our business, and a principle we clearly share with dentsu in the commitments and progress they’re making to be a force for good. We are committed to reducing carbon emissions, lifting participation and improving lives, and setting a new model of globalization based on transparency, fairness and trust. It is important for us to have a partner with shared values and ambitions who would work with us to achieve our goals,” Sheller stated.

Meanwhile, Prerna Mehrotra, CEO for media at dentsu Asia Pacific and Singapore, commented that they are proud of the work they have delivered with Standard Chartered over the course of their previous four-year long relationship, and are excited for the potential of their next five-year commitment.

“We presented Standard Chartered with a team of brilliant people, who felt passionately about delivering performance with purpose for the Standard Chartered business, which set strong foundations for us to build the next five years on. Our vision for good growth, delivered through our ‘one dentsu’ service model across the diverse markets Standard Chartered operates in, delivered the competitive advantage for the team.” Mehrotra added.

Standard Chartered has tapped dentsu in the past for the adoption of dentsu’s programmatic supply solution as part of Standard Chartered’s global campaign ‘Here for good’.

Just recently, the company has also announced other company endeavors, specifically the launch of its gaming solution for APAC.