Tag: Technology

Singapore – SPH Media, a media company in Singapore, has announced a significant restructuring of its technology division, resulting in the layoff of 34 employees. 

The layoffs are part of a broader effort to streamline processes in the division, according to a report from The Straits Times, a publication owned by SPH Media. It affected about 10% of technology workers.

In a media statement, the company assured the affected workers that they would be supported through severance packages, career coaching, job placement assistance, and counseling.

SPH Media is restructuring its technology division into three key departments, effective starting Nov. 5. This includes the chief technology office led by Jensen Boey, information technology department led by Christopher Lim, and the product and engineering team led by Kaythaya Maw.

Additionally, the company is creating a standalone business insights and analytics department which will report to Loh Yuh Yiing, SPH Media chief operating officer.

Loh explained in an email to staff that the increasing costs associated with technology and the declining revenue in the traditional media industry made the measures necessary. While it first decreased non-payroll expenditures, the company still had to lay off employees as a last resort.

“This was a difficult decision that we have had to make,” Loh said. “Going forward, our focus will be to steady the ship as we transit towards a more sustainable level of Tech operations and expenditure.”

Commenting on the departments, she said, “This restructuring of Tech departments will enable clearer leadership focus and accountability for outcomes in the areas of Tech administration, IT infrastructure and digital product development.”

Since its establishment in 2021 as the spin-off of Singapore Press Holdings, SPH Media has been operating a variety of newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and digital platforms.

Singapore – Loqate, a global location intelligence specialist, has forged a partnership with super app GrabMaps to enhance the accuracy of businesses’ location data in Southeast Asia (SEA).

Incorporating GrabMap’s high-quality location data into Loqate’s platform will enable its businesses to access more accurate and localised address verification services.

The partnership aims to help businesses solve challenges in addressing systems, further improving their delivery services. With the growth of e-commerce in SEA markets, Loqate aims to solidify its position as the premier provider of accurate and trusted location data.

By offering intuitive address suggestions, verification, and data integrity, Loqate enables businesses to streamline their operations, consequently boosting customer satisfaction. Brands such as Shein, Temu, eBay, IBM, and ASOS have relied on Loqate for location services.

Meanwhile, GrapMaps is built on a community-based mapping approach, leveraging its network of consumers, merchants, and driver and delivery partners. Refreshing its mapping data daily, Grab ensures accurate and up-to-date map access. Its mapping data encompasses addresses in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

The collaboration has kicked off in Malaysia, with plans to extend to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with GrabMaps, a true leader in location data innovation, as we expand our presence in Southeast Asia. With this integration of rich local data into our platform, we are confident that we will continue to be a trusted partner that provides local and international businesses with accurate, high-quality location data and intelligence, particularly in regions where addressing is often challenging,” David Green, managing director at Loqate, commented.

Hazel Chen, regional head of group business development and partnerships at Grab, said, “We are excited to partner with Loqate and share our capabilities with them to support their mission to provide accurate location data to businesses, starting with Malaysia. GrabMaps offers a fresh, highly granular and extensive view of the region, like no other. Our ever-expanding and highly precise location data will help Loqate’s customers to minimise inefficiencies, drive cost savings and offer better customer experiences.”

Singapore – Singaporean consumers have grown wary of artificial intelligence (AI), with only 36% trusting AI amidst data privacy concerns, according to a new Qualtrics report. 

With consumers becoming increasingly hesitant to share personal information, confidence in AI among Singaporean consumers has dropped by 11% in the past year. It marks a shift from consumers’ initial excitement in AI use to increasing skepticism. 

Customers’s growing concerns surrounding AI use contribute to this waning trust. Many customers prefer interacting with human agents (52%) while some are worried about how their personal data will be used (49%). Meanwhile, many consumers have low trust in how organisations will use AI (64%).

“There is no excuse for getting the fundamentals of good customer experience wrong, but too often consumers are saying this is what’s happening with poor communication and service issues. High-performing industries continue to raise the bar on what good customer experience looks like, and with more than half of bad experiences ending in a spending cut businesses and governments can no longer afford to fall behind,” Isabelle Zdatny, customer loyalty specialist at Qualtrics, said.

Though fewer consumers report poor customer experiences, their trust, likelihood to recommend, and satisfaction have declined in the past year.

The report also highlights an increase in the silent treatment, where consumers avoid sharing feedback, both positive and negative. Singaporean consumers are 7% less likely to voice their complaints about negative experiences compared to 2021.

“Customers are giving brands the silent treatment, and if organisations don’t find a way to fix this issue we could see more disgruntled consumers in Singapore. Customers are expecting a better experience, but simultaneously they’re not willing to share the insights brands need to deliver one. Overcoming this gap requires brands to rethink how they engage with customers, and go beyond the traditional feedback survey,” Zdatny said.

Additionally, the report shows a paradox in personalisation and privacy. While 72% of consumers prefer personalised experiences, only 40% trust companies to use their personal information responsibly. It highlights businesses’ need to build trust and maintain transparency. 

“Giving customers what they want is not a conversation about privacy or personalisation. It’s about trust. Brands need to identify what they need to do to win trust back without overstepping the mark and turning customers away instead. It’s dangerous to assume that existing customers will stay loyal without intentional effort to keep them. To deliver a great customer experience, following through on the most basic commitments and delivering what’s been promised is what’s most important to consumers,” Zdatny added.

“Following through on the most basic commitments carries the most weight with customers. New initiatives rolling out are outside customers’ comfort zones, so it is essential to have the basics in place and uphold them. Customers are more demanding than ever, and it’s dangerous to assume that existing customers will stay loyal without intentional effort to keep them,” Zdnatny concluded.

Singapore – FIFA has revealed that Lenovo has been named as an Official FIFA Technology Partner – FIFA’s top tier sponsorship category – in a deal that includes the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil. 

The two tournaments will provide the platform for Lenovo to further grow its global brand amongst fans of the world’s most popular sport and, more importantly, deliver integrated and innovative technologies that will make football more accessible and more engaging for all, growing the game worldwide.

With this, Lenovo’s products, services and solutions, including its emerging suite of innovations that both leverage and power AI (Artificial Intelligence), ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola mobile phones, and servers, will be integrated into the 2026 and 2027 tournaments. 

The company’s technology will power improved fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratise data across all global football-playing nations.

Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO at Lenovo, said, “As one of the world’s leading technology companies, we’re delighted to partner with the world’s most global and popular sport. Lenovo will be powering the largest sporting and entertainment events in human history – events with more viewers, more nations participating, and an unprecedented global demand for data processing and technology.”

He added, “Lenovo is proud to support FIFA’s vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field. We’re excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take centre stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology.”

Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, commented, “At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all – and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. In Lenovo, we have a partner who will support us as we evolve and innovate, investing in digital technology and artificial intelligence for future generations.” 

Singapore – Klook, a platform for experiences and travel services, has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to enhance its platform’s capabilities through generative artificial intelligence (AI). 

Through the partnership, Google Cloud will equip Klook with AI capabilities that will boost its productivity. The companies will co-develop an AI infrastructure layer to ensure the accuracy and reliability of outputs. 

The partnership expansion builds on Klook’s progress through Google Cloud, including the creation and localisation of content for Klook’s travel pages. While substantially reducing production time, it has also ensured accurate translation across pages. 

The shared AI infrastructure enables Klook to attend to travellers’ and merchants’ needs efficiently. It will drive Klook’s innovations over the next year, focusing on customer and partner needs. 

For customers, the platform’s upcoming ‘shopping guide’ feature will simplify the process of comparing similar experiences. By summarising reviews and identifying common factors between experiences, the platform will aid travellers’ choices. For partners, Klook is introducing tools to gather business insights and enhance operational efficiency. 

Klook’s AI strategy will leverage traveller feedback and merchant insights to develop an AI-powered conversational commerce approach. This chat-based interface will offer personalised recommendations and streamline trip planning and booking. 

Klook engineers are also using Gemini Code Assist for testing and code generation. Its other teams are also exploring ways to streamline tasks like search engine optimization and bill reconciliation using AI.

Additionally, Klook will also leverage Google Cloud’s expertise to ensure responsible AI practices in its operations.

Bernie Xiong, chief technology officer and co-founder of Klook, commented, “Even in our earliest explorations with Google Cloud, generative AI has improved Klook’s ability to drive greater efficiencies at scale as we expanded our global footprint, while enabling our teams to innovate and operate more efficiently. Our expanded collaboration with Google Cloud pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in travel, creating a competitive edge that translates into faster, more impactful improvements to customer experience, merchant operations, and internal productivity for the long haul.”

“Klook’s shared AI infrastructure layer will maximise the impact of innovations in any part of its business, while minimising the risks of duplicated effort and data fragmentation of more siloed approaches to AI development. This puts Klook in a strong position to solidify its first-mover advantage on generative AI, and translate its wealth of travel experience into immense value for its customers and partners, no matter where their journey takes them,” Karan Bajwa, vice president at Google Cloud in Asia-Pacific, said.

Singapore – Infobip, a global cloud communications platform, has joined forces with Singtel, a communications technology group, to improve how Singaporean businesses engage customers through communication services.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) allows interactive messaging for companies, turning business messages into brand experiences for customers. Through its messaging capabilities, it helps businesses in various industries, including finance, gaming, retail, and e-commerce.

Through RCS, businesses can have access to branded messaging options. It allows them to share rich messages that can include images, videos, and carousels. This helps brands build trust and recognition among their customers while nurturing relationships.

Additionally, RCS allows two-way communication between brands and customers. The approach empowers customers to directly respond to the branded message or make purchases conveniently.

Infobip’s partnership with Singtel is part of its efforts to provide RCS to businesses globally, partnering with various telecom companies. The partnership extends this initiative to Singaporean businesses, contributing to their business growth.

“Companies want to better engage their customers in more interactive ways, especially on their mobile devices. RCS provides customers with more personalised communication that will help businesses build stronger relationships and drive business results. We look forward to empowering organisations with this capability to help them build brand affinity with their customers,” Terence Lai Tuck Leong, vice president of digitalisation, products, and partnerships at Singtel Singapore, said.

“The introduction of RCS messaging marks a significant step for customer engagement in Singapore as businesses aim to elevate their communications to meet evolving consumer expectations. Singtel’s deep understanding of the Singaporean market, combined with Infobip’s global experience and expertise in RCS, will empower local businesses to connect with customers securely through rich, branded two-way conversations,” Lim Jiun Kei, head of operator partnership region at Infobip, said.

With browsers prioritising user privacy, marketers must pursue other methods of targeting and measuring campaigns. Reality has forced them to seek alternatives to adapt to a digital world becoming less and less dependent on third-party cookies..

But even as the global reliance on cookies decreases, some people still find it difficult to envision a practical and effective future without them. 

In MARKETECH APAC’s latest What’s NEXT in Marketing interview with Amit Kotecha, Quantcast’s chief marketing officer, he specifies how the industry can thrive in the inevitable cookieless future without compromising results. 

Impact of data privacy regulations

Due to data privacy issues, more web users have opted to browse in environments that have ceased using third-party cookies. As such advertisers who have benefitted from third-party cookie measurement tactics in their campaigns have had to adapt. 

“I’d say that it’s impacting everything today already. So, as much as we tune in on what Google is going to do with Chrome, half of the internet is currently cookie-less today. Since Safari made a change to their browser in 2018, cookie deprecation has been happening across the whole world in every market. According to our data, in most markets it’s over 50%,” Amit said.

According to him, even the percentage of people who have cookies will only keep them for less than a week. 

“So there’s this constant refreshing of cookies that are unreliable now for any type of targeting or measurement. That is the reality today,” he added.

Adopting alternative measurement tools

The notion of shifting to other measurement tools is that advertisers need to compromise with less efficient and effective means. With emerging technologies however, this does not have to be the case. 

“When it comes to measurement, a lot of it is about education. A lot of this is new. And so you’re moving away from a certain way of doing things and moving to a new process. Yet the measurement itself should not change, I don’t think. The actual outcome you’re driving to shouldn’t be different, whether it’s toward a sale, or sign-up or whatever it is that you’re trying to deliver,” Amit said.

Concerns over the practical use of alternative measuring tools are not unfounded. According to Amit, there are also levels of complication when dealing with cookieless campaigns. Using artificial intelligence is one way to solve this problem, at least after testing out what works over time.

“The way I look at it is that there used to be a direct line between an ad that you deliver, an impression and a conversion. And that connection was always a cookie. You know that you delivered an ad via a device or a browser to this person, and then they saw that ad, before they converted. Now that connection is severed–it’s no longer there anymore. But that impression still happened and that conversion still happened,” he explained.

“In order to understand the link in the customer journey, you have to connect the dots, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the best solution for this because it can start to make predictions. The more conversions and impressions an AI engine sees, the better it gets at making predictions on web users and how they convert on an advertiser’s website. A lot of this is about testing and education, but it’s also about running more and more campaigns using this type of measurement,” he added.

Amit specifies that advertisers can start using modelled or enhanced conversions, which provide conversion tracking despite cookie limitations. Additionally, they can use conversion APIs, which gather data from a customer or advertisers directly.

“I don’t think we’ll be talking about cookies moving forward. I think the future will be about modelled conversions and modelled insights, and those will just be the norm moving forward. We’ve got some ways to go before we get there, but the fact that advertisers can do this today and still have cookies to check their data against now–it’s like the best training data set to test against,” he said.

Restructuring perspectives to function without cookies

Brands are facing the fact that consumers are opting out of using third-party cookies due to privacy concerns. Advertisers are also aware, according to Amit, that the eventual cookie elimination is inevitable.

“I think we’ve always looked at this is as inevitable no matter what. So we’ve re-architected our entire business to function without cookies. And many advertisers consider targeting and measurement with the eradication of cookies and they think, ‘well, this is complicated and confusing and it’s not effective anymore,’ so they move their budgets away from programmatic, which doesn’t help them to succeed in an increasingly digitised world,” he explains.

With that, Amit emphasises the importance of first-party data for advertisers.

“If you’re an advertiser and you have first-party data, collecting it and using it is really important now for measurement. You can either connect it to a DSP, or to a clean room and measure some of your conversions directly from the publisher’s side as well. That’s really important, but it’s never going to give you the full picture. This is where you’re going to have to fill the gaps in with some type of modelling,” he said.

Reflecting on the future of advertising, Amit also highlights a potentially harmful practice with third-party cookie measurement.

“I really hope that we move away from the usual kind of arbitrary metrics that have become commonplace. I would hope that we eventually move away from last-click measurement and start to understand all the touch points that lead towards an action as it really doesn’t paint an accurate picture of digital advertising performance when you’re just looking at one touch point that delivered a conversion,” he said.

The evolution of the digital marketing landscape makes the loss of cookies imminent. However, its demise is not necessarily fatal to advertisers. While the transition to a cookieless future poses challenges, there are also many opportunities and technologies that can help make things easier for advertisers in the long run.

Through adopting these alternatives, marketers can find ways to deliver and measure campaigns effectively while ensuring data privacy and ultimately reduce the risk of falling behing in the industry.

Melbourne, Australia – Amperity has been recognised as one of the Customer Data Platform Leaders in the 2025 Modern Marketing Data Stack Report of Snowflake, an artificial intelligence (AI) data cloud company.

The recognition positions Amperity as among the leading providers of customer data platform solutions, helping businesses activate their customer data by creating targeted audience segments and delivering them to marketing platforms.

The Modern Marketing Data Stack report identifies the technologies, tools, and platforms that Snowflake’s customers use. It aims to show how marketers and advertisers can use the Snowflake AI Data Cloud along with partner solutions.

The report highlights the contributing factors leading to a departure from the martech ecosystem, combining AI, data gravity, and privacy. It shows how this paradigm shift has given rise to new marketing trends in the industry.

Analysing customers’ usage patterns, Snowflake identified technology categories that organisations consider when forming marketing data stacks. 

The categories under marketing and advertising tools and platforms include tools for analytics, data enrichment, identity management, customer data and engagement, programmatic solutions, and performance measurement. Meanwhile, the categories under data tools and platforms include data integration, data privacy management, and business intelligence.

The report highlights the AI Data Cloud Product Partners and their solutions as “leaders” or “ones to watch” within each category. It also shows how Snowflake customers enable data-driven marketing strategies through the technologies.

“In a new age of innovation, we’re witnessing a changing of the guard around AI and how marketers capitalise on this massive opportunity as the very shape of the marketing stack evolves, leveraging the Snowflake AI Data Cloud to access and act on data directly where it resides. Amperity has distinguished itself as a leader in the Customer Data Platform category by transforming its approach to AI-driven data management. This empowers our joint customers to unify and activate high-quality customer data at scale within Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud, maximising their marketing budget efficiency and activation effectiveness,” Denise Persson, chief marketing officer at Snowflake, said.

Curt Lockton, senior vice president of partnerships at Amperity, commented, “We are honored to be recognised as a leader in the Customer Data Platform category by Snowflake. This acknowledgment underscores our shared vision to empower marketers with AI-ready, identity-resolved customer data. By enabling brands to create a true 360-degree view of their customers, Amperity and Snowflake are ushering in a new phase of data-driven marketing, turning deep insights into actionable strategies, driving enhanced engagement, stronger loyalty, and substantial revenue growth.”

Philippines – Women in marketing and tech are reshaping the industry with fresh perspectives and innovative strategies. As leaders, they break barriers and champion diversity. Their influence fosters an inclusive culture, inspiring the next generation of female marketers to thrive and make their mark in a dynamic field.

With a mission to recognise the empowered women who are making waves in the marketing and technology fields, MARKETECH APAC, in collaboration with its sister publication UpTech Media, is thrilled to announce the launch of its highly anticipated ‘Empowered Women Awards 2025.’

Centering on the tagline ‘Empowering Innovation, Elevating Women,’ the Empowered Women Awards 2025 highlights the inspiring journeys of women who have built successful careers and become catalysts for change. The awards go beyond recognition, serving as a testament to the strength and vision of women driving progress in the marketing and tech landscape. 

This awards ceremony builds on the success of previous iterations, such as the ‘Empowered Women Series’ and the virtual’ Empowered Women 2023: Marketing Conference & Awards,’ celebrating the extraordinary women transforming the marketing and technology sectors across Asia Pacific.

Scheduled to culminate in a prestigious in-person awards night on 26 September 2025 in Manila, this event promises to be a celebration of innovation, leadership, and the courageous spirit of women who are trailblazers in their fields. 

The Empowered Women Awards 2025 will showcase 46 categories, including individual recognition, marketing campaigns, tech innovations, special awards, and the grand prix. Each category will honour three (3) winners, awarded Bronze, Silver, and Gold distinctions.

Judging criteria and eligibility will vary by category. Entries will open in November this year, with the judging process taking place in 14-25 July 2025.

Teddy Cambosa, regional editor at MARKETECH APAC, said, “We’re excited to finally launch our ‘Empowered Women Awards 2025’, as we believe that empowering women in the marketing and technology space is not only about closing gaps—it’s about recognising their immense contributions and unleashing their full potential. By celebrating their leadership, creativity, and innovation, we foster a more inclusive industry where diverse voices drive progress and inspire the next generation of trailblazers. When women are seen, heard, and valued, the future of these fields becomes limitless.”

To find out how to participate in this prestigious award series, click HERE to learn more about the Empowered Women Awards 2025.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joven Barcenas ([email protected]); for judging opportunities, please contact Ivy Alamo ([email protected]); and for nominations, please contact Denise Obispado ([email protected]). 

Singapore – Yahoo has extended the availability of Yahoo Identity Solutions through its launch partners’ publisher tools, allowing access to more publishers. 

The identity solutions can be accessed through Yahoo’s launch partners Amazon Publisher Services, InMobi Advertising, Magnite, and PubMatic. The update helps publishers increase revenue by increasing their audience without using third-party cookies. 

Through adopting Yahoo Identity Solutions, publishers can easily monetise their ads for logged-in and non-logged-in audiences, allowing for optimal results. It also allows publishers to easily use Yahoo ConnectID on their platforms to help them in a cookieless environment.

Advertisers can also benefit from improved audience targeting by reaching more publishers who can ensure efficient and effective ad campaigns. 

The update builds on Yahoo’s momentum on the identity solutions suite. Recently, the company launched Yahoo Identity Solutions on connected TV to help advertisers target and measure performance.

Chandra Cirulnick, vice president of global supply partnerships at Yahoo, said, “As we continue to extend Yahoo Identity Solutions, we are building on our momentum to shape the future of identity in advertising, ensuring publishers can monetise their audiences more effectively in an identity-constrained world.”

“This expansion demonstrates our commitment to future-proofing our clients’ businesses as they adapt to the evolving digital landscape through robust identity solutions that drive performance and respect user privacy,” Cirulnick added.

“We are excited to launch Yahoo ConnectID in APS Connections Marketplace, making it easier for our publisher customers to implement it on their inventory. With ConnectID, APS publishers can optimise their supply-side signals to better engage demand via Amazon’s Transparent Ad Marketplace monetisation path,” Scott Siegler, director of Amazon Publisher Services, said. 

“InMobi is thrilled to be the first platform focused on ad monetisation for mobile app developers to integrate with the Yahoo ConnectID, providing advertisers who leverage the Yahoo DSP a clearer path to addressable inventory in a privacy-first world. This partnership underscores our commitment to continuous adaptation of the InMobi Exchange to the evolving privacy landscape and to supporting publisher choice concerning the alternative identity solutions they support,” Todd Rose, senior vice president of global business development and partnerships at InMobi Advertising, commented.

Kristen Williams, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Magnite, said, “In line with our efforts to provide publishers and buyers with high-quality options to activate addressable advertising across every format in the ever-evolving identity landscape, we are excited to be among the first to integrate with Yahoo Identity Solutions. The breadth of Yahoo’s deterministic data is a powerful asset that can enhance the value of premium content while delivering better results for advertisers.”

“We aim to simplify identity management for publishers using Identity Hub, which in turn helps buyers more effectively recognise and reach their desired target audiences. The Yahoo Identity Solutions provide privacy-safe, authenticated user data that will further empower our publisher clients to drive monetisation in cookie-less environments and connect seamlessly with buyers. Our publishers can now easily incorporate Yahoo ConnectID within their existing alternative identity strategy and leverage our testing and reporting capabilities to understand what will drive success for their business,” Howard Luks, vice president of audience at PubMatic, said.