Tag: Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s online marketplace for buying and selling second-hand IT products, SWOPMART, has partnered with digital agency CJ Worx to launch a new creative packaging called ‘Swopbox’, aimed at reducing e-waste amid the climate change situation. 

The new creative parcel was designed to use repeatedly for IT gadgets and products, of which IT brands could use to target the nowadays consumers who pay high attention to the climate change issue. 

CJ Worx said that once the Swopbox arrives in the client’s hands, they can turn it inside out and put the used or second hand IT gadget in and send it back to SWOPMART.

Chawana Keeratiyutamonkul, CJ Worx’s managing director, said the Swopbox is a must-have item nowadays, and this creative product aims to be the alternatives for the climate change-concerned consumer and brands.

“Brands or general consumers could use Swopbox to deliver their IT gadgets and the receivers can use it repeatedly,” said Keeratiyutamonkul.

Thailand – Procter & Gamble (P&G) in Thailand has crowned global datatech platform Bounty Media as the first place for its vGrow innovation project, a search for bleeding-edge innovation addressing the Ad world’s search for a solution to the current consumer data challenge.

Nithin Dabari, P&G’s managing director for Thailand, noted that they are motivated to drive projects that focus on supporting and creating opportunities for startups with the vision and determination to grow their businesses in the future.

“That’s why we launched the vGrow project in Thailand. To provide a platform for start-ups in Thailand to join and present business ideas, come together to find a way to develop business together with P&G Thailand. In 2022, the first year of the vGrow project, we focus on the technology business, which at present is considered an industry with high growth potential,” said Dabari.

The win comes after Bounty Media, which has a zero-party deep data platform that empowers consumers and the brands they trust, expands to Thailand, opening its second market. This was the result of completing its first close of a US$1.5m Pre-A round (US$10m valuation) led by SOSV.

Bounty Media said that it will also provide an extra monetisation platform that underpins the 105 million users inside the MOX ecosystem, offering the ability for global brands to entertain audiences with premium content, apps, education, and news media in exchange for first-party data.

Claes Loberg, Bounty Media’s co-founder, shared that they are creating a transparent value exchange between consumers and advertisers.

“The consumers must provide consent for who is allowed to see their data and what they can do with it, and we’ve introduced a win-win-win for advertisers, publishers, and consumers to facilitate exactly that,” said Loberg.

Bangkok, Thailand – SCB TechX, a joint venture between the Siam Commercial Bank (SCBX) Group and digital business transformation company Publicis Sapient, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Sharp as its chief technology officer.

Sharp will be responsible for further developing an engineering and technology unit within SCB TechX. With more than 25 years of global professional experience in engineering, architecture, consulting and transformation, Sharp has led client engagements for some of the world’s largest brands from North America, Europe and for the past 12 years across Asia Pacific.

Before joining SCB TechX, Sharp served as managing director for ASEAN at Publicis Sapient. He spent 24 years at Publicis Sapient, where he also headed technology and delivery across APAC and served in a variety of consulting and delivery capacities.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “SCB TechX represents a new class of technology company built to help banks and financial services organisations meet customers’ expectations for sophisticated and convenient digital banking and non-banking services.” 

He added, “Combining the talent, expertise, world-class technology and cross-sector experience of the SCBX Group and Publicis Sapient, SCB TechX is poised to usher in the next generation of technological capabilities.”

Meanwhile, Trirat Suwanprateeb, CEO at SCB TechX, commented, “We are delighted to introduce Sharp as chief technology officer to lead SCB TechX’s key mission in developing and delivering new capabilities in technology, platforms and innovations.” 

He added, “We are confident that Mr. Sharp’s knowledge, experience and expertise will contribute to the company’s growth and drive SCB TechX to achieve its goal of becoming one of the largest and best-in-class fintech companies in the ASEAN region within the next 3-5 years.”

Singapore – Live streaming solutions BeLive Technology has piloted a live shopping campaign with Southeast Asian super app Grab called ‘Grab Live Beta’. The said campaign is now first available in Vietnam as well as Thailand. 

‘Grab Live Beta’ will allow participating merchants on Grab to engage with consumers in real-time, while increasing their overall visibility and brand awareness. Some of the features available in the live shopping campaign include addressing enquiries via the chat function and a new virtual gifting beta feature that allows consumers to show their support for content or influencers that interest them.

Commenting on the new partnership between BeLive Technology and Grab, Kenneth Tan, CEO and co-founder at BeLive Technology, said, “BeLive Technology is delighted to power live streams for Southeast Asia’s leading super-app, Grab. Merchants on Grab Live would be able to build meaningful connections with their customers and order directly on lossless, low-latency live video. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering brands around the world.”

The new campaign follows after BeLive Technology has recently raised S$6m in a bridge funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to S$10m. BeLive Technology operates from Singapore and Vietnam, and has delivered 3.7 billion minutes of live video to over 100 million viewers worldwide.

Singapore – Global communications firm Edelman has appointed John Koay, former executive creative director of creative agency Ogilvy, to be its new regional executive creative director (ECD) for Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. 

Koay brings over 17 years of experience. He has worked at several of the large creative networks and produced award-winning disruptive campaigns that have resulted in business growth for brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Nike, Toyota, Panasonic, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Nestle, and Kellogg’s, as well as Johnson & Johnson, and Heineken.

In his new role, Koay will leverage his integrated thinking and channel-agnostic creativity to further enhance Edelman’s ability to deliver work that is rooted in culture. He will also be tasked with leading the firm’s creative team, as they develop earned creative for clients across its offerings.

Commenting on his new role, Koay said, “By embedding creativity and other integrated solutions into the core of its offerings, the agency’s work truly stands out in resonating with local audiences. I am looking forward to partnering with the talented team to continue pushing the envelope for what clients can achieve with the power of creativity.” 

Meanwhile, Tim Green, Edelman’s chief creative officer for APAC, shared Koay is an industry renowned creative maverick with an impeccable track record of delivering disruptive work.

“He joins us at a time when more and more clients are turning to us for creative solutions that swiftly respond to their business challenges and resonate with their consumers or audiences in a digital age. John is the epitome of multiculturalism and global thinking, while being fluent in the language of CMOs,” said Green.

Most recently, Edelman has also announced the appointment of Jamshed Wadia as its newest vice chair for digital in APAC, where he will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s growing digital practice and Edelman Studios’ operations in the region.

Vietnam — The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has announced the launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand, as part of its expansion plans in the Southeast Asian region. The PRCA’s launch of both sub-groups owes to these countries’ fast-growing economies and a proven base of talented communications professionals.

A team of founding members in Vietnam and Thailand has been established to help deliver the association’s mission to create a professional, ethical, and efficient PR industry in the region. Founding members of the Vietnam Group include EloQ Communications, Vero, and The Vietnam Public Relation Network. Meanwhile, founding members of the Thailand Group include ABM Connect, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Midas PR, Moonshot Digital, MSL, and Vero.

Francis Ingham, director general of PRCA, commented that they are delighted to announce the latest stage of their global expansion, launching PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand. Ingham added that as part of PRCA Southeast Asia, this new grouping of practitioners joins the world’s largest PR association, opening up a whole range of services, insights, and connections. Ingham continues by saying that their industry has never been more international, and this latest development will be welcomed by our members across the 70 countries in which they live and work.

Through the expansion, PRCA will provide local professionals with access to local, regional, and global events, training, and professional development opportunities.

Tara Munis, general manager of PRCA SEA, said, “The launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand is an exciting chapter in our growth across the region. The PR industry has a very important role to play in helping companies not only say the right thing but more importantly, to counsel businesses on doing the right thing in what is a complex world. PRCA’s mission is to deliver world-class support and representation to PR professionals across the world. Among our priorities is to ensure the business community understands how vital PR is to succeed in today’s marketplace. Today’s news brings us one step closer towards that goal.”

Duy Ly, head of external relations at EloQ Communications MPRCA, said that as the first Vietnamese agency to join PRCA, and now a founding member of PRCA Vietnam, EloQ Communications understands the importance of having a professional body to grow and move forward together.

“We continue to spread this spirit to other local agencies. We hope that PRCA Vietnam will bring PRCA’s global standards and training closer to Vietnamese PR practitioners through localized materials and events, access to universal PR ethics, knowledge, and practices to the local professionals while overcoming the language barrier. We have no doubt that PRCA Vietnam will contribute great values to leverage Vietnam’s PR industry to a higher standard than we are now,” Ly said.

Bangkok, Thailand – Software company AquaOrange has announced their successful rollout of Zoho CRM across 600 businesses in Thailand. The company is one of Bangkok’s authorized Zoho CRM service providers specializing in rolling out CRM applications.

AquaOrange has mainly catered to small and medium-sized B2B customers, while also providing consultancy, training, and an onboarding service in addition to implementation. The Zoho CRM is a customer relationship management software that helps businesses manage customer interactions. It is a cloud-based CRM solution that can be accessed anywhere and on any device.

According to AquaOrange, the popularity of the Zoho CRM platform has grown tremendously and has become the go-to CRM solution for many businesses in Thailand.

Shahan Farid, CEO of AquaOrange, said that the Zoho CRM interface is easy to use and intuitive, so even if customers are new to this type of software, it should not take long before you get used to it. Farid added that in most instances, it only takes a few hours before you become comfortable with the interface.

“Zoho CRM application completes Sales cycle ensuring no Leads and potentials are lost by efficient workflow follow up with easy to view dashboard reporting,” Farid said.

The Zoho CRM works in helping clients in the sales process, salesforce, marketing automation, quotation management, opportunity management, forecast, and deal management.

Bangkok, Thailand – Siam Piwat, leading real estate developer in Thailand, brings concept brands Ecotopia, Absolute Siam, and ICONCRAFT to Malaysia through a cooperation with Pavilion Group, the largest shopping centre developer in Malaysia. The brands are grouped under ‘Discover Siam’. 

Ecotopia is an eco-product store, while Absolute Siam is a fashion and lifestyle store. Meanwhile, ICONCRAFT sells contemporary art and craft items. Siam Piwat said that said brands showcase the height of contemporary and traditional Thainess intertwined together to produce one-of-a kind offerings. The stores have been opened at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, a new forefront project in Malaysia under cooperation with Pavilion Group.

ICONCRAFT at Pavilion Bukit Jalil

Usara Yongpiyakul, CEO of the retail business group of Siam Piwat, shared that while many industries may have stumbled or may have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Thai brands are still gaining attention from different countries where the group have continuously been receiving inquiries about selling abroad. 

“Partnering with Pavilion Group, owner and executive of high-end shopping centres in Malaysia, bringing the identity of everything about Thai by using innovative, contemporary but yet retaining the originality of crafts to be shared with a wider group of customers. I know this will only lead us, the retailers to offer cutting-edge plus multi-cultural shopping experience. This is in line with Siam Piwat’s vision of making a difference through creating a sense of wonder, extraordinary and unprecedented experiences,” said Yongpiyakul. 

Absolute Siam at Pavilion Bukit Jalil

The stores are designed with different art features and installations located at the entrance and different areas, generating unique and fascinating ambience to bring awe and ‘wonders’ to Malaysian shoppers.

For Ecotopia, it commissioned one of its long-supporting artists to create an art installation called ‘Siam Yak’ which was constructed using discarded and recycled plastic parts and other materials, reflecting the core value of Ecotopia. 

For ICONCRAFT, meanwhile, it had its space designed and decorated by Khun Suwan Kongkhunthian, the owner of the Thai furniture brand YOTHAKA, who seamlessly combines handicrafts with design. For Absolute Siam, it brought in the well-known ‘Tuk-tuk’ from Thailand to serve as the landmark of the area with some of the innovative Thai fashion brands, such as Mahanakhon, TA.THA.TA, and CORALIST. 

Yongpiyakul further shared that this is just the first step of a plan to promote and support the talent of Thai entrepreneurs and designers in the wider international market. 

“By the end of this year, we expect to explore different distribution channels for Thai brands through Siam Piwat’s global business partners to at least 12 countries, all of which are in the discussion process. We believe that this will be another important stage that will build and support local heroes becoming real global heroes, and for Siam Piwat to be successfully expanding into international markets,” added Yongpiyakul. 

Thailand – Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry and cloud service provider Huawei Technologies in Thailand have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aimed at establishing the ‘Joint Software Innovation Centre’, as part of their commitment to promote the cloud ecosystem in the public and private sectors.

The new centre seeks to support the cloud ecosystem, including government agencies, industrial partners, start-up businesses, and jointly developed applications that can be customised in the government cloud for users in the country’s government agencies.

Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, DES’ minister, shared that they have signed a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Huawei Technologies Thailand to drive collaboration on cloud technologies, innovative research, and big data management, as well as the development of the digital workforce.

“Most importantly, they will be upgrading the development of government personnel, enhancing their skills. The goal is to reach 2,000 people and create opportunities for government officials to travel and exchange experiences at Huawei’s Global Innovation and Learning Center, as well as explore new innovations in future technologies such as big data, AI, linkages of intelligent devices, and 5G technology,” said Thanakmanusorn.

In addition, both are also looking to expand the public cloud storage to keep up with the needs and support the use of users in Thai government agencies by taking advantage of cloud services.

Bangkok, Thailand — Following the launch of its programmatic digital out of home (DOOH) in Malaysia, the independent DOOH ad tech company Hivestack has announced the subsequent launch of full programmatic operations in Thailand.

With the launch of Hivestack’s programmatic DOOH marketplace in the country, brands, agencies, omnichannel demand-side platforms and media owners alike can benefit from programmatic DOOH transactions via Private Marketplace (PMP) and Open Exchange deals.

Customers, both from Thailand and from across the globe, can now access Hivestack’s Demand Side Platform (DSP) to plan, activate and measure data-driven programmatic DOOH campaigns across Thailand. Alongside the announcement, Hivestack has collaborated with key agencies Xaxis Thailand and Matterkind Thailand. On the supply-side, Thailand-based media owners can now leverage Hivestack’s suite of solutions including the Hivestack Supply-Side Platform (SSP) and Ad Server to unlock the earning potential of their inventory.

Andreas Soupliotis, CEO and co-founder of Hivestack, said that Thailand is a mature DOOH market with an impressive opportunity with premium inventory ready and available and with buyers actively looking to scale through programmatic DOOH. Soupliotis added that it is a key market for the company’s SEA operations and Hivestack looks forward to creating the opportunity for brands to have more targeted and measurable DOOH campaigns as well as securing new revenue growth for key media owners in the market.

John Pradithavanij, managing director of​​ Xaxis Thailand, said, “This is an incredibly exciting time for the DOOH market in Thailand. We look forward to collaborating with partners such as Hivestack among others to leverage their programmatic technology and to offer our clients a way to precisely engage audiences outside of the home across the country. In addition, the opportunity for programmatic DOOH to fall within marketers’ wider ‘omnichannel’ strategies combining online video with DOOH will allow us to drive even more growth.”

Janejira Malanon, associate director, addressable strategy and activation at Matterkind Thailand, commented, “We are thrilled about this new opportunity with Hivestack and look forward to driving new business opportunities for our clients through programmatic DOOH. The advancements brought about by programmatic DOOH technology will invigorate the landscape for OOH advertising in the region and we look forward to working with the leading marketing technology company to enable us to be at the forefront of that development.”

In February, Hivestack has also announced the appointment of Mina Naguib, an ex-Samsung senior director and chief architect, as chief technological officer.