Australia – After a competitive tender process, Universal McCann (UM), a division of Mediabrands Australia, has secured its reappointment as the Australian Government’s Master Media Agency, continuing its long-standing partnership since 2018.
Under the renewed partnership, UM will oversee media strategy, planning, and buying across all channels as part of the Australian Government’s comprehensive media arrangement.
The Australian Government’s master media contract designates UM as its sole, top-tier media partner. The agreement, with an initial four-year term and an option to extend for an additional four years, will take effect in October, pending the execution of a new contract.
Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM, said, “I’m delighted UM and its team get to continue the great work we have delivered for the Australian Government over the last 6 years following the rigorous 6-month pitch process. Working with the Australian government is a privilege. It is also a responsibility that we take very seriously, knowing the campaigns we create, from awareness through to behavioural change, really do save lives and help improve the country every day.”
Meanwhile, Brett Elliott, managing director for government at UM, shared, “There is no greater accolade than being reappointed to the Australian Government master media contract. We know from experience that it takes broad and deep capabilities, purpose-built technology, and the right culture and respect to meet the complex advertising needs of government.”
“More than anything, this win is due to the team of stars we have working at UM, from graduates through to seasoned operators who truly understand the nuances of government communications best practices. That expertise has been reflected in the incredible work we have always delivered; being reappointed to the account provides an exciting opportunity to further build on our shared successes,” Elliott added.
This contract renewal extends UM’s six-year partnership with the Australian Government, during which the agency has led media efforts through two federal elections, a national census, the first referendum in over 20 years, and a once-in-a-century global pandemic.
The Asia-Pacific, which has come to be known as a hub for VR innovation, is embracing this moniker with gusto! Recent advancements in VR hardware and software, have overcome challenges that prevented it from entering the mainstream for several years, and countries like Japan and China are now leading the way with their innovation in immersive virtual reality experiences.
From a marketing perspective, VR provides a unique platform for immersive brand storytelling. Advertisers can transport users into different worlds and narratives, allowing them to engage with brands on a personal level. Interactive storytelling captures attention and creates a lasting impression on the viewer.
One notable sector in the APAC region that has accelerated the adoption of VR for immersive storytelling is tourism. This region is home to some of the world’s most awe-inspiring tourist destinations, and VR allows consumers to virtually experience these locations. By donning a VR headset, potential tourists can navigate, explore, and familiarize themselves with destinations in a safe and controlled environment. This empowers them to make more informed choices regarding their travel plans and activities.
There are a multitude of opportunities for advertisers to integrate themselves into this space and effectively reach target audiences. Travel agencies and governments are among the entities benefiting most from using VR to promote tourism. For instance, visitors can virtually explore renowned sites in Rajasthan and four prominent tourism destinations in Thailand: Phuket, Bangkok, Surat Thani, and Chiang Mai through tours put together by governmental tourist authorities. And the computer-generated Virtual Osaka, which incorporates the city’s famous castle and other major tourist sites, is being used to promote the 2025 World Exposition.
Another promising application of VR in Asia Pacific is in e-commerce and retail. It has demonstrated great potential in facilitating commerce to drive purchase decisions. By utilizing virtual showrooms and product demonstrations, customers get firsthand experience with products before making a purchase. This helps alleviate the uncertainties of online shopping. Fashion brands like Charles & Keith have moved beyond augmented reality to virtual reality. The Charles & Keith Virtual Store Experience enables customers to immerse themselves in their virtual stores, which are “located” in renowned cities across Asia. This immersive experience provides a comprehensive, 360-degree view of store interiors as well as the retailer’s latest collection of bags, shoes, and accessories.
It’s no wonder that key e-commerce players in the region are already embracing VR technology to enhance the shopping experience. In Singapore, Procter & Gamble collaborated with Shopee for their Regional Super Brand Day, during which it introduced an enhanced virtual home shopping experience. Users could explore different virtual rooms and discover P&G products, which were categorized according to their respective rooms. This immersive and interactive online shopping journey transformed the way consumers discovered and browsed products, going beyond the limitations of traditional product pages.
With the rapid advancement of VR in Asia Pacific, what does the future hold for this technology? Welcome to the world of mixed reality (MR)! VR creates a fully immersive digital environment best experienced through a headset or head-mounted display, but MR takes it a step further by seamlessly blending digital and real-world settings. This allows users to witness the coexistence and interaction of physical and virtual objects in real time.
We are already seeing glimpses of this technology. Hospitals and medical institutions in Singapore, for instance, have been actively exploring MR applications. As reported in The Straits Times, Singapore’s first successful holography-guided heart surgery was performed by a team of surgeons from the National University Heart Centre, Singapore in 2022. Since then, four other patients have been treated with this technology-assisted heart surgery. Surgeons utilized MR technology in the form of the HoloLens 2 for presurgical planning. This enabled them to visualize and practice procedures in a simulated environment, resulting in more precise surgeries.
Associate Professor Theodoros Kofidis with a hologram of a heart as seen through a HoloLens 2 headset. (Photo Source: Ng Sor Luan from The Straits Times, Singapore)
In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, we are continuously witnessing remarkable advancements in technology. With its ability to create immersive experiences, VR has the power to transport consumers into different worlds and narratives, fostering a deeper connection with brands. As the technology continues to evolve and merge with mixed reality, we will see even greater real-world, real-time brand applications of this technology that seamlessly blend the digital and physical realms, to deliver captivating and transformative audience experiences.
The brands that embrace this potential and stay at the forefront of advancements, will unlock the potential for new avenues for growth, innovation, and engagement. The best is yet to come.
This thought leadership piece is written by Abygayle Brani, Regional Marketing & Communications Strategist, UM APAC
Australia – Following a competitive pitch, UM announces its appointment as the media agency of record for global automotive manufacturer Chery.
As the brand establishes itself in the market, UM’s duties cover every facet of media strategy, planning, and purchasing in Australia. With this support, Chery will be able to launch its new vehicle releases until 2024.
Speaking about the mandate, Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM, said, “It is fantastic news so early in the year and her team were excited to play a pivotal role in Chery’s Australian success. “UM’s strategic approach to media planning and buying will play a key role in bolstering Chery’s market presence in Australia connecting the brand with new audiences across various media platforms.”
She added, “With a shared vision of driving ambitious growth, we will together unlock new possibilities to engage audiences, helping Chery create a lasting impact in Australia’s competitive automotive landscape.”
Meanwhile, Mark Vukoja, brand and marketing director of Chery, stated, “We were very impressed with UM’s excellent understanding of our business and the agency’s creativity and strong effectiveness record, but it is their team’s passion for achieving results through open and collaborative partnerships that really made them stand out and we are delighted to welcome UM’s team to Chery’s agency village.”
“With an ambitious growth agenda, Chery aims to become one of Australia’s top automotive brands, having launched 2 new SUV models this year; the Omoda 5, Tiggo 7, and more models on the way in 2024,” Vukoja added.
Singapore – UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced it has been named global media agency of record to handle all media duties for global food company General Mills.
With the new appointment, UM will handle all strategy, planning, buying, analytics, performance, and commerce efforts across more than 35 markets for General Mills’ suite of brands, including Cheerios, Nature Valley, and Pillsbury.
UM’s appointment as new media AoR for the global consumer foods company follows several high-profile announcements from the agency. Recently, plant-based company Upfield also named UM as its media agency of record. It also launched the industry-first Shoptimizer tool by UM Commerce.
Andrea Suarez, global CEO at UM, said, “General Mills has consistently led the consumer foods category through bold brand building, relentless innovation, and a commitment to values, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the UM family.”
She added, “We look forward to a strong relationship that uncovers new opportunities, underpinned by our industry-leading data and commerce capabilities, to connect with consumers in meaningful ways while maximising business growth well into the future.”
Speaking on the appointment, Jay Picconatto, vice president of advanced marketing solutions at General Mills, also shared, “We are looking forward to working with IPG’s UM as our global media agency, which includes the support of our customer marketing and retail media efforts. We’re confident that UM is the right partner to continue to build our iconic brands and deliver remarkable experiences for consumers.”
Singapore – UM, a global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced its sixth global Impact Day, ‘Building a Better Future.’
Impact Day launched in 2016 and expanded globally in 2018, with volunteers across 50 offices in 40 countries. The yearly event, which was first introduced in 2016 under UM’s corporate social responsibility division, Better World, shows the organisation’s goal of dedication to the values of community and care.
On Thursday, July 20, UM closed its offices across APAC, EMEA, LATAM and North America to partner with local charities, NGOs and community organisations.
UM’s partners for this event include the Special Olympics Shanghai Team from China, FareShare, OzHarvest and Our Big Kitchen from Australia, the Indonesian Children Creativity Park Elementary School, Ecokaari from India, Free the Children Japan, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang from Malaysia, Young Focus Organization from the Philippines, MINDS from Singapore, the Goodwill Store from South Korea, NangKang Harmony Home from Taiwan, and Precious Plastic Bangkok from Thailand.
Kasper Aakerlund, the president for UM APAC, said, “As we continue to focus our efforts around the three key pillars of equity, sustainability and wellness, it’s truly heartening to see the very real impact that our people are making in their local communities. Many of these relationships with NGOs and social service programs have been building over a number of years now, and the impact of connecting and collaborating at a human level within your local community is incredibly powerful.”
Meanwhile, Eric Guzman, vice President, global operations and head of Better World, also commented, “At UM, we are on a constant quest to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work, and Impact Day is a meaningful part of that commitment. We’re honoured to partner with community organisations around the world that are driving genuine change through the lens of equity, sustainability and wellness.”
Singapore – Universal McCann has named former chief innovation officer at EssenceMediacom Sasha Savic as the company’s new chief executive officer. In his new role, Savic will galvanise the UM community around a growth mindset and leverage the agency’s industry-leading data capabilities to optimise and energise its go-to-market strategy.
In addition, he will be setting the vision for the agency’s global growth while also overseeing the strategy, product, operations, and management of clients including American Express, Honda, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss, Nestlé and Sony, amongst others.
Savic will report directly to Mediabrands Global CEO, Eileen Kiernan.
Prior to his C-suite role at EssenceMediacom, he also served as the chief executive officer for the US team at MediaCom for a decade. He also served several leadership roles at McCann New York and UM, leading media efforts for brands like Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Intel, and Mastercard.
Speaking on his appointment, Savik stated that building connections is what drives him– from strengthening the community and partnering with clients to connecting consumers’ needs to a brand’s purpose and value.
“The role of media is timeless, and I am excited to join the global leadership team at UM, the undisputed leader in unlocking the power of data to enhance the purpose and longevity of brands,” he said.
He further added, “I look forward to bringing together content, data and brand meaning to create sustainable, long-term growth at UM, where I first got my media chops and fell in love with this industry.”
Kiernan commented, “A tenacious and dynamic leader who cares deeply about people, clients and community, Sasha is a consummate relationship builder who has driven results for some of the world’s most iconic brands. Sasha’s love of the business complements our strong, values-driven global culture, and his will to win and commitment to excellence will supercharge how we show up in the marketplace and for our clients. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the IPG family.”
Sydney, Australia – UM’s consultancy practice, Business Analytics Engine (BAE), announces the appointment of Nimesh Chaturvedi to the newly-created role of associate director of data and technology. He brings in a decade of in-depth experience working with data and analytics in cloud-based platforms.
His immediate remit is to lead the data and martech solutions for brands realising the value of their first-party data and data science and optimising audiences and paid media, to drive growth.
Most recently, Chaturvedi was the senior data and analytics manager with Middle Eastern telco Etisalat and prior to that data and analytics manager with Reprise Digital MENA (Middle East and Africa).
His experience creating digital transformation strategies and roadmaps is crafted from a deep understanding of a range of martech tools and technologies, including CDP, attribution solutions and first-party data warehousing in cloud and on premise, to help brands become more digitally mature.
He has also gained a solid understanding of identifying and proposing digital transformation strategies. working across a very diverse media landscape, audience base and level of digital maturity in sectors including retail, CPG, banking, telecom, travel and hospitality, media and entertainment.
Chaturvedi reports directly to Michelle Yeates, head of BAE and will work alongside Adam Krass, chief digital, data and technology officer at UM.
Speaking on his appointment, he said, “Opportunities to build and evolve a MarTech practice don’t come around very often. My mission is to help BAE deliver results for our clients through innovative growth strategies based on precision targeting high value audiences. In a world of big data, that means technology and analytics.”
Meanwhile, Yeates said that Chaturvedi’s appointment supports BAE’s ambition to invest in the critical skills and expertise to accelerate clients’ digital transformation and roadmaps beyond cookie-based media.
“With experts like Nimesh on our team we now have additional capabilities to build on the strong data & analytics foundations of the practice. His expertise futureproofs BAE’s offering, providing unparalleled experience in first-party data; propensity modelling; and digital measurement through privacy first clean rooms, ultimately unlocking client growth through more effective audience targeting and measurement,” she said.
Manila, Philippines – UM, the media agency arm of media marketing network Mediabrands, has recently been appointed by Filipino food company CDO Foodsphere as its media agency of record, following a competitive pitch earlier this year.
The appointment will take effect on 5 April this year.
According to CDO’s vice president for marketing Theresa Chong, UM’s pitch stood out bringing “strategic thinking and marketing science capabilities as a key differentiator.”
“We were impressed by UM’s ideas, strategies, and use of data analytics. More importantly, their knowledge, skills, and demonstrated track record gave us confidence that we can successfully work together to future-proof our business in a rapidly changing media and technology landscape,” Chong stated.
CDO has a company background of 45 years serving Filipino families with its signature brands and quality products that include CDO Funtastyk Tocino, CDO Karne Norte, Highlands, San Marino, and Danes.
“CDO is a heritage brand in the Philippines. An inspiring, family-oriented success story that is both firmly entrenched in local culture, but also agile enough to engage a whole new generation,” said Reena Francisco, managing director of UM Philippines.
“There was a great cultural fit and value alignment between UM and CDO which has the whole team at UM Philippines excited to build a long-lasting, and successful partnership together,” Francisco added.
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