FOX International Channels (FIC) has appointed local agency The Alchemy Partnership to lead the campaign for the launch of the new FOX Sports Network. This follows a pitch against other multinational agency networks earlier in the year.
The job scope covers the launch campaign that includes TV, print, activation and digital for regional markets that include Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Paul Tan, director of marketing (FOX Sports) at FIC said, “Alchemy was selected for the launch campaign because they are a great fit for what we’re trying to achieve for this launch, and they showed a lot of heart and dynamism when pitching for the project.”
FOX International Channels (FIC) will be implementing a wide-scale upgrade to its FOX Sports Asia network from 15 August. The change will see the network rebrand its portfolio of channels which currently include FOX Sports, FOX Sports Plus HD, STAR Sports to FOX Sports, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports 3 respectively.
This change will take effect in all countries across Asia where FOX Sports network channels are available, with the exception of China and South Korea where the STAR Sports brand will be offered.
Mindshare has appointed Helen Tan-Bhasin (pictured) as account lead for Team Unilever for Asia, Africa and Turkey.
Tan-Bhasin joins Mindshare with 15 years of media experience leading FMCG accounts.
Previously at Starcom Mediavest Group for 13 years across the Manila and Singapore offices, Tan-Bhasin’s experience includes account leadership roles at Starcom spearheading P&G’s key categories Skincare, Fabric and Homecare in addition to BlackBerry and Mead Johnson.
This client experience has seen her work across eleven Asia Pacific markets-- Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, India and Australia.
Sudipto Roy, chief client officer, APAC, commented: "Helen joins the Mindshare family at a truly exciting time, when products are being transformed, data consolidated and technology capability is at the forefront.
"It is opportune for her to bring her experience to us as we script roadmaps for the next two years. Helen represents a rare combination of intimate FMCG marketing knowledge, key market exposure in addition to experience at the forefront of cutting edge work with marketing organizations similar to Unilever. We look forward to her leadership."
Tan-Bhasin will report directly to Sudipto Roy, leading a regional team based out of Singapore to support the markets.
Circle K kick-started its WeChat channel by offering new followers free merchandise from its Mushroom Garden loyalty marketing campaign.
"We recently set up Circle K’s official WeChat channel using selected Mushroom Garden premiums as incentives for following our WeChat channel," Fred Yeung, marketing services controller at Circle K Convenience Stores in Hong Kong, said.
When a user decides to follow the convenience store's WeChat channel, they will receive the following message to redeem Mushroom Garden memo pads:
The second wave of incentives for new WeChat followers will be launched next week.
For the core loyalty marketing campaign, Circle K teamed up with the creators of Japanese cartoon Mushroom Garden to offer a set of Mushroom Garden pen and smartphone anti-dust plugs for redemption for every 12 stickers collected by the customer.
A sticker is given to the customer for every HK$20 purchase.
Other merchandise available for purchase are pencil cases, figurine accessories, pocket tissue packs with collectible cards, plastic folders, memo pads, notebooks and bottled drinks.
To promote the offer, which targets office ladies and students, the convenience store has placed ads in Kowloon Tong and Causeway Bay MTR tunnels, online and mobile ad networks, magazines, newspapers and posting Mushroom Garden content on its Facebook page.
"Convenience store shopping is mainly driven by the convenience of locations, which puts Circle K at a competitive disadvantage due to the number of stores we have," said Fred Yeung, marketing services controller at Circle K Convenience Stores in Hong Kong.
"That's why promotions is one way in which we hope to differentiate ourselves, where we developed a strategy for selecting the right licensed property to maximize the effectiveness of our marketing expenditure."
Yeung believes collectibles are still an effective way of doing loyalty marketing but that could be change in the future.
"Market research tells us that collectibles work despite the fact that a typical CRM or loyalty marketing program is driven more by customer personalisation," he said. "But because consumer preferences change constantly, it could be the case that collectibles may not be an effective tactic further down the line."
Oregon Scientific has repackaged 10 products across sports, beauty and wellness product categories as travel-friendly products in a weekly Facebook contest that will run until 31 August.
"This travel-related campaign coincides with summer, which is the peak season for travel in Hong Kong," Salina Wang, head of Asia Pacific, global marketing and B2B at Oregon Scientific, said.
It is the first time the brand has launched a heavy social media campaign.
"After considering social trends and our marketing strategy overseas, we decided to put more effort into our social media channels in the Hong Kong market. Social media allows us to reach our target customers directly and more easily communicate our messages with them," Wang said.
"We ensure our content in the Facebook contest are kept simple by using clean product images and short, punchy captions."
Questions were written to show the benefits of the brand's travel-themed bundle of products.
"The contest facilitates customers’ interaction and involvement as they need to respond to us by tagging their friends and using our suggested keywords as hash tags," Wang said.
The Facebook contest is supplemented by weekly in-store promotions.
"During our contest period, we release relevant product posts before our weekly in-store promotions begin. Customers can learn about our promoted products in advance on Facebook, which creates the synergy in the customer's decision-making process towards purchase," Wang said.
HTC, the Taipei-based mobile provider which has been suffering weak sales for years in the local market, will embark on a new branding journey to revive its business with a campaign launching today spanning television, print, OOH and online media.
Developed by Uth Creative, the product-oriented commercial marks the kickoff of the company's biggest repositioning project yet to court more female customers, a “highly potential” market segment in the smartphone arena that the company is yet to explore.
The storyline is simple. Eliza Sam, a popular Hong Kong-based actress, is preparing a celebratory cake for her family to back the new model HTC One E8 launch:
https://vimeo.com/102807398
As a global brand, HTC has failed to build brand awareness in Hong Kong as it has struggled to compete against the sophisticated Android and iOS markets.
"Indeed we missed the female demographic before, a segment that is highly potential," Elsa Chow, head of Marketing, Hong Kong and Macau at HTC, admits.
"We learnt from our mistake that we overly focused on hardware specification of our products without putting enough effort on marketing. We failed to speak a more down-to-earth language to communicate to our audiences," she added.
To reverse this, the brand is looking to strike a balance between its exiting male customers and new female segment.
The 30 second commercial, which will run until early September, is followed by a series of online activations in collaboration with digital beauty channels including she.com and beauty exchange forum.
A set of selfie tutorials is slate to launch on the channel partners in response to the selfie frenzy; along with viral videos themed around roaming service to stick up for the new marketing approach.
Credits:
Client: HTC HK, Limited
Product: HTC One (E8)
Creative Agency: Uth Creative Group Limited
Creative Team: Charles Wong, Benny Yau, Arthur Lam
Account Management Team: Desmond So, Winnie Yuen, Cathy Law
Director/Photographer: Ki Workshop Ltd
Media agency: PHD Hong Kong
David Ketchum, president of Bite Asia Pacific, has confirmed he will launch a new venture in a matter of months, following the integration of Text100 and Bite.
The nature of the new venture remains unknown, as interested parties are "in stealth mode", but it is believed it will be in the areas of data and content marketing.
"The business idea is around helping marketing directors deploy marketing automation and data-driven content marketing," Ketchum told Marketing.
"I have always been interested in whatever is an emerging trend or cutting edge practice in marketing and communications in Asia Pacific and that won't change."
Next Fifteen is considering investment as third party investors, according to Ketchum.
Next Fifteen Communications announced Ketchum's departure as part of Text100 and Bite integration statement released eariler this week, which said Ketchum will exit the agency after a transition period.
After the merger, Bite APAC executive vice-president Paul Mottramt and Anne Costello, Text100 regional director for APAC, will step up to co-lead the newly combined business.
Ketchum founded Upstream Asia in 1999, it grew into a regional marketing and communications player with offices on Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. It was not until five years ago the agency was merged with Bite globally on a five year plan.
"So now that period has been reached, I am happy to see the business move on to its next stage of growth and success."
"My departure from Bite is very friendly and after 13 years I want to move on to the next thing, but also happy about the possibility of continuing to work with my current partners," he added.
While most brands today are actively finding ways to differentiate themselves in the world of social media, Apple has been rather mum in the arena.
However all that might be about to change as Apple brings on board Nike’s social media director Musa Tariq as digital marketing director. Tariq confirmed his role on his Twitter page yesterday with the following tweet.
Tariq (pictured) was last at Nike for a little over a year holding the role of global senior director of social media & community. He has also worked as global director of social media, digital marketing at Burberry. He first came on board Burberry in 2009 as global head of digital marketing. Tariq has also had significant experience on the agency side working with agencies such as JWT and Saatchi & Saatchi.
While it remains unclear what the brand is trying to achieve with Tariq’s hire, it is highly speculated that Apple’s approach to social media might be getting an overhaul. Despite being hailed as a marketing genius, Apple only started to embrace social media earlier this March when it launched its first social campaign on Tumblr promoting the iPhone 5c. While it currently does run several Facebook pages for its iTunes and Apps stores account on Twitter, the posts are somewhat lackluster.
Maybe all that is about to finally change.
Tariq has over the years gained respect for his campaign work with both his previous employers. According to publication 9To5Mac, at Nike, Tariq helped in spiking the company’s product portfolio and athlete relationships via social media. Meanwhile at Burberry, Tariq was behind the creation of the luxury brand’s social media imprint in China. He also led social media for the firm’s famous annual London Fashion Show events.
In a blogpost by social media management platform Hootsuite, enterprise writer Matt Foulger, claims that Apple’s indifference to social media is “puzzling”. Foulger added that “Apple is not only abstaining from a major marketing opportunity, but turning its back on an increasingly vital channel for customer feedback and support.”
However Kimberley Olsen, head of business director of social media agency Vocanic added that Apple’s brand presence alone is so strong that it hasn’t had the need to have a social media presence. Olsen added that the move will give loyal Apple consumers a place to congregate and be the official source for them to stay updated with all the latest releases and news from Apple, faster than a press release or via website.
“Apple would also be able to finally put an actual brand voice in the social sphere which many fans would look forward to as well as use the opportunity to consider extending its efforts in customer service,” said Olsen.
The report on 9To5Mac also predicted that it is quite possible that Tariq’s work on social media marketing could be linked to Apple’s marketing push for its upcoming fashion and fitness-oriented wearable bands. Apple recently hired Patrick Pruniaux Tag Heuer’s vice president of marketing to work on the future wearable product. Meanwhile, the brand also recently nabbed Burberry’s CEO Angela Ahrendts appointing her as retail chief to run both its retail and online stores.
Could Apple be the next fashion icon? Only time will tell.
Katy Perry’s new fragrance line from COTY, “Killer Queen’s Royal Revolution”, has launched with a new animated digital video. The campaign was shot by the Animated Storyboards (ASB) team.
ASB handled the narrative development of COTY’s vision, along with all of the character and artwork design, animation, editing and audio. The video launched on online publication Glamour. Meanwhile, MTV News also picked it up soon after the launch showcasing it on their website. The theme behind the campaign is Revolution with a fun twist where Katy Perry frees brainwashed women prisoners by revolting against the norm and overpowering the evil ruler.
Watch the video below:
http://vimeo.com/100421997
Chief creative director at ASB, Ezra Krausz, led the creative development of this project.
“COTY along with Katy Perry came to us in the beginning with an idea, and through conversations and storyboard drafts we were able to all agree on the direction and look of the piece. Collaboratively we decided on using our new 3D Illustrated animation style since it gave us the look and feel of 2D Illustration, with the benefits of using 3D motion capture for the fluid character and camera movements,” Krausz said.
Sandra Ornelas, senior global marketing manager at COTY added that the team was “looking for an animation company that would be easy to work with, flexible to work with as it pertains to feedback and timing and of course, creative.”
“ASB offered a unique and low-cost solution for online content to use in support of our fragrance launch,” Ornelas added.
ASB’s production studio is situated in Thailand and has 150 in-house staff comprised of character developers, background creators, after effects artists, motion caption animators among others.
Wunderman Indonesia hired digital strategist Teddy Satrio. Satrio’s primary focus will be on devising strategies for key clients such as Nokia, Microsoft and Ford. Based in the Jakarta office, Satrio reports to Agung Rahadian, head of planning at Wunderman Indonesia.
Satrio (pictured) previously served as digital strategist at McCann Worldgroup and BUBU, working with clients such as Triumph Motorcycle, Nestle, Manchester United, Telkomsel, Intel, Maybelline and Unilever. Prior to that, Satrio was digital media promotion and online communication officer at Yayasan Masyarakat Mandiri Film Indonesia. He was also creative director at JIA Marketing Services and head of communication at the Sacred Bridge Foundation.
Satrio said, “Content marketing will enter a new territory where each piece of content can be personalised and customised to the interest of the consumer. A deeper connection between the brand and the customer will also benefit the brand in terms of SEO. Contextual contents will have a higher chance of being shared among the readers' social networks.”
“In our rapidly changing marketplace, Satrio’s knowledge of the digital space and the modern consumer will play an increasingly important role in helping us to understand, target and tap into the Indonesian market. It’s not only important to have data at our fingertips, but we must also know what to do with it, to create the best solutions for clients,” Rahadian added.
Filipino fans didn’t disappoint Warner Bros when the studio picked the Philippines for the Asian premiere of ‘Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno,’ the sequel to the first ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ movie that became a surprise local box-office success when it was shown in 2012.
A roaring sea of people welcomed lead actor Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki and director Keishi Otomo, who flew to Manila to grace the red carpet launch at the SM Megamall Wednesday.
The crowd replied with yelps when Satoh, which plays the master assassin turned hero Kenshin Himura, said “Mahal ko kayo (I love you). Aoki, which plays the street fighter Sanosuke Sagara, stirred the crowd with his antics while Takei, Kaoru Kamiya in the film, was busy signing autographs.
The short program was followed by an exclusive preview of the film, which will officially hit theaters 20 August exclusively in SM Cinemas. The cast’s visit caps off with an official press conference that will be open to the public at the Glorietta Activity Center on 7 August.
“This is a movie where we placed our heart and soul. I hope you would really, really enjoy the movie and have fun,” Otomo said before the preview.
Why the Asian premiere in the Philippines? Blame the fans, says Francis Soliven, general manager of Warner Bros. Philippines, who was humbled and amazed by the unprecedented fan base of the franchise, a live movie adaptation based on the hit Japanese manga and anime series also called Rurouni Kenshin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJ8DFNIlGM
“Moviegoers in the Philippines have helped create a wave of anticipation and excitement for the `Rurouni Kenshin’ sequels and the upcoming talent visit is a much welcome recognition of the fans’ ardent support,” he said in an earlier statement.
The story about a wandering swordsman seeking redemption that hooked anime fans globally proved to be also irresistible for Filipino movie buffs. The first film earned over US$ 647,922 in the Philippines alone, according to Box Office Mojo, making it one of the highest-grossing Japanese films in the country.
“Kyoto Inferno” is the second movie in the trilogy which debuted in Japan on 1 August. The last movie, entitled “The Legend Ends”, is scheduled to hit the silver screen on 13 September first in its home country, followed shortly in the Philippines on 24 September.
Bharad Ramesh, former head of trading and partnerships, Southeast Asia for VivaKi has launched his own company, eMVC, aiming to help clients maximise media value.
Ramesh did not divulge much details at this stage but excerpts from LinkedIn profile read: “After a dozen years in media agency trading, I've just launched my own outfit to help marketers realize more from media, particularly in digital.”
“I truly believe value is beyond just media price. All marketers say it. Very few believe in it. And less than a handful know how best to realise it from their agency partners.”
“The intense focus on digital and the push to migrate spends into the medium have only made life more complicated for marketers and procurement. New information, choices, & jargon pop up every other week. Every partner (including the likes of Google and Facebook) has a point-of-view on what's going on and how best to maximise the opportunity. And they are not always in sync.”
That's where eMVC aims to step in and help. According to Ramesh who is the founder & chief analyst at eMVC, the specialties of the company include media procurement, digital trading, agency performance and remuneration, media measurement, consumer insights, training and joint business plans.
Prior to his last role Vivaki, Ramesh has had stints at Starcom MediaVest, Mindshare, Ogilvy and Mather and others.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has suspended its shares in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today, according to a statement from the company listed on Bursa Malaysia.
According to Businessweek, the board will meet today to decide on its restructuring plan after its recent two tragedies in the last five months, with its plane being shot down in Ukraine and another vanishing enroute to Beijing.
The future of MAS has hung in the balance since, with talks of options to bankrupt the airline or change its name.
PUMA has launched its new brand platform, Forever Faster, with a mission to become the "fastest sport brand" in the world.
The new tagline will be driven through a big global multi-media marketing campaign that includes a TVC spot featuring some of the World’s finest sporting personalities.
http://youtu.be/mHxX5djs1ZI
PUMA said Forever Faster recognises athletes who stand out as individuals through both performance and personality.
World’s Fastest Man Usain Bolt features in the Forever Faster TVC with football icons Mario Balotelli, Sergio Agüero, Marta Vieira da Silva; golfers Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson; and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team. The spot sees these sports men and women challenging convention and taking risks through determination, bravery, confidence and joy.
“Forever Faster is about PUMA making a statement as a brand and reminding people that we are and will continue to be the fastest sports brand in the world,” said Adam Petrick, global marketing director at PUMA.
“We’ve always been known as a brand that takes risks and that’s not going to change, Forever Faster clearly represents that. This is going to change the way we approach product design and innovation as well as how we market our brand.”
In Japan and across Asia, a multi-platform media advertising went live this week through OOH (giant billboard domination at the Shibuya crossing, MTR platform domination in Hong Kong TST station, giant fastest graffiti at Sogo Taipei, Warp Wall challenge in Kuala Lumpur, MRT domination in Singapore, print, digital (Yahoo and YouTube page domination, to mention a few.
Still to launch in the coming days is cinema advertising in Seoul, cinema advertising in Hong Kong and broadcast advertising across all of APAC.
Desmond So (蘇頌輝), the host of TVB Pearl's lifestyle show Dolce Vita and renown emcee, is trying to utilise his own experience in the law and finance industry to help white-collar business men in China polish their professional image, with a new business etiquette company officially launched yesterday.
Targeting corporates in Greater China, his new workplace etiquette institute EWIAE (East-West Institute of Applied Etiquette), is designed to boost the confidence of business executives when they deal with clients and business partners to ensure a stellar first impression and demonstrate business professionalism and sophistication.
The firm also provides training to international executives who seek to do business in Greater China and who may not have a clear understanding of the customs and cultural nuances particular in the region.
In an interview with Marketing, So said three main groups of businessmen have a lot of room for improvement in terms of workplace etiquette, namely bankers, their clients, and job interviewees.
"We see many common mistakes among executives which have been easily overlooked. For example wearing white socks, lack of eye contact, and inappropriate handshakes. They can damage your first impression given to people and can be fatal to your career."
“Few companies or managers realize that there are tangible costs to a company’s bottom line as a result of workplace incivility," said So.
"Poor performance, diminished productivity, and employee attrition are just some of the real consequences that cost companies millions of dollars each year."
A joint study by Georgetown University and Thunderbird School of Global Management shows 48% of employees reported intentionally decreased woke effort after experiencing incivility in workplaces; wile 78% felt less committed to their employers; 25% admitted to taking out their frustration on customers.
"We are seeing a few trends in today’s globalised marketplace - costs are by and large going down and converging toward a uniform point; companies are no longer competing on price alone; and premium client service experience is what sets companies apart and wins business.
"This is something Asian companies, in particular, cannot afford to ignore."
He said EWIAE is established with an intent to change the way people perceive Chinese businesses.
"As more and more Chinese enterprises step up to the global stage, build their brands, and form strategic partnerships, executives from these organizations are increasingly under scrutiny to conduct themselves in ways that conform to international standards of etiquette and business protocol.”
“We don’t just teach how to shake hands and make eye contact," he added.
"We believe in holistically combining customs and best practices from the East and West, by providing etiquette and communications-skills trainings to Greater China business executives and professionals to make sure that they communicate professionally and confidently regardless of what industry they work in.”
So said a three-hour business tutorial had a price tag of HK$1200 per head.
With tailor made services and his own fame in the law, finance, and media industries, don't expect low tuition fees.
The institute works with major multinational and Chinese organizations from the banking, luxury retail, property, transportation, and public sectors.
EWIAE builds on So’s previously established business “Not Just The Right Fork”, which has been providing business etiquette consulting services in Hong Kong since 2008. The firm will shift and concentrate its focus on providing social etiquette training to children and young adults while EWIAE will exclusively serve the needs of business executives and professionals.
Nearly five years ago this suggestive ad ran in Singapore which created quite a buzz. Now the face behind the ad is kicking up a storm saying that the fast food giant used her picture without asking for her permission.
Earlier this week, the face behind the ad launched a YouTube video where she claims that she did not even know what was being done to her photo. She added that Burger King found her photo online from a series of various facial expressions and contortion poses she did and profited off humiliating her without her permission. Published just this week, the video is getting traction quickly, hitting close to 38,000 views and has been picked up by the press globally.
According to the lady, who chooses to be anonymous, the ad was recently the topic of discussion in a media studies class of 500 students at the University of Toronto where she lives.
Here's the video, titled "Burger King Digitally-Raped My Face":
http://youtu.be/h7pnGJHGn-M
“When asked for comment from the press Burger King claimed the campaign went down well, however after some research I discovered The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (where it was released) received several complaints and the campaign had to be prematurely removed,” she said.
“This is a top international food chain the world is watching that has a code of ethics they're required to adhere to for that reason by law, but did not in how they went about using my image,” she added.
The story will be updated. In the meanwhile, Burger King has given a statement to The Telegraph: “Respect for customers and employees is a top priority at Burger King restaurants around the world. This advert was created by an independent franchise in Singapore in conjunction with a local promotional offer. This ad was not released in any other markets.”
Marketing is reaching out to Burger King Singapore and ASAS for a statement.
Deloitte has come on board as the official professional services partner for the 28th SEA Games with the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC). Through the partnership, Deloitte will aim to help raise the bar and further boost international recognition for Singapore’s hosting of this event.
Pledging over SG$5 million in cash and value-in-kind services such as advisory, assurance and consulting services, Deloitte is now the third “Tier One” sponsor for the games. Deloitte will also provide SINGSOC with talent and manpower as part of the deal. In addition, Deloitte will offer a flexible range of skills across a number of different operational areas as well as contribution through volunteerism to help the SEA Games organising committee in their goal of building a truly memorable Games for Singaporeans and regional visitors, and a legacy long after the end of the Games.
“We are honoured to be appointed the Official Professional Services Partner for the 28th SEA Games. Just as we have delivered exceptionally to the Olympic Movement, we hope to deliver innovative solutions to SINGSOC,” Chaly Mah, chairman of Deloitte Singapore and CEO of Deloitte Southeast Asia said
"Deloitte has been involved in sports locally and globally. It has a very good knowledge of sport and have the passion for it. SINGSOC is pleased to partner them as they not only help us during pre-Games and Games time, but also to build a legacy where all of us – sporting fraternity and sponsors, can learn and up the benchmark in organising sporting events. With Deloitte onboard, we have officially surpassed our halfway mark of target sponsorship amount for these 28th SEA Games,” Richard Seow, chairman of sponsorship and marketing advisory sub-committee, SINGSOC added.
WPP programmatic media and technology platform Xaxis has launched Xaxis Prime, aiming to address ad fraud and garner human viewership for advertisers’ digital brand campaigns.
In a statement, Xaxis says that this was developed to address the “proliferation of fraudulent tactics dragging down the reliability of open exchange inventory”. Xaxis Prime said that the product will extend beyond pre-bid analysis and post-campaign blacklisting to identify and block robot traffic and suspicious sites as campaigns are running.
Xaxis Prime combines the company’s existing fraud prevention safeguards with several new technologies, including a proprietary, human verification tool. This tool, fueled by internal and partner technology from Adara, Solve Media and Moat, enables Xaxis to create proprietary audience segments of visitors who have answered, completed transactions or demonstrated specific human behaviors such as creative engagement and social sharing.
These segments are then cross-referenced in the Xaxis data management platform (DMP) against pre-bid impression evaluations and post-bid analysis of traffic metrics providing the highest assurance of human traffic in market today.
At rollout, Xaxis Prime delivers a no-fraud guarantee across the Xaxis Marketplace consisting of the premium publishers with integrated third party verification provided by Integral Ad Sciences. In addition to the proprietary human verification tool, Xaxis Prime guarantees 90% viewability, 95% Brand Safety and includes ongoing audits of all inventory, pre-bid impression evaluation, post-campaign reporting to validate inventory and audience that was acquired.
“Xaxis Prime represents the next step in our ongoing efforts and investment to combat digital ad fraud and ensure our clients achieve the highest possible real performance,” Larry Allen, SVP of business development at Xaxis said. “Ad fraud is an international problem impacting both advertisers and publishers. With Xaxis Prime, brands get a simple and powerful guarantee for their digital brand advertising across the top premium publishers.”
Founder of creative agency Ninety Nine Percent Calvin Soh and founder of J & U Consulting Saleem Jumabhoy have come up with an app to cure your nostalgia.
The duo have launched a global mobile platform called Time Travellr. The app aims to allow the public to be the creators of their own history. For Singapore, the location-based app allows you to see local hawker stories, their history and heritage, within the user's proximity.
The app allows anyone to share a location’s past, present and future by geographically and chronologically tagging photos and videos anywhere on earth.Time Travellr will beta in Singapore before its global launch.
“We remember a Singapore that was a lot more interesting, spontaneous and organic, words that have been replaced by efficient, organised and clean. Through this platform, we want the people to remember the energy and spark Singapore used to have. We want our mojo back,” said Jumabhoy.
Through the app, the duo aims to make Singaporeans feel more rooted and strengthen the local sense of identity.
“We feel we’ve been selling ourselves short. We’ve misplaced our soul and spirit and become this shiny glass concrete steel air-conditioned mall. We want to tell our children that the Singapore we grew up in had swagger. We were the risk takers, the rebels, the inventors of our own destiny. It’s in our DNA and we want to revive it,” said Soh.
PropertyGuru has stepped up its communications and marketing efforts, appointing UM Singapore for its media planning duties and Vocanic as its social media agency.
UM Singapore will oversee media planning and buying for the portal’s advertising activities, in addition to the event marketing activity assistance they have provided PropertyGuru for the past nine months.
Pat Lim, managing director of UM Singapore, said, “PropertyGuru is one of the leading brands in Singapore which has firmly established their presence in the digital media sphere and grown their audiences through an authoritative editorial voice.”
It also recently appointed H+K Strategies as its PR agency. All three newly appointed agencies will be working together with creative agency Brilliant to ramp up PropertyGuru ‘s communications strategy and future marketing efforts.
Bjorn Sprengers, chief marketing officer of PropertyGuru Group, said following a period of rapid growth at PropertyGuru, it is now important for PropertyGuru to be communicating effectively across multiple channels to multiple audiences and stakeholders.
“With our partner agencies in place, we look forward to spearheading more consumer-centric initiatives that will benefit property buyers, sellers, renter and investors,” Sprengers added.
Wunderman Korea has appointed Steven Koh as its new managing director. He will be reporting to Martin Conneen, president, Wunderman Asia Pacific.
Koh will steer operations in Seoul, working with integrated marketing teams to deliver best digital and CRM solutions to clients. Koh takes the reins from Jin Park, who has headed the office since 2012.
Having held key executive positions across Asia Pacific and the United States, Koh has over two decades of experience in integrated marketing communications and agency business building. Previously from TBWA, he has worked across a diverse range of clients including Nissan, IBM, Nestlé, Samsung, McDonald’s, Unilever, Sony, AXA andBayer.
Conneen (pictured) said: “Koh is highly adaptable and has demonstrated great ability to manage complex global businesses and brands. Korea is a key market for us, and with Koh’s track record and leadership, I am confident he will continue the growth streak.”
