Dominic Stallard (pictured), chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, has departed the role. In a statement to Marketing confirming the move, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore revealed that Stallard will be replaced by Clinton Manson.
Manson takes on the role of executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, handling the agency’s regional and local accounts. He returns to Singapore after a stint at Saatchi & Saatchi in London, where he was global creative director since 2014. He reports to Kate Stanners, global chief creative officer of Saatchi & Saatchi, and Lou Dela Pena, CEO of Publicis Communications Singapore. He will also work closely with Rosalind Lee, GM of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore
"We want to thank Stallard for his hard work and uncompromising attention to craft over the past five years. We wish him well for the next chapter,” Lee said.
Stallard first joined Saatchi & Saatchi as executive creative director in April 2014 from Lowe Singapore, where he was chief creative officer. During his time at Saatchi & Saatchi, he served on the agency’s Worldwide Creative Board. The board is tasked to collectively create the agency’s creative culture and direction across the globe. His career in advertising has spanned over two decades
Before Saatchi & Saatchi, Stallard held the role of CCO at Lowe Singapore for four years, where he was also a regional ECD for Unilever Asia and global ECD for Oralcare, according to his LinkedIn. He also held the role as chief creative officer & regional ECD (Unilever Asia) at Lowe Bangkok from 2007 to 2010.
Meanwhile, Manson held the role of global creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi London since 2014, leading the creative direction of client Head & Shoulders (P&G), according to his LinkedIn. Before that, he was ECD at JWT Thailand and he held the role of chief creative officer of Lowe Singapore and executive creative director for Unilever’s Asian brand.
"It brings me great pleasure to announce Clinton Manson as ECD of Saatchi Singapore. He has an impeccable track record in the region and has returned from Saatchi London to take on the role. He will strengthen the talents of our young and hungry creative department to lead the creative ambition of our clients,” Lee added.
In April this year, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore appointed Rosalind Lee as general manager. Lee was tasked with day-to-day management, brand leadership and expansion of the agency’s client portfolio together with Stallard. She replaced Celevel Butler, who left in November last year and joined as managing partner of Edelman. Prior to the appointment, Lee was in AMV-London working on brands such as Sainsbury, British Telecom, FedEx and Virgin.
Dennis Owen, long-serving marketing executive for Cathay Pacific of more than 30 years, has landed the role of general manager of branding and social media at Hong Kong Airlines this month.
Owen served at Cathay Pacific for 31 years holding a number of different roles, from marketing, sales to operations, and he has worked in Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and then Hong Kong for the airline.
He was previously group manager of social media where he was tasked with developing digital brand promotion plans, crisis communications plans, internal and external social media strategies and social customer care platforms and capabilities.
According to his LinkedIn, Owen parted ways with Cathay in July and joined the new company this month. Hong Kong Airlines confirmed the appointment with Marketing.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has warned the public of scammers using the KL-Singapore high-speed rail project to dupe victims into paying money for "investments" into the project.
With hashtags #ScamAlert#Spreadtheword and #Beware, LTA said in its post (below) on Facebook put up on 11 October 2017, that scammers have presented fake contracts, bonds and construction drawings - claiming they were issued from either Singapore or Malaysia in order to prey on unsuspecting victims.
"If anyone with such documents contacts you to request for a transfer of money, please make a police report immediately," the LTA said. Read the full post here:
Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah said in September this year, that the project is expected to deliver significant socio-economic benefits to both Malaysia and Singapore, through a comprehensively inclusive plan, and it will a "game-changer" to "pull isolated regions closer, spur growth and development and help several towns along the way and unleash their hidden potentials by making them highly accessible." This also includes substantially increasing the number of travellers across the two countries, according to a report by Bernama.
The 350km high-speed rail will look to reduce travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes, and is estimated to be operational by the end of 2026. The project is expected to contribute RM21 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) to Malaysia and Singapore, as well as create 111,000 jobs by 2060.
Top social media influencers in North America are using Snapchat 33% less just in last 6 months, and posting on Instagram stories 2 times more, the latest findings from Mediakix revealed.
The study tracked 12 top influencers’ posting activity on both Instagram Stories and Snapchat Stories for 30 days in August. Then, it compared the influencers’ usage of Snapchat to their usage of Instagram, and additionally the data it collected 6 months ago using the same methodology.
Li Chun Rong (pictured) has been appointed CEO of Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (PONSB), also known as PROTON. Following the appointment, Li will be responsible for the whole operations of PROTON. This includes sales and marketing, production, manufacturing, operations, quality and research & development.
The move follows the departure of Dato’ Ahmad Fuaad Kenali who departed on 30 September 2017. Li brings with him 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, having worked with international brands such as Honda, Kia and Dongfeng in various high level roles. Current deputy CEO, Datuk Radzaif Mohammed will also support Li in a revitalisation plan for PROTON.
Li’s appointment was revealed by DRB-HICOM Berhad (DRB-HICOM) and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), which confirmed the new board structures and executive teams for PROTON Holdings and its related companies (PROTON Group).
At PROTON Holdings, Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar remains as the chairman. He is joined on the board by Shaharul Farez Hassan and Amalanathan Thomas as nominees from DRB-HICOM, who are both part of the senior management team at DRB-HICOM.
Meanwhile, Geely Holdings has nominated Daniel Donghui Li and Feng Qing Feng as their nominees to the PHB board. Daniel Donghui Li is the current executive VP and CFO of Geely Holding, while Feng is the group VP and CTO of Hong Kong-listed Geely Auto.
All five nominees also sit on the PONSB board, along with Nathan Yu Ning, who is the VP of international business and executive advisor to the president at Geely Holding. Syed Faisal, Farez, Nathan, Daniel Donghui Li and Nathan Yu Ning also sit on the board of PROTON Edar Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian distribution arm of PROTON.
The move comes as the board eyes a global revitalisation of the PROTON brand as a core priority. The joint goal of both teams is to see PROTON restored to being the best-selling brand within Malaysia and a top three ASEAN brand in the coming years, according to a press statement.
To achieve this goal, the management of PROTON has established a global team that is able to utilise the leading market knowledge of both shareholders. This is the leading local knowledge of DRB-HICOM and also the international resources of Geely Holding.
“I was nominated by the board to turn PROTON around and I believe the Malaysian car brand will soon be the number one domestic brand and a leading ASEAN brand. To make this vision happen, PROTON now has access to the global synergies, expertise and financial support it needs from the Geely family. I firmly believe that PROTON’s best days are ahead of it,” Li said.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is slated to introduce the “airside transfer check-in service” at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and klia2 starting next year. A spokesperson from MAHB has confirmed the news to A+M, adding that the new service will cater primarily for passengers who are using different airlines for transit between the two terminals.
This also means passengers with other onward international destinations would no longer have to check out their baggage at the main terminal upon arrival. KLIA handles about 27 million passengers annually, while klia2 is built with capacity to accommodate 45 million passengers per year.
Ghazali, who spoke to reporters after attending the launch of the 70 years of establishment of the Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) in Sepang on Wednesday said MAHB also aims to improve the availability of the aerotrain service from 97% at present to 99.3% next year. "Among the steps being taken to finetune and improve the transport service which connects the KLIA main and satellite buildings is to completely replace the aerotrain with a new set," he added.
Programmatic advertising, brand marketing versus performance marketing, measurement of social and video ads, and creativity in performance marketing were some of the topics highlighted at the Digital Performance Marketing 2017 which made its premiere in the Philippines at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura Premier, BGC, Taguig City last September 28.
Other hot-button issues were the smart and effective use of data, the continuing evolution of social media, and balancing hard research and human creativity in order to achieve better ROI. More than 150 participants from the marketing and advertising sectors braved the rain and trooped to the conference to gain a greater depth of understanding of these emerging issues which are pushing the boundaries that define what works – and what doesn’t – in the industry.
The first speaker, Shayne Garcia-Madamba, General Manager of iProspect Philippines, explored why – and if – performance marketing was winning over traditional brand advertising. Her analysis: “Branding and performance have to collaborate because while branding sells, performance converts.” She emphasised that what made performance marketing effective is that it always puts the company’s objectives first. “After you determine your goal, that will help determine your KPI. Once the KPI is inputted, it will impact output.”
She also highlighted the value of two important elements that must always be present in any campaign: “Data is more important than opinion. Truth begets trust.”
The next speaker, Peter Kim, Co-Founder of David and Golyat, explained how programmatic can be used to be more efficient and maximise return on investment in digital advertising.
“We are living in an ad-cluttered world,” he noted. “Customers receive 5,000 to 10,000 messages from a brand every day. How can you stand out as a marketer? Programmatic, which is a convergence of data and creatives, can create tens of thousands of creatives and send them out on time to your audience.”
The third speaker, Auke Boersma, Managing Director APAC of Light Reaction, challenged the audience’s apprehensions of threats like ad fraud by coming up with campaigns that are worth their clients’ time and money – as well as the target publics.
He urged them to move from branding to conversions and avoid irrelevant forms of measurement like clicks. “Let’s talk about deeper metrics than clicks, or about the viewable impressions or landings on your pages. Create appealing ads that will discourage people from using ad blockers. Protect your brand – and protect your investment.”
The last speaker for that morning, Mannix Pabalan, CEO of Hashtag Digital, led the audience into the “Next Frontiers of Performance Marketing.” Marketers should look out for data-driven and predictive analysis. Personalised marketing will now have the brand talking to consumer on a ratio 1:1. Native advertising will increase because it communicates the suitable content to the audience while emphasising the right angle. Ultimately, an integrated platform that will be more efficient than using multiple ones will track down KPI’s, performance, and audience response.
He further stressed that current standards will still rise. “We should follow through with fulfillment, and not just delivery. We have to benchmark our work and outcomes versus that of the entire industry. We can’t just say that our campaign improved over the previous one.” A more mature approach can bring in the ROI “which is the main thing that matters to the CEO,” he concluded.
The networking lunch break that followed was animated and enlivened as the participants discussed their learnings with each other.
The conference’s second half
The first panel discussion occurred after the lunch break, tackling some of the more daunting challenges that are facing marketers today. Can all social media performance ROI be accurately measured? What should advertisers, agencies, and publishers focus on to monitor the impact of their video in the long term? How do we implement a roadmap for a winning programmatic mobile native program?
Each of the three speakers for this first panel talked about their own respective experiences before joining each other on the platform for the actual presentation.
Tina Pang, Head of Sales in Southeast Asia of Twitter, said that the secret to gaining the attention of the customer – who is already being inundated with tons of data – is to establish a one-on-one connection with him. One personal care brand which used Twitter as a platform to engage in a conversation with millions of Ms. Universe fans was able to do this, and saw a significant increase in engagement after the campaign.
“Always be there for your customer,” she exhorted the audience. “Your computer is a device that can monitor what he wants. Use it to listen to him.”
The next panelist, Bernard San Juan III, the General Manager of TrueLogic Online Solutions, illustrated how today’s technology can be of immense help in creating an effective campaign – and then determining afterwards if it did reach its objectives.
He said, “We have a lot of ways to measure now: ad views, impression rates, click throughs, sessions, number of calls, and number of repeat visitors. You can measure a sale or return on ad spend. You can count your customers and measure their engagement through every phase of the sales funnel.”
The last panelist, Jonas delos Reyes, Head of Digital for the Bank of the Philippine Islands, kept the audience riveted with his experience in managing a country-wide situation that had their customers tweeting and posting comments like a storm.
He pointed out that social media is a powerful tool for communication but “it is not a silver bullet that can solve all your marketing problems. It has to have a defined role. Objectives have to address a specific metric.”
He also reinforced the running message in the conference that personalisation is key to winning and keeping the customer. The time for running one TV commercial in all platforms is over. He gave an example, “You bring someone from awareness to purchase with just a few clicks. You click it at the end of the day, there is a call to action. If I purchase it, the funnel becomes warped. After paying for it, there is a call to action again – share it with your friends, and we will give you a 20 percent discount. Now I’m an advocate. It creates further awareness. Now it’s a loop.
“The customer journey has become complicated because of the nature of the medium.”
Following the first panel discussion on measuring social media, mobile, and video performance was another speaker, Robert Wolf, Regional Senior Account Manager of Amnet Group. He unraveled the daunting concept of Big Data and showed how it can be a powerful ally of marketing, and not its enemy.
He explained a few current developments: “Programmatic is the automation of manual buying and selling, reaching the audience on a granular level on real-time. A Data Management Platform is a warehouse for data; it can translate consumer orders into digital audiences. We see what’s under the hood of our target audience, and are getting smarter with analytics.”
Afterwards, the last speaker of the conference, Peach Natividad, Digital Strategy Director of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, elaborated on the importance of building brand equity in the world of performance marketing.
She described the combination of Big Data and behavioral science as the “Holy Grail” that can further improve a brand’s standing. She said, “A brand can be worth millions of dollars, and its value should always lead to purchase. Each activity should strengthen its memory structure. At the onset of building a brand, give it time to flourish in the minds of your consumers.”
The conference culminated in the second and final panel discussion which determined the dynamic and the relationship between creativity, data, and performance marketing. The four panelists first showed their own case studies before getting together to tackle questions like striking a balance between human ingenuity and information.
Wence Wenceslao, Assistant Vice President - Digital Marketing of SM Investments Corporation, started this section, explains how online platforms can synergise with offline efforts to engage customers of brands, especially those in the retail sector.
She advised her audience that they should “know your audience and your intent. Don’t be afraid to look into channels especially if your business is offline. Measure across all these channels. Employ more interaction and content-heavy ads to continue the engagement with your customers.”
Amina Rillo, Chief Digital Officer of Summit Media, revealed the secret to the success that has made her media company popular and compelling to both audiences and brands in all platforms. Their strategy has also propelled Summit Media into its transition as a “digital-first company.”
She said, “We had to define objectives per platform. Our research and development arm helped brands realise that they could convert the data into practical tips for their audience. Education has become the best way to engagement.”
Francis Raymund Villanueva, Head of Marketing of PayMaya Philippines, was next on his presentation on why they should “trust the numbers” and build their own performance engine.
The self-described “science-based marketer” pointed out that technology can be a great support to creatives, and not a block, as many had feared. He said, “You have to trust the machines. The machines will beat you no matter how good you are. What you can do is build the right rails and build the right technology. Embrace the new norm.”
Finally, the fourth panelist, Rovy Rivera, Head of Media Channels and Digital Analytics of Globe myBusiness, spoke on the different ways on how measurement can be applied to and enhance creatives.
He said, “Monitor post-click and post-view conversions. Check how many people read your article and actually followed the call to action. Be creative with any type of asset that you want to use. Define a clear objective so you can map the customer’s full journey.”
The panelists discussed the following topics and answered questions from the participants: Where does creativity fit in performance-based and automated marketing? How do you engage your creative artists and designers to be more receptive towards data and research? How do you make creatives and performance tracking effective in the brick-and-mortar industries? How do you prepare for a market that is moving increasingly towards e-commerce?
The stimulating and thought-provoking discussion ended the conference on a high note, and the participants who attended enthused that they had a lot of practical takeaways that they can use in their real-life assignments. The future of creatives, data, and the measurements of marketing performance became more focused and clearer, empowering them for the new arenas that they will confront and conquer. Based on the enthusiastic audience reaction, this initial foray of the Digital Performance Marketing into the Philippine market will be the first of many.
Coach, a New York-based house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, has announced today that it will be changing its name to Tapestry, effective 31 October 2017.
This comes months after the acquisition of Kate Spade & Company to create “modern luxury lifestyle brands, defined by authentic, distinctive products and fashion innovation”. The company had then said that the acquisition of Kate Spade was an important step in Coach’s evolution as a customer-focused, multi-brand organisation.
The leadership team at Coach, Inc. partnered with renowned brand agency, Carbone Smolan Agency, on all aspects of the rebrand. Meanwhile, Victor Luis, chief executive officer of Coach said three years ago that Coach laid out its vision to transform Coach, and announced its intention to grow beyond the Coach brand.
“Through the execution of our strategic plan and with the acquisitions of Stuart Weitzman in 2015 and Kate Spade & Company just this summer, we have realised these goals. We are now at a defining moment in our corporate reinvention, having evolved from a mono-brand specialty retailer to a true house of emotional, desirable brands, all leveraging our strong operational foundation,” he said.
Commenting on the name, he said the company was looking for a name to reflect these values while also expressing the cultural diversity of its people and brands for today and tomorrow.
“In Tapestry, we found a name that speaks to creativity, craftsmanship, authenticity and inclusivity on a shared platform and values. As such, we believe that Tapestry can grow with our portfolio and with our current brands as they extend into new categories and markets,” he said. The name is said to embody its creative brand-led and consumer-focused business, while also representing the deep heritage of the group.
Most importantly, we are establishing a strong and distinct corporate identity, which enables our brands to express their individual personalities and unique language to consumers.
He added that each of the brands under the parent company has a unique proposition, fulfilling different fashion sensibilities and emotional needs within the very attractive and growing US$80 billion global market for premium handbag and accessories, footwear and outerwear. "At the same time, our brands are also built upon the shared values of optimism, inclusivity and innovation," he said.
Graham Hitchmough, APAC CEO of Brand Union, said the move was a logical one and "a clear, if unspectacular, naming strategy”. The individual retail brands will retain their own names and equity, and the Group now reflects a multi-brand integrated operation, with an expertise in textiles and craftsmanship.
“It allows for further expansion and acquisition without being unduly tied to any one of their portfolio of brands,” he added.
“It's essentially a rational attempt to distance the corporate entity from any individual brand as they continue to expand and want the corporate entity to be distinct, but still reflect some of the connecting values of the individual brands in the portfolio - which tapestry does reasonably well,” he said.
“Is Coach really stampeding off into the sunset? This might just be a case of ‘hold your horses’ before getting on the ‘wagon of discontent’ about a name change to a favourite brand,” said Nick Foley, Southeast Asia president of Landor. He added that there’s a big difference between changing the name of a retail conglomerate listed on Wall Street, and changing the name of a retailer located on the high street.
“It’s a small audience that are going to be affected by the corporate name change to Tapestry,” he added.
By all accounts, loyalists of the Coach retail brand will not be affected by the corporate name change. The Coach retail brand continues to perform well and occupies a distinct and desirable position in the minds of its target audience,” he added.
Name changes and big shifts in a brand’s visual identity have an alarming propensity to bring out the ire of die-hard brand loyalists. This is completely understandable, given the bond that is formed with the brand, he explained.
“Let’s face it; most of us don’t like change. Particularly when we’re not consulted on it. This appears to be a case of Coach Inc not sharing the rationale behind the corporate name change. Once consumers understand the Coach retail brand is not changing, we can expect the dust to settle,” he said.
Agreeing with Hitchmough was Andrew Crombie, brand consultant and former CEO at Fitch, Southeast and North Asia. He said:
This is a case of misplaced alarm. It is simply good brand architecture management.
By changing the corporate Coach brand to Tapestry, Crombie explained that the brand managers have chosen not to confuse or diffuse their consumer-facing Coach brand. This comes as the company grows its portfolio of unique luxury brands, which currently consists of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.
“Whether you like the name or not, Tapestry is a workable metaphor for the nature of the corporate brand - that being many rich-coloured threads coming together to form a bigger picture or design,” Crombie added.
As such, this approach allows the company’s consumer brands to retain their unique identity and positioning, whilst providing a collective name for the overall corporate entity.
“It is not dissimilar to the shift from Google Inc. to Alphabet, to accommodate heir expanding portfolio of brands - Google X, Nest, Fiber, Google Capital, Calico, Google Ventures etc,” Crombie said.
He added that this name change will not cause any damage to the value of Tapestry (nee Coach) as a company. This is because investors are a small, tight-knit and well-informed community who will quickly realise this is a smart move.
Also weighing on the matter was Jane Perry, managing director of Geometry Global Singapore, who also agreed that the controversy surrounding the name change feels a bit like an overreaction.
She explained that the shock consumer response seems to be coming from the perception that Coach is rebranding its name to Tapestry, when in fact it’s a new corporate identity name. The brand name meanwhile, remains unchanged. Perry added:
It’s a good lesson in PR for Coach in managing its loyal consumers.
The name change also offers Coach an opportunity to diversify into other segments and target new consumer groups, Perry added. In the past three years Coach acquired Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade & Co. At the time of the acquisition, Coach advised that it wanted to evolve from a "monobrand specialty retailer to a true house of emotional, desirable brands."
“Much like luxury goods conglomerate goliath LVMH, Tapestry is merely a holding company name,” Perry said.
While announcement has been met with some concern, and share prices have been affected as a result, Perry is of the view that it is nonetheless an exciting time for Coach and Tapestry. As such, brand portfolio expansion should be expected.
“For me, the biggest question mark is around the name itself. Tapestry feels old, and the rationale regarding craft, and interweaving multiple brands together feels predictable,” Perry said.
Everyone wants a piece of the Millennial pie and legacy brands are without a doubt one of them. As such, companies steeped in traditional are constantly striving to remain relevant and engage the tech-savvy generation.
Natural health and wellness company Eu Yan Sang Singapore managed to capture the attention of the Millennials by through a mix of cocktails and a bar. This led to the company winning two awards at the recent Marketing Events Awards 2017 - Gold for Best Media Event and Bronze for Best Pop-up Store.
This post was done in conjunction with Eu Yan Sang Singapore.
Problem
Millennials are a crucial segment for the traditional chinese medicine (TCM) business and educating them on its benefits at a young age will allow Eu Yan Sang to grow with them through the different life stages. However, Millennials typically perceive Eu Yan Sang and TCM as being too traditional, difficult to comprehend and irrelevant to their way of life. Repositioning the brand would take time but Eu Yan Sang needed a quick win to start that engagement journey.
Solution
In order to shift Millennials’ perceptions of a brand, Eu Yan Sang had to tap into their sense of curiosity and bring them on a journey of discovery. The strategy was to present TCM in a completely unexpected way that is contrary to their preconceived notions of an archaic practice that had no role in their daily lives.
Eu Yan Sang forged an unconventional collaboration with an unlikely partner – a popular speakeasy - The Library to create a six-month herbmixology pop-up space campaign. The campaign combined the age-old tradition of TCM and the art of mixology to provide a new experience for the Millennials. Holding the pop-up at a stylish and contemporary space delivered modern associations, while incorporating TCM herbs in cocktails re-contextualised how they are used, making them immediately relevant to modern Millennial lifestyles.
In order to maximise awareness for the campaign, Eu Yan Sang hosted a press preview, inviting lifestyle influencers and traditional media guests, who reported on their experience of the customised space and cocktails.
Objective
Introduce TCM to millennials in a relatable manner and establish Eu Yan Sang as a brand of relevance.
Execution
A three-pronged approach was adopted.
To fully capture the attention of Millennials, the pop-up space was designed to go beyond being just visually stimulating, and Eu Yan Sang worked to incorporate elements of touch and smell into the experience. Visitors were able to view, hold and take a whiff of the 49 herbs displayed in a transparent periodic-chart-inspired medical chest, categorised into various energy groups. Learning about the brand, herbs and TCM was also made fun by presenting the information in forms which would appeal to Millennials, such as tongue-in-cheek posters and “four-tune” cards that provide remedies for hangovers and other modern health problems. Visitors could also find out what their drinking personality was by taking a test on the iPad.
To further the experiential experience and open Millennials to the many possibilities of using Chinese herbs beyond its traditional use, Eu Yan Sang worked with chefs and mixologists at The Library, to design and create a refreshing and exciting range of TCM-inspired cocktails and canapés. They explored close to 40 different types of herbs to develop a great menu which showcased new and creative ways to integrate Chinese herbs in everyday food and drinks.
Eu Yan Sang also invited key media with a Millennial reach including influencers, to an exclusive and interactive cocktail workshop. Media was tasked to create one of the cocktails in the new menu from scratch and was given their very own herbmixology kit that contained bar tools and a recipe card. Providing media and influencers with a hands-on experience provide ample opportunities opportunity for them to share photos and videos online.
Results
The strategic collaboration with The Library on the six-month pop-up campaign was a resounding success in establishing a starting point for Eu Yan Sang to pivot the brand’s perception with Millennials. Overall, the pop-up was well-visited and attracted a healthy footfall, mainly comprising Millennials.
The immersive brand experience proved to be successful in increasing the awareness of the brand amongst the target group. This was best exemplified through the high number of organic conversations and engagement online generated on the pop-up space mostly from Millennial consumers – a total of more than 5,700 likes, 990 views and 180 comments were garnered on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Media also played a key role in amplifying key brand messages to the public with secured coverage reaching an estimate of more than 3.5 million in reach across the various channels. Coverage secured highlighted Eu Yan Sang as an innovative brand, a brand that was making headway in changing Millennials’ perceptions about TCM.
HSBC announced it has picked John Flint, its chief executive of retail banking and wealth management, to succeed Stuart Gulliver as group chief executive and executive director, who is retiring. Flint's role will be effective from 21 February 2018.
In a statement, newly-appointed group chairman Mark Tucker, who also led the search to identify Stuart’s successor, said, "Through the search process, Flint has developed with myself and the board a clear sense of the opportunities and priorities that lie ahead. Over the coming months, before he formally takes over the group CEO role from Gulliver, we will be working closely together to develop and agree the key actions required to ensure we build on and enhance HSBC’s current momentum.”
Tucker added, "Flint has broad and deep banking experience across regions, businesses and functions. He has a great understanding and regard for HSBC’s heritage, and the passion to build the bank for the next generation."
Flint said, while the bank is very well-positioned for the future, it must continue to innovate and accelerate the pace of change required to meet the expectations of its shareholders, customers, employees and society at large. "I’m looking forward to working with Tucker, the board and over 230,000 colleagues around the world to make this great bank even better,” he said.
Flint first joined HSBC in 1989. As group chief executive and executive director, Flint will receive a base salary of £1,200,000 per annum, a fixed pay allowance of £1,700,000 per annum and a pension allowance of £360,000 per annum equal to 30% of his base salary.
His service contract also provides for discretionary variable pay that consists of an annual incentive award up to a maximum value of 215% of base salary, and a long-term incentive award up to a maximum of 320% of base salary. This is determined by reference to the performance and profitability of the bank, as well as his personal performance and remuneration benchmarks in the industry, said HSBC's spokesperson.
Commenting on Gulliver's retirement, Tucker said, the banking veteran has led HSBC through a challenging and difficult period with great energy and commitment and successfully reshaped the business strategy of the bank. This includes the important work of "putting in place global standards for identifying and preventing financial crime. Since January 2011 the bank has paid US$60.7 billion in dividends, announced an additional US$5.5 billion of share buybacks, and delivered a total shareholder return of 66.8%. This is an outstanding track record.”
"I would like to thank him on behalf of the board for everything he has done for HSBC," he added.
Gulliver has been leading HSBC as group CEO for the last seven years. He joined HSBC in 1980, and has been group chief executive since January 2011. After stepping down as group chief executive on 20 February 2018, Gulliver will continue to advise HSBC until he formally retires from HSBC on 11 October 2018.
Headquartered in London, HSBC group's assets totalled US$2,492 billion as of 30 June 2017. The lender currently operates 3,900 offices in 67 countries across Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
CapitaLand and SingPost have relaunched the new SingPost Centre following two years of redevelopment. The new centre boasts a “digital shopping experience” and aims to be in line with the Singapore government’s Smart Nation initiative. It is also double the gross retail floor area from previously.
The SingPost Centre is managed by CapitaLand, under a management contract awarded by SingPost in March this year. According to Mervyn Lim, deputy group CEO (corporate services) at SingPost, said, tenants of the new mall, including the flagship General Post Office (GPO), will roll out digital innovations and experiences for consumers in a bid to adopt a “Smart Mall” concept. Currently, committed occupancy is at 80.4%, as of 30 September 2017.
To bolster the “digital shopping experience”, the flagship GPO and tenants such as Golden Village, NTUC FairPrice, Philatelic Store and Kopitiam have introduced several digital initiatives.
The GPO will offer automated services that improve operational efficiency and provides 24/7 access to postal and other essential services. Golden Village will incorporate Smart Laser projects for its eight cinema screens to deliver better image quality.
NTUC FairPrice will be introducing innovations to reduce the time needed for customer grocery runs. The store will feature a scan-and-go system where pre-registered customers collect scanners at the entrance and scan items as they shop before paying at dedicated counters. The supermarket chain will also launch a new mobile app which serves as a shopping assistant to help shoppers identify the shortest route to the product they are looking for. In addition, there will also be an experiential corner where shoppers may try out new products using augmented and virtual reality.
Meanwhile, Kopitiam diners will be able to earn rewards via its Kopitiam loyalty programme when they order Healthier Choice meals or return their trays at the designated counters.
To welcome shoppers, the mall has launched a series of promotions in the form of CapitaLand vouchers and rebates on EZ-Link cards. Mall goers will be able to use partake in the CapitaStar rewards programme when they spend at the mall.
Marketing has reached out to CapitaLand for additional comment.
Malaysia Airlines’ frequent flyer programme, Enrich, has launched a ‘30 Days of Rewards’ campaign for its members, in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
The campaign, which runs now until the end of October, will enable Enrich members to earn up to six times miles with selected lifestyle partners.
Malaysia Airlines’ chief commercial officer, Arved von zur Muehlen said, “This year marks the 30th anniversary of Malaysia Airlines’ frequent flyer programme and we are excited to offer members with more ways to earn miles via the ‘30 Days of Rewards’ campaign.
"This campaign which will be running until the end of the month is our way of thanking our loyal members and partners for their continued support throughout the years and in inspiring the airline to constantly enrich their travel and lifestyle experiences," he said.
The accumulated miles can be redeemed on exclusive benefits and privileges including access to Malaysia Airlines’ Golden Lounge and Temptations for inflight shopping, Muehlen added.
In a bid to enhance user experience, a newly improved and personalised Enrich member portal has now been fully integrated into malaysiaairlines.com. This serves to allow members greater convenience in navigating through the portal with ease.
Originally named Esteemed Traveller, this first loyalty programme serves to create life-long memories and special experiences for passengers on Malaysia Airlines. Enrich members are able to earn miles when flying on Malaysia Airlines, all 14 airlines and 30 affiliates within the oneworld alliance, 8 partner airlines, at over 300 hotel partner properties globally, by using credit card from bank partners as well as other lifestyle partners.
To unveil its new store in Tsuen Wan on 11 October, IKEA Hong Kong has created an online video series featuring its soft toy Gosig Golden in several iconic locations in New Territories for an intriguing yet mysterious adventure to catch people's attention.
On 25 September, a 30-second teaser video published on IKEA Facebook page depicting its dog soft toy Gosig Golden lost its way home and then kicked off its mysterious adventure.
The whole campaign is centered around Gosig Golden, the fluffy stuffed toy sold in IKEA, telling stories about his journey to find his way home, implying that the IKEA Tsuen Wan store will be opening soon.
https://youtu.be/4nTifT5MULg
On its journey, Gosig Golden encounters different celebrities and influencers who guide him home, including dog lover and radio DJ Kitty Yuen and actor Issac Ng’s family.
To stir up discussion, IKEA worked with three niche local community Facebook pages (Yuen long locals, Tuen Mun locals and Tsuen Wan locals) to develop the Gosig Golden story. Netizens engaged with the thread and even posted photos with their own Gosig Golden toy at home.
Each episode can only be unlocked with a set number of "hearts", which IKEA Facebook fans need to contribute by pressing the Facebook emoji. IKEA said the target number of “hearts” was achieved faster than expected.
The final episode was released on 11 October, the date of the official IKEA Tsuen Wan store launch.
What’s more, a related dog-adoption charity event will be held in-store at the end of October.
The campaign is comprised of social media, digital, TV and bus bodies.
Country marketing manager of IKEA Hong Kong, Janet Lai said: “IKEA Tsuen Wan store is the fourth store in Hong Kong after Shatin, Causeway Bay and Kowloon Bay, which strategically expanded the business footprint. Local community has become the hot topic in recent years, so this time we communicated with the audience through the mysterious adventure of our iconic soft toy Gosig Golden.”
“The campaign was initiated on social media, so our media strategy focused on two dimensions,” said deputy leader of Mindshare, Mandy Lam.
“Horizontally, to drive connection between each episode, we had to plan the refined retargeting approach and make sure the story was delivered comprehensively.”
“Vertically, we leveraged each episode's content through relevant third-party Facebook page partners (including pets, family and mass) with a diversified format and well-utilised boosting objectives on Facebook.”
“Under the present social media trend, Hong Kong audiences receive social content at an unprecedented pace. Instead of chasing the views blindly, we need to truly engage them,” said Andrew Lee, chief brand designer of Metta Communications.
“Audiences like simple yet entertaining actions. We wish to create sufficient social power that they can share, discuss and generate their own social content throughout the campaign.”
The brand said this is also a good opportunity for brand building, so the social video will be pushed to TV and drive mass awareness alongside the store grand opening from 11 October onwards.
Credits:
Advertiser: The Dairy Farm Company Limited - IKEA
Media: Mindshare Hong Kong
Deputy leader: Mandy Lam
Manager, connection planning: Polly Ip
Manager, the exchange: Stephanie Chow
Senior associate, the exchange: Zoe Chan
Associate, connection planning: Leo Tse
Creative: Metta Communications
Chef brand designer: Andrew Lee
Business director: Grace Chan
Account executive: Jacky Ho
Associate creative director: Ron Chong
Senior art director: Chris Leung
Art director: Au Kin Ming/Enson Chan
Copywriter: Irene Wu
Social content planner: Kristie Ma
Executive producer: Reuben Cheng
Alibaba Group has picked Singapore to launch one out of seven research labs which focus on foundational and disruptive technology research. This includes data intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), FinTech, quantum computing and human-machine interaction.
Alibaba expects to invest more than US$15billion in research and development over the next three years. This follows the launch of its global research programme titled “Alibaba DAMO Academy” (Academy), which stands for the “Academy for Discovery, Adventure, Momentum and Outlook,”
According to a press statement, within the listed broach research areas, the labs will focus on topics such as machine learning, network security, visual computing, Natural Language Processing (NLP), to name a few. The programme looks to increase technological collaboration worldwide, advance the development of cutting-edge technology and making the world more inclusive by narrowing the technology gap. As such, the Academy is also looking to recruit 100 researchers globally.
The other six countries chosen are China (Beijing and Hangzhou), the United States (San Mateo and Bellevue), Russia (Moscow) and Israel (Tel Aviv). Meanwhile, Alibaba Group’s CTO, Jeff Zhang will be the head of the Academy.
The labs will also work with luminaries in the technology space and top educational institutions to explore technology breakthroughs aimed at improving the lives of technology end-users. It also looks to boost the efficiency and security of enterprises globally. The Academy will also set up an advisory board of globally renowned educators and researchers who will provide guidance and advice on the research direction and key research areas of the labs.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has unveiled its multi-influencer video marketing campaign titled "Journey By Design", which focuses on five core markets - Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines. The campaign is a multi-platform strategy designed to draw new customers to the Asian region. It also allowed ANA to showcase its extensive domestic network and highlight the benefits of flying with the airline.
Conceptualised and executed by independent digital media and social video broadcaster Brave Bison Singapore, the digital-only campaign will run for a year. Brave Bison was appointed to manage the campaign following a pitch held in June 2017.
In a statement to Marketing, Brave Bison's spokesperson said it was chosen due to its experience working with Turkish Airlines and SK-II's "Beauty Bound" programme on YouTube. Brave Bison's access to top Asian creators, ability to share knowledge and insight on influencer marketing, as well as the ability to build an honest relationship with ANA from the beginning also resulted in the company being picked for "Journey By Design".
"Journey By Design" featured five influencers - Kevin Hendrawan (Indonesia), mingjai14 (Hong Kong), Haley Dasovich (Philippines), KIMDAX (South Korea) and newapplearial (Taiwan). They crowdsourced travel tips from fans before heading to Japan to explore various parts of the country. Thereafter, they participated in an Instagram challenge while filming a travel vlog for YouTube to sum up their experience.
https://youtu.be/i1kgPaF8IWc
“Working with Brave Bison has been a great experience, from our first informal chat to the very professional and insightful development of a campaign that hits all our objectives. The result is an impactful campaign that we’re incredibly proud of," Masaru Watanabe, manager, marketing and sales, Asia & Oceania at ANA, said.
“ANA’s Journey By Design is a great example of a campaign that plays to our core strengths - the creation of an effective campaign idea; our Influencer Network in the region and globally; and our experience of producing innovative, engaging video content," David Nicholls, GM for APAC at Brave Bison, said.
Among the list of clients Brave Bison has collaborated with include P&G, Shell, PGA Tour, Paramount and Google. Headquartered in London, it also has a presence in Singapore.
Last month, Facebook-owned Instagram passed an important advertiser and user growth milestone with two million monthly active advertisers, up from one million advertisers in March of this year. According to TechCrunch, the number was driven largely by growth in small and medium-sized business.
While its growth seems impressive, a closer look at Facebook, which was reported to have five million advertisers in April 2017, would indicate that Instagram still has lots of room to grow.
Marketing talked to Instagram's head of business, Jim Squires, to learn how the social network could monetise more of its features in the future, as well as how marketers can leverage upcoming plans.
Q: Can you share the most up-to-date number of active users and advertisers in Asia, in particular Hong Kong?
Globally, there are 800 million active users on Instagram monthly [Editor's note: up 100 million since April 2017], and 500 million active users daily [Editor's note: up from 300 million daily users in August 2017]. To break that down, Hong Kong has 2 million active users monthly, Indonesia has 45 million and Japan has 20 million.
We don't break down the advertiser numbers, but we've seen huge growth in Asia. Indonesia has the highest number of adoption on business tools, and APAC is one of our biggest markets worldwide in terms of business tools adoption.
Q: How many of these users would actually purchase a product [in response to seeing an ad on Instagram]?
We are offering solutions for both branding purposes and for actually purchasing products, and we've seen Hong Kong users more centred on their own interests when using the app, whether it's about sports, travel or music. We have a global figure that 59% of Instagram users felt they were influenced by the app content when buying a car.
They are more into brands - one of the top three things users in Hong Kong want to see on Instagram are brands, and 50% of Hong Kong users have followed business accounts. That ranks higher than athletes, musicians and other public figures. This indicates potential in the local market from a business value.
Q: Does that mean campaigns on Instagram should pick a branding-focused narrative than a product-focused one?
There are different [answers] for different campaign objective and brands, and the best advise I would give is: test. Audio brand Beats, for example, tested the format by producing three videos for Stories in two different styles. One showcased different celebrities demonstrating a product feature, while the other two were more focused on the Beats brand.
After testing these different ad creative styles against one another, the team found that product-focused Stories, which also included clearer calls-to-action, scaled better than its lifestyle-focused Stories. Of course they further invested in the [former] format. At the end, the brand saw an overall 15% increase in click-through rate compared to Instagram link ads, a 29% increase in purchase lift, and a 11 times lift in traffic to website.
Q: How do you plan to make Instagram more conducive to marketing?
Right now we are very focused on Stories instead of Instagram. It was launched a little more than a year ago, and we already have 250 million people globally using it on a daily basis.
From a consumer side, we will introduce more creative tools, like face filters, to the users. From the business side, we continue to introduce marketing solutions that would help [marketers] reach new audiences, and deepen engagement.
We've introduced polling on Stories, which lets the users vote. It's not available to businesses yet, but you can see the potential there - that would further deepen the engagement. Potentially, polling will be available to business.
Potentially, polling (in Stories) will be available to business.
We always want to make sure consumers' experience of business content is as organic as the other ones. Six months ago we introduced advertising inside Stories - the ads show up in between stories from people. The stories are built on the same infrastructure as Facebook feed, which means all of the targeting and measurement capabilities that Facebook has been refining for over 10 years, and that brands are used to using with feed, are now available on Stories.
We see that more smaller business will post organically and large businesses will use more advanced tools like power tools or ads manager. The majority of our active advertisers are small businesses, so we've been building a community.
Q: Which industries are performing best on Instagram right now, and which are your biggest clients?
We see strong results across categories. There are the ones that you would think would do well, for example retail, fashion. We also see strong performance in finance and insurance. There's a US student loan startup called SoFi which has lots of success on the platform through a mobile-focused and highly targeted approach. They've seen a 39% increase in the number of pre-approved applications for student and personal loans.
We don't break out the specific categories, but entertainment, technology, consumer goods, E-commerce are some of the top categories that we have in the product.
Q: After introducing the sponsorship tag, do you have any plans on further tightening Instagram's sponsorship policies, i.e. will there be more initiatives like forced disclosure on sponsored posts by influencers?
We are in the process of introducing the function. It's currently available in Hong Kong also for the top accounts, but we are rolling out and expanding it to all accounts.
There's more transparency to the people, and more insights to the businesses, and they are perceiving it well.
Q: How does Instagram plan to increase data transparency for advertisers?
Measurement is a really important component. On deeper objectives like message association and message recall, we work with third parties like Nielsen to do third party assessment with surveys to understand the numbers.
Q: Any dos and don'ts for marketers that are using Instagram?
Really use those first few seconds to attract the consumers. Have content that is optimised for mobile.
YOTEL has opened a new hotel in Singapore to provide travellers a seamless guest experience by integrating the elements of luxury hotels into "smartly designed" spaces. Rachel Huang, director of marketing, was appointed last year to lead YOTEL Singapore's marketing operations. The new hotel is currently working with agencies Burson-Marsteller, Monimedia and iProspect.
In a statement to Marketing, a spokesperson for YOTEL Singapore said Singapore came as a "natural choice" as the company constantly looks to expand into regions that embrace digital, are easily accessible and frequented by corporate and leisure travellers worldwide. Additionally, the company looks for key gateway markets that share similar demographics and values of its guests. The values are time sensitivity, values efficiency and convenience, and independent and confident explorers.
The new hotel targets travellers who embrace technology, efficiency and the simplicity of design, ranging from corporate travellers to young couples looking for a seamless experience. YOTEL is tapping on new opportunities through partnerships or collaborations with "like-minded" brands and influencers to boost brand awareness.
Consumers in Singapore are not only budget conscious, but are always looking for ways to stay connected, the spokesperson said. One of the key trends YOTEL has observed is a greater consumer demand for autonomy and control over their travel experience, and personalised customer service. With more players competing in the business and luxury hotel space, YOTEL sees potential in the market place for corporate travellers and young adults wanting to maximise their time and budget without compromising on a luxurious experience.
The hotel is bridging the affordable luxury gap in the country with its product and competitive pricing such as its signature adjustable SmartBed, "Technowall" with smart TVs and "rejuvenating" rain showers. Automated self-check-in points are also available to provide guests with a more seamless, efficient and convenient experience.
"A stay at YOTEL is all about intuitive service and saving our guests time so that they can get on with the things important to them. We are incredibly excited about showcasing the YOTEL hospitality experience for the first time in Asia and we anticipate that our restaurant, bar and terrace will be very popular with guests, whether visiting the city or enjoying a staycation," Brendan Daly, GM of YOTEL Singapore, said.
Old Chang Kee and Polar Puffs have come grabbed some attention online after a group of students known as Students of Singapore (SOS) Against Haze created an online petition calling for the brands to stop contributing to forest fires. This is through their use of palm oil from “potentially unsustainable” sources.
According to the petition titled "Tell Old Chang Kee & Polar Puffs to stop frying our rainforests", both companies use palm oil originating from "potentially unsustainable plantations and supply chains". This was not only clearly stated on the cooking oil tins at Old Chang Kee, but also revealed during a discussion with Polar Puffs, the petition stated.
The petition had 3,850 out of 5,000 signatures at the time of writing.
SOS Against Haze has been unsuccessful in its attempts to contact Old Chang Kee and Polar Puffs. According to the petition, "multiple emails, calls and even a visit to Old Chang Kee's headquarters were ignored. Polar Puffs believes that sustainable palm oil is too expensive, which is not the case."
In a statement to Marketing, Old Chang Kee's spokesperson said it is qualifying oil suppliers of the sustainable oil option to ensure that their cooking oil can meet both the healthier oil endorsement by the Health Promotion Board, and the RSPO certification on sustainable cooking oil. The spokesperson added that many years back, it took the initiative to use healthier oil endorsed by Health Promotion Board with the Healthier Choice symbol. It then conducted extensive trials to ensure that using healthier oil does not compromise its food quality and taste.
"Meeting our consumers’ needs, having creative and innovative products, improving the quality of our products and being socially responsible are our key business goals. Despite the many challenges and limitations, our promise to consumers is that we will continue to source for healthier and socially responsible cooking oil, without compromising on the food quality and taste," the spokesperson said.
Marketing has reached out to Polar Puffs for comment.
One in five consumers hold brands using palm oil products responsible for the haze
According to YouGov data, one in five consumers across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore hold brands which use palm oil products responsible for the haze. In a conversation with Marketing, Stephen Tracy, YouGov’s head of Singapore said:
This suggests a clear reputational risk for brands involved in palm oil production in the region.
Tracy added that palm oil is a sensitive issue for many consumers, particularly those who suffer as a result of the haze.
“As supply chains come under the spotlight, there are a number of potential risks for brands who have a traceable link to deforestation as part of palm oil production,” Tracy said.
Other YouGov data indicate that involvement in palm oil production also has the potential to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions as well as their perceptions of a brand. For example, 72% of UK consumers say they would be concerned and half say that they would consider switching their bank/building society if it was found to be supporting companies who cut down trees to assist in palm oil production.
“Brands whose supply chain could be implicated in palm oil production and/or the haze therefore risk not just reputational damage but also a decline in their customer base,” Tracy added.
Not a new issue
The issue of using unsustainable palm oil by brands is not a new one. Just last month, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a report showing that the issue “remains prevalent among brands in Southeast Asia”. The report added that brands in Singapore are no different, with two-thirds of home grown brands not being transparent about their palm oil usage. Meanwhile, a larger proportion (78%) does not source sustainable palm oil.
This was according to the WWF Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard for Malaysia and Singapore 2017, which is an initiative to introduce transparency into Southeast Asia’s palm oil industry. According to the scorecard, non-disclosure and lack of action was higher among brands in Singapore and Malaysia, compared to global brands.
The report found 30% of regional brands responding to WWF and only three have public commitments on palm oil use. In comparison, global brands had an 80% response rate and over 60% have palm oil commitments.
Brands cited internal factors such as capacity issues and higher costs as obstacles in the switch to sustainable palm oil. However, WWF counter highlighted that current industry rates for sustainable palm oil options start at less than $0.01 more per litre. While consumer demand plays a key role in sustainability decisions by brands, there is a perceived lack of demand for sustainable palm oil by customers in Singapore.
In response to these findings, WWF-Singapore launched a campaign encouraging consumers to send emails to brands via palmoil.sg. Through these emails, local CEOs are urged to take a pledge to be transparent with their palm oil use and start taking steps to source sustainable palm oil.
Since the campaign launched, Bee Cheng Hiang, Commonwealth Capital and Tung Lok have made commitments to begin their journey on sustainable palm oil by signing WWF’s pledge.
Meanwhile, two local companies, namely Denis Asia Pacific (Ayam Brand) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore were said to be in the lead for sustainable palm oil use. According to the report, both are already sourcing sustainable palm oil and are involved in industry-led platforms such as SASPO (Southeast Asia Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil).
Unsustainable palm oil production has been linked to negative environmental impacts such as deforestation and the haze. Despite this, the report added that it remains the world’s most efficient and flexible oil, used widely in F&B, household and cosmetic products.
Published by WWF, the Scorecard assesses the buying and sourcing of palm oil by local retailers, manufacturers and food service brands. The study assessed 47 local companies across Malaysia and Singapore. There were 27 Singapore companies, selected based on criteria such as the use of palm oil, market leadership, as well as crowd sourced suggestions from members of the public.
With so many food delivery mobile apps from Deliveroo, UberEATS, to even honestbee which recently jumped on, it is unsurprising to companies using discount coupons as a method to user acquisition.
But this method was loss making for delivery brand foodpanda, which was one of the first players which entered the food delivery app scene locally.
Laura Kantor, head of marketing at foodpanda, who spoke recently at Marketing’s Digital Performance Marketing 2017 said, “One of the first things we did, when I first joined foodpanda, was to cut the vouchers because we were spending a small fortune on a monthly basis just constantly giving them out." Moreover it did not encourage real brand loyalty, she added.
The shift then moved more towards the experience and providing something different from its competitors. Customer experience, while might be seen as a step-sibling of marketing's still impacts marketing, Kantor said.
“If we get customer service right, it will incentivise customers to come back. It's really about the customer experience as a whole and also keeping things fresh,” Kantor added.
On top of ensuring the customer and user experience is up to par, foodpanda is also active in producing engaging content in its marketing campaigns. One recent example was its “FE5TIVAL” campaign, which saw the company partnering up with locally-known comedy YouTube channel Wah! Banana and meme page SGAG.
On top of celebrating its fifth birthday, foodpanda’s campaign objectives were to build affinity with a highly local, 18 to 25 year old audience and reinforce its position as a local food delivery company. This was through the creation of content via third party influencers, who were then asked to distribute the content through their platforms, and foodpanda amplified the spot via its own. According to the company, the video garnered over 1 million views on YouTube, 8.1k engagements and was also a top trending video at one point. Meanwhile, the SGAG campaign garnered 2.1 million organic views and 77k engagements.
Another campaign the company ran was its “Hijack” campaign which saw foodpanda taking over the streets, offices and even Uber and Grab cars in Singapore. This was over a span of three weeks. The company also worked with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to conduct the “hijacks” and also amplified this through a content series starring local DJ and YouTube personality Dee Kosh. The campaign garnered 41.6k organic views, 13k engagements and was trending #24 on YouTube.
As part of April Fool’s Day, the company also launched its “Pandanctuary” campaign. This touted a wellness retreat aimed to provide stressed out Singaporeans the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city – by living like a panda for the weekend. Eventually the initiative was revealed to be a prank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDnBzXo29y0
To safe guard against those who might have been unhappy about the prank, Kantor explained that the company explained quickly to those who signed up and added little surprises to their experience by providing two lucky applicants two-night stay at the M Hotel, the rest received a 20% off discount voucher.
Longer or shorter videos, which is more effective?
When asked about the effectiveness of longer videos versus shorter videos, Kantor said that it depended on the situation. While many may hold the view that six-second ads are better, Kantor disputed that, saying:
I don’t know what you can say to someone in six seconds.
“Obviously from a performance perspective you may get better results because a viewer is more likely to finish a six-second video. But we have seen some videos which run for five minutes performing well too,” she explained. Ultimately, it is more important if or not the spot resonated with consumers.
"As such, it really boils down to the message the brand is trying to put across. If a brand is trying to get a consumer to order now, it does not need a five-minute video. However, if it wants to engage with customers in a different manner, long form video may prove to be more effective," Kantor explained.
Meanwhile, while a six-second video is more likely to be viewed, it may not necessarily resonate with users.
It just means that your report would look better when you share it with management.
When asked about getting management on board, Kantor explained that for the case of foodpanda, it tries to view its campaign objectives to be more brand-focused as opposed to performance marketing. The company also has a high performance marketing budget which is heavily reliant on search campaigns, display, banners and campaigns it runs on Facebook.
“When we run these video content campaigns they are not going to perform the same way as a banner will so it is about setting the expectations with HQ and telling management that this is not going to have the same cost per install as it would have with a banner,” Kantor explained.
For the three case study campaigns shared, Kantor revealed that getting management on board was about being clear on the objectives and the expected results. This can range from the CPM, expected reach, views and impact on the brand.
“Once we finish the campaign, we immediately do an end-of-campaign report within a week to determine what we results we got for the amount we spent,” Kantor explained, adding that being an internet company, foodpanda is very ROI-driven.
Hence some ROIs which her marketing team faces include the engagements for online and offline campaigns, which centres on customer acquisition. For PR and influencers, the company also has high metrics in terms of hitting a certain amount of clippings.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chief executive officer Peter Bellew said it expects to get approval from Khazanah Nasional to launch the new airline catering to haj pilgrims by the end of this year.
Bellew was reportedly saying that MAS currently does not have enough seats to accommodate pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and China for the rest of the year.
He also added, “Even though we have not started this new airline, it has already generated a huge amount of business for Malaysia Airlines,” according to a report by The Star. He expects to get the final approval from Khazanah by the end of this year and “we will go ahead and launch the airline.”
Bellew was speaking to a group of Malaysian journalists after viewing the A350 XWB pre-delivery aircraft at Airbus’ final assembly line. The aircraft offers long-range capability with lower operating cost compared with the A380s. “The cost of operating the A350 on our London flights should be about 40% lower compared with the A380. This will give us a greater ability to be profitable on the longer routes,” he said.
The aircraft, which features the widest seats of any jetliner in its category, will be leased on a 12-year basis.
Meanwhile, Bellew said Malaysia Airlines’ listing has been slated for 2019. But, he also said, listing may not be the only route as there is a trend for airlines to also look for trade partnerships with other carriers. That said, at the moment, MAS is not in any talks with other airlines for possible trade partnership.
