Twitter has expanded its advertising offering with the launch of sponsored Moments. The new offering is an extension of In-Stream Sonsorships, customised programs which pairs brands and publishers on a one to one basis.
Sponsored Moments include interstitial tweets from the brand as well as a branded cover. Like other In-Stream Sponsorships, advertisers will also be able to promote the Moment to their specific target audience. This will allow advertisers to expand the reach beyond the publisher’s existing followers.
In a blog post revealing the move, Mike Park, VP, emerging content products at Twitter, said that the goal of sponsored Moments and In-Stream Sponsorships is to tighten the alignment between advertiser messaging and partner content. This will allow brands to know exactly which premium publisher they are working with and better develop deep brand integrations within that publisher content.
Publishers will benefit from sponsored Moments by being able to monetise all forms of content it produces on Twitter, including tweets, photos, videos and GIFs. The blog post added that it will also allow publishers to easily produce and tell stories about events.
One publisher that Twitter has been experimenting with the new feature with is Bloomberg and Bank of America, which sponsored a Moment at the recent World Economic Forum held in Davos. Here is Bloomberg-Bank of America sponsored moment.
The move follows a slew of initiatives Twitter has undertaken the past year to boost its content offering for users and brands. Just in September last year, Twitter struck over 35 video content partnerships for the Asia Pacific region. For news partnerships alone, the social media platform partnered with Bloomberg Asia Pacific, BuzzFeed Japan, Channel 7, NDTV and Network 18.
Earlier in May 2017, Twitter and Bloomberg Media teamed up to create the first-ever 24/7 breaking news network that will be global, live, social and streaming. The partnership launched in the latter half of the year, featuring a mix of user-generated breaking news videos on Twitter from citizens, curated and verified by Bloomberg editors. This was along with live video and reporting from Bloomberg journalists around the world.
Streaming service dimsum has collaborated with Etika for its latest Chinese New Year campaign. From now until 31 March, dimsum is giving away free subscriptions for two months, six months or up to 12 months with any purchase of brands such as Pepsi, Revive Isotonic, 7UP, Kickapoo or 1.5L Tropicana Twister Twin Pack.
This marks the second year straight for both companies in partnering up for CNY campaign. The access to dimsum content include exclusive series and blockbuster movies in high definition and multi-language subtitles.
In a statement, dimsum's spokesperson said for this year, it has also curated a line-up of Chinese New Year countdown shows and Valentine specials that are suitable for the whole family. For this year's campaign, customers will be able to purchase the selected beverages to obtain dimsum promo codes at major retail outlets Giant, AEON Big, AEON, Tesco, Mydin, Billion, Econsave and The Store.
In addition, Etika will provide personalised calligraphy on angpao packets at selected outlets exclusively for its customers. During the event, customers also stand a chance to participate in lucky draws to win dimsum exclusive merchandise at AEON Big Kepong, AEON BIG Subang, AEON Bukit Tinggi, Tesco Kepong and Tesco Mutiara Damansara on selected days.
Lam Swee Kim (pictured left), chief marketing officer of dimsum said, “Chinese traditions are at the very heart of dimsum’s experience. The giving of unlimited access to dimsum symbolises our sincere wish for all of our subscribers to share with their loved ones."
Santharuban T. Sundaram (pictured right), vice president of marketing at Etika added, “We want Malaysians to have a good and prosperous Chinese New Year celebration with their loved ones. Hence, we have decided to collaborate with dimsum again to share an abundance of happiness throughout this festive season. We hope that this campaign will bring more cheer to our consumers, with its great tasting beverages and a variety of TV show."
As a fairly new entrant to the video streaming industry, dimsum has been aggressively trying to gain a bigger slice of the piece in the local scene. In December 2017, it launched “Celebrate Asia with Us” initiative to mark its first anniversary and revealed the upcoming addition of four new regional content partners. This includes Ani-One (Hong Kong), GMM Grammy (Thailand), Celestial Tiger Entertainment (Hong Kong) and Asia Travel (Taiwan), which joined its platform.
Several months earlier, dimsum's parent, Star Media Group collaborated with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) to provide a series of A-list and exclusive Chinese content produced by SMG for its subscribers.
In addition, dimsum also has brought on board Celcom in June last year to offer a streaming experience with direct auto-billing subscription and low-cost data packages. Through this partnership, dimsum subscribers will be able to stream unlimited Asian dramas and shows with Celcom’s new video streaming feature, "Video Walla”. This offer is available exclusively to all Celcom Xpax and FIRST customers.
The new logo for the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 campaign has been quickly mocked by netizens for its poor design. Designed to look like a postage stamp, the logo carries the tagline "Travel. Enjoy. Respect."
It features an Orang Utan with its arm around a proboscis monkey and a turtle on the beach, as well as the Petronas Twin Towers in the background. According to the press statement, the logo is intended to be a "colourful portrayal" of Malaysia's treasured flora and fauna.
Some netizens however, were unable to share the government's sentiment, and took to Twitter to share their dismay. Many wondered how the logo was approved, commenting that it was "hideous", "embarrassing" and not reflective of the advancements made by Malaysia. Others said the logo was a representation of mediocrity.
Tourism and Culture minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz however defended the logo. He said it was designed by its in-house design department, and was the work of the team that has been in charge of designing all Visit Malaysia Year logos since 1990, reported The Star. In response to the online flak, he said that criticism is normal and the consensus of the whole country cannot be achieved as the logo will otherwise not be completed by 2020. He added that the logo was meant for tourists rather than the locals, and that he trusts his staff members choices.
A+M has since reached out to Tourism Malaysia for more comments.
In a conversation with A+M, Zayn Khan, Southeast Asia CEO of Dragon Rouge said it is a shame that the Ministry did not chose to outsource this to a professional design agency with experience in country and destination branding.
“It's clear that the design is an amalgam of various specific directives that have been provided to the in-house ministry designer. The challenge of the design team, is to take multiple requirements, requests and instructions and boil them down into something essential and to translate that into a single-minded design idea,” he said.
He added that a great design idea will transcend all the tactical requirements, and create something bigger and more inspiring. Moreover, tourism marketing today, has become a fiercely competitive game, and players in this space need a dash of magic to cut through all the clutter. Given that Malaysia seeks to drive visitor numbers from places like China, Australia and Europe with relatively sophisticated travellers, visitors will likely "be turned off by this kind of Visit Malaysia 2020 theme", Khan said.
If you benchmark it against what competitor markets such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong are doing, it's not even in the same league.
“ I would advise the Ministry of Tourism to conduct an exhaustive audit of global destination marketing and set a new benchmark. There are also branding experts with the government of Malaysia ecosystem that the Ministry could tap in to,” he added.
Casey Loh, creative chief of The Clan said the logo is a poor representation of the large pool of talent Malaysia has. "There is nothing salvageable from the design and unfortunately, it’s too late for the authorities to retract the design," he said. Loh added that the new logo reminded him of the fiasco with the 2016 Kuala Lumpur Tourism logo. Despite drawing flak from the public, the individuals who approved the design had to put on a brave face and stand by their decision.
Meanwhile, FCB Kuala Lumpur's chief creative officer Ong Shi Ping described the design as amateur. "However, what sticks out more to me is the fact that it is designed to resemble a stamp, which I think isn’t relevant or forward-thinking in this day and age," he said.
Alternative versions of the logo have been circulating online, with some users commenting that there are talented local graphic designers who would have been able to come up with better designs.
Saw the hideous #VisitMalaysia2020 logo, and can’t help but look around Twitter for others who have created their own versions. Definitely much better.
@TourismMalaysia , please reconsider the logo design. It does little to reflect the advancement Malaysia has achieve until 2020. @NajibRazak Malaysia has enough talent who can produce world-class product way better than this. Do give them a chance.
Really? This is the best the whole population of Malaysia can come up with? What an absolute disgrace to the nation. The tagline might as well have been: "Unappealing. Underwhelming. Unimpressive." #savemalaysia
Visit Malaysia 2007 Logo, Malaysia Truly Asia Logo, and KL Sea Games last year are some of the good example of the better example of what Malaysia did in the past. Do have the concious to demand a better product. Lets all start making Malaysian proud with our own country. Please pic.twitter.com/09SwuRTrED
This is utterly embarrassing! I don’t have the foggiest idea as to how this design was chosen, compared to the official logos from other countries. Mind boggling. — ℝin (@evrinne) January 28, 2018
Changed my mind about the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo. It's a perfect representation of Mediocrity. Overcompensation. Insecurity. You know you could be better, so you throw everything + the kitchen sink into the logo to make up for it, but you also can't be arsed to do a good job. — Charis Loke (@charisloke) January 28, 2018
The official #VisitMalaysia2020 tourism logo literally looks like it was made in 10 minutes with microsoft paint. Honestly, of all things to skimp on. Malaysian graphic designers are crying everywhere. I can’t believe the world is going to see this pic.twitter.com/DSmQksx2a2 — Joyce Phung (@joycephung) January 28, 2018
Visit Malaysia 2020 is a crucial development to help the country welcome a total of 36 million tourists and register RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020, which is part of the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan goals.
The campaign will be aligned with the World Tourism Organisation's "Travel. Enjoy. Respect" movement launched last August, which encourages tourists to become a catalyst for positive change towards a better future. It also welcomes tourists to experience Malaysia's hospitality and diverse tourist attractions.
IKEA founder Ingvar Kampra has died at the age of 91, the Swedish furniture giant confirmed yesterday (Sunday).
"Ingvar Kamprad has quietly asleep in his home in Småland. [...] Ingvar will be much missed by his family and warmly remembered and by the IKEA employees worldwide," the company said in the statement.
Kamprad created the store when he was 17. He turned it to the world's best known furniture brand in the 50s when the company pioneered flat-pack furniture, which lets consumers assemble the furniture themselves. The design massively reduces the cost of shipping and transportation.
Kamprad also initiated the idea of using big-box warehouses to sell its products on the outskirts of cities near major transportation hubs or ports. The act improves logistics, as well as cut costs due to cheaper rents and larger scale.
Kamprad's sons, Peter, Jonas and Mathias, still sit on the boards of various IKEA entities, but the family is no longer at the helm.
IKEA now has around 355 stores in 29 countries, with roughly 1 billion people visited them last year, raking in around HKD$361.9 billion.
In 2017, the group's total revenue grew by 1.7% and mounted to EUR36.3 billion (around 351.8 billion). It aims to generate EUR50 billion (around HKD$484.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2020.
Last year in October, the furniture giant also said it will turn to e-commerce sites in online sales push.
Carat China has promoted Eric Weng to chief technology officer & head of e-commerce.
In his new role, Weng will oversee both technology strategy and day-to-day management in addition to a broad remit across technology, innovation and data agenda in Carat. This includes e-commerce client-focused tech solutions, technology platforms as well as Carat data assets and capabilities.
The company's former head of digital & e-commerce Weichong Khor will leave in February to take up a senior client side role.
As managing director for client solutions, Weng developed products like CAPPER which allows advertisers to automate and optimise programmatic direct buying across OTV platforms.
"Marketing technology in China is an increasingly critical element in the overall marketing mix. The right tools and strategy has a tangible impact on our client’s success, I’m excited to take this opportunity to deliver more projects that ensure Carat’s clients advertising is seen by the right people, with the right message and at the right time," Weng said.
Ellen Hou, Carat China CEO commented, “Eric is an ideal leader to drive forward our investment in powerful and integrated data solutions. China’s e-commerce market is the most sophisticated and rapidly evolving globally, Eric expertise in product development means he is uniquely able to combine strong customer centric strategy with integrated performance focused solutions.”
Weng began his career as a software engineer building TV rating products in ACNielsen and then worked across ZenithOptimedia, Omnicom Media Group, Wunderman.
Will the future be shaped by Goocent or Tengle? Neither sound very appetising, but nonetheless, it’s an interesting question after the recent announcement about the patent cross-licensing deal between Google and Tencent. With a combined market cap of 1.39 trillion USD between Alphabet Inc. and Tencent Holdings, this makes for a very strong and deep-pocketed alliance. Both companies have been making strategic investments in each other’s part of the world, examples of this being Tencent’s investments in Snapchat, Spotify and Tesla, and Alphabet’s investments in Chushou and the opening of a new AI-lab in Beijing. So throughout 2017, a strategic game of Risk or Go (depending on who you ask, I guess) has been unfolding, with both attempting to gain territory and expand their world dominance.
While details of the deal remain to be fully disclosed regarding what services/products will be included, one might wonder whether this is solely a move towards establishing a mutually beneficial partnership that will result in a win-win strategy in its purest democratic sense, or whether one party has come to the point of surrender in terms of unlocking the potential of on-boarding the next billion users into their "walled garden". For me, the jury is still out on that case. However, with Google's vast amount of knowledge and experience in not only advertising, but more importantly in sectors such as energy, life sciences, urban innovation and artificial intelligence research, I might be inclined to rule for the latter in their favour.
One might wonder whether this is solely a move towards establishing a mutually beneficial partnership that will result in a win-win strategy in its purest democratic sense, or whether one party has come to the point of surrender in terms of unlocking the potential of on-boarding the next billion users into their "walled garden".
Regardless of who might have the upper hand (if any) in this strategic partnership, it’s fair to start questioning the future definition and sustainability of a “walled garden”, and whether or not this has finally opened a loophole (漏洞) for Alphabet to enter China. It is also worth pondering what this means for the likes of Facebook and Amazon in the 21st century re-enactment of "The Race to the Moon". Similarly in China, with the dominance of the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), will this also give Tencent a leading edge? Have they come to the conclusion that they might require Western expertise and knowledge after all to leap past the Chinese wall?
Have they come to the conclusion that they might require Western expertise and knowledge after all to leap past the Chinese wall?
There is no question that Tencent owns the social networking and e-commerce space in China with WeChat, but outside of the Chinese ecosystem, their products and services crumble and fail to live up to Western standards and expectations, especially when it comes to providing great user experiences and usability. So, to close that gap, the partnership with Alphabet might just be the missing gem Tencent needed to unlock WeChat's future growth, leveraging Google's undisputed expertise in providing great user experiences, thereby leaving the BA in BAT to bite the dust.
But one other question still remains; how will Facebook, Amazon, Baidu and Alibaba respond to this? Have we reached a point where each company has reached their organic growth limit, requiring them to break-down their protected "walled garden" and establish strategic partnerships across the world in order to unlock future growth for their business? This will be one of the most interesting developments to follow this year, as I am certainly eager to find out who will ultimately come out on top. Nevertheless, let’s hope that names like Goocent or Tengle don’t gain any traction.
Have we reached a point where each company has reached their organic growth limit, requiring them to break-down their protected "walled garden" and establish strategic partnerships across the world in order to unlock future growth for their business?
P.S. "Loophole" was translated using Google Translate, so if it's incorrect, let's hope this partnership will fix it.
Source: Daniel Henriksen, technology and operations director at Omnicom Media Group Programmatic
Fashion brand Factorie has closed down in Malaysia and Singapore. In a statement to A+M, a spokesperson from parent company Cotton On Group confirmed the closures, explaining that the move impacts eight outlets, four in each country.
The spokesperson added that the company will continue to look at ways to improve its store footprint across the markets it operates in to better serve its customers in locations that work for them. When asked about the impact on staff and marketing teams, the spokesperson said:
“We value the incredible contribution our team members have made to Factorie in the local community. Our team members remain our number one priority and we’re working closely with them to identify opportunities for their redeployment within the business,” the statement read.
The spokesperson declined to comment on the reason behind the closure.
Factorie first entered the Asia Pacific market in 2013. The stores are slated to be closed by the end of February, with Factorie products still being available online on Zalora.
The move comes amidst a rise in retail woes in Singapore, which in the past few years saw fashion brands such as New Look and Celio exiting the market. Meanwhile in Malaysia, the retail industry saw a 1.1% dip in sales in the third quarter last year. According to The Star, this was due to the decline in purchasing power among Malaysians, quoting a report compiled by Retail Group Malaysia.
The most used buzzword by Singapore marketers in 2017 was “specialise”, which shot up from third place in 2016, said LinkedIn, in its recent survey. Taking the second spot is “passionate” which went up two places from 2016, while third place went to “experienced”, which took sixth place in 2016.
“Leadership” continued to stay in the ranking dropping from second place in 2017 to sixth place in 2017. “Strategic” dropped from the top spot in 2016 to fifth spot in 2017.
Here are the top buzzwords used by Singapore marketers in 2017:
Top 10 most overused words on LinkedIn in 2017 across all sectors.
Meanwhile, across all sectors in Singapore, the most used word across “experienced”, which shot up five places from 2016. The second most used buzzword was “specialise” followed by “passionate” which took third place. Last year, both terms took the third and fourth place respectively. Overall, it was found that professionals in Singapore highlighted work experience more prominently than official certifications last year.
Words such as “leadership” which took top spot in 2016 fell to fifth place in 2017, while “strategic” which was third place in 2016, fell to seventh place in 2017. Words such as “skilled” were new to the 2017 ranking.
The LinkedIn report added that the shift in preference from generic terms to words showcasing specific expertise is consistent with changes in the job environment, which demand greater mastery of skills.
“In Singapore, there is a strong emphasis on upskilling our workforce and encouraging our workforce to adopt a continuous learning mindset. Hence, it’s not a surprise when professionals here are keen to highlight their skills through experience, passion and even creativity,” Linda Lee, LinkedIn’s head of communications for Southeast Asia and North Asia, said.
For marketers looking to improve on their online profiles, here are five tips to take note of for the year ahead.
Take pride in your online appearance – Help your ideal employer find you by ensuring your LinkedIn profile is complete and sells you in the best possible way. This can start with the right profile picture, which makes your profile 21 times more likely to be viewed than others. If you consider yourself a “specialist”, you should tailor your profile accordingly by listing relevant skills which have been built up through your work experience.
Show character – While the words you choose say a lot about you, it is also important to strike a professional tone – by being assertive and direct when talking about your achievements. In addition, you should not shy away from adding some personality to your language as it is a great way to show your character.
Words don’t need to do all the talking – instead of saying you are “creative”, show recruiters that you are by including presentations, video, design work and projects you take pride in. This is important in standing out as you only have five to 10 seconds to impress a potential employer in a sea of potential candidates.
Be active – Proactivity is also key when it comes to networking. As such, you should follow organisations that inspire you, or that you’d love to work for on LinkedIn. You should make new connections, join groups and participate in discussions. This keeps your profile active and shows recruiters that you’re plugged in to what’s happening in your industry.
Voice your opinion – If you are an “expert” on a given topic, you should consider telling the world by publishing a post on LinkedIn. By offering your opinions on industry matters, it demonstrates that you are knowledgeable and well informed.
mcgarrybowen Hong Kong has hired Koyi Wu as channel and content director. Prior to mcgarrybowen, her last position was at X Social, prior to which she was head of digital at OMD Hong Kong.
The agency described the creation of the role is critical in shaping mcgarrybowen as a creative agency for the digital economy.
“The choice of channels, the formats and the digital consumption behavior should be an integral part of the strategic and creative process as we map out the consumer journey. Having a specialized team that lives and breathes the digital media landscape and trends allow us to strategize, ideate and execute in a much more holistic, effective and efficient way for our clients” said Simone Tam, CEO, mcgarrybowen Greater China.
“Media agencies used to have to wait for creative agencies to come up with their idea first before media is planned, or creative agencies had to wait to get the media plan before they know their scope and campaign deliveries. That way of working is so dated and inefficient. I am very excited about this modern way of working at mcgarrybowen; strategic, agile, and digitally-savvy”, Wu added.
Hong Kong professionals have started to showcase emotional intelligence skills such as "innovative" and "creative" over the past year according to new data from LinkedIn. The network analysed the most popular words in member profiles across Hong Kong over the past year, and "innovative" made it to the list for the first time.
Here are LinkedIn’s 2017 Top 10 Hong Kong buzzwords:
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts' global talent management vice president Bill Lu, who was also a LinkedIn power profiler, said "specialised" topped the list in both 2016 and 2017 as professionals look to verify their expertise. "The more specific words such as ‘skilled’ and ‘experienced’ reflect a change in job roles that are becoming more specialised," he said.
He added that the data also reveals an increased use of ‘creative’ and ‘innovative’. Companies are encouraging employees to be more open to new ideas. These days having an entrepreneurial mindset is not just for start-up founders, any employee is expected to demonstrate innovative and creative thinking in the face of the ever-changing business environment.
Linda Lee, LinkedIn’s head of communications for Southeast Asia and North Asia, advised job-seekers to stay engaged with their networks and establish a voice in their community. "It’s important to stand out from the crowd by bringing out our authentic selves," said Lee.
The tips that the network gives including:
When it comes to language, if you consider yourself a ‘specialist’, show this by tailoring your profile accordingly. List relevant skills which have been built up through your work experience.
Show character. While the words you choose say a lot about you, it’s also important to strike a professional tone; be assertive and direct when talking about your achievements. Don’t shy away from adding some personality to your language.
Words don’t need to do all the talking. Instead of saying you’re "creative", show recruiters by including presentations, video, design work and projects you take pride in.
Be active. Follow organisations that inspire you, or that you’d love to work for, make new connections, join groups and participate in discussions.
Amazon UK has pulled a two Chinese traditional outfit costumes from its site, after the pictures featuring white children posing with slant eyed gestures drew criticism from consumers. According to multiple media reports including Metro, New Zealand Herald and Mirror, Amazon neither explained why those products were on sale, nor did it apologise.
Facebook user Lily Ladlow posted a picture of the racist ad last Thursday, demanding Amazon to "explain the thought process" behind the product photo. The user added that she is "dismayed at this level of marketing" and that Amazon is encouraging casual racism.
She also said that as a large company, Amazon "really ought to know better". In a separate post on Amazon UK's Facebook page, Ladlow described the photo as "unacceptable".
"Please congratulate the marketing team for happily playing into casual racism by displaying racist photos like this," she said.
A quick check by Marketing found that while the products are no longer available on Amazon, one controversial picture from the series is still available. In a statement to Marketing, Amazon's spokesperson confirmed that the products have been removed and declined to comment further.
Other users have also taken to Amazon UK's Facebook page to voice their disbelief, with some saying they were disappointed.
This comes shortly after H&M apologised for an image on its UK online store featuring a black child in a green hoodie, with the phrase “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” printed on the hoodie.
It copped flak for the loaded term, as the monkey is often being used in racial and ethnic slurs, especially against the black community. As a result, American singer The Weeknd and American rapper G-Eazy cut ties with the brand. Meanwhile, celebrities including basketball star LeBron James and veteran music producer Sean Combs (known as Diddy) also called out the brand.
Astro will fork out about four times more than its usual budget for its new local television show and latest equipment for the upcoming original miniseries, DO[S]A, according to Astro Malay business VP Datuk Khairul Salleh Anwar. A+M understands that this total budget, would reach up to an estimated figure of more than RM1 million.
Datuk Khairul who spoke at the original series’ gala night last week also added that, Do[s]a series will utilise different gears, equipment and facilities from the usual ones used for local productions. Besides that, actors were also required to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta for language coaching and martial arts training.
DO[S]A was shot mainly in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur over a total of 58 days. The transnational eight-episode miniseries includes actors from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, featuring a cast of Datuk M Nasir, Roy Marten, Ashraf Sinclair, Reuben Elishama, Remy Ishak and Hisham Hamid. It also roped in renowned Indonesian director, Ifa Isfansyah and acclaimed screenwriter, Salman Aristo.
Datuk Khairul said, “As a leading content creator, Astro is constantly pushing the boundaries to satisfy a growing demand from audiences across the region for compelling story telling at high production values differentiated from content currently available. These strategic partnerships enable us to effectively leverage on diverse talent, cost and distribution territories allowing us to monetise and extract value from developing new IPs that resonate with regional audiences.”
“We are confident that DO[S]A, our Astro original series, will cross over to audiences beyond Malaysia as there has been much interest from both the broadcast and OTT worlds around the region," he added. DO[S]A will debut on 14 February first in Malaysia and Brunei on Astro Channel 480, Astro ‘on demand', Astro GO and NJOI NOW.
Meanwhile, Astro has also entered into several strategic content creation partnerships with "renowned producers and filmmakers across several countries to produce and distribute original, premium miniseries" for the ASEAN markets.
These series include 3 A.M. Bangkok Ghost Stories in Thailand and Door in the Philippines with Manila's Epicmedia Productions in 2018; adaptation and remake of The Journey by China's mm2 Entertainment and India's Wee Folk Entertainment; and collaboration with CJ E&M of South Korea to distribute Korean content to multiple territories and co-produce content with regional appeal.
Astro will also collaborate with Indonesia’s Screenplay Films on Polis Evo 2, which follows an anti-narcotics squad and is due for cinema release this year in Indonesia and Malaysia featuring Zizan, Shaheizy Sam and Raelene Shah.
The next in the pipeline of "Astro Original Series" is Sembilan,which is also scheduled to be released in 2018. Sembilan, is an original horror-thriller mini-series and another Malaysia-Indonesia collaboration with an "A-List" cast.
Media OutReach has entered into an exclusive content partnership with Business Insider for its Malaysia and Singapore editions. Business Insider features business, financial, tech and news content that is operated by Singapore Press Holdings for its Singapore and Malaysia editions as well as its social media platforms.
Marketing understands this is a paid partnership, although full values were not shared. The partnership is ongoing and the contents of release will be used as organic content on Business Insider's Finance page. Media OutReach will also have a landing page to host clients news.
"This most relevant as it helps our clients' news to be visible on search, SEO and appearing on trusted news site to build trusts with search spiders," said founder and managing director of Media OutReach, Jennifer Kok.
"We are delighted to have Media OutReach on board with us as its content complements the kinds of articles carried on our sites especially in the areas of company news and finance-related matters in the region. We are confident that the partnership will be a mutually beneficial one," said Business Insider editor for Singapore & Malaysia, Sujin Thomas.
Media OutReach provides a press release dissemination service that reaches out to more than 60,000 journalists and bloggers across the region while also serving as a content provider for more than 200 online media in English, Thai, Vietnamese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
"We are confident that our distribution service will add further value for our clients to effectively reach out to the media as our focus is on providing good media partners to host their content especially in the digital age where web visibility helps to drive brand presence for stakeholders and clients," Kok said.
Media OutReach, she said, already has a strong local distribution across 22 countries in the Asia Pacific region where it is the expert, as well as offering the most comprehensive distribution in Singapore and Malaysia.
"This exclusive partnership with Business Insider is another step forward in our expansion as we continue to build a comprehensive distribution portfolio country-by-country across Asia Pacific to provide with the reach and ability to generate valuable coverage."
Edelman has named John Kerr (pictured) as its vice chairman, digital and performance for its Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa markets. Confirming the move to Marketing, a Zeno Group spokesperson said that moving forward, Zeno Asia Pacific will be led by three managing directors in APAC. The individuals are Matt Collette in Singapore, David Lian in Malaysia and Papri Dev in India.
The trio will lead the APAC business which has grown 35% annually on average over the last five years, the statement said. The spokesperson added that on the digital front, the agency is "actively recruiting senior talent" to join its team.
"We appreciate Kerr's many contributions over the last five years and are pleased that he will continue to be part of the DJE family," the statement read.
Prior to the move, Kerr was global chief digital officer at Zeno Group, a role he took on in 2015 in addition to his leadership duties of Zeno Asia Pacific, reporting to Zeno CEO Barby K. Siegel. During his tenure, Kerr led Zeno’s efforts to globalise its digital strategy and offerings. This was by expanding its current capabilities, and increasing the depth and breadth of client engagements.
Before Zeno, Kerr was managing director at Edelman digital from 2006 to 2012. He was tasked with setting up and growing Edelman's social-digital capability from scratch across the Asia Pacific region, according to his LinkedIn. He also held a stint at Text100 as its managing director for Singapore from 1998 to 2002.
Kerr's hire follows a slew of others made by Edelmen in recent months. Just last week, the agency ramped up its team with more hires from the creative agency world through the hire of Aaron Phua as executive director and Remona Duquesne as chief strategy officer. Last year, it also bolstered its leadership team through the promotions of Delicia Tan and Jamie Read to newly created managing director positions in Singapore.
In Malaysia, Edelman named Mazuin Zin as the managing director for Edelman Malaysia, as part of its effort to strengthen its regional communications marketing capabilities. Zin replaces Rob Kay, who has decided to expand his horizons beyond Malaysia outside of Edelman. In January 2017, the agency also appointed ex-Lowe + Partners senior executive – Rupen Desai. In Indonesia, Edelman named Tantri Kadiman-Beekelaar as head of corporate, and Geeta Ramachanran as business director, brand, in Indonesia.
MullenLowe Malaysia has hired Gavin Teoh as business unit director, following a series of client wins for the agency. Previously from Saatchi and Saatchi Malaysia, Teoh, has been in the industry for 12 years, with extensive experience across creative agencies including Publicis, Bates, JWT and Leo Burnett.
The appointment follows a series of new account wins for the agency over the last several months. In his new role, Teoh will be tasked with growing existing accounts in addition to winning new business for the agency. The role is effective immediately and he will report to Adrian Sng, managing direcrtor, MullenLowe Malaysia.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity in teaming up with Adrian again and supporting his vision for MullenLowe Malaysia,” said Teoh. “The plan now is to rack up the new business wins and organically grow our existing businesses to drive the agency forward and propel MullenLowe to even greater heights. I chose MullenLowe because client’s business needs are different today. Agencies need to provide more than just creative solutions to give clients an unfair share of attention,” he continued.
“Having Teoh join our ranks shows the positivism already coming from MullenLowe Malaysia this year,” said Sng. “We have hit the ground running with a total of 6 pitch wins since Sept of 2017, which has positioned MullenLowe Malaysia to take on 2018 by the horns. With Gavin’s vast experience in operations and strategic capabilities, I am certain Gavin will hit the ground running and have an immediate impact on MullenLowe’s growth,” he added.
The announcement follows the recent integration of MullenLowe Group’s operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong to create MullenLowe Group Southeast Asia; the latest step in the building out of MullenLowe Group’s hyperbundled model across Asia.
The new hyperbundled agency will be led by Paul Soon as CEO of MullenLowe Group SEA, who will start the role in mid-March, reporting to Vincent Digonnet, CEO MullenLowe Group APAC.
Ten agencies are vying for the Singapore Economic Development Board's (EDB) social media account. According to Gebiz, the list of agencies are Goodstuph, TBWA, Vizeum, Golin, Klareco Communications, AKA Asia, IH Singapore, Newbase Content, Hashtag Interactive and Voodoo Communications.
This follows a tender called on 8 December 2017 and the appointment is for a year, with the option to extend for another. The appointed agency will be responsible for account management, content ideation and development, as well as community management for EDB.
Meanwhile on the content creation front, EDB appointed local content creation agencies The Nutgraf and Think Tank Studio last year, to undertake its editorial, copywriting, copyediting, research and infographic design services. The appointment is for a year, with the option to extend for another.
In 2017, EDB collaborated with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to launch a new unified brand logo and tagline, “Passion Made Possible”, to market Singapore internationally for both tourism and business purposes. The new tagline was created to communicate Singapore’s value proposition in addressing the needs of travellers and companies, as well as help the country stand out on the international stage.
PCCW has been hard at work in 2017, building an e-commerce platform that aims to take the Hong Kong market by storm. While developed as an independent start-up within the PCCW Solutions group, HABBITZZ was conceived as a low-profile business unit which aims to launch a real e-commerce platform for Hong Kong, mostly focusing on high-quality B2C products, delivered at lightning speed.
"This is a virgin market for e-commerce," CEO Alex Bono told Marketing. "An expensive one, and a premium one - and virgin."
He recognises that Hong Kong has a number of challenges standing in the way of huge e-commerce ventures. And aside from first-mover HKTVMall, the supply is indeed scarce.
"HKTVMall are doing a good job, and it fills a gap in the market, and we're very happy about that because we intend to ride on that," he said with a laugh. However, "HABBITZZ is very much for the premium customer, someone that wants something other than just groceries. Hong Kong customers want quality, and we will not hold low-quality products."
"But even Indonesia is more mature than Hong Kong," Bono said. "It's not supply-driven here. Companies mostly wait for very monopolistic business or very safe business - we need to say 'Guys, buy!' We need to create innovation and push, push, push."
But even Indonesia is more mature than Hong Kong. It's not supply-driven here. Companies mostly wait for very monopolistic business or very safe business - we need to say 'Guys, buy!'
Aside from a conservative approach by companies so far, which PCCW and Bono aim to overhaul with a more agile, flexible model by spinning the business off from the PCCW main unit, consumers are traditionally wary, but open to new experiences.
"Hongkongers embrace very fast - big brands, big products are tested in Hong Kong to see how the market behaves. And things are changing here very fast," Bono said.
One of the primary arguments about why e-commerce uptake has been lackluster in Hong Kong is "convenience", but Bono believes that view is the wrong way around - it's too inconvenient to shop online. And this is where it found inspiration for its name as well, pushing to change the shopping habits of Hongkongers.
"Getting something delivered the next day, or even in three days, is a challenge. Offline is very mature in Hong Kong, they create a pleasant experience and they know how to deal with a customer - but the struggle is with taking this online. We're positioning ourselves as the partner that can provide this for brands."
Offline is very mature in Hong Kong, they create a pleasant experience and they know how to deal with a customer - but the struggle is with taking this online.
"Logisitics is a pain," he said with a smile. "We're building a logistics company, internally known as HABBITZZ Express, with its own director for the whole ecosystem that we're trying to build. It's unacceptable that when you order something, it takes four or five days to arrive. One day should be the new standard, but we want to go to four-hour delivery."
And in terms of getting customers to come (and come back), they have a number of tricks up their sleeve.
"We want to be a company that crafts personalised experiences, and move away from just price. It's marketing through technology. The whole company should think about experiences," Bono explained. "To be more specific, we are creating close micro communities based on interest, and we create curators and so on. We want to go more in a direction like Spotify, not just highlighting the artist, but highlighting the mood - afternoon coffee, workout - what am I in the mood for? It should be personalised, constantly surprising.
"It's turning shopping from a rational activity into an emotional one."
And ultimately, they want to create fully personalised experiences and recommendations based on user data - but that will require a bit more work. HABBITZZ will soft-launch on March 6th.
A.S. Watson Group has hosted the first ever retail-themed Big Data Hackathon in Hong Kong, attracting over 110 participants in technology and data science to solve real-life business problems in retail, or enhance customer experiences.
During the two-day Hackathon, the group offered many gigabytes of business data for use. The 110 participants were grouped into 16 teams, and challenged to solve different real-life business problems, including how to detect certain imminent health incidences, develop algorithms for prediction, assortment planning, pricing and personalisation of offers to customers. The winners were decided based on three judging criteria, including innovation of the technical solution, business impact and quality of the pitch.
Malina Ngai, ASW group chief operating officer said big data is a game-changer for retailers, and that the group organised the Hackathon to encourage the local startup communities, data scientists and programmers to provide smart and efficient retail-related solutions.
She said that in Hong Kong, the academic subject of data science and big data technology is relatively new and awareness is still low, which is why it's important that this profession be urgently promoted in order to advance Hong Kong retail to the next level.
"Data and analytics will never replace the experience and judgment in running a retail business, but it can definitely provide us the tools to perform better. Big data will play a major role in shaping the future of retail industry," she added.
The academic subject of data science and big data technology is relatively new and awareness is still low, which is important that this profession be urgently promoted in order to advance Hong Kong retail to the next level.
As for the group, Ngai said it is adopting "a data-first strategy towards understanding customer shopping behaviour, mapping them to our selection of products, shop floor space planning, marketing strategy and selection of store locations".
Here are the winners of the Hackathon:
Champion – Dr. Watson
Winning team members: Jeffrey Leung, Amy Lau, Eugene Choi, Justin Yek and Jaclyn Tsui
Project description:
The champion of the A.S. Watson Hackathon Dr. Watson is a concept that uses machine learning algorithm and integrates weather, search keywords and product information, and translates that to better customer experience. The health & beauty module can be used on the Watsons mobile app to recommend health tips and content utilising a collaborative filtering logic to provide personalised information and product recommendations. The AI engine correlates product sales against season and temperature, and seasonal products are recommended to customers based on an individual's profile.
1st Runner-up – Trendmate
Winning ream members: Larry Wong, Will Chiu, Winnie Yueng, Chris Kam, Annie Chan and Mandy So
Project description:
“Trendmate” is an innovative module enhancement to the current Watsons mobile app to enhance the in-store experience of customers by providing personalised and targeted product recommendations, as well as in-app content related to both the interests of the customers and the latest hot topics in the market, right at the moment when they enter the store.
Trendmate potentially increases the average transaction frequency of loyal customers and also attracts more customers to sign up for the membership programme.
2nd Runner-up - 10 Fold Cross Validator
Winning team members: Hamilton Le, Aaron Chan, Tom Li, Xiangdong Gu, Leo Xie and Duncan Mak
Project description:
The team has come up with an app feature called “Scan as You Go” which enables customers to scan items in-store and get comprehensive product information as well as personalised offers and discounts immediately. This app feature can help Watsons understand customer behaviour and figure out the optimal discount it can offer.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has unveiled its Digital Innovation Blueprint, comprising key bilateral partnerships with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Economic Development Board (EDB) and National University of Singapore (NUS).
The Digital Innovation Blueprint is part of SIA's ongoing transformation programme to boost its digital capabilities, in addition to the formation of the digital innovation lab announced by chief executive Goh Choon Phong. A key focus for each partnership will be building capabilities to increase effectiveness and efficiency, through digital technology and open innovation as well as develop new business opportunities.
According to Goh, the partnerships also mark SIA's commitment to developing Singapore as a digital hub in the aviation and travel industry. This is in a bid to become the leading digital airline in the world.
Goh also offered examples of how SIA's efforts in boosting digital capabilities will enable to better serve customers. According to Channel NewsAsia, Goh cited examples such as predictive maintenance to prevent aircraft delays.
It will also adapt its marketing strategies according to data analytics.
According to a statement from the company, the partnerships with CAAS and EDB establish joint support to foster a vibrant digital aviation and aerospace ecosystem, increasing the attractiveness of Singapore as a travel and aviation hub in Asia Pacific. The partnership was created to drive traveller-centric convenience with digitally-enabled experiences and engagements.
SIA's Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) with A*STAR will aid to identify and develop applied research partnership opportunities, which include areas such as Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality and data analytics. This is in an effort to boost the efficiency of maintenance processes, with the goal of developing smart solutions that help lower maintenance costs, among others.
The airline also signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with NUS, with the first being to establish and pursue joint research projects with three NUS faculties. The research projects will focus on longer term research related to business challenges that do not have immediate solutions available today. The second MOU allows SIA to partner with the entrepreneurial arm of NUS, NUS Enterprise, to jointly develop an innovation ecosystem around the themes of digital aviation and travel experience. A joint accelerator programme will also be introduced under the MOU, creating and growing new technologies, start-ups and talents that can help SIA solve its business challenges.
“The Blueprint will help to transform the aviation industry for the future. It will complement the other key initiatives under the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM). We look forward to an exciting and fulfilling journey ahead," Kevin Shum, director-general of the CAAS, said.
Specialists Marketing, spoke to said that the "basic nature of the quoted examples indicates SIA has only recently seriously considered its push towards digital technology and it is looking to do plenty over a shorter period of time."
The challenge, one analyst said under anonymity, is whether its leaders have a different mindset and commercial cadence to partner, or even salvage, SIA.
Meanwhile, Brendon Chase, group strategy director, McCann Worldgroup Singapore and MRM//McCann strategy lead, APAC, explained that digital transformation happens when a company can effectively implement a culture of embracing new innovations to meet and exceed the needs of their customers. In the case of SIA, to be successful, SIA has to make it a real priority.
"A priority from management is to set KPIs, nurture staff members, train them and ensure they find the right creative partners to help them along the journey," Chase said.
"SIA needs a company culture which rewards brave ideas, ideas which look at technology from a human perspective and based on customer needs," he said.But of course, digital transformation is challenging as it requires solving problems in creative ways, rather than buying a piece of enterprise tech and hoping it can fix a problem. He said:
Gadgets for the sake of gadgets or digital ideas without a human need or want will end in tears, embarrassment, or both.
Flying ahead
In order to become the best airline globally, SIA needs to look at key pain points in digital and fix them. Meanwhile, to remain competitive against disruptors such as budget airlines, SIA needs to be relentless in having better customer experiences before, during and after consumers' travel journeys, Chase said.
The airline needs to create a relationship which matters to customers, such as having better bookings, check-ins and in-flight experiences.
Commenting on a past article and the headlines the brand made due to its recent pricing and purchase, Chase described the booking process for airlines as "archaic" and is not transparent in terms of prices. He added that SIA could take a fresh look at loyalty.
"I’m not convinced the programmes really work for people outside of business travel. So perhaps loyalty could be redefined for the every-once-in-a-while traveller," Chase said. But he added that the partnership with Grab was a good idea to make travel better, and that more of such partnerships will propel it back to the top spot.
Hooters Hong Kong is facing legal action and eviction from its Wyndham Street location in Central after allegedly failing to pay amost HK$1.52 million in rent since October last year.
The American restaurant chain, best-known for the appealing and buxom female servers in skimpy outfits, is involved in a court writ, filed by its landload Dor Fook Company on 26 January 2018.
The document said Hooters Restaurants Limited signed a 10-year lease in March 2016 for its ground-floor venue, agreeing to pay HK$330,000 per month for the first year.
The chain also signed another five-year lease for a room above the shop, agreeing a monthly rent of HK24,000 for the first year.
Yet the chain has allegedly not been paying its rent and rates for the two premises since October 2017, and the failure to pay the rent "constituted a repudiation" of the lease.
The landlord is thus seeking to repossess the premises, which the restaurant has stationed since 2016. It also states that it will claim HK$371,700 for every month the chain stays there starting from February, and HK$17,932 per month for future rates.
This is not the first time Hooters faced eviction. Last year in September, Dor Fook also lodged a legal bid for HK$1.13 million - around three months' worth of rent. Hooters Asia president Daniel Yong at that time put the dispute to rest as he told South China Morning Post that the company had paid off all its outstanding debt the day before the bid.
According to South China Morning Post, however, Yong on Monday said he has left the position.
