Nike China’s High School Basketball League (Nike HBL) has teamed up with R/GA Shanghai for a new campaign to mark the competition of Greater China Invitational Finals.
“The Road to HBL” invites fans to live out their own Nike HBL journey via a stylised digital choose thier own adventure. Users get first-hand experience of the training regime, team bonding, pep talks and match excitement from the POV of a young player, creating their own personalised basketball diary and shareable team poster.
A comparatively new basketball platform in China, interest and participation in the HBL is on the rise. Tao Dong, basketball brand digital director - Greater China, Nike, said that the brand’s ambition was to expand the league further and inspire more athletes by giving them a glimpse of what it’s like to take part.
“Basketball is a national obsession, but very few people get the chance to play at a top level. So, we made it our mission to elevate Nike HBL as the platform to help student athletes in China live out what’s often a lifelong dream of playing professionally. With R/GA Shanghai’s help we’ve been able to extend that mission by creating a digital experience that can literally put anyone in the shoes of an HBL player.”
The R/GA Shanghai team worked closely with real life HBL players, coaches and fans from Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan in order to identify shared experiences. From this, renderings of pivotal moments, team dynamics, key phrases and game technique were crafted in collaboration with production company final frontier and directed by Le Cube.
“To incorporate all the possible experiences, 210 seconds of high-end 2D cel animation comprised of 39 scenes were produced that together express all the energy, enthusiasm, fearlessness and excitement that an HBL athlete can feel,” said Final Frontier’s Gus Karam.
Prototyping was then undertaken to piece them together with user data inputs, resulting in over 700 possible stories, and a range of customisable features from jersey colors through to court position.
“We went all the way to make the moments, locations and characters feel authentic and familiar to what high school ballers experience in real life,” said Terence Leong, executive creative director, R/GA Shanghai. “You’re only going to be a high school basketball player once, so we wanted to make sure we captured it right.”
The Estée Lauder Companies CEO Fabrizio Freda has apologised for advertising claims on specific cosmetics which were found to be false. According to a Bloomberg report, a comprehensive review is currently underway.
In a conference call with analysts, Freda explained that the brand had recently discovered that the testing related to certain product advertising claims was altered by a small group of employees for some time. He added that this “clearly did not meet [the company’s] standards”, but did not mention which products were affected, Bloomberg said, adding that there were no safety issues. Moving forward, some of the companies’ advertised claims will be changes, with varying levels of significance.
“We are sorry this occurred and we take full responsibility for this matter,” Freda said in the Bloomberg report. Following the disclosure, Estee Lauder shares dipped by 6.9% to US$135, the biggest intraday decline since August 2015, the news outlet added. Marketing has reached out to The Estée Lauder Companies for comment.
The admission comes on the back of the company’s strong financial results for its third quarter ended 31 March 2018. This saw the company achieving net sales of US$3.37 billion, an increase of 18%, compared with US$2.86 billion in the prior-year quarter. Net earnings rose 25% to US$372 million, compared with US$298 million last year.
Freda explained in a statement that many areas of the business contributed to its strong first-half results as it continued to thrive in its third quarter, generating 13% sales growth. Among its multiple engines of growth, travel retail, online and Asia again were standouts. In APAC alone, the company garnered US$773 million in net sales, up from US$560 million the year before. Operating income increased significantly, primarily due to improved results in China and Hong Kong driven by higher sales.
The higher sales in China reflected strong double-digit gains in every brand except Clinique, which increased high-single digits. Estée Lauder, MAC, La Mer, Tom Ford and Jo Malone London led the sales growth. The company also generated double-digit sales growth in every major channel, particularly in department stores, online and specialty-multi. Meanwhile, the sales increase in Hong Kong reflected higher domestic consumption and a rise in tourism.
“Each of our three biggest brands grew globally, with exceptional growth in Estée Lauder. These results reflect our strong array of hero products, as well as product and service innovations that resonated well with today’s diverse global consumers,” Freda said.
The company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, MAC, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Tory Burch, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA and Too Faced.
Stuart Clark, chief client officer APAC at IPG Mediabrands is parting ways with the company after two years in the role.
He joined Mediabrands from a long-standing career at Havas Media and formerly at MPG in Singapore and the UK. He was also the managing director of MPG Singapore. Stretching over 14 years in the two countries, Clark started out with MPG in the UK as the international director in 2001 and later moved to MPG Singapore as its managing director and country head in 2007.
At IPG he partnered with Mediabrands’ global and regional clients such as Hershey’s, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Sony, Chrysler and drive their business growth in the region. According to his LinkedIn, he was responsible for key global and regional client relationships in Asia Pacific and reported into the APAC CEO, Leigh Terry.
Mediabrands manages all of IPG's media assets, including leading global media agencies UM and Initiative, with 3000 employees across 14 markets. Major clients in the APAC region include J&J, Coke, Amazon, ExxonMobil, Hershey, and Sony.
IPG Mediabrands has confirmed the move to Marketing.
Hair care brand Schwarzkopf has launched a #createyourstyle campaign which embraces individual styles and urges users to have the confidence to wear their favourite hairstyle.
The objective of the campaign is to promote its hair products - the Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hydro Collagen Shampoo, Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hydro Collagen Conditioner and Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hydro Collagen Express Repair Spray. EverQuest, MindSquad and Nineteensevensix are involved in the campaign, which will run until the end of 2018 on social media and digital platforms.
Schwarzkopf also engaged three Malaysian influencers - Sharifah Eleen Al-Baity, Mawar Rashid and Emma Shazleen - to flaunt their favourite hairstyles at the launch event and share personal stories about their choice. In a statement to A+M, Schwarzkopf's spokesperson said it takes into account two main factors when choosing influencers - brand fit and the ability to reach its pre-defined target audience.
The company seeks to work with influencers who are confident, authentic and optimistic, as well as individuals who are able to inspire beauty. "In this case, the three influencers were chosen as they each had diverse ways of expressing beauty while remaining authentic. They are all confident in their own way and are from different walks of life," the spokesperson said.
"We are honoured to be able to deliver attainable products with the reliability and quality synonymous with the Schwarzkopf brand that everyone can enjoy," Sam Wong, GM of Vast Diversified, the exclusive distributor for Schwarzkopf Hair Care Malaysia, said.
Perodua is tipped to appoint incumbent Spin Communications for creative duties, following a pitch that saw approximately four agencies vying for the account. A+M understands that BBDO has also been appointed to work alongside Spin, and that the appointment will be for a period of two years. Spin has been working on the account for seven years. Perodua declined to comment on A+M's queries.
Last year, Perodua appointed Ignite Kuala Lumpur, the boutique agency within FCB Malaysia’s network, to handle its festive communications portfolio for 2017. The agency did not pitch for the account again.
In 2017, Perodua also launched a Chinese New Year campaign together with Ignite titled #MuhibahDiJalanraya, covering print, social and digital. The campaign encouraged Malaysians to respect one another on the road as much as they would towards each other’s tradition.
Meanwhile, PROTON Holdings is also in the midst of a creative pitch that sees at least 10 agencies vying for the account. A+M understands that the appointment will be for a year, and the agency will be responsible for brand repositioning and PROTON’s campaigns.
The Creator Collective, a content marketing course organised by Brand New Media, has disqualified the winning team (Magnificent 7) from a content marketing competition due to IP theft. Brand New Media was made aware of the issue by the team who was contacted by Cara Neo, famously known as Singapore’s first mermaid. She also publicly called out the team on social media.
The brief to the particular team was issued by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for its Passion Made Possible campaign. Unfortunately, the final product saw the winning team use unauthorised video clips from Neo from her interviews with CNA and YouTube. The team also hired actresses to impersonate Neo for the competition entry. Neo is the owner of The Singapore Mermaid School and a mermaid performer for events. Neo’s post explains that she was initially contacted to be part of the project but had to drop out due to scheduling issues.
Read her full post here:
When contacted by Marketing, The Creator Collective said it recently discovered that while the team had met with Neo, they did not obtain a talent waiver or permission to use her footage nor the footage of her clients and fans in their video.
“As such, their title and grant of SG$7,000 to produce a real content solution for a brand will be revoked immediately. The panel of judges will decide on a new winner in the coming days,” the statement added. It also stated that the video Magnificent 7 had produced, did not have any commercial value and the winning video was published as part of a showcase of content that was produced at the course.
“However, the Creator Collective wishes to acknowledge that a mistake has been made. To compensate for this oversight, it has offered to create a video for [Neo] to which she will own full rights. The Creator Collective also wishes to apologise to [Neo],” the statement added.
It also extended its apologies to STB, who was the brand partner that issued the mock brief at the content marketing course. In a statement to Marketing, STB said that it “respects intellectual property rights and looks forward to an amicable resolution to this matter.”
According to the statement issued by the Creator Collective, team Magnificent 7 chose to tell Neo’s story as part of their content solution which showcased locals pursuing different passions in Singapore. It added that they chose to commit to this story as they loved how different Syrena’s passion was and that it was Singaporeans recognising the talents of other Singaporeans.
Following the incident, Magnificent 7 also issued a joint statement with an apology. “We acknowledge our oversight and accept the disqualification from the competition. We regret any distress caused to Syrena and all parties involved in this incident,” the team said.
The Creator Collective is a free content marketing course that ran across 10 weeks earlier this year, with the objective to educate and grow a future generation of content creators and marketers in Singapore. The video competition was part of the course’s graduation showcase, which saw all participants being divided into seven groups of 10.
Participants in their groups then had to present their mock content solutions for briefs issued by seven brand partners, namely STB, Chan Brothers Travel, OCBC Bank, Porsche, Scoot, Under Armour and Zalora. STB, Chan Brothers Travel, OCBC Bank, Porsche and Scoot all confirmed their involvement in the course as content brief providers.
The programme is also a partnership between Brand New Media and the Asia Content Marketing Association (ACMA), supported by partners such as the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and Singapore Press Holdings, according to its website.
Marketing has reached out to IMDA, Under Armour and Zalora for comment.
Local cooking oil manufacturer Lion & Globe has embarked on a new branding journey to reinforce its image with a heart-warming video campaign which spans television, print, OOH and online media.
The oil brand this time has adopted an emotional approach for its new brand campaign which is very different from the storytelling in the past commercial.
Themed “The taste of home” (家的味道), the campaign looks to create strong consumer empathy towards the brand by showing how family members care each other through preparing dinner in a bid to provoke modern Hong Kong people to value the moments with their beloveds.
Its first TVC is about the relationship between parent and son. It shows that the parents prepare a meal for their son attentively every night; however, the son does not even attempt to communicate with them. One day, the son suddenly realises that his parents have become old and their sense of taste has deteriorated. At this moment, he realises the true meaning of each meal and at the end he prepares a meal for his parents in person to show them "the taste of home" in a heartwarming gesture.
https://youtu.be/V97DZWExye0
The heart-touching film has netted over 700K views within 3 weeks since it was uploaded to Lion & Globe’s Facebook page and Youtube channel on the night of 6 April and positive comments were received.
In partnership with the newly-appointed media agency, Vibes Limited, Lion & Globe goes beyond the traditional way of media usage in the edible oil industry and has come over to drive heavy digital interactions and social communications with the audience in this campaign.
Besides traditional and online TV channels, the video is also supported by the true feeling sharing of the influencers and publications on social media to drive discussion among the community.
Lion & Globe has also extended the campaign communication and created digital games along with the CRM data collection. This brings together important first-party data and allows them to re-engage with the loyal customers.
Credits
Client: Hop Hing Group
Creative agency: Uth Creative Group Limited
Creative team: Ada Lo, Kit Hon, Cola Chan, Casey Tsang
Account management team: Desmond So, Winnie Yuen, Cathy Law
Media agency: Vibes Limited
Media team: Kenna Shum, Kent Yiu, Kin Law
Production: Core Film Production Limited
Director: Mulder Shen
Carlsberg’s cider brand Somersby has launched an entertaining video featuring celebrities Lam Suet and To Siu Kiu to raise awareness of the brand.
The campaign developed by DDB Group Hong Kong aims to reinforce Somersby’s carefree and refreshing personality while appropriating pop culture by featuring celebrities Lam Suet and To Siu Kiu singing and dancing to the re-arranged nursery rhyme ‘I’m a big apple (我是一個大蘋果)’.
The task was made fun and engaging with the light-hearted lyrics, catchy music and comedic dance moves of the comedic celebrity duo. The ultimate aim is that Hong Kong young adults will then be able to associate Somersby with apples, a refreshing taste, and also being carefree and fun.
Kelvin Cheng, marketing director at Carlsberg said, “We loved DDB’s unconventional way of doing an education campaign. The lyrics and imagery connect consumers’ enjoyment with the product, it’s benefits and the best occasions to drink it. We look forward to seeing this entertaining campaign liked and shared by viewers on social media platforms.”
Jeff Tsang, creative director at DDB Group Hong Kong said, “Leveraging the product’s refreshing image, we wanted to highlight the association of the cider taste with the brand. We played on this original and fun song and dance to reinforce the consumers’ enjoyment – whilst also celebrating the apple flavour through lyrics.”
After the launch of the video, a UGC campaign will follow in May, allowing social media users to simply submit a photo or short video of themselves doing the dance. Each entry will then be in the running to win 365 bottles of Somersby – a bottle to enjoy every day of the year or two Apple iPads.
The campaign will also be featured on online channels and at some karaoke joints.
Credits
Director of client services: Benny Ko
Creative director: Jeff Tsang, Gary Lee
Copywriter: Phoebe Chan
Art dirctor: Monique Tse
Business director: Clara Ma
Associate account director: Stannie Li
Senior account executive: Kelsey Wong
Head of TV production: Annie Tong
Producer: Chuen
Media agency: IPGMediabrand
Republic Polytechnic (RP) has appointed antics@play as its lead agency to support its office of corporate communications. This is in a bid to spearhead the polytechnic's integrated marketing campaign 2018 which leads up to its Open House 2019. The appointment will be for two years.
Following the appointment, the agency will drives its ATL creative, social media strategy and content development, in addition to its microsite and video production. The creative and social media content of the campaign will focus on RP's unique teaching pedagogy and schools, as well as vibrant campus life, culture and spirit, to appeal to potential students in upper secondary levels.
“Youth marketing and education are passion points for antics@play. With the fast-evolving landscape in youth and adult learning, we are excited to have this opportunity to reframe the polytechnic education narrative,” Winnie Pua, managing director, antics@play said.
RP has been active in the market research space, with its recent partnership with the Market Research Society Singapore (MRSS) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). As part of the partnership, RP, MRSS and NTUC will launch Singapore’s first Advanced Certificate in Market Research programme.
Co-delivered by RP and MRSS, the programme intends to help market research and marketing professionals develop skills for improved decision making to discover new business opportunities. The four-month Continuing Education and Training programme, inline with the national SkillsFuture movement, commences in April 2018 and comprises six modules.
GOLIN Jakarta has appointed Tanya Tresnasari (pictured), currently associate director, to the role of general manager. The promotion extends her role in accelerating the growth of the firm’s business in the most-populated country in Southeast Asia. It will also see Tresnasari continuing to report to Djohansyah Saleh, head of operations, Indonesia.
Tresnasari will also work alongside existing team members with renowned expertise in healthcare and public affairs, the firm’s largest business contributors. This comes as the firm looks forward to broadening its expertise by hiring digital, marketing, and creative strategists in coming months.
With more than 16 years’ experience in strategic communications, Tresnasari has achieved tremendous success in delivering significant impact to the firm’s business since her arrival in 2015. She is tasked to bring the implementation of Golin’s G4 – communities of explorers, creators, connectors, and catalysts – to full effect.
“Tresnasari has played a very important role in our business’s rapid growth. She helped the firm bring in numerous clients from different industries, and is best known by our clients for her strategic counsel and creative ideas. She is also key in bringing exceptional talents to our firm and nurturing them to deliver the best service to our clients,” Saleh said.
Ceknricek.com, an alternative news and entertainment portal in Indonesia, has appointed The Thinking Machine Asia as its agency partner to handle digital and media duties for the brand. Fikar Rizky Mohammad, founder and CEO (pictured) of ceknricek.com said in a statement that the agency will drive the advertising and communication strategy to re-launch ceknricek.com.
“I’m sure that the combination of new age thinking and strong creativity displayed by The Thinking Machine Asia will take the brand to the next level and create strong connect with Indonesia audience,” he added.
Lita Natanagara, general manager, The Thinking Machine Asia said that the agency is excited about the trust ceknricek.com has placed in its team and the organisation. Natanagara added that the agency’s in-depth understanding of today's digital-first audiences looks to help come up with some groundbreaking ideas with local insights
“My team and I are really delighted and excited to work on a brand that believes in taking a stand, and create work that can bring change. We are really thankful to ceknricek.com for believing in the power of our ideas,” Vivek Nair, creative director, The Thinking Machine Asia said.
Digital-centred consultancy Ampersand Advisory has partnered with Silicon Valley-funded global, real-time AI company Unscrambl, combining marketing know-how and strategic thinking with machine learning and tech capabilities. The partnership aims to help clients cut costs as well as improve acquisition rates and usage.
According to Sandeep Joseph (pictured right), CEO and co-founder of Ampersand Advisory, the company's motto is "Achieving business results now!" and Unscrambl is the personification of that agile, real-time promise, from a technology point of view. Chairman of the Foetus Group, Tan Sri Vincent Lee (pictured centre), added that the future is hard to predict and both CEOs and CMOs in Malaysia are facing "very high pressures" to perform. As such, the partnership will help them deliver better business results.
Co-founder and CEO of Unscrambl, Vibhore Kumar, said the company aims to grow in the Malaysia market and chose Ampersand Advisory as it has a "clear focus on results". He added that both companies stand for a "sincere focus" on solutions that drive real business value in real-time for clients. Meanwhile, Unscrambl has also developed its own real-time intelligence engine known as "Unscrambl Brain" and works with companies from industries such as banking, telecommunication and CPG.
Founded in February 2017, Ampersand Advisory works with approximately 15 clients, including Coway, Blackmores and MYEG, among others. It is backed by Lee and group CEO of Trapper Media Group Sivanathan Krishnan (pictured left). The company offers immediate business solutions for clients, delivered through media, creative innovations and data analytics.
A+M has reached out to Ampersand Advisory for additional details.
R3 bolsters company with double promotion
In the new role, both consultants will be taking on more global thought leadership initiatives in addition to their client and team leadership responsibilities.
Essence bolsters APAC leadership team
Kingshuk Mitra will take on the role of chief operating officer, APAC while Monica Bhatia takes on the role of vice president, client partner.
PSB Academy launches campaign for ASEAN recruitment
The campaign targets students who seek to pursue quality transnational education, as well as workers who are looking to upgrade themselves with an international qualification.
PropertyGuru Group hires CTO
He will be responsible for the Group’s technology and engineering functions across offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
ACMA relaunches to transform content marketing in APAC
Members that have come on board at the time of launch include Allison + Partners PR, MEC Wavemaker, Publicis Content, Bloomberg Media, Click2View, Isentia, LinkedIn and Text100 PR.
Facebook IQ and SECTION launch new insights tool
The new insights tool enables businesses to find and reach new audiences by comparing country data based on past campaign performances across Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network.
Touch PR & Events hires new GM Kan brings more than 15 years’ experience in professional in-house marketing communications.
Isentia appoints marketing manager for Asia
Prior to her latest role, Kwong was the business operations and marketing executive at Isentia for over two years, according to her LinkedIn.
Publicis One Vietnam launches Prodigious Brand Logistics
Prodigious will offer its services across Publicis One’s agencies Leo Burnett, Saatchi, Publicis, Zenith, Starcom, Performics and MSLGROUP, as well as to direct clients.
R3 elevates Seema Punwani to partner role
She has led global initiatives for clients like MasterCard, Economic Development Board of Singapore, Fonterra and Suntory amongst others.
Lazada and Samsung sign first regional deal
The expanded partnership marks the first ever regional contract between both parties spanning six countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Havas Group acquires Sorento
This strategic acquisition will allow Havas to further develop its regional presence and add to its depth and breadth in India to deliver for global clients.
ONE Championship partners GoDaddy
GoDaddy branding is set to be featured at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES which will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 26 May.
OMD makes appointments to strategy team
He has extensive experience across the globe, having worked for OMD in the region as the strategy lead for OMD APAC as well as the global VP of marketing for HTC.
Sizmek appoints general manager for APAC region
He will be responsible for managing the company’s operations across the Asia-Pacific region, including customer engagement, sales development and innovation, strategic planning, and revenue growth.
Singtel partners NYP to help SMEs in the retail and F&B sectors
SMEs can also seek additional support on social media marketing, online merchandising and analysis of online consumers from students and lecturers at the NYP’s customer experience and analytics centre.
The agency would begin work immediately across strategy development, creative, execution, partnerships, influencer relationships and experiential platforms.
Tapad hires Andrew Tu as APAC VP
Tapad’s APAC team is currently headquartered in Singapore with plans to expand into Japan and Australia in the coming months.
Alibaba Cloud partners with NUS and EZ-Link
Alibaba Cloud will contribute US$500,000 in cloud credits towards the use of its cloud platform and data centres by students and researchers from NUS for academic and research purposes.
EZ-Link introduces NFC enabled card readers
In March 2016, EZ-Link launched the EZ-Link NFC SIM, pioneering the use of compatible mobile phones with NFC technology for making public transport payments.
Amobee names global innovations lead Chu will be charged with leading Amobee's new product offerings that are driven by and utilise telecommunications operator assets.
Amnet and RadiumOne partner up
The partnership will see RadiumOne’s proprietary mobile and sharing analytics software deployed across Amnet‘s clients, complementing existing technology to fuel paid media effectiveness.
Freeman launches brand experience agency in China and Singapore
The global provider of brand experiences has integrated several of its creative services across the Asia Pacific region, including China and Singapore, under the company’s agency division, FreemanXP.
Sitecore appoints The Hoffman Agency
The appointment comes as Sitecore plans to further establish its presence in this region and meet the ever increasing digital marketing needs of brands with context marketing.
McCann Worldgroup Japan appoints new CCO
Antony Cundy will be responsible for overseeing excellence in the targeted and efficient delivery of campaigns for clients who work across multiple MWG disciplines.
Ogilvy Public Relations Australia appoints new director
In this new role, he will oversee the consultancy’s social, content and digital practice - Social@Ogilvy, and will lead the Microsoft account as the key client relationship manager.
Adknowledge announces country head for India
He has over 20 years of experience in building and scaling businesses and brands, defining strategy, and running operations for companies.
WWF and Toyota head towards a zero carbon society
The project will take place in WWF priority places such as Borneo and Sumatra. In the future, the project will expand to the Greater Mekong region.
Outbrain renews multi-year deal with SPH
With the extended partnership with SPH, Outbrain continues to demonstrate significant momentum with its publishing partners.
NTUC FairPrice hosts first ever Facebook Live event
Food channel, co-owned by NTUC FairPrice, and operated by content marketing agency Brand New Media, will be hosting its first Facebook Live event entitled Live Healthy, Eat Healthy.
Outbrain partners up with Mediacorp
Outbrain will aggregate Mediacorp’s coveted audiences with those from its previous local publishers and global site wins.
L'Oreal Paris Singapore employs star power
L’Oréal Paris Singapore has launched an interactive out-of-home (OOH) panel featuring brand ambassador and local celebrity Rui En.
SPHMBO shows off latest OOH offering in VivoCity
Since its inception, the digital advertising network has played host to Seiko, Rado and Walt Disney's Finding Dory, which will be screening in local cinemas later this month.
Smart energy solutions provider, Diamond Energy Corporation has appointed Type A as its social media agency for its electricity retailing brand, Diamond Electric, with effect from May 2018.
Following the appointment, Type A will be at the helm of strategic counsel and direction. This sees the agency piloting the creative execution for all content, including social customer care, media buying and monitoring of all Diamond Electric owned social channels in Singapore.
According to Stephen Chng, chief retail officer of Diamond Electric, Type A impressed the brand with its creative and strategic approach that "looks set" to propel its social media presence.
"We believe that Type A’s experience and pedigree will complement Diamond Electric's marketing efforts as we look to expand our electricity retail brand, providing electricity to Singaporeans with a new, cost-effective alternate avenue for their homes and businesses," Chng said.
Chng added that the brand will be offering "smart" devices that allows its customer to take better advantage of its demand side management (initiatives and technologies that encourage consumers to optimise their energy use) type offerings in the near future.
Diamond Energy has worked to offer cost-saving services to large industrial consumers in Singapore since 2006, and intends to bring this experience to the residential and small business customers with the full launch of the Open Electricity Market according to Chng. These plans look to result in lower costs for the consumer while encouraging more efficient use of the energy resources in Singapore.
"We're thrilled to be partnering with Diamond Electric, and to align ourselves with the brand's unwavering push for innovation with equally compelling content to strengthen their social media presence across the market," Kristian Olsen, managing director of Type A, said.
The move follows the recent authorisation of 14 retailers by the Energy Market Authority to offer electricity plans, which also allowed the retailers to start marketing their services in March, an ST report read. In April, the open electricity market was started. This gave 108,000 households and 9,500 businesses in Jurong the chance to buy electricity from a retailer of their choice.
Instagram has launched a native payment feature which allows users to purchase items without leaving the app. The new feature offers users the option to add debit or credit card information, set up a security pin and track previous payments, multiple media reports on TechCrunch, CNBC and CNET stated.
Instagram users can also book appointments at selected salons or restaurants including Resy, TechCrunch reported, adding that users can also expect direct payments for items such as movie tickets through Instagram.
The new payment feature is only available to all users in the US and some in the UK. This is part of Instagram's effort to deepen the relationship between users and businesses. Last year, it announced in a blog post that it will unveil the ability to book a service with a business directly from its profile later in 2017.
Marketing has reached out to Instagram for additional comments.
This comes after Snap recently announced that users can now shop directly on the app via its new Shoppable AR feature. According to CNBC, Shoppable AR allows advertisers to add a website to sponsored photos within the platform. Users can also directly purchase items, watch longer promotional videos or install apps on their phones without leaving Snapchat.
According to Charlie Newbery, head of Media APAC at Digitas the new action button will shorten and remove the friction of a path from Instagram to a purchase. Powered by Facebook data, this could be really powerful for any advertiser.
“You can see and like an image of an influencer, and two swipes later be invited to buy the Gucci sunglasses they were wearing on the spot. We see this working for fashion and retail brands in the immediate term,” Newbery said. The crucial difference here from other e-commerce platforms is that most e-commerce platforms are largely reactive. For example when a consumer wants something, and they type that need into a search bar, a product appears. However, Instagram is generating the demand and is able to convert it immediately.
He added that the next phase of social selling will see Facebook becoming more commerce driven, as Amazon and Alibaba conversely, become more social.
“There’s a clash of the titans coming. Who will win is a very tough question, and it will depend largely on the success of failure of things like the Instagram action button,” he added.
According to Jeffrey Lim, general manager of Carbon Interactive, marketers at the end of the day, need to still recognise that Instagram is a platform to inspire the ‘humanising’ of a brand. The objective is to "wow and build relationship through this platform", and then leveraging on the new feature to allow fans and followers to add the products/services of their choice. This will make any brand’s Instagram strategy effective.
“With the new commerce feature, Instagram will be stronger than other platforms since now it would be more seamless and friendlier in experience for users. The ability to ‘Buy’ without leaving the platform is big plus. It’s like being having a cashier or a checkout counter beside you all-ready to help you complete your purchase on the spot when you are shopping,” he said.
Like Newbery, he added that lifestyle and luxury brands will benefit greatly from this new feature. Food and Beverages brands and the service industry may also be able to tap on this feature to provide new booking options to their customers as well.
AIG Asia Pacific, AVIVA and NTUC Income have been fined by the Personal Data Protection Commission for the personal data breach of its customers. The brands were fined SG$9,000, SG$30,000 and SG$10,000 respectively for breaches relating to mailing of printed customer information.
AIG’s data breach occurred in June last year when it placed an incorrect facsimile (fax) number on its policy renewal notices addressed to policyholders. The incorrect fax number belonged to Japanese departmental store Tokyu Hands Singapore. This saw policyholders faxing their renewal notices to the latter instead of AIG, resulting in the data breach.
In the same month, NTUC Income printed a batch of 426 client letters, a majority of which were sent to remind clients to pay their insurance premiums. It was later informed by several clients that they received a policy letter addressed to them, with a letter addressed to another client on the reverse of the same letter. The personal data breached includes information such as names, residential addresses and policy information.
Meanwhile, AVIVA was fined for mistakenly mailing out underwriting letters meant for three different clients to another single client. This was similar to a previous incident the year before, which saw the insurance brand being fined SG$6,000 the first time.
Following the breaches, the PDPC has also released a new guide to printing processes to ensure organisations and print vendors to have in place adequate measures in its printing processes, to protect the personal data in its possession and/or control against unintended disclosure.
With the 14th Malaysian general election just around the corner, political parties in Malaysia have been ramping up their campaigning efforts in a bid to garner more votes. Likewise, netizens have also created social media hashtags to get all Malaysians more involved in the elections.
Among the list of popular hashtags include #PulangMengundi, #CarpoolGE14, #undirabu and #Malaysiamemilih, some of which have been making its rounds online since January this year. With various hashtags circulating on social media, this can potentially open up opportunities for political parties to leverage the social movement and strengthen their campaigning.
Ryan Lim, founding partner and principal consultant of QED Consulting, said political parties should only show support for social movements that they genuinely believe in. He added:
Leveraging on social movements is like riding the wave created by an online mob.
"Such movements can (and usually do) take a life of its own as they progress, because there is no individual steering it," Lim said. However, he said that it is easier to ride a wave on social media than create one because there is a potential for companies to not reap the rewards despite allocating numerous resources to create social movements.
The downfall Lim said, is that social movements to be unsustainable as they public might get distracted by another online trending topic. Sometimes, the social movement might have "insufficient velocity" to be known as a movement.
Also weighing in on the issue is Isobar Malaysia's lead strategist Tanvi Singh, who described social media as a "great channel" to interact and have two-way communication with audience. As such, it is a highly relevant platform for all individuals, be it marketers, businesses or public services departments, as well as outreach programmes and understand netizens' pain points.
"We live in a post-truth advertising era and the power of internet is making sure brands deliver promises they give. Same goes for election campaigns looking to leverage social media to create awareness on their mission and visions to the people of the nation," she said. Singh added:
It is a channel for honest communication for brands and election candidates alike and that’s how it should be used.
The marriage of politics and social
Politicians are increasingly taking to social media to connect with members of the public and their supporters. Individuals such as Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Donald Trump, for example, have built a significant following on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
With the rise in popularity of social media, having a political presence on those platforms should be seen by politicians as a "critical requirement" and not an option, QED's Lim said.
Social media enables politicians to extend their reach to the intended voters and public, as there is limited ground politicians can cover when they campaign door-to-door. Meanwhile, mainstream media, which is often one of the platforms used by politicians during the campaigning period, may be a costly and limited option as there are several candidates jostling for limited airtime. Lim said:
A sophisticated politician would have already worked the 'online ground', building a significant online presence to articulate what they stand for.
However, he added that this relationship building requires investment of time and resources over an extended period to be effective.
While it is beneficial for politicians to have a presence on social media, they should also be mindful of the need to preserve a balance between being overly vocal and maintaining an image that is representative of their political party. Lim said that being outstanding (or vocal in this case) is a technique to cut through the clutter and be noticed online by voters who have limited attention spans.
"Taking a vocal or strong opinion, and being representative of the party are not necessarily mutually exclusive. So to be remembered by voters, some take a strong (and usually vocal) opinion to issues," he said. Lim added that this approach is often more effective compared to a neutral approach, i.e. politicians being unbiased to any issues, which can result in "blending into obscurity.
Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG) has appointed Shafaat Hussain (pictured) as managing director/market leader of its Singapore office. Hussain will report to David Gallagher, president, international.
Hussain’s appointment, effective 1 June 2018, kicks off an integration process that will include consultations with clients, agency teams and other business partners in Singapore. This is with the aim of aligning FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Porter Novelli's systems and processes over the rest of the year. OPRG brings together the three agencies which looks to leverage their collective power to offer greater growth, collaboration and learning opportunities for talent and a wider and deeper base of services and expertise for clients.
In March this year, OPRG revealed that it was integrating the Singapore operations of FleishmanHillard, Porter Novelli and Ketchum, a move which affected around 80 to 90 employees across all three agencies in Singapore.
The move also results in a transition management team drawn from the agencies to oversee the integration, reporting to Hussain and Gallagher. The team includes John Bailey, Jon Chin and Tan Lee San from Ketchum; Khoo Yin and Mary Czarnecki from FleishmanHillard; and Kelvyn Foo of Porter Novelli.
Hussain joined FleishmanHillard in 2010 and most recently served as partner and managing director for client service for the agency in Southeast Asia. He has more than 20 years of experience in corporate, technology and lifestyle communications in India and across Asia. Prior to FleishmanHillard, Hussain held a regional role at Text100 Singapore.
Speaking to Marketing earlier, Gallagher confirmed that the move will not result in people cuts, major restructures, or leadership changes. All three agency brands was also said to preserve their identities and distinct operating structures, as integrations affected mainly systems in human resources, IT and real estate. The search for a new lead at the time was still underway.
“Building on the success of our partnership model in France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, we determined that Singapore is a growth market where this strategy could benefit both talent and clients. Hussain is well known among our agencies in Singapore as an experienced leader wholly committed to client service, team work and close collaboration. He’s enthusiastic about the opportunity and we are delighted to have him in this role," Gallagher said.
“Singapore is an important hub for doing business in Asia, and by bringing our teams together here we can create the scale and wide expertise that our clients require. We are already working together on a number of important assignments and the benefits are clear for our clients and people alike,” Hussain said.
Decentralised and autonomous social ride-sharing service, DACSEE (Decentralized Alternative Cabs Serving and Empowering Everyone) has launched its mobile application in Malaysia. Following its launch in Malaysia, DACSEE is eyeing other Asian markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and China.
A+M has reached out to DACSEE for additional comments.
According to the statement, the supportive nature of the Malaysian authorities was cited the reason for its debut launch in Malaysia. The company added that it was easier to build up an experienced core team in the local market. The launch saw almost 30,000 registered drivers.
The new mobile application also aims to benefit the community through the use of blockchain and decentralisation, and create a platform that is driver-centric and authority friendly, providing passengers with the best user experience possible. Developed to complement the existing ride hailing space, the platform will introduce a sustainability model for the entire ecosystem, with social elements for the community. This sees DACSEE improving security during rides, especially for women to participate both as a driver and passenger.
DACSEE currently has offices in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai and Seoul. Lim Chiew Shan, founder and CEO of DACSEE, heads the team of 30 with over 18 years of experience in the IT industry. Currently, Lim spearheads the drive and passion towards an economic sharing with the use of mobile applications as his latest creation.
“The DACSEE model respects the special interests of the drivers, passengers and local authorities who comprise the platform, I believe that DACSEE has the ability to expand organically as its user base grows domestically and internationally,” Lim said.
Qlik has appointed Text100 as its marketing communications agency following a pitch. In the appointment, the agency will be tasked to elevate Qlik's brand narrative across Singapore, and communicate its new proposition that leverages on data, to the audiences in Singapore. The agency will utilise a multi-channel approach, with its focus on public relations and social media to bring this movement.
According to Shelina Mahtani, PR manager APAC, Qlik, Text100 demonstrated an in-depth understanding of its business, passion for the brand, as well as capability to tell stories that will move minds. She also added that the brand is confident in driving education and empowerment when it comes to data literacy with the agency.
“Despite the huge influx of data today, there has been very little consideration on the actual skill-sets required to fully utilise and act on this available data. This very apparent skills gap requires the right support, education and culture to create a change, and we have found the perfect partner in Text100 Singapore," Mahtani said.
“It's an area that we at Text100 are very passionate about as well and we are very excited to be working with Qlik to develop compelling stories that help ensure every individual and organisation has the same opportunity to use, access, analyse and succeed with data," Meiling Yeow, managing director, Text100 Southeast Asia, added.
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