Audrey Ottevanger

🚨 The First Episode of Trillion Dollar Ads Podcast is Here! 🚨 🎧 Why Southeast Asia’s Retail Media Boom is Just Getting Started! In this debut episode, I dive deep with JJ Eastwood into the explosive potential of retail media in Southeast Asia and how it’s set to reshape the industry by blending the best practices from both the West and the East. 💡 What we’ll cover: 👉 With 99% of advertisers exploring retail media, where is the budget coming from — media or shopper marketing? 👉 Retail media is far more than just placing sponsored banners. It’s about leveraging tech, data, consumer insights, and smart ad units to deliver strong performance for brands. 👉 Learn how Carousell Media Group set up their retail media business with the right product and data strategy Tune in to unlock the true potential of retail media in APAC . Amit Ray thanks for all your efforts ... https://lnkd.in/gB-7Pmx8 https://lnkd.in/giXidycs #TrillionDollarAds #RetailMedia #Podcast #SoutheastAsia #DigitalAdvertising #data #marketing

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In the ninth edition of the Southeast Asia e-Conomy report with Temasek and Bain & Company, we see how key players in the region’s digital economy are increasingly focused on profitability and moving towards more sustainable growth. At over 100 pages long, the #eConomySEA report is a dense read. If you too enjoy consuming podcasts, listen to the discussion of the report produced by Illuminate linked below. Illuminate is a Google AI tool that turns content into an audio conversation in seconds — and while it’s very much experimental, I think you’ll agree it does a pretty good job, including conveying great excitement around key trends driving growth such as video commerce and the region’s rise as a global mobile gaming powerhouse. It also gives you a quick snapshot of the key differences across the six markets covered in the report. If you're still keen to read the full report, you'll find it here: https://lnkd.in/ghiBFZg

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Article below gives a really good POV on effectiveness of digital platforms and TV when driving offline and online sales. thanks to the work by Kantar!

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Our latest e-Conomy SEA Report unveils the incredible growth and profitability of Southeast Asia's digital economy. In just two short years, the region has experienced a remarkable 2.5X surge in profits while maintaining robust double-digit growth. One of the most significant trends we've observed is the evolution of e-commerce. While first-time shoppers were once the primary driver, we're now witnessing a shift towards repeat customers. These loyal shoppers account for a substantial 70% of e-commerce expansion, propelling the industry towards an estimated $159 billion  Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) by 2024. Another game-changer is the rise of video commerce. From live shopping to influencer-led content, video is revolutionizing the way consumers shop online. In fact, video commerce has captured a significant 20% of e-commerce GMV, up from a mere 5% in 2022. What does this mean for marketers? 🛒 Prioritize Customer Retention: Invest in loyalty programs and exceptional customer experiences to foster long-term relationships with your customers. 📹 Embrace Video Commerce: Leverage video platforms to create engaging video content that drives sales and captures the attention of your target audience. Read on here for the report’s key takeaways: https://lnkd.in/gj4CC9dW Download the full report here: goo.gle/sea #eConomySEA #ProfitabilityOnTheRise #AdvanceSEAwithAI

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The creator economy and video commerce in Southeast Asia is entering a new era as brands connect with consumers in new ways, according to the latest e-Conomy SEA Report! Gaming influencers have paved the way, inspiring creators across fashion, beauty, and food to leverage the power of live streaming. This direct engagement fosters deeper brand-consumer relationships and drives sales through real-time interaction. Video commerce has emerged as a major force too, growing 4x from 2022 and now accounting for 20% of e-commerce Gross Merchandise Value. Live shopping and creator-led content offer immersive and interactive shopping experiences, revolutionizing online retail. To capitalize on this trend, YouTube has earlier launched its first-ever shopping feature in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam together with Shopee. YouTube Shopping enables viewers to purchase directly from videos, shorts, and livestreams. This innovation is set to expand across the region, offering a new era of engaging and interactive shopping experiences. As we move forward, the intersection of AI and creativity promises to further redefine the future of e-commerce in Southeast Asia. I'm excited to see how brands in the region will leverage these trends to connect with consumers in innovative ways. Read on here for the report’s key takeaways: https://lnkd.in/gXzU3sQ6 Download the full report here: goo.gle/sea #eConomySEA #ProfitabilityOnTheRise #AdvanceSEAwithAI Sapna ChadhaBen KingVeronica Sari UtamiJackie WangMarc WooFarhan QureshiMervin Wenke, MMCMike JittivanichSaranee BoonritthongchaiRachita Malhotra Abhinav Rastogi

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Looking to stay ahead of the curve in Southeast Asia's booming e-commerce landscape? The latest e-Conomy SEA report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, released it's 9th annual edition today.   💵 For the first time ever, the report deep dives into profits: SEA digital economy’s profits are expected to rise by 24% and cross $11 billion this year. ▶️ Video commerce now makes up 20% of the e-Commerce sector's GMV – a more than 4X jump from 2022. ✨ US$30B has been committed to AI data centers in the region within H1 alone (including Google's), indicating SEA’s unique opportunity to compete in the global AI landscape. >> Watch the video below for insights specific to 🇸🇬 #Singapore >> Read on here for the report’s key takeaways: https://lnkd.in/gdEncg-F >> Download the full report here: goo.gle/sea >> Check out how marketers can win Southeast Asian consumers with video commerce here: https://lnkd.in/gEhexzDK #eConomySEA #ProfitabilityOnTheRise #AdvanceSEAwithAI

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After focusing on Product for the last 8y I took on some additional responsibilities at palm.hr earlier this year. One area is Sales. I have attended Sales calls many times before, from a Product perspective I find it to be a great channel to learn what customers really want. But attending and being the "product expert" is easy, driving the conversation is something completely different. But what surprised me the most was how much I enjoyed it.  I'm still learning a lot, so if anyone is/ has been in a similar situation or has anything useful to share, please do so. Finally, since the topic is about Sales; do you know anyone who could benefit from a (potentially too honest) sales pitch for a MENA-focused HR/People software or services? Hook me up!

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A new chapter for TotallyAwesome and our new acquirer SQREEM Technologies. Looking back at this journey full of ups and downs, it is with excitement and humility that I see our venture grow to the next level. I've had the unique opportunity to work with a world class team and this couldn't have been achieved without every single one of them. I'm deeply grateful to the people that trusted us since Day 1 and that are still here today, but also to all who've joined us over the years as we've grown to a 100+ people strong. As we're closing this chapter to open a new one, I've come out of it humbled after many years of relentless execution as I'm drawing conclusions on this journey. Humility was our strength. If we pretend to know better than the market or our own clients, we fail. Temptation to cut corners because we think we know can be high. The right people on the bus, then the right people in the right seats. Team loyalty and longevity will naturally follow. Building something that clients actually want to pay for, is much better than building something because it's cool. Looks too obvious but temptation is always too high. We've built many 'cool things' no one wanted. Building a business isn't about striking deals, but should be just a simple combination of rigor/discipline, and statistically aligning a series of acceptably decent decisions over time. Building a competitive advantage comes also from making mistakes, because we risk doing things and learn things that others dare not try. We have an edge. Figuring out how to succeed in a complex fragmented market/region is a great competitive advantage (vs. big homogeneous, but competitive markets). Fast forward 8 years, there still isn't any direct serious competitor doing what we do in APAC. Strategy simply revolves around a set of operational decisions that are coherent. Everyone can learn and has the right to be strategic, from senior execs to juniors. Bias in decision-making is our greatest enemy. Communication to our teams is never enough. Repetition has never killed anybody but helps promote alignment across teams. Obsession for the client's needs. Our TOP 1 client's revenue grew 30x to 7-digit figure over 6 years because we cared about spending time with them. The best client loyalty = the lowest marketing dollar amount Desire for visibility creates noise. Noise doesn't move the needle. Keep things simple and the bottom line will speak for itself. Love what you do.

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We are thrilled to announce that we successfully raised ¥2.8 billion ($20M) in our Series B funding round. This time, we are pleased to welcome Vertex Growth, a growth fund under Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, as a new shareholder. Additionally, all our existing shareholders, including Japan’s government-backed financial institution DBJ, have participated in the funding round. We aim to build digital infrastructure for real estate industry across Japan and Asia, supporting the sustainable development and economic growth of gateway cities and regions. In the 2024 JLL Real Estate Transparency Index, Japan ranked first in Asia but only 11th globally. While Tokyo leads globally in metro-area GDP, population, and real estate market size, it is said to lag behind the US and some European countries as a long-term investment destination for institutional investors. The commonly pointed-out challenges are always 1) access to fundamental data and 2) the transaction process. estie aims to solve these issues with the power of data and software, creating a better investment environment for the healthy development of cities and regions in Japan and across Asia. With deep gratitude to our dedicated team working tirelessly for our customers, the VCs (UTEC, GCP, and GB) who have supported us since the early days, the ecosystem pioneers who prepared the ground for our challenges, and most importantly, our customers who believe in our product, we will continue to push forward! https://lnkd.in/gxVktein

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Klook is advancing its social commerce strategy by introducing a new booking feature on TikTok and investing in Kreator Labs workshops to empower both its users and its Kreators. Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, said, "Klook is now able to bridge these travellers directly to the activities they discover on their feeds, enhancing our social-first approach in meeting the needs of the next generation of travellers.” #marketing #socialcommerce #contentcreation ------ -[Awards] MARKETECH APAC is launching its inaugural "Marketing Technology Awards" where we recognise the groundbreaking achievements in marketing technology, uniting the brands and tech organisations within the region’s marketing community. Learn how your brand can be a part of it by checking it more details HERE: https://bit.ly/3SVtoIa -[Conferences] Learn about the latest trends, strategies, and technologies that converge to shape the future of commerce and customer marketing with our upcoming "Customer Marketing Asia 2024" conference in Singapore on September 10 [https://bit.ly/3YkKjIw]. -[Report] Discover the latest trends in business communication, and explore how mobile messaging channels are preferred by consumers to seek deeper connections with brands by checking out this report HERE: https://bit.ly/3RckF4z

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How can SEA advertisers choose the right retail media partners? 🤔 Here's a sneak peek into my insightful chat Alin Dobrea of ZALORA Group on the Trillion Dollar Ads podcast. 💡 1. Think Full-Funnel, Not Just Performance Retail media isn’t just about conversions! Use it to create impact across the entire customer journey, from building awareness to driving purchases. 🔄 2. Embrace 360° Strategies Go beyond sponsored products. Explore influencer marketing, offline pop-ups, PR, and performance media tailored to your objectives. 🎯 3. Pick the Right Platforms Focus on retail media platforms where your target audience actively engages. Build deep partnerships with select retailers rather than spreading resources too thin. 🧪 4. Test & Learn What works for one brand or category may not work for another. Experiment with channels, formats, and audiences to unlock what drives the best results. #retailmedia #advertising #ecommerce Full podcast links: https://lnkd.in/gMDAWTwv https://lnkd.in/g6iupBFx

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"Acquiring Growth: Grab's Strategic Acquisition Moves in the Ride-Hailing and Food Delivery Space" 📊 Objectives and Outcomes Grab's acquisition of Chope and its attempted acquisition of Trans-cab had varying outcomes.  The Chope acquisition aimed to enhance Grab's food and beverage offerings, providing more synergies for its merchant partners, especially in helping them capture online-to-offline opportunities. With over 13,000 restaurants in its network, Chope has seated over 110 million diners and helped maximize business for more than 8,000 restaurants around Asia.  In contrast, the Trans-cab deal aimed to expand Grab's ride-hailing services, but was blocked by regulatory concerns. 🍴 Unlocking Dining Opportunities Grab's acquisition of Chope is a strategic move to bolster its omnicommerce strategy and capture the dining out opportunity. With Chope's mature reservations and table management system, Grab aims to extend its services to its merchant-partner base across the region. The acquisition will also strengthen Grab's relevance as consumers' preferred everyday super app. By cross-selling Chope's services to its merchant-partners, Grab can create a stronger, more holistic online-to-offline value proposition for merchants and users in Southeast Asia. 🚨 Regulatory Scrutiny and Competition Concerns In contrast, the Trans-cab deal was blocked by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) due to concerns about reduced competition and Grab's already-dominant position in the ride-hailing market. Grab's market share in the ride-hailing industry is significant, with over 85,097 private-hire cars as of June this year, compared to Trans-cab's fleet of 2,500 taxis. Grab's dominance in the ride-hailing market may limit its ability to acquire other players, while its expansion into new areas like food and beverage may be less scrutinized. 🚗 Impact on Consumers, Drivers, and Fares With 13,436 taxis operating in Singapore as of June this year, Trans-cab drivers may face uncertainty about their long-term prospects. Consumers may also benefit from the continued presence of Trans-cab as a competitor to Grab, which has a large market share of private-hire cars. The deal's failure may not significantly impact Grab's ability to set prices, as it is already a dominant player in the market, with over 72,632 private-hire cars at the end of 2022. The failure of the Trans-cab deal may lead to Trans-cab exploring partnerships with non-dominant players in the point-to-point industry. With private-hire cars increasing by 17.4% from 72,632 at the end of 2022 to 85,097 as of June this year, Trans-cab may need to adapt to changing market dynamics. As Grab continues to explore partnerships and acquisitions, its future growth and success will depend on its ability to navigate these complexities and adapt to changing market dynamics. https://lnkd.in/gcqAnYJu

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🌟 Struggling to keep up with the fast-changing world of digital advertising? You’re not alone— Tune into Trillion Dollar Ads for exclusive insights from top industry minds—especially focused on APAC! Get a sneak preview of what our guests are saying on the podcast ! 💰 Retail Media: Discover how it’s on track to become a $200B market 🔐 Privacy & Identity: Big Tech is feeling the heat 📊 Cross-Platform Measurement: With so many screens, better metrics are essential—hear what’s next. 🤖 AI in Content & Planning: The AI revolution is here, but will it disrupt agency models or create new opportunities? 🎧 Don’t miss out on Trillion Dollar Ads JJ Eastwood Prantik Mazumdar Jordan Khoo Subscribe now on Spotify or Apple and tune in Spotify - https://lnkd.in/ghzZs-S6 Apple Podcast - https://lnkd.in/ggkKmhME https://lnkd.in/gxqd3Rv6 #retailmedia #advertising #adtech #programmatic #ott #marketing #media #data #privacy

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🚀 SEA's Digital Economy: Strong Growth & Profitability on the Horizon! 🌐 The latest e-Conomy SEA report by Bain & Company, Google & Temasek reveals Southeast Asia’s digital economy is thriving in 2024 with impressive growth across key metrics: 💡 Gross Merchandise Value (GMV): $263B (+15% YoY) 💡 Revenue: $89B (+14% YoY) 💡 Profit: $11B (+24% YoY) Key highlights: - E-commerce boom: Video commerce now represents 20% of GMV, up from <5% in 2022 📱📹 - Gaming exports: SEA drives 12% of global mobile game downloads 🎮 - Profitability rising: Tightened commissions & new revenue streams, like ads, push profits up 2.5x in two years 💰 However, challenges remain: - Private funding down due to higher interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty 📉 - AI infrastructure: SEA’s growing AI investment positions it as a global player in data and applications 🤖 Despite economic challenges, investors are optimistic about SEA’s long-term potential, especially in AI and software. 🌟 #SEA #DigitalEconomy #Ecommerce #AI #Gaming #TechInnovation #Growth #Profitability #Investment #Startup #B2B #SoutheastAsia #eConomySEA #FutureOfTech

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Wow, what an incredible coincidence! I have been following the growth of Azuki Brand since its launch around 3 years back and recently had the opportunity to meet Alex Xu (Zagabond), the founder of Azuki, in person at Token 2049 in Singapore. For those unfamiliar, Azuki is one of the leading Web3 anime brands, with Chiru Labs (the company behind Azuki) expected to be valued over $1 billion.. It turns out Zagabond and I actually worked at the General Mills years ago but in different regions- talk about a small world! Being an Anime fan, what fascinates me most is Zagabond's vision to revolutionize the anime industry through Web3 technologies while bridging the gap between web2 and web3. The global anime market is massive, expected to be over $50 billion, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% and Azuki is all set to make its mark over this industry in a big way with its aquisition of anime.com and activations planned ahead. With his background in tech and passion for anime, Zagabond is uniquely positioned to bridge these worlds.Some key innovations Azuki has introduced include: 1 - Physical Backed Tokens (PBT): Connecting physical items to digital tokens 2 - Open-source technology to benefit the entire Web3 ecosystem 3 - Blending digital and physical experiences in novel ways It's both exciting and inspiring to see a former colleague making waves in such an innovative space. Zagabond's journey from corporate tech to Web3 pioneer is truly inspiring. Experiences like this remind me it's still a small world after all! Happy to be small part of Zagabond's inspirational journey. IKZ !

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Reflecting on the conversation from ‘Data and AI Strategy for Grocery Retail’ Webinar ✨ Last week, we hosted 20+ people from the Grocery Retail industry in SEA who dived into the pressing challenges and opportunities in the retail sector. We discussed various aspects of the Grocery retail business at length, and here are a few key discussion points that have stayed with me: ▪Factors such as the rise of quick commerce, economic uncertainties, inflation and rising costs are affecting consumer behaviour, which in turn is impacting retail profitability. ▪Significant impact of pricing on profitability, with a 1% increase in prices leading to an 11.2% increase in profit. ▪The need to focus on customer engagement, data-driven pricing, Gen AI, integrated assortment planning, and data monetization aspects to stand apart. ▪Importance of integrated assortment planning, focusing on keeping the customer at the centre of decision-making. ▪The need to mitigate common challenges such as fragmented views, poor data quality, incomplete data and legacy technologies and the importance of leveraging AI and data to address these challenges. The best part? The open conversations and questions from the audience added depth to the session. Thank you, Miran, Danny, and Farah Sidek for sharing your thoughts! Loyalytics AI Mohit Jain Imran Hashmi Tanuja Nailwal

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Great to see some push back by some governments against the ultra fast, high polluting brands Temu & Shein who are wreaking havoc on SMEs. Reality is that it’s not a “fair competition” & govts can fix so quickly by adjusting the import tax loophole. “Indonesia ordered Temu to be taken down from app stores in October, a move it said would protect the country’s smaller merchants. Last week, Vietnam threatened to ban Temu and Shein by the end of the month.” What’s shocking is that it’s taking so long when you see these stats & how industries & livelihoods are being destroyed; “Nearly 2,000 Thai factories across all industries closed and more than 50,000 workers lost their jobs in the last financial year, Reuters reported, in part due to greater Chinese competition and higher costs.” The EUs EcoDesign for Sustainable Product Design Regulations and adding a #digitalpassport cannot come fast enough to create a #circulareconomy CIRPASS-2 - Digital Product Passport We are ready; Reach out to learn more about Global Circular Network. Digital Product Passport Platform via RFiD THREADS® #ESPR #EPR #cirpass #circularity #productstewardship #circulareconomy https://lnkd.in/gSETMmYf

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Thinking about expanding into Southeast Asia? As businesses strive to expand globally, Southeast Asia has emerged as a high-growth market. Having navigated the region’s diverse landscapes myself, I’ve learned first-hand the opportunities and challenges that come with SE Asian expansion. Whether it’s market entry strategies, local partnerships, or navigating regulations, the road to success here is unique but rewarding. It was also great to finally meet up with my fellow panelists **Clarence Cheang** and **Percy Hung** at [E-Commerce Expo Asia](https://lnkd.in/gqtwNscx), where we discussed some of these very issues. A big thank you to **Isaac Lui** for expertly moderating the discussion! Many have shared their pain points when deciding whether to expand—Is the timing right? Is the market ready for your product? Should you go regional first or global? These are all valid questions, and I’m happy to offer my experience and insights to help you make informed decisions. 💡 **Would love to hear your thoughts as well!** 💡 Have you encountered similar challenges? What’s your experience expanding globally or regionally? Let’s keep this conversation going—share your stories and advice, especially if you’re attending the event. Special thanks to **Xero** for their continued support in making these journeys possible. Feel free to reach out to me if you’re looking for guidance on SE Asian expansion or just want to exchange ideas on global growth.

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