Dominic Powers

Another nail in the coffin for news outlets: Yahoo Singapore is no more. 💀 This shift has impacted 17 staff members as the outlet moves towards syndicated content. It continues to be a tough road ahead for media companies. This is a stark reminder that we need to sharpen our pitches to reporters as newsrooms shrink. It's crucial to demonstrate the immediate relevance and impact of the news we're pitching - why now? https://lnkd.in/drFWMCkb #MediaIndustry #PublicRelations #MediaRelations #Journalism #NewsMedia #StrategicCommunication #MediaTrends #DigitalMedia #PRStrategy #MediaLandscape

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When my time comes. 'Extended Love' is going to be on my highlight reel. For all the right reasons and intentions, it delivered astonishing results for work meant to connect with all Singaporeans. I have always said that when it comes to government work it has to always mean more. If I may, I have learned three things from this entire process, from pitch to production. 1️⃣ No matter how you skin the cat, when stories are built and surrounded by values, cut through and impact will go beyond your intended audience, driving relatability regardless of season. 2️⃣ Trust is built on mutual respect and openness. We should already know this, but it is not always apparent. It takes hard work and commitment from both the agency and clients to create something unique, and this piece of work reflects that. 3️⃣ Let the work breathe. Give it some liberties and watch it fly. Bonus (sounds obvious but!) - Craft. Craft. Craft. Your audience will appreciate it One for the records. 18.6million views over a relatively short amount of time and significant improvement when it comes to understanding what it means to be Singaporean as we move Forward Together. Thank you to the judges for acknowledging the work and impact. “Chinese New Year is not just a Chinese festival. It is a Singaporean festival” - LKY, 1981

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Inch by inch! "Many Singaporeans on the fence about LGBTQ issues, Ipsos survey finds". This is a fascinating survey on the glacial changing of attitudes towards LGBTQ here in Singapore in Pride month. As a conservative country, which is generally accepting but not condoning or promoting non-traditional relationships, it's interesting that people are less opposed to LGBTQ but still don't want to see them in their faces! "More Singaporeans support LGBTQ rights than oppose them, but a significant number remain undecided on such issues, a survey by market research firm Ipsos has found. In particular, people are on the fence about issues relating to how prominent these individuals are in everyday life. These included how open LGBTQ individuals should be about their sexual orientation and relationships, and having more LGBTQ characters on television, and in films and advertising. On other questions, such as whether same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children, more people are supportive and the undecided group is much smaller. Singapore ranks in the bottom half of countries surveyed in terms of the level of support people had for LGBTQ couples displaying affection in public, same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, among other things. And when it comes to topics such as having more LGBTQ characters on TV, or LGBTQ couples displaying affection in public, the poll found that the biggest group is that of respondents who neither support nor oppose them. Some 43 per cent neither support nor oppose public displays of affection by LGBTQ couples, compared with 27 percent who support this and 30 per cent who do not. On whether LGBTQ people should be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity with everyone, 40 percent of respondents are also on the fence, compared with 45 percent who support this, and the 15 per cent who do not." In a country where our leaders espouse the benefits of marriage and love, as long as that love and marriage is hetrosexual, it's welcome at least that attitudes are not against if not for LGBTQ. The realities of our extremely low birth rate, women deciding to not get married and not play the BTO game of marriage = babies (which the last 30 years has shown is actual fiction as our birth rate continues to decline), means that eventually we will have to allow Singaporean LGBTQ couples to have babies and give them a home to live in. But there is a vocal ignorant minority of religious fanatics/snowflakes, (take your pick they're all the same to me), who will oppose this. However, as a secular country with more people who are atheist (like me), agnostic and Buddhist than Christian/Catholic/Islamic/Hindu it's a battle for the hearts and minds to change these attitudes. Of course not everyone who is not religious is for LGBTQ and not everyone who is religious is against but they do tend to fall within those lines. Inch by inch. What do you think?

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Looking forward to ATS in Singapore on 3rd July! I'll be speaking on the disruptive power of retail media and its rapid growth. Is today's commerce retail only limited to bottom funnel sales conversion, or can retail media play a larger role in brand building and discovery? Come join me for the session to find out more! #ATS24

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141 creative agencies are gunning for a place in WOG. Having spent my entire career in Singapore with network agencies, this is always a constant topic. 1. It doesn't make money 2. It is propaganda 3. It is not creative The fact is that in Singapore, a lot can be done to improve how we communicate policies, engagement, recruitment, and whatever else needs to be done to improve the lives of Singaporeans and those living here. The government will always need our expertise to distil policy into effective communications. We make money by operating and working with the right government clients, just as we review our other commercial clients. You have the power to still say,"No." It is not seen as propaganda but how we give ourselves a greater sense of purpose. It has to mean more. Creativity is a journey and a balance of what needs to be achieved and be accountable for. Why 141 and not just 10? Well, we all know that part of WOG's function is to provide another source of revenue for agencies of all sizes, granted that we all start at different stages and circumstances. My advice is to do the work, be part of WOG, and give yourself a chance to produce work that matters.

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AI is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And the only way to deal with it is to embrace it, experiment with it, push it to its limits, and harness it to make it your ally!

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Never use an agency and always apply for PR yourself and there are quotas: "'I was able to get a PR in Singapore in less than 2 years’ — Woman shares how she did it". Kudos to her but she fits some of the criteria hence why she was successful. I applied for PR almost as soon as I got to Singapore as I realised pretty early on that both the EP and then PEP that I was on weren't very secure. It took me only a year but that was then, this is now when it's many times harder. Many of my business owning friends have failed many times to get it because they are not fitting into the strict criteria that includes: - we do have a quota system and PR applicants like EPs and citizenship applicants have to fit within this which is 76% ethnically Chinese, 14% ethnically Malay, 9% ethnically Indian and 1% everyone else/Eurasian.... So you can see that it's very hard if you're caucasian to get it. - if you're married to a Singaporean it helps - if you own property here it helps - if you are under 40 it helps - if you run your own company and employ Singaporeans it helps - if you're earning lots of money it helps - if you have a son and include him on your application which means that he will have to do NS (conversely if you don't include him you will be knocked out) The whole voluntary side of things is a red herring. ICA don't care, all that they care about is your economic worth and your integration into our society. PR is also not permanent as this lady tells and I have also heard of many people's PR being cancelled for not paying CPF or shortened to a year. But never ever use one of these agencies that promise you PR but 99% fail and get you the same result as if you did it yourself but you're out several thousand dollars! They usually tell people to appeal and charge them for doing so but the fact is that you are no more likely to get it on appeal than the first time. What do you think? What's your experience with the PR process? If you are looking for a portfolio career of multiple income streams rather than just one big role we can help you with our specific low cost Job Seeker Personal Branding Service for LinkedIn which now includes a FREE CV too, details here https://lnkd.in/dqWRi6EZ https://lnkd.in/g4R39_be

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CAMPAIGN REPORTS: Ebiquity's latest research of COMvergence barometer reveals a 11% decline in media pitches in China in 2023 compared to the previous year. Ebiquity predicts a significant rebound in 2024, forecasting a 20% to 30% increase in media pitches compared to 2023. Publicis Media Group and Zenith Media emerged as the top winners, securing new business net values of RMB 2.2 billion and RMB 1.5 billion respectively. Omnicom Media Group's Hearts & Science followed closely, achieving a new business net value of RMB 1.3 billion. Carlsberg, Junlebao, and Jaguar Land Rover topped the list of the three largest pitch with agency changes, with values reaching RMB 700 million, RMB 600 million, and RMB 600 million respectively. Looking ahead, Leela Nair Nick Waters Ilda Jamison Sanny Manduapessy Sandeep Srivastava Olga de Giovanni

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"Specifically in Singapore, where X is not actively used; we see LinkedIn taking over the role of X as the platform where opinions matter." Althea, Group CEO at Gushcloud International Not surprised by this article on MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. LinkedIn thrives in Singapore, offering a unique space for professionals (including political leaders) to connect with peers, industry leaders, and potential collaborators. It's your digital business card, and crafting a professional yet authentic profile here is crucial for establishing your presence. In the recent months alone, I've seen LinkedIn's impact firsthand: ✨ At a TiE Women event, hosted by TiE Singapore, Anna Vanessa Haotanto 陳安娜 from Zora Health shared how valuable business opportunities stemmed from LinkedIn connections. ✨ During a focus group discussion, Singapore-based women entrepreneurs instantly mentioned LinkedIn, when we asked what tool is crucial to help build their personal brand. ✨ At industry events, I now rely solely on my LinkedIn profile for connections. The LinkedIn QR code allows attendees to connect directly with me, easily access my work, recommendations, and experience. This fosters a more personal connection and has facilitated numerous meetings. Remember we're all "salespeople" here - whether it's landing a dream job, attracting clients, or building a strong personal brand, a well-crafted profile is an undisputed, “not so secret” weapon. Agree?

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There are two fundamental constraints to Retail Media Networks (RMNs): Audience Size: RMNs and retargeting are closely related because they both depend on a finite audience—namely, the visitors to a retailer's website. This naturally limits the growth potential for both strategies. Just like retargeting, where effectiveness is capped by the number of users already engaging with a brand, RMNs are constrained by the traffic to the retailer’s ecosystem. If fewer people visit the site, the available audience for RMN ads shrinks, which in turn can reduce revenue, assuming a constant return on ad spend (ROAS). While expanding to offline shoppers or using lookalike audiences can increase reach, performance may not be as strong. Performance (Incrementality): The second key issue is incrementality—or rather, the lack of it. Serving an ad through an RMN doesn’t necessarily result in a new, incremental sale. Many of these ads reach shoppers who likely would have purchased the product anyway. This mirrors the problem with retargeting: when ads primarily reach people who are already inclined to buy, the impact of the ad spend diminishes. Advertisers are becoming more aware that increasing their RMN budget doesn’t always translate into a corresponding rise in sales. In the early days of RMNs, or even before they were called RMNs I had the honor of working with HookLogic, Inc. (Acquired by Criteo in 2016) advertisers were eager to spend more because ROAS was so high. But when budgets weren’t fully spent, the solution became offsite retargeting. Any change from an measurement standpoint on the advertiser side can cause a step up or down in spend. My general go to with any marketing technique is watch the 90s PSA video about cocaine and make sure you aren't in this doom loop. https://lnkd.in/e-mDQiVs #RetailMedia #DigitalAdvertising #MarketingStrategy

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Singaporeans are tuning into the Olympics through different channels based on generations - Broadcast TV is popular for older generations in Singapore - While Singaporean Gen Z tuned in through social media updates How can brands benefit from this insights? - Broadcast TV for Older Generations: Target older audiences with traditional TV ads or sponsorships during Olympic broadcasts. - Social Media for Gen Z: Engage Gen Z with interactive, shareable content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. - Platform-Specific Content: Create longer narratives for TV and quick, visually engaging content for social media. - Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers popular among Gen Z to create relatable, Olympic-themed content. - Timing and Frequency: Schedule TV ads during key events and maintain continuous social media updates throughout the Olympics. - Cross-Generational Campaigns: Design campaigns that appeal to both older and younger audiences, fostering family engagement. - Localization: Highlight local athletes and Olympic stories to resonate with all generations in Singapore. Have you strategized your campaigns during the Olympics? Repost with your thoughts if you find this cool! #JustAJ

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It pays to focus on gaining attention through creativity rather than purely on the R&F / SOV matrix. This result shows that you can spend less but gain more in a tight budget environment. Beyond Singapore, we see positive results across all countries through localisation with this attention-grabbing activation. I encourage all Marketers to focus on attention marketing so we can all get inspired to do better. Lazada Campaign Asia-Pacific

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❓ Trump 2.0 - What Does It Mean To The World & You ❓ Had the privilege of attending the panel event "The U.S. Election: What’s Next?" organised by The Wall Street Journal. We dove deep into post-election insights just days after the polls closed. The session featured journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The Times & Sunday Times, and The Australian, offering sharp analysis of how the election outcome impacts U.S. and U.K. politics, financial markets, and global relations. Here are my takeaways (not necessarily reflective of the speakers or WSJ): 🔹 American Sentiment: With 73% of Americans feeling the U.S. is off-track, the incumbent faced a high wall to climb, hence the results were not surprising to many US watchers and the financial markets who were betting Trump. 🔹 Trade Dynamics: We’re likely to see broad tariffs from the U.S., with a particularly hard line on China and flagged violators like Vietnam. 🔹 Security Costs: Allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, South Korea, and Australia, may soon be asked to shoulder more defence expenses. 🔹 China+1 Strategy: China could face unimaginably high tariffs of up to 60% and the US may need to adopt this to find alternatives to find cheap manufacturing bases but it will not be easy as the China juggernaut is very hard to replace for many products. 🔹 Ukraine’s Future: With potential reductions in U.S. support, Zelenskyy may find himself being forced to the negotiating table with Putin with a far less favourable position. 🔹 Global Polarisation: Nations may increasingly feel pressure to align with either the U.S. or China, with China possibly gaining an advantage through soft power. 🔹 Legislative Push: Unlike the first Trump term, which only saw a dozen signed bills, there are already around 300 proposed bills for Trump’s next term. Trump tends to see things in black and white instead of appreciating the delicate undertones and complexities and is likely to force through heavy-handed policies. Furthermore, with control of the White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court - he is expected to get his way practically unchallenged. 🔹 Civil Divides: We could witness intensified domestic conflicts as U.S. society clashes over rights issues like deportation and abortion, possibly even prompting “self-deportation” among unregistered immigrants. It was a compelling session that underscored the challenges and complexities in today’s geopolitical landscape under the impending Trump 2.0 administration. To be honest, I had thought Kamala Harris would win because I followed some pollsters who had had a 100% prediction run (who are also now licking their wounds and healing their professional pride). 😀😀😀😀😀 Who did you think would win? What do you think will happen in Trump Rebooted? Comment Below and share your thoughts! 😀😀😀😀😀 #USElection2024 #USPolicy #SecurityAndTrade #GlobalTrends #Geopolitics #WallStreetJournal

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📣 THIS JUST IN!! Check out our latest guide: The Power of Media Quality: How APAC Marketers Can Leverage Media Quality for Better Advertising ROI. The APAC media landscape is undeniably distinct, requiring marketers to have tailored insights. Our guide offers essential knowledge on media quality and performance solutions to help you maximize ROI across digital campaigns in APAC. Download a copy here: https://buff.ly/3AKtWeJ #digitaladvertising #verification

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Doing what we do best 💪 We Are Social's tenth annual Think Forward report has officially landed! The 2025 edition is all about The Liveable Web AKA pushing back against the "always-on" culture and demanding authenticity, meaningful connections, and a renewed focus on joy. We're diving deep into how people are reshaping the digital landscape and seeking a more balanced online experience. Here's a glimpse of what you'll find inside: 1. Primal Renaissance: A return to rawness and authenticity in online self-expression. 2. Low-stakes Social: The rise of wholesome content and a desire for relaxed online spaces. 3. Intentional Consumerism: A shift towards mindful consumption and sustainable spending habits. 4. Modern Mythmaking: The rise of interactive entertainment and audience participation. 5. New Intimacies: The craving for genuine connection and a sense of belonging in the digital world. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/dmjKqzV3 Sign up to the Zoom webinar on 5 December at 5pm SGT here: https://lnkd.in/dV4h-ndp #ThinkForward2025 #TheLiveableWeb #TrendReport #WeAreSocial

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📢 Exciting news! I'm thrilled to be a speaker at the upcoming Ahrefs event. Join me as I discuss how to supercharge your digital marketing efforts by combining the power of SEM and SEO. Looking forward to seeing you there and exploring how we can drive impactful results together! 🚀 #SEO #SEM #DigitalMarketing #Ahrefs #MarketingStrategy #MarketingInsights

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#ShaBMind #CommercialLeadership #VictoryOverDarkness This Deepavali, I’ve been reflecting on the festival’s rich symbolism - a victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Real growth often begins when we’re brave enough to illuminate our own lives, acknowledging and working through the dark spots we might otherwise avoid. In my journey, I’ve learned that personal development isn’t about striving for perfection or “fixing” parts of ourselves. It’s about nurturing a willingness to grow and a commitment to face those difficult truths with openness. Like the Diya lamps being lit to guide, there’s power in focusing on small, steady steps - especially when things feel uncertain. One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. always comes to mind… “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” It’s a powerful reminder that we need to lead ourselves with compassion. Instead of avoiding our flaws, we’re better off shining light on them and, from that place of acceptance, working toward meaningful progress. Personal development is a journey without shortcuts. Sometimes, we need to confront our insecurities or mistakes, not to stay stuck in them but to pave the way forward with renewed purpose. Just as Deepavali is about welcoming new light, our journey is about creating space for continuous learning, resilience, and growth. Here’s wishing my Hindu connections a Happy Deepavali and the rest a rested mid week break. #DailyAnecdote #ShaBGreets #PersonalDevelopment #DeepavaliInspiration #InnerLight #GrowthJourney #LearningToGrow

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Do you know who this is? 😏 First item on the agenda upon arriving in Singapore: Attending the book launch of KP Ho - CEO & co-founder of Banyan Group. Whose journey has been so fascinating, I ended up with 4 full pages of notes! Especially when he touched on themes that are often covered on the So This Is My Why Podcast), e.g. 🍿 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐊𝐏? Not wasting time & sleepwalking through life. 🍿 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 (but easier than before) Before, Asians weren't thinking about building brands. They were just assembling and manufacturing items for other people. It's different today. When Banyan Tree was being built, 85% were foreigners. So they leaned into that. Pushing the idea of visiting an 'exotic' location & being genuinely Asian without feeling like they were selling their soul. The rest was just very hard slogging. Ultimately if you don't get your own brand into the market, you won't survive in the long run 🍿 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬: 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 Given Singapore's wealth and success, its people can be lulled into a state of complacency, hubris and entitlement. Mediocrity can arise precisely because Singaporeans think that they are exceptional & don't need to do anything about it. 🍿 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏 KP's purpose is asking why. And not sleepwalking through life!! You don't want to walk up every day and live a life floating on a river, letting things go by. 🍿 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞: 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 One of KP's biggest strength is his curiosity. When he visits hawker stalls, he'll spend half an hour visiting every store, talking to every stall owner and comparing every food item on the menu. That same curiosity and passion is what brought him to today. 🍿 𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭: 𝐊𝐏 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝! 🤣 * Thank you Hong Koon Chua World Scientific Publishing for the invite!

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Creative roadblocks are so common in the creative industry, so we thought we'd have a panel discussing it. How do we navigate roadblocks? How do we balance doing our art with business realities? Let's talk! Dawn Koh Grace Ciao Lynn Teo Hazel Lim Adeline Kueh Ektory

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