Brandscreen Expands Further Into Asian Markets with New Vice President of Product

Brandscreen, an APAC-focused DSP, has appointed Ryan Pestano to the newly created role of Vice President of Product.

Based in Singapore, Pestano will report to Brandscreen CEO Julian Tol and have worldwide responsibility for product innovation and delivery.

Pestano was most recently the Director, Platform Services - APAC working on the trading desk solutions with The MIG (WPP) in Singapore. He is a dynamic digital marketing and technology executive with a decade of progressive experience in digital media, including five years at Microsoft Advertising in the US.

Julian Tol, Brandscreen CEO, comments: “Appointing Ryan is a coup for Brandscreen and he will be pivotal to our expansion across Asia. Brandscreen is in a major growth phase with 35 staff and growing almost daily, with new offices opening imminently.”

Founded in Sydney by Tol and Seth Yates in 2006, Brandscreen has pioneered the introduction of DSPs globally, and has already established market leadership in South East Asia, India, Japan, China and Korea. Brandscreen has been selected by the majority of the world’s seven largest media agency holding companies as their platform of choice for the Asia-Pacific region.

VivaKi Nerve Center Launches AOD in Australia

The VivaKi Nerve Center announced this week that its addressable media buying practice, Audience On Demand™ (AOD), has launched a world-first in Australia - the ability to buy a multi-platform, multi-device campaign across mobile, video, display and tablet channels in real time.

AOD is a media buying practice that utilises proprietary technology and data sources to identify precisely defined audiences allowing marketers to connect directly with their target consumers. Launched globally in 2008, it began operation in the Australian marketplace in 2010. Most recently, AOD announced its 100 billionth impression in display, globally. The multi-channel, real-time bidding product is fully optimised and executed within a single platform.

Ros Allison, Nerve Center Australia/New Zealand Director, comments: “This is a game changer for advertisers. The multi-channel addressability means a single conversation with consumers, eliminating digital silos of mobile, display, video, premium inventory and tablet. It means totally fluid campaigns, across devices and channels, optimising in real time, and creating and scaling audiences based on proprietary data and strategies – not to mention improved ROI.”

The platform in Australia will serve as a Beta test and educational experience for the various AOD practices around the world. Among the first advertisers to utilise the offering is leading Australian publishing corporation News Limited. AOD is the only media buying solution actively partnering with Google-owned Invite Media, globally.

Kurt Unkel, Nerve Center President, adds: “The Nerve Center is a collection of world-class talent and expertise around the world. Together, we have the power to influence an industry and the technology it leverages. This amazing first in Australia points to a success that we can hopefully extend to our other Nerve Center operations around the world, ultimately achieving crossplatform buying operations on a global level.”

Mobile Ad Market grows 121% in Vietnam

A network data and media consumption survey in Vietnam, conducted by leading mobile ad network InMobi, has shown that the mobile ad market has grown 121% in Q4 2011 over the same period in 2010. The ad network served over 6 billion ad impressions in Vietnam in Q4 2011 as opposed to 2.75 billion impressions in Q4 2010.

Phalgun Raju, Regional Director and GM InMobi for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, comments: “Mobile’s role in the consumer purchase cycle continues to grow. Our survey found that three-quarters of mobile web users in Vietnam have been influenced by mobile advertising when making purchases. In addition, we also found that 77 per cent of consumers expect to conduct mobile commerce in the next 12 months – a 36 per cent increase from where we are today. We at InMobi are dedicated to help local and global businesses in Vietnam leverage this media for effective consumer engagement.”

Interestingly, more Vietnamese use feature phones rather than smartphones. The study shows that the market is still largely driven by advanced phone impressions at 5.6 billion, as opposed to smartphone impressions at only 0.4 billion.

However, despite the prevalence of lower-tech phones in the region, nearly three-quarters of local mobile web users say the mobile device is their preferred method of going online, reporting they feel it gives them more privacy and is easier to use.

Vietnamese use their mobile phones largely for entertainment and social networking. As the study reports, “Mobile web users spend 23 per cent of their time on mobile devices on music or videos, 19 per cent on social media, 16 per cent on gaming, 15 per cent on email, 14 per cent on search for general information (news, sports, finance, etc.), 7 per cent on local search, and 6 per cent on shopping.”

Mobile advertising is already an accepted part of the mobile user experience in the country. According to Raju, mobile advertising impacts consumer behaviour throughout the purchase path: “Thirty-five per cent of the population have been introduced to something new via mobile advertising, 39 per cent have gotten better options, 22 per cent have found something relevant nearby while 14 per cent reconsidered a product based on a mobile ad.”

In terms of devices, Nokia is still the leading phone in the market. It still dominates with a 59.2 per cent market share, while Samsung is a distant second with a 20.5 per cent market share, followed by LG with 5.9 per cent market share. While Apple devices might be hot in other markets in the APAC region, in Vietnam Apple devices are in the sixth place 1.8 per cent market share.

Publicis Groupe Acquires Indigo Consulting, Award-winning Indian Digital Marketing & Technology Agency

Publicis Groupe announced last week its acquisition of Indigo Consulting, an award-winning full-service Indian agency providing website design and development, search engine optimization, usability research and testing, and marketing online, on mobiles and in social media.

Since it was founded in 2000, Indigo Consulting has developed websites, software solutions and digital marketing programs for clients around the world, including Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, HSBC (India, Asia-Pacific and Middle East), Loop Mobile, Tata AIG Insurance and South Australia Tourism.

The agency currently employs a team of 160 at its Mumbai headquarters and Delhi office. Their work has been recognized with Webby awards, W3 awards and Abbys.

Indigo Consulting will operate as a unit within the Leo Burnett Group in India and will retain its name. Its founder, Vikas Tandon, will remain as Managing Director, reporting into Arvind Sharma, Chairman of the Indian Subcontinent for Leo Burnett.

Tom Bernardin, Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide, comments: "From a global point of view, the potential and opportunities that India offers are massive. Over the years we have increased our efforts into this important market. Indigo Consulting, with its strong track record as a full-service interactive and technology agency, is the perfect strategic fit for our aspirations in India and around the world.”

Vikas Tandon, Managing Director of Indigo Consulting, adds: "This alliance means we will bring our world-class digital marketing capabilities to Leo Burnett's clients, while also benefiting from additional knowledge and insight on brand and creative communication through cross-training and collaboration.”

Currently advertising and marketing online represents less than 3% of overall adspend in India, according to ZenithOptimedia, but the sector is forecasted to boom. ZenithOptimedia estimates that over the next three years, India's digital adspend will increase by roughly 30% a year, driven by the spread of smartphones and the youth culture of social networks. Publicis Groupe aims to double its size by 2015 in India, which is the world's 16th largest advertising market.

Jarek Ziebinski, President of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, sums up: "Our growth strategy for Leo Burnett in India and Asia Pacific is based on two core pillars: digital and shopper-marketing. India is a key market for us, and it's reporting explosive growth in the digital sector. We want to make sure Leo Burnett has the right infrastructure in place to meet the needs of tomorrow. I also see Indigo Consulting developing beyond India, to become an important player within our network in Asia Pacific and globally."