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Meiji Singapore Appoints KRDS as Digital AOR

Meiji Singapore has appointed KRDS Singapore as their Digital AOR, to revamp its website and to create fresh new stories on its social pages (Facebook, Instagram andTwitter).

We started posting content from April this year, and just released their new website last week, accessible here.

The homepage has been revamped to automatically change 5 times a day depending on the time of day. If a user connects to the website in the morning, the content would display breakfast-related ‘Meiji Food Moments’.

The website was crafted to be fun, immersive and contains sections where, amongst other things, users can ‘Zhng’ the Hello Panda or create their own “Choco Mix” songs.

The focus on Social Media for Meiji is to create interactive posts that convey the colourful persona of the brand. The page regularly posts trendy and original content in the form of videos or gifs on relevant topics throughout the week. The posts have received a positive response from users on the page.

Oh Kah Lock, Sales & Marketing Director at Meiji Seika Singapore said:

“We are quite excited to work with KRDS Singapore as we believe their digital expertise can help us share our story more effectively and open the doors to building a much more personal relationship with our customers in Singapore.”

The win was covered in Marketing Interactive and Mumbrella.

The Evolution of Chat Bots and the Future

As the world moves into the era of conversational user interfaces, chat bots have taken the world by a storm. However, if you have been around for a long time you would remember one of the oldest bots on AIM messenger, the Smarter Child. Over time with the advancement of technology the complexity and usefulness of chat bots have greatly improved with newer bots that cater to specific needs. The evolution is so immense that it has given rise to bots showcasing their own unique personalities. Take the instance of bots like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, bots can now perform a large number of tasks and replicate an almost human like interaction across the board.

With Facebook announcing Messenger bots at the F8 conference, companies all around the globe have been rushing to create their own versions that fulfill a certain criteria of interaction. From booking flights to restaurant reservations, bots are capable of providing a seamless interaction keeping the user hooked to its conversations and provides businesses the opportunity to interact with their users in a revolutionary manner.

For many businesses, the chat bot can provide a consistent tone of voice and serve as a “friend” to rely on for various suggestions and queries. The bot can be imagined as being the front desk executive’s online solving problems one chat at a time.

With the technology surrounding bots improving each day, the future seems promising for chat bots. However, it is important to note that a chat bot cannot be a complete replacement for human interaction unless the bots are developed to understand the nuances of human behavior including quirks like spelling errors or sarcasm. Until then, developers may draw a line where the bot conversation ends and human interaction takes over to seal the deal.

For more insights on Chat #Bots and Digital Marketing, get in touch with us at [email protected]

5 Things to Consider Before Your Business Develops a Chat #Bot

As we roll into the era of conversational user interfaces, bots have taken the world by the storm.  There is no doubt that the use of bots will help the brand establish a quicker and ready solution for users that are having a conversation with the bot.

The messages transmitted are uniform across the board which helps eliminate the human-bias that a user may have regarding the company.

However, as businesses across the globe are considering whether they should invest in creating a bot, here are 5 things to consider before your business makes its decision.

  1. Set a Clear Strategy:

It is important for your business to set a clear expectation of what the bot is set to provide. Are you facing issues with the amount of queries coming your way? The organization must have a clear idea of the role of the bot in this interaction so it can add considerable value to the process. A good example is using a bot to make quick hotel reservations for a local restaurant.

  1. Analyze the Interaction

Some businesses may not be open to chat bots as yet. Understand which process of your business absolutely needs human intelligence and intervention. A chat bot is not a replacement to a human interaction but just a means to add a digital spin to the process to make it more efficient.

  1. Connect with Chat Bot Marketers

Once you have made the decision to create a bot, it is important to do it right. You do not want your bot to crash unexpectedly in the midst of an important interaction. Many marketing organizations can guide you through the process of creating a bot and the costs associated with it. You can do a run down of the opportunity cost of this decision and whether it can add value to the current processes.

  1. Plan the Voice of your Bot

Think of the bot as the person who is a spokesperson of your organization. Your bot must adopt the same personality traits as your organization and give the users an idea and history about your brand and what it stands for. A bot need not behave like a robot but a means for the business to tell their brand stories through it in a seamless interaction.

  1. Listen to your Customers

Feedback is one of the most important things to consider before you make the decision to develop your Bot. Understand from your customers as to what part of their interaction with the business poses a challenge. This can help you plan the role of the bot in solving these concerns for customers.

Get in touch with us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Campaign Feature: ‘Map My Personality’ for EVA Air

Since every traveller has a unique personality, at KRDS, we created a digital experience connecting EVA Air to its customers in an effective way by creating interactive personality map with tests and daily questions.

‘Map My Personality’ campaign (allaboutme.evaair.com) encourages travellers to answer questions based on their travel preferences. The users are then redirected to custom EVA Air videos based on their personality test results. The videos provide users an insight into the in-flight services at EVA Air along with travel classes and destination routes.

10 Cool Things About the Meiji Singapore Website

Everyone needs some colour and fun in their lives and what better way of celebrating that fun, than by consuming some Panda-rific treats in the process! Meiji is known for its vibrant and colourful persona and the folks at their digital agency KRDS Singapore have helped create a perfect fun mix on the Meiji website.

In case you missed it, here are the top 10 cool things you will find on the website:

  1. Relive your Food Moments

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The Meiji website is built to project the various food moments that one has during the day. When the user logs in during morning, the website displays breakfast food moments which change over the course of the day.

  1. Zhng the Panda

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Who doesn’t like makeovers especially when you can give one to an adorable Meiji Panda! Use your imagination to ZHNG this fabulous panda.

  1. Choco Mix Music

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If you love mixing and matching some cool beats, this section of the website is something you would enjoy. Use different instruments to create your own Choco Meiji Mix.

  1. Top Up My Cracker  

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If food innovation is your strength, the Top up my Cracker game is for you. You can choose your choice of cracker and add your own toppings to create a tasty treat on the website.

  1. Quote my Yan Yan

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If the last time you ate a Yan Yan and thought that the earth was best because its the only planet with Yan Yan, then this section of the website is your calling. Share your own quirky quote about Yan Yan to get featured on the website.

  1. The Social Board

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This section displays the complete social board of Meiji including posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so you never miss a thing.

  1. Events and Promotions

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Stay up to date with the upcoming Meiji events and promotions by checking out the Panda’s calendar and what it is up to.

  1. Colour Blast

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The entire website is full of pop colours that brighten your screen any time of the day. The website also has an array of cool effects and animations.

  1. Choco Doodles

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The website also has a fun mix of creative and interactive doodles that give it the vibrant and Pandarific feel.

  1. Error 404

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When all else and the server fails, you can always rely on the Panda to make you smile.

Visit the website for a dose of Panda-rific fun at www.meiji.com.sg and get in touch with us at [email protected] for more insights.

Meiji Singapore Appoints KRDS Singapore

Meiji Seika Singapore, a household name that provides Panda-rific treats combining taste and health, has appointed Digital Agency, KRDS Singapore to revamp its website and to create fresh new stories on its social pages (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). The agency commenced work on the website since February 2016 and started posting content from April this year.

The development comes after Meiji Singapore along with its creative agency, ADK wanted to revamp its current website to deliver a stronger brand personality on all its social channels. The focus was on interactivity and letting the vibrancy of the brand come to life. Keeping this in mind, the homepage has been revamped to automatically change 5 times a day depending on the time of day. If a user connects to the website in the morning, the content would display breakfast related ‘Meiji Food Moments’.

The website was crafted to be fun, immersive and contains sections where, amongst other things, users can Zhng the Hello Panda or create their own “Choco Mix” songs.The focus on Social Media for Meiji is to create interactive posts that convey the colourful persona of the brand. The page regularly posts trendy and original content in the form of videos or gifs on different relevant topics throughout the day. The posts have received a positive response from users on the page.

Commenting on the win, Preetham Venkky, Director at KRDS Singapore said:

”Meiji has always been a fun and playful brand. It reminds us of our days from school. We wanted to extend the fun, the playfulness and the nostalgia to their existing digital channels. The new Meiji website is interactive and a user can spend hours creating their own music sourced from the sounds created using Meiji products.

Depending on the time of day, the homepage changes, contextualising Meiji products based on how it becomes a part of our daily consumption. The content on Social Media is GIF / video centric and will definitely bring a smile. We are really excited to be working with a legacy brand and the marketing team is a delight to work with. We are sure to accomplish more in the coming year.”

Mr Oh Kah Lock, Sales & Marketing Director at Meiji Seika Singapore added:

“As we move forward into our 100th anniversary in Japan this year, our focus has always been to celebrate our loyal customers and invite more members on our Meiji journey. We are quite excited to work with KRDS Singapore as we believe their digital expertise can help us share our story more effectively and open the doors to building a much more personal relationship with our customers in Singapore.”
KRDS Singapore aims to continue providing creative solutions for Meiji Seika Singapore to effectively showcase their vibrant brand personality on social channels.

EVA Air Recommends a Travel Style Based on Your Personality

EVA Air, the leading Taiwanese International Airline has launched an innovative digital campaign, ‘Map My Personality’ along with its digital partner, KRDS Singapore. The campaign aims to provide awareness on the airline’s extensive in-flight services along with the destination routes provided by the airline. The Airline is known for its impressive connectivity across the world and the campaign generates awareness on its notable travel classes by providing specific information to users based on their personality traits and travel preferences.

As each traveler has a unique personality, EVA Air wanted to connect to its customers in an effective way by creating interactive personality mapping tests and daily quizzes.

‘Map My Personality’ encourages travellers to answer questions based on their travel preferences. Following this, the users are redirected to specific EVA Air videos based on their personality test results. The videos provide users an insight into the in-flight services at EVA Air along with the travel classes and destination routes.

Users can also invite their friends and share this campaign on their social media profiles to earn more points. At the end of the campaign, lucky winners can win exciting EVA Air promotions, gifts and free trips every fortnight to Taipei. The grand prize consists of 2 tickets to fly on the EVA Air Elite Class to North America.

Users can access the ‘Map my Personality’ test and daily quizzes at the following website: allaboutme.evaair.com

Facebook Messenger & Facebook Global Pages : Is it Still Possible to have Local Approach ?

No, we can’t block the conversation to a specific market (as much as the page is not blocked, the conversation is not blocked). Page managers can give a specific answer to users accessing the bot such as the bot is not available in the user’s area yet  depending on their locale (FB language) + timezone.

According to Facebook: “You can personalize the experience using profile information from the User Profile API. You can access a person’s first name, last name, profile pic, locale, time zone and gender.”

In order to get this information developers can make use of the API Reference.

Get in touch with us for more insights on Digital marketing at: [email protected]

ION Orchard Renews Contract with KRDS Singapore

ION Orchard, dubbed as Singapore’s “centre of gravity” in the retail scene, has renewed its contract with Social & Mobile agency, KRDS Singapore for another year. KRDS Singapore was appointed by ION Orchard to manage its digital presence in 2015.ION Orchard brings together the world’s best brands for their flagship, concept and lifestyle stores all in one place and is a one stop destination for all things Fashion, Art, Lifestyle, Beauty, Food and Technology.

The development comes after KRDS Singapore was tasked with bringing this vibrant essence of ION Orchard to life, in the digital space consisting of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and ION’s very own fashion and lifestyle blog – ION Insider. The idea was to translate ION Orchard’s position as a hub for Fashion, Art, Lifestyle, Beauty, Food and Technology on to the digital world. The content was curated keeping user experience in mind using native applications and website development to give an overall digital echo to strengthen the brand’s identity on social media.

Innovation has been the key focus while creating content for ION Orchard and over the past year, several successful campaigns like the ION Holideals and a Facebook cover photo that changes based on the weather, was developed for the brand.

More recently, a first of its kind 360° video of ION Orchard went live on the page which expressed the journey of an Ang Pow at ION Orchard during the CNY holidays. The link to the video can be found at: ION Orchard in 360.

ION Orchard, also became the first brand in Singapore to use Facebook Live to announce the Game of Thrones event in April.

ION Orchard is a pioneer of fashion and lifestyle trends and the content includes providing fans with useful tips and insights on these topics while also staying relevant to the current high fashion trends across the globe.

KRDS Singapore, aims to continue realising ION Orchard’s objective of retaining its positioning as a premium destination for one of the best retail experiences in Singapore. Preetham Venkky, Director of KRDS Singapore said, “ION Orchard has always been an innovator in the retail space. We are really excited about extending their innovativeness to digital and social channels. Fans and followers have been responding positively to our content and we are quite happy to see great engagement.”

 

Digital Marketing Strategies for a Favourable Brand Impression

A study conducted by Mondo revealed that 72 percent of marketers worldwide believe that a traditional marketing model is no longer effective due to the shift of users to the digital landscape.

Therefore, it is no surprise that that best marketing strategies always involve a plan for digital activation. Another important aspect of brands that are successful in the digital sphere is their ability to execute a strategy that ultimately attracts numerous loyal fans to the brand.

While some brands make themselves known through promotions, sales, contests and giveaways these are only one aspect of strengthening your brand’s reputation amongst your audience.

Let’s go through 3 important digital marketing strategies to create a favourable brand impression.

1. Speak to your Target Audience

While this step seems like a given, many brands often broadcast their messages to the wrong audience wasting their resources and are met with lower conversions. It is important to pinpoint the exact audience that your brand caters to like their demographics, age, gender, location and consumption pattern also including their personal likes and dislikes.

The more you understand your audience, the more relatable you become as a brand. A good example of this is to keep a tab on the pop culture references if your audience is also interested in these topics and post content on these topics that will prompt your audience to develop a liking for your brand.

 2. Personalize your Content

Creating original content is key. Your content should not only focus on speaking to your audience in a relatable manner but should also prompt the readers to think about it later. This means each piece of content must tell a personalized brand story.

 3. Growth Hacking to Measure your Results

Brands are often unsuccessful in spite of putting out the most elaborate and creative content on their social media. The reason for this is that that they do not emphasise on the greater rule of trial and error and data analysis. Each aspect including creativity in digital marketing must be measured. We at KRDS heavily rely on Growth Hacking which essentially means all your decisions including content must be driven by real data. You can understand your data better by analysing it in a deeper manner to gain actionable insights. Eg: Which posts create larger conversion rates? Which links are more successful in bringing traffic to the website? etc.

Feel free to get in touch with us at: [email protected] for more insights on Digital Marketing.