Carsome MY rides off with former Ogilvy account lead as marketing head

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Southeast Asia car trading platform Carsome has appointed Melanie Mei, a former group account director from Ogilvy, as its new head of marketing for Malaysia. Mei oversee the strategy, planning and execution of all Carsome brand, marketing and communications efforts for Malaysia. Derek Tan, chief brand officer, told A+M that she will be a strong partner to its business operations in Malaysia, charting new heights for the company.

Mei reports to Tan who said he looks forward to working together with her to translate Carsome's universal brand ethos and marketing essence into effective brand and marketing strategies. "Mei brings along her experience and knowledge which will help us continue building the Carsome brand into one that elevates and helps consumers move forward with trust and peace of mind," Tan added.

According to Tan, she embodies all that Carsome seeks at the intersection of the art and science of marketing. "Her thirst to continuously enhance and reinvent herself for what is possible now and in the future is the core quality that will define our brand and marketing efforts," he said.

Mei has at least a decade of experience under her belt during her time at Oglivy last helming the role of group account director. According to her LinkedIn, she took on this role in 2015. Before that, she was account director at the agency for more than three years, during which she worked on brands from industries including FMCG, beauty, consumer healthcare, banking, telco, retail and finance and banking.

Mei has also worked and managed household brands such as Dove Hair, Huggies and Kotex, among others, and had regional experience managing GlaxoSmithKline. Before joining Ogilvy, she was with Draftfcb for at least two years as a senior account manager. Mei said in her LinkedIn profile that she is a brand builder, problem solver, as well as a strong believer of culture and courage. "I’m a true believer in creative effectiveness, and I have built strategies and led marketing campaigns that were proven successful and generated growth," she added.

In today’s digital-first environment, combined with the advancement of tech and data, the rules have changed for marketing. Customers are expecting an experience that is seamless and convenient, yet waiting to be pleasantly surprised - this is exactly what Carsome is currently doing, and has the potential to go even further. As a brand, we are constantly innovating and thinking of new ways to engage with customers emotionally and functionally.

Over the past few months, Carsome has seen some leadership changes. It recently appointed Vishnu Nambiar as chief technology officer and in May, it brought on board Piyush Palkar, former head of data at iflix and subsequently WeTV iflix, as chief data officer. Meanwhile earlier this year, Tan joined as chief brand officer to boost the growth of Carsome’s brand, marketing and communications. That same month, CMO Danny Chin took on the new role of chief expansion officer, reporting to group CEO and co-founder Eric Cheng.

Overall, Carsome has been making waves in the automotive industry. In July, it acquired 19.9% of iCar Asia from Catcha Group. Carsome and Catcha Group have also made a joint proposal to iCar Asia's independent directors to acquire the balance of 80.1% of iCar from its shareholders. The transaction makes Carsome Malaysia's first tech unicorn as it is estimated to be worth more than US$200 million. Cheng will continue to lead the Carsome Group as CEO.

The company is eyeing a revenue of US$1 billion in 2021 and around 100,000 cars transacted annually. In July, the company also acquired an equity stake in Indonesia's Universal Collection, an offline car and motorcycle auction service based in Jakarta. This represents Carsome's first investment in Southeast Asia this year. Last December, it also received US$30 million in series D funding to grow its ambitions in the region.

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