Lazada Group wraps up regional media pitch

Lazada Group has appointed UM to manage regional media duties for Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, encompassing strategy, planning, buying, research, and data and analytics. The news follows a pitch which started in March this year and was held virtually across multiple markets.

According to UM, it was praised for its professionalism, competitiveness and its ability to transform media excellence into real business results. Duties for Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines will begin effective immediately, while Thailand's will begin in January 2021.

Last year, Lazada named Dentsu Aegis Network’s Vizeum its lead media agency after a regional pitch was launched by the eCommerce player in February 2019. The duties previously cut across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. IPG Mediabrands and Dentsu Aegis Network declined to comment on Marketing's queries.

Kasper Aakerlund, president UM APAC, said Lazada Group is an exciting company that continue to push boundaries in how they empower brands to connect with consumers. “It is a premier retail destination that has redefined the retail experience through world-class technology, and we could not be more thrilled to partner with them on a strategically unified marketing approach that moves beyond conventional media placement," he added.

Also weighing in on the win was CEO of UM Malaysia Amit Sutha, who said with the shift to shoppable media and the rise of live streaming in the wake of COVID-19, this is a fascinating time in the eCommerce space.

"The acceleration of growth in the sector presents huge opportunities for media strategy as it allows us to leverage our expertise across data, analytics and storytelling to drive new age end-to-end experiences within e-commerce. We foresee an exciting journey ahead with Lazada poised as a major player amongst the top online marketplaces," he added.

The latest win by UM comes after Energizer Holdings expanded its remit with the agency across seven Asia Pacific markets as part of a global pitch which concluded in May this year. The agency also expanded its Asia Pacific remit for platforms including foodpanda, Netflix, and Spotify.

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