SINGAPORE — Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency, which is part of GroupM, today announced that it has been awarded integrated media agency of record duties for classifieds marketplace Carousell.
Launched in August 2012, Carousell began in Singapore, and is now one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing classifieds marketplaces in eight markets across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Carousell is backed by leading investors including Telenor Group, Rakuten Ventures, Naver, and Sequoia Capital India. The Carousell marketplace has a diverse range of products across a variety of categories, including automobiles, property, home services, electronics, and fashion accessories.
Led out of Essence’s Singapore office, the agency’s scope of work for Carousell includes brand and performance marketing in Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Essence’s offering covers media services such as media planning, media activation, automation, and media technology, alongside its specialist capabilities such as consulting, analytics, data strategy, eCommerce, experience, strategy, and advertising operations.
As part of the partnership, Essence’s first activities with Carousell include a campaign to build brand awareness among its target consumers in Hong Kong, a campaign to establish the brand’s versatility across products and service categories in Singapore and the Philippines, as well as conducting the agency’s Essence Media Health Check consulting service with Carousell’s team on its performance marketing campaigns.
“As one of the world’s leading classifieds platforms, we are so excited to have found such great partners in Essence, who enable us to establish meaningful ways to connect with our users at scale, no matter which part of the funnel they are at,” said Cassandra Leong, Director for Brand at Carousell.
“Carousell is an inspiring brand that believes in using technology to solve meaningful problems at scale, and always improving in crafting the most seamless user experience for people to sell what they do not need and find what they need. Likewise, through Essence’s data-driven approach to media, consulting, commerce, and content enhanced by technology and a commitment to constant improvement, we are excited to help Carousell deliver the most valuable experiences for its consumers, as well as accelerate marketing transformation and business growth for the brand in this region,” said Monica Bhatia, Senior Vice President, Client Partner, APAC and Managing Director, Singapore at Essence.
Carousell is the latest brand to join Essence’s growing portfolio of clients in Singapore, which includes Airbnb, the Financial Times, Google, NBCUniversal, and Scoot. Since Essence’s entry into APAC with its Singapore office in 2013, the agency has rapidly expanded to 11 offices across seven countries in the region.
About Essence
Essence, part of GroupM, is a global data and measurement-driven media agency whose mission is to make brands more valuable to the world. Clients include Google, Flipkart, NBCUniversal, L’Oréal, and the Financial Times. The agency is more than 2,000 people strong, manages US$4.5B in annualised media spend, and deploys campaigns in 121 markets via 22 offices in APAC, EMEA, and the Americas.
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