Tag: Alibaba Group

  • UC Ads under Alibaba Group initiates a revolution of content marketing

    UC Ads under Alibaba Group initiates a revolution of content marketing

    New Delhi, September 27, 2018: On September 28, Morden Chen, General Manager of Alibaba UC Ads, will reveal their short video ads platform at The MMA Forum being held at Taj Santa Cruz in Mumbai. This is an initiative by Alibaba UC Ads to start the revolution of short video ads in India and strive to become the largest one-stop content marketing platform. It is reported that UC Ads has maintained long-term co-operations with Amazon, Flipkart, PayTM Mall, Tokopedia, Lazada and other top e-commerce platforms in India and Indonesia. Other important partners include mobile phone brands, operators and FMCG brands, etc.
    UC Ads will launch a revolution of short video ads in the Indian market.
    "We've noticed that people in India were used to watching TV together with their families while more and more young people prefer to be with their phones and browse what they like, no longer confined to TV programs," Morden said. “With the popularity of mobile devices and declining mobile internet service charges, people are more accustomed to diverse contents on their mobile phones and reading is becoming fragmented. Short video features short time and can be viewed on the move, which is getting more and more popular. Many short video platforms have emerged against this backdrop, with information consumption upgrading from pure image-text to image-text + video.”
    He continued, “People's attention span is reducing. According to a survey by Microsoft in 2015, after a habit of using mobile devices is developed, people's attention span dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds which is shorter than that of a goldfish. This calls for the digital content on mobile devices to be more refined with more selling points.”
    For brands, the short video ads not only cater to the consumers’ new habit of favoring fragmented contents on the mobile phone over long videos but also coincide with the memory pattern of users in the mobile phone era. The short video ads are well received by mature markets, however, their potentials have been underestimated by brand marketers in India where mobile device ownership has skyrocketed. Tomorrow at the MMA Forum, Morden Chen will introduce the practices of marketers in mature markets. They replace the strategy of brand videos with mobile first strategies and determine the presentation of video ads based on the demand of mobile clients to make ads more suitable for the application scenarios of mobile devices. UC Ads offers a variety of short video ads solutions, including the pioneering splash video, in-feeds video and in-article video and has facilitated brand marketers to implement the mobile first strategy for short video marketing, rendering more opportunities to effectively reach users.

    The first one-stop content marketing platform
    With hard-sell advertising flooding the marketplace, brands need new ways to reach consumers. A brand with a good reputation is more likely to be chosen by consumers, overshadowing its counterparts. The value of internet celebrity marketing has been verified as internet celebrities have stable followers and are able to generate much more data consumption. The products promoted under the celebrity halo are easily accepted by followers and quickly converted into orders. Internet celebrities can spark discussions in the community, creating a ripple effect of getting the consumers’ attention to a brand.
    However, existing platforms providing buzz marketing solutions with limited resources either focus on content creation of We-Media or targeted content releases. Advertisers need to reach We-Media on platform A to complete content creation, and then search for the appropriate media depending on the attributes of TA and media to issue ads. The problem is that content and platform do not match during the process.
    By directly connecting We-Media resources with technology platform of UC, UC Ads establishes a smart integrated content marketing lab providing one-stop buzz marketing solutions. In India and Indonesia, UC Influencer Pool is home to more than 100,000 We-Media from a dozen fields such as fashion, 3C, automobile and sports, etc., capable of creating buzz contents for brands. Through operating its information flow, UC understands the users’ interest so that the brand content matches with the most relevant users according to their interests on UC platform and push the relevant buzz created by the internet celebrities. UC has completed the whole process from organizing We-Media to content creation, crowd matching and targeted content releases, avoiding the resource mismatch of each link.
    The competition for users in the Indian market gradually expands from the first-tier cities to the second, third and fourth tier cities and rural areas. All applications and brands are trying to attract the increasing number of emerging class in these places as the newly-arisen users start to have the internet access. UC Ads resources are from UC browser, UC News and 9Apps with the information flow of browser reaching 130 million monthly active users in first-tier to second, third and fourth tier cities in India. This is conducive to the country’s consumption upgrading.

  • Alibaba starts Olympic run with a multi-billion $ sponsorship deal

    Alibaba starts Olympic run with a multi-billion $ sponsorship deal

    NEW DELHI: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group yesterday started its Olympic run by signing a multi-billion dollar multi-year deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become the official `Cloud Services’ and `E-commerce Platform Services’ partner, as well as a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel, according to an announcement by both the organisations.

    The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsorship deal running through 2028 and announced at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which according to some media reports further burnished Chinese credentials in the global economy, has Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) joining 12 other companies, including Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, as top Olympic sponsors.

    Though no financial details were disclosed, a Reuters report from Davos separately stated IOC sources had previously told the news agency that major sponsors pay about $100 million per four-year cycle, which includes one summer and one winter games.

    According to a statement put out by IOC on its website, the partnership was announced at Davos in the presence of IOC president Thomas Bach, Alibaba Group founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Alibaba Group Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang.

    Commenting on the partnership, Bach said: “In this new digital world, Alibaba is uniquely positioned to help the IOC achieve a variety of key objectives outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, while positively shaping the future of the Olympic Movement. This is a ground-breaking, innovative alliance and will help drive efficiencies in the organisation of the Olympic Games through 2028, whilst also supporting the global development of digital opportunities, including the Olympic Channel.”

    Through this partnership, Alibaba’s contributions to the Olympic Movement will include the following:

    — Best-in-class cloud computing infrastructure and cloud services to help the Olympic Games operate more efficiently, effectively and securely, including supporting big data analytics requirements

    — Creation of a global e-commerce platform for Olympic stakeholders to engage and connect with fans seeking official Olympic licensed products manufactured by the Olympic parties’ official licensees and selected sports products, on a worldwide basis
    — Leveraging Alibaba’s leading digital media technologies and know-how to develop and customise the Olympic Channel for a Chinese audience.

    “Alibaba’s partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people’s lives,” said Jack Ma, adding, “We are proud to support Olympic Agenda 2020, using our innovations and technologies to help evolve the Olympic Games for the digital era.” Alibaba’s Zhang described the partnership as a “game-changing digital transformation”, which will help the company in moving “another step closer” toward its goal to “serve two billion consumers” and strengthen the company’s brand by connecting more “young people to the Olympic Movement”.

    IOC’s Marketing Commission head Tsunekazu Takeda said: “We are delighted to be working in the long term with Alibaba for the benefit of the Olympic Movement. This strategic partnership underlines the global appeal of the Olympic values and opens an exciting new chapter in this digital age.”

    Alibaba is the first company to make a long-term commitment to the IOC through 2028 and the first Chinese company to commit to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The company will support the organisers of each edition of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement around the world, according to the official statement. These rights will include advertising and promotional use of Olympic marks and imagery from the Olympic Games as well as marks from the National Olympic Committees.

    Alibaba’s global activation rights will include the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games in 2024, 2026 and 2028 in cities yet to be selected by the IOC.

  • Alibaba starts Olympic run with a multi-billion $ sponsorship deal

    Alibaba starts Olympic run with a multi-billion $ sponsorship deal

    NEW DELHI: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group yesterday started its Olympic run by signing a multi-billion dollar multi-year deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become the official `Cloud Services’ and `E-commerce Platform Services’ partner, as well as a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel, according to an announcement by both the organisations.

    The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsorship deal running through 2028 and announced at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which according to some media reports further burnished Chinese credentials in the global economy, has Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) joining 12 other companies, including Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, as top Olympic sponsors.

    Though no financial details were disclosed, a Reuters report from Davos separately stated IOC sources had previously told the news agency that major sponsors pay about $100 million per four-year cycle, which includes one summer and one winter games.

    According to a statement put out by IOC on its website, the partnership was announced at Davos in the presence of IOC president Thomas Bach, Alibaba Group founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Alibaba Group Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang.

    Commenting on the partnership, Bach said: “In this new digital world, Alibaba is uniquely positioned to help the IOC achieve a variety of key objectives outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, while positively shaping the future of the Olympic Movement. This is a ground-breaking, innovative alliance and will help drive efficiencies in the organisation of the Olympic Games through 2028, whilst also supporting the global development of digital opportunities, including the Olympic Channel.”

    Through this partnership, Alibaba’s contributions to the Olympic Movement will include the following:

    — Best-in-class cloud computing infrastructure and cloud services to help the Olympic Games operate more efficiently, effectively and securely, including supporting big data analytics requirements

    — Creation of a global e-commerce platform for Olympic stakeholders to engage and connect with fans seeking official Olympic licensed products manufactured by the Olympic parties’ official licensees and selected sports products, on a worldwide basis
    — Leveraging Alibaba’s leading digital media technologies and know-how to develop and customise the Olympic Channel for a Chinese audience.

    “Alibaba’s partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people’s lives,” said Jack Ma, adding, “We are proud to support Olympic Agenda 2020, using our innovations and technologies to help evolve the Olympic Games for the digital era.” Alibaba’s Zhang described the partnership as a “game-changing digital transformation”, which will help the company in moving “another step closer” toward its goal to “serve two billion consumers” and strengthen the company’s brand by connecting more “young people to the Olympic Movement”.

    IOC’s Marketing Commission head Tsunekazu Takeda said: “We are delighted to be working in the long term with Alibaba for the benefit of the Olympic Movement. This strategic partnership underlines the global appeal of the Olympic values and opens an exciting new chapter in this digital age.”

    Alibaba is the first company to make a long-term commitment to the IOC through 2028 and the first Chinese company to commit to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The company will support the organisers of each edition of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement around the world, according to the official statement. These rights will include advertising and promotional use of Olympic marks and imagery from the Olympic Games as well as marks from the National Olympic Committees.

    Alibaba’s global activation rights will include the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games in 2024, 2026 and 2028 in cities yet to be selected by the IOC.

  • Alibaba Group to invest $193.6 million in SMG’s China Business News

    Alibaba Group to invest $193.6 million in SMG’s China Business News

    MUMBAI: Alibaba Group has signed a strategic agreement with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) to leverage both companies’ Internet technology and media resources in order to penetrate China’s financial information services industry.

     

    As part of the strategic agreement, Alibaba Group will invest $193.6 million (RMB1.2 billion) into China Business News (CBN), a Chinese financial media company under SMG, to create a financial data and information services company that will help Chinese small and medium enterprises tap a rich mine of financial data.

     

    By utilizing Alibaba Group’s big data and cloud computing capabilities, both companies will jointly develop a comprehensive financial data and information platform that will provide users with timely financial news and information in order to enhance their investment and financial decision-making capabilities.

     

    The aim of this platform is to raise the bar on enterprise efficiency in China by leveling the information playing field. By giving a greater number of Chinese enterprises access to precious financial data that can be easily mined and analyzed for actionable investment and business decisions, this platform is expected to help these enterprises scale and expand their businesses.

     

    Currently, Alipay and CBN are collaborating to provide users with stock quote information and CBN’s wealth management information product will also soon launch on Mobile Taobao. Alipay is part of Ant Financial Services Group, a related party of Alibaba Group. Alibaba Group and SMG will also work toward enhancing digital and traditional media convergence in the industry through the launch of innovative new media products for the market.

     

    “The era of Data Technology is here and it will surpass the Information Technology era. The DT era is about transparency, sharing of information and enabling others. Alibaba is excited about the possibilities of the DT era and how it can bring value to society,” said Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma.

     

    This strategic agreement with SMG is expected to help Alibaba Group develop DT-era products and services to enrich the lives of Chinese users, be it in academia, business or media sectors.

     

    Through this tie-up, CBN is well-poised to expand its financial media information services and continue to innovate in China’s traditional financial media industry. CBN is China’s leading financial media group with a variety of media assets, such as television, radio, newspaper, magazine and news agencies.

  • Alibaba’s Tmall.com partners Disney to distribute movie merchandise

    Alibaba’s Tmall.com partners Disney to distribute movie merchandise

    MUMBAI: China’s third-party B2C platform for brands and retailers Tmall.com, which is a part of the Alibaba Group, has teamed up with The Walt Disney Company as the first exclusive distributor of their Marvel Studio’s 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise.

     

    This is the first time Alibaba Group has opened up its resources in connecting brands and filmmakers to establish a convenient model in developing a movie-related merchandise market made available online for movie fans.

     

    By leveraging Alibaba Group’s strong foundation of merchants and user base, Tmall.com partners with Taobao ticketing platform to collaborate with more than 40 premium brands including Audi, Lego, Ecovacs, Hasbro, Li Ning, etc., to bring a selection of genuine Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise to Chinese consumers as the movie opens yesterday in cinemas across China. These superhero themed merchandise are available on Disney’s flagship store on Tmall.com.

     

    “We are pleased to be working with Disney and brands on Tmall to bring genuine movie merchandise to our online consumers. This marks another effort into further enhancing the collaboration between the participants within our platforms and to also fully utilize the resources we have across Alibaba,” said Tmall.com director of co-marketing Sherry Lang.

     

    For the first time, Alibaba Group worked with Taobao ticketing platform and Tmall.com to establish a convenient connection between filmmakers and authorized intellectual property merchants on the website.

     

    Avengers: Age of Ultron sequel topped US box office for the second weekend in a row with an estimated $77.2 million according to Rentrak as of 10 May, 2015. The movie opened in theatres in China yesterday.

     

    Merchandise ranging from superhero themed t-shirts, gold pendants, cleaning robots, and special designed cars are available on Tmall.com.