Synergising digital media, broadcast and commerce

It was bound to happen sooner than later. Marketing personalisation has taken on a new meaning with Media Prima’s RIPPLE.

By being an audience focused digital media, broadcast and commerce company.

RIPPLE is rewriting the rules of engagement for marketers whose objectives are to focus on growth marketing with an added dimension of commercial returns…

“RIPPLE’s offering of being able to deliver audience-led content specific to respective segments would definitely give an edge for marketers to explore segmented marketing based on local vernacular interest and drive brand relevance; something we will not be able to achieve as well on larger scale platforms.”  Eileen Hooi – Managing Director, PHD Malaysia

New audience-focused digital media, broadcast and commerce company…How Ripple is offering different personas to propel audience-focused growth marketing.

When Media Prima Berhad (MPB) announced the transformation of its radio broadcast segment to an audience-focused company called RIPPLE, it sent more than ripples through the media ecosystem.

This marked the beginning of how broadcast, digital and ecommerce are forming a complete loop to grow digital and consumer revenue with personalised content.

By consolidating their traditional and digital assets under RIPPLE gives MPB the flexibility to connect with audiences on a more personal level and open new revenue opportunities.

RIPPLE includes four broadcast brands – Fly FM, Hot FM, One FM and Kool FM, a podcast platform – Ais Kacang, an e-commerce brand – SuperDeals, and seven digital brands – Dhia, Donna, Lunaria, The Laki, Likely, Chapters, and Wakeke.

Each catering to a distinctive audience sub-set, giving cluster marketing opportunities for Malaysian advertisers by exploiting the gaps within current broadcast audiences.

“One of our greatest strengths in broadcast is our ability to connect with listeners and our communities through our platforms.

“Over the years, we have successfully engaged with our audiences on-air, online and on-ground,” says Chief Executive Officer Seelan Paul, and the man leading this RIPPLE of opportunities.

RIPPLE is poised to drive growth, leveraging on the strength of its digital brands and massive reach to create new revenue opportunities and target new consumer groups.

“Ultimately this will amplify our own e-commerce proposition for SuperDeals by offering the right deals for the right digital community,”

“With 80% of Malaysians using the internet for more than 8 hours daily, it makes perfect sense to go with growth marketing strategies as Malaysian digital ad spend is slated to cross RM2 billion in two years,” Seelan continues,

“RIPPLE has a weekly listenership of 5 million and a social media community of 10 million. When you break it down there are 7 clusters that allow advertisers to get closer to our audiences with meaningful content and reach.”

They have been crystallised into 7 new digital brands.

“Consumers are digital-savvy and many brands out there wish to spend their A&P more on digital.

“This is a strategic move by Media Prima on transforming their radio broadcast arms into an audience-focused company, Ripple.

“With many brands for each vertical i.e., broadcast, e-commerce and digital media under the Group, they have a strong USP to offer to many brands in the market. I hope to experience hyper-personalisation with Ripple,” Muhamad Zaid Hasman Director of Digital, McDonald’s Malaysia

Dhia: 
For young adult Malay females 18-29 who live their lives to the fullest.

Donna: 
Elegant, inspiring and trustworthy for every Malay woman aged 30-44.

Lunaria: 
For teenage Malay girls 13-17 who love everything fun, fresh and creative with a twist.

The Laki: 
The ultimate male 18-29 digital brand for millennials, while connecting the dots for bros.

Likely: 
Empowers 18-29-year-old women to embrace their uniqueness through real stories voices and experiences.

Chapters: 
Chapters celebrate the 30-44-year-old Chinese-speaking audience through our community to inspire them to live their best lives.

Wakeke:
Connects the 18-29-year-old Chinese speaking audience who live in the now, immersing in trends and pop culture.

With a corporate ethos being a digital-first content and commerce company, Media Prima is now bringing all its content and marketing assets to support RIPPLE’s customization strategies.

“This will optimise audience reach for marketers and drive engagement until e-commerce fulfilment. This is good news for all – from small SMEs to mass brand players as they can tailor their budgets to marketing objectives clearly. We’ve had fun and successes with Tony Roma’s and Kinohimitsu for starters, with more brands from diverse market categories talking to us now,” adds Seelan.

Media Prima’s digital revenue increased to RM44.8 million for the first six months ending 30 June 2018 against RM14.9 million in the comparative period, driven by higher digital advertising revenue across all platforms.

They currently rank third in the country in terms of digital reach and aim to increase digital revenue contribution to 8% by year-end, compared to the Group’s 3% target for 2017.

“The future is about consumer-led media segmentation for any platform. Radio has become more of a streaming service on the go, any place any time.. this initiative by Ripple to stay closer to their consumers by offering relevant content on the go is encouraging.” Javed Jafri Regional Communication Channel Manager, Unilever.