FreakOut is here to disrupt the local publishing scene

The young and vibrant FreakOut leads

In less than two months Japan-based Technology Company FreakOut has entered into the local market and shook up the local publishing scene with its innovative mobile advertising solutions.

“Adblockers is a serious issue for publishers, according to last year’s report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) 26 percent of desktop users and 15 percent of mobile consumers use blockers to remove ads from publishers.

“Today’s consumers are used to having what they want at their fingertips and no longer want to consume these types of passive ads.

FreakOut’s main aim is to bring out more native ads for mobile which will allow marketers to push out their products in a less intrusive way,” Japanese native, Risa Tsuji who heads the company’s local operations shared.

Risa joined FreakOut in 2014 and took part in starting up the company’s branches in its 2nd and 3rd largest market in Japan.

Leading the two branches to success, she was then appointed to bring FreakOut into the Malaysia market.

Together with Risa is digital media veteran Ash Raman, FreakOut Malaysia’s Head of Sales who joined the company to lend his insights on the local media scene.

No stranger to the local digital media scene Ash has worked with several key media players including Media Prima, Mudah.my, PropertyGuru as well as several stints in the broadcast industry in the United Kingdom.

FreakOut is the first and largest demand-side platform (DSP) in Asia has over 200 employees. Its offices outside Japan includes Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, Vietnam, India and Philippines

So why Malaysia? High mobile penetration, wide user base and a strong familiarity in making online payments was Risa’s reply.

“More local brands are already looking to engage their customers through native ads, and so far we have received strong support and interest from local brands and publishers alike” Risa added.

Locally FreakOut has already inked partnerships with several major publishers including Lowyat and SinChew.

“Having the support of major publishing players in Malaysia is important to us, already they are showing interest in innovating and taking their advertising partner’s brands to the next level” Ash added.

Risa hinted that the company was on the brink of a major expansion, “We are in the works of setting up a technology hub in Asia which we will tap into to provide new products and solutions to our clients.

“We also plan to expand our Malaysian team and will be introducing some new members in the next few months.”

Collaborations with digitally driven companies like Dentsu Aegis Network that is spearheading the digital space with data-led, mobile-first solutions for its clients could be on the horizon for FreakOut.

“In the Malaysian market, I believe Dentsu Aegis Network has a foresight on agendas surrounding digital and I’m happy to be sharing my thoughts on the importance of native advertising and how brands can better engage with their consumers online at the upcoming #Sessions, an exclusive Dentsu Aegis Mobile Day event,” Risa added.

For more information on FreakOut click here