Unlockd boosts Indonesia presence through AXIS partnership

Mobile platform Unlockd has partnered with Indonesia youth mobile brand AXIS, which is part of XL Axiata. The partnership resulted in the formation of “Swapps”, a mobile application which aims to help AXIS customers save more on mobile phone costs.This allows customers to reduce the amount spent on their mobile phones in exchange for viewing targeted ads, news content and offers. According to a press statement, the company is aiming to give back US$500 million in value to mobile users by 2025, and claims it has already given tens of millions within the first 18 months.The move also follows the recent investment of Malaysia’s Axiata Digital into Unlockd in May. This saw the former leading a funding round to help Unlockd with its Asia expansion plans. The strategic partnership provided direct access to the group’s carrier businesses and local knowledge and key talent in the region.“Our partnership with AXIS in one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone markets will see us adding value to the country’s hyper-connected youth consumer segment. We understand this group of people is extremely driven by value and are glued to their mobile devices. We are confident that Swapps will be able to engage them in new and innovative ways,” Aliza Knox (pictured), COO of Unlockd said.“AXIS is always looking at new and innovative ways to engage with our customers and give them the best value for money. We believe that our customers will welcome the opportunity to save even more on their mobile spend in exchange for viewing selected advertising,” Robert Langdon, head of AXIS, said.In April this year, Unlockd hired Knox as the company’s chief operating officer. Prior to the appointment, Knox was APAC vice president at Twitter, where she built and led Twitter’s APAC sales teams and self-serve advertising business.