Japanese pharmaceuticals company Kowa picks ada for regional digital duties

Kowa Pharmaceutical Asia, a Japanese pharmaceuticals company, has appointed Axiata Digital’s ada to manage regional digital duties across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. The agency will be responsible for strategic media consultancy and planning to creative and data.In a statement to Marketing, ada’s spokesperson said the appointment follows a pitch held in the fourth quarter of 2018, with three agencies being shortlisted in the final round. The appointment is for one year, the spokesperson added.Kowa’s key products in Southeast Asia are vitamin complex brand Q&P Kowa and daily joint support brand Vantelin Kowa. As Vantelin aims to expand the venture regionally, it was looking for an agency partner that had extensive local knowledge that could support the brand across Southeast Asia. Ada was appointed based on its comprehensive proposal and ability to deliver consumer insights, alongside its creative strength. The agency is also able to identify consumer patterns and offer recommendations on market potential by leveraging on its proprietary data management platform Xact.Kowa Pharmaceutical Asia’s COO Nikhil Kapur said ada won the company over with its intensive category insights and its collaborative eCommerce initiatives. “With their strong data powered background, they were able to identify new opportunities. We are looking forward to what else ada has in store for us,” he said.Ada Singapore’s country director Summer Choo said its strength in data mining and analytics has enabled precision in audience targeting, driving better insights for performance marketing. “Coupled with efficient creative adaptation, we are able to optimise results effectively from online to offline. Working in tight collaboration with Kowa, we believe the brand will grow in strength across all the markets,” Choo added.Kowa was founded as a cotton fabric wholesaler in Japan in 1894 and is actively engaging in various business fields including the trading of textiles, machinery, and construction materials. This is in addition to the manufacturing and sales of medicines, medical equipment, and energy saving products.The win comes shortly after ada unveiled its regional leads, with Choo being promoted from client leadership director to her new role. Former country director of Malaysia and Singapore, Mahesh Neelakantan, took on the newly created role of head of regional agency partnerships. Meanwhile, stepping up to the role of managing director, Malaysia, is Adrian Burton who was previously overseeing ada’s acquisitions unit.(Photo courtesy: 123RF)