SINGAPORE – SPH Media and Adwork on Tuesday (Jan 4) formed a partnership to enable the advertising firm’s clients in Malaysia to advertise their businesses in Singapore.
Under the partnership, Adwork’s Malaysian clients, which consist of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will now be able to place advertisements across SPH Media’s platforms in Singapore, from outdoor billboards to radio.
Adwork provides a platform from which businesses around the world can place advertisements across 12 advertising channels in Malaysia, including billboards, newspapers, radio, television, talk shows and more. Clients typically select their desired media advertisement channel and upload their artwork for a fee.
The cross-border partnership with SPH Media, which both companies claim is the first of its kind, is part of a move by Adwork to expand its platform beyond Malaysia and offer clients advertising space in the region.
After Singapore, Adwork will expand its reach to Indonesia and Thailand, as well as to Australia, Vietnam and Philippines in the next five years, said Adwork chief executive Kumaresh Visvanathan.
He added that the platform aspires to open up more avenues for more Malaysian SMEs, including those in rural Malaysia, to advertise their businesses in cities across the region, where their products may generate interest and demand. This will help them extend their reach and give Malaysian entrepreneurs a chance to grow their business regionally, the statement said.
In Malaysia, a business is considered an SME if its annual revenue is RM50 million (S$16 million) and below across all industries. SMEs make up about 98.5 per cent of Malaysian businesses.
Ms Alicia Luke, channel excellence lead at SPH Media, said the partnership is timely and exciting, given the potential of the SME advertisement market.
“In our current technological era, we have to start thinking out of the box in terms of advertising and not rely solely on traditional methods which may not work for all, especially in this digital day and age,” she said.
Ms Luke added that the partnership will also enable smaller businesses to compete on a more level playing field with bigger companies.