It’s back to media publishing work on Friday 27th January 2023 after a short 6 days of Chinese Lunar New Year 2023 break that started on 21st January, the Eve of Chinese New Year 2023. For this year, I decided that I am not rushing back into just publishing content or media news coverage in photography, camera, travel, tourism and hospitality industries. I have to plan and prioritise the business side of things and content creation side of things. Here are my list of things to work on (Technology | Business | Personal) – 27th January 2023.
January 2023 started on a pretty hectic pace with Lunar New Year just 3 weeks from New Year and 4 weeks from Christmas 2022 and my birthday falling on the 2nd week of January 2023 (I kind of took a week’s break unknowingly from publishing work). Now is the time to kickstart FY2023 on a proper and formal basis.
Technology and Business
Media News Coverage
I would continue with CES 2023 technology news coverage, scheduling them into the rest of my ongoing technology and business media news coverage, review articles, special theme topics that I might work with news agencies and call for media pitch.
Media Events Coverage
If I do get invited to attend technology media events, I would try my best and usually publish media news coverage. Since I am not a first tier media, I am also not in every brand’s directory of media listings, I would have lesser technology media events to cover.
Technology Writing and Reviews
There are a number of topics of interest on my radar, they are as follows:
Sustainability
Future of work and hybrid
Start ups
AI and its impacts
Thought leadership on business and technology areas of interests
There are a few technology review backlogs that I would need to get it completed first before deciding on the next batch/genre of gadgets for review, matching the brands/agencies expectations and sometimes demands before deciding whether I should take it on.
Digital Marketing/Social Media Marketing
For this sector, I didn’t start off and do well in 2022. I am learning from the mistakes made there and hope they would help me better prepare for future digital marketing/social media marketing work.
I am going to make mistakes like any human being, I would continue to strive and improve in this journey and space.
Personal
At this point in time, there’s nothing exciting nor happening things. I am continuing to keep a low profile and avoid getting myself into any dramas or falling down into rabbit holes (fittingly suitable in the Year of the Rabbit).
My Instagram stories might show otherwise, yet it actually doesn’t show you much of my life and what I am doing.
Once a while, I might share some personal thoughts and views on world situations, interesting matters or observations, or some personal rantings/updates.
List of things to work on (Photography and Travel)
It’s more than just my list of things to work on listed above, I also have my TGH Photographybusiness and TGH Photography and Travel portal/blog to manage and work on. Just like this article post, I also have a list of things to work on (Photography and Travel) after my CNY 2023 festive break.
Working in phases/small steps
On top of finding new business/assignments/projects, I have my content creation and writing to handle as well. I am going to start working in phases/small steps, clearing and finishing my things to do and goals.
I shared quite a bit of updates and things to do here for my photography and travel segments. Sometimes I wonder how many people (whether you are in PR, agencies, from the brands or my friends) would read my article and what I shared, in a social media world filled with videos on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram Reels, as well as populated with photos on other social media platforms and chat apps?
On 3rd January today, 15 years ago in 2008, TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog was officially launched with not much branding and fanfare, it was titled “Tan Geng Hui Personal Blog” if I recalled correctly. In the blink of an eye, 15 years had passed, this personal/technology website has changed and transformed so much over the years into the TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog that organisations, media outlets, PR agencies and supporters know about today.
A small and humble beginning
TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog had a small and humble beginning. In 2008, this website was created to separate technology and business topics away from my other portal/blog TGH Photography and Travel, allowing them to specialise in both areas, and allowing me toexpand on food, hospitality and creative side of things.
I am humbled by my years of technology and business media news coverage, yet I personally don’t feel doing as much as compared to what I did for my 15 years milestone for my TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.
Growth, Change, and Transformation over the past 15 years
For those brands, organisations, PR agency folks and loyal supports who had worked with me or followed my website over the past 15 years. You will know first hand how much this website has grown, changed and transformed over the past 15 years.
From just covering consumer technology news/topics/interests to covering media news coverage in the enterprise/B2B technology and startups sectors.
The stages of growth, change and transformation started around 5-10 years back when I started to visit more technology conferences, that’s where I ventured into the enterprise technology and startups sectors.
As I grew older along with my websites, my special topics of interest expanded into future technology trends and changes, digital transformation digital marketing/social media marketing, Fin-Tech, blockchain and NFT.
A personal writing space for the writer in me
A personal writing space in a heavy content technology and business sectors might not seem to be the best complement or combination.
Everyone talks about technology jargon and applications, yet there were gaps in how to bring them to the ground level and in a language and style that most people can understand. This might not be the easiest thing to do, it’s not just about your language skills, it’s how you understand the technology, gadgets and how it plays a part in our daily life and work.
Being able to write freely, away and beyond technology and business topics, allowed me to hone and refine my writing skills (and I still have a lot of room for improvement), as well giving me another alternative space for writing on very personal deep in my heart matters, also deep thought leadership and opinions.
Through my years of writing on both visual storytelling approach and in-depth personal thoughts approach, I was encouraged and enlightened by “No Missing Tools: Creativity in an Age of Abundance” by Fernando Gros, that we are and can be creative in our own self, that just need to believe and trust in ourselves for our inner most creativity to be unleashed.
What’s next ahead for TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog?
15 years not out, I am continuing to strive forward, writing, media news coverage and sharing thought leadership in key areas. What’s next ahead for TGH Technology and Business in the next 5,10, 15, 20 years and beyond?
I can’t see what’s going to happen in the future, I can share what I am working on right now and in the very near future, would be in the areas of
Expand on special topics of interest such as sustainability
Future technology trends and changes e.g. Future of Work, Impacts of AI, Digital Transformation, Web 3.0, NFT
Thought leadership in technology and business industries
All of them tied in closely with my Yearly Theme 2023 for my technology, business and personal sectors – “Transform”.
Yearly Theme 2023 (Technology | Business | Personal)
My Yearly Theme 2023 for Technology, Business and Personal is “Transform”.
Why “Transform”?
This word “Transform” was chosen for its connection to my 15 years milestone for my TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog, how can I can change, transform and improve, from my media news coverage, business and technology analysis, social media marketing/digital marketing and as a writer?
Join me in my “Transform” adventures in 2023
I would like to invite all of you, come join me in my transformation exploration in my technology, business and writer journeys in 2023 and beyond.
Together we can and we might discover something common to work on, advocate together and transform the way we work and live, and on special themes that we can push for more awareness and publicity.
Last but not least, I would like to say a big Thank You for your support, your belief and trust in me, and encouragement over the past 15 years, I would continue to strive and work even harder in my technology and business media news coverage and thought leadership.
It’s Monday 2nd of January 2023, the start of a brand week in a fresh New Year 2023,. Looking back at Year 2022, it was a mixed bag of an onward journey, results and outcomes, filled with its fair share of ups and downs. As the world economy reopens in 2022, reopening their borders and lifting of risk management measures, it’s a much awaited return that the world desires, the route to recovery was gradual as we return back to a more normal lifestyle.
Inspired by Fernando Gros “How to choose a Yearly Theme”, this is my 4th year writing and announcing a Yearly Theme, an approach that I personally feel that it’s more forward looking for a new future, a new era of working, thinking and how we connect as an individual, as a collective, society and the world. It’s not that goal settings or setting resolutions are no longer popular or useful, they still have a purpose and it still works for some people or industries
Recap of previous Yearly Themes
Before I announce my Yearly Theme 2023 for my technology, business and personal, let me bring you back into my previous Yearly Themes through a recap below:
Yearly Theme 2023 (Technology | Business | Personal) – “Transform”
Now let me introduce and announce my Yearly Theme 2023 for Technology, Business and Personal – “Transform”.
Why “Transform”?
This word “Transform” was chosen for its connection to a 15 years milestone for my TGH Technology and Business website, how can I can change, transform and improve, from my media news coverage, business and technology analysis, social media marketing/digital marketing and as a writer?
15 Years of TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog
My TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog is marking and celebrating a 15 years milestone in Year 2023. How has my website and writing transformed over the past 15 years and how am I going to transform my website and writing moving forward? There are probably more questions than answers right now. The answers might appear when I do more in-depth and write more, on both professional and personal basis.
In an upcoming article, I would share more thoughts and feelings behind my 15 years (and still counting) journey, that brought me a lot more than what I could have asked and planned for.
Technology and Business Media News Coverage
How am I gong to transform in how I cover technology and business media news coverage? With more in-depth interviews and thoughts? Should I cover and build up more enterprise/B2B technology media news?
Key technology topics and trends that I am looking to cover more in this year 2023 – Impacts of AI technology, Digital Transformation, B2B technology for SMB, Future of Work, Future Cities, Sustainability, Fin-Tech, Blockchain, NFT and Web 3.0.
Writing and Thought Leadership
I am spending more time writing on topics of heavier load nature, as well as sharing more about thought leadership in the business and technology sectors. How can I improve and transform my technology, business and personal writing onto another higher level of thought leadership, thinking and writing?
My personal writing on a technology and business content heavy website, gives another different perspective and dimension to my articles writing. I am still constantly honing and improving my writing and craft. A personal voice in thought leadership topics, we need to see more these from writers around the world.
New set of Uncertainties and Dark Clouds in 2023
How can I transform, change and adapt in a year of new set of uncertainties in 2023? What are the uncertainties that world economy might be facing in this year? Could the economic and political situations turn for the worst in 2023? We are facing inflation, higher costs of living, economic slowdown (or even possibly world recession) and geo-political worldwide crisis in a worst worst case scenario.
In a period of uncertainties and political crisis in some regions (hopefully it doesn’t escalate beyond that stage into bigger crisis), there might be new opportunities. Time to explore other opportunities as a new set of dark clouds (challenges and uncertainties) looms over 2023.
Yearly Theme 2023 (Photography and Travel)
In this year 2023, I decide to try something different again, I chose two themes, one for my TGHTechnology and Business Portal/Blog, one for my TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog. What did I choose for my Yearly Theme 2023 (Photography and Travel)?
Join me in my “Transform” adventures in 2023
I would like to invite all of you, come join me in my transformation exploration in my technology, business and writer journeys in 2023.
Together we can and we might discover something common to work on, advocate together and transform the way we work and live, and on special themes that we can push for more awareness and publicity.
Today is Monday 1st January 2023, we have officially started a fresh new year 2023! First and foremost, wishing all of you a Happy New Year 2023! Starting off Year 2023 with a fireworks photo shot at Star Island Singapore event at the Floating Platform, part of Marina Bay Singapore New Year Eve 2023 Countdown events around the Marina Bay area.
We had low key and subdued New Year Eve celebrations for the past 2 years (2020 and 2021) due to the global pandemic situation at the time. Being able to welcome Year 2023 with a big bang of amazing choreographed and beautiful fireworks display was most welcome by many of us.
My TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog is marking a 15 years milestone in Year 2023. I would be sharing more about my thoughts and feelings on reaching this milestone, future plans and directions.
To all the organisations, partners and people that I work with, from technology (consumer and enterprise) brands, startups, Future of Web3.0, PR agencies and writers community. I look forward to working closer together with you in the Year 2023.
Once again, wishing all of you a Happy New Year 2023! Good luck and all the best in the year ahead! Wishing all of you great health and happiness with your family and loved ones! May you reach for the stars in the sky along with beautiful fireworks lighting up the night sky, and your goals, objectives and wishes for this year 2023 all come true!
Today is 31st December 2022, we are now into the last day of this year 2022, soon we will say Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023! Taking this time reflecting year 2022 (technology, business and personal) – Year 2022 in review. A regular feature on my portal/blog, you can read my year in reviews for 2016 Part 1 and 2016 Part 2, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Photography by Ryan Cheng
A Recap – Yearly Theme 2022: Onward
My Yearly Theme for 2022 was “Onward”, moving into 2022 from 2021, I felt that this was most suitable at the point in time as the world was edging closer towards reopening of the economy and lifting of risk management measures for the global pandemic COVID-19 that impacted us so much from 2020 to around mid 2022.
Technology
Consumer / Enterprise / B2B
Consumer technology media coverage has been a regular and consistent coverage feature for my TGH Technology and Business portal/blog since its inception. On the enterprise / B2B technology sectors, I am gradually and slowly adding more to my overall technology media news coverage portfolio.
I am probably at a stage whereby I can only handle so much media news coverage workload on my own. Although I tried to cover and publish technology media news regularly, I found it harder to do it on a consistent and regular basis, my publishing pace kind of dropped in Q3 2022 onwards.
How would I be able to manage my consumer / enterprise / B2B technology media news coverage better? A closer working relationship with brands and PR agencies would be the best way moving forward.
StartUps
I have always been interested in the startups scene since I started learning more about this sector when I entered into enterprise / B2B technology sector at technology conferences and exhibitions. This year 2022 wasn’t too bad in my startups coverage, considering that there weren’t any physical in attendance conferences/exhibitions for the past 2.5 years.
When Singapore gradually reopened her doors and risk management measures from around the half year mark, the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) were taking this opportunity to make a push to return back to face-to-face networking events.
During this period, I met and chatted with a few startups. Moving forward in 2023, I would look at covering specific sectors in the startups community.
Future of Work
The future of work has been in the limelight for the past 2.5 years (and still counting), accelerated by the onset of the global pandemic situation in 2020 forcing us to work from home. A hybrid future of work is probably going to be the norm moving forward, even as businesses and organisations aregradually returning back to working in office, they are also adjusting and adopting their own rules and working styles in a hybrid future of work environments, giving rise to new gadgets in communications and work for both office and remote.
How would the Future of Work change in the years to come? There is an area that I am planning to explore more, from both technology and human resources perspectives.
Business
Social Media Marketing / Digital Marketing
An area that I was planning and I did expand into, social media marketing/digital marketing didn’t take off as I thought it would be for me. Another set of big business and life lessons learnt from this hiccup, how would I change and approach this business segments in a new financial year 2023?
It’s back to the drawing board again, back to reality, back to basics and start from scratch again.
Future of Social Media and Trends
Have you asked yourself how you feel about using social media nowadays, as compared to 5 to 10 years back? How much has social media changed over the years? How much has you changed because of social media platforms and usage over the years?
The future of social media and trends are areas that I always observe closely though, on both professional and personal basis. For those who are on Twitter, the recent saga with the new ownership has caused quite a bit of upheaval, concerns and thinking, what would happen to this platform in the near future? As a avid heavy user on Twitter, as compared to the other social media platforms that I am on, that got me thinking a lot, finding alternatives to Twitter platform and how I would do my engagements and networkings differently.
Social media trends are changing and evolving, while the current media landscape is dominant and favours videos, we might be seeing a new video era, it’s like version 2.0. The other areas of interest would be Web3.0 and a return back to analogue or basics as we could be getting more tired of social media.
I would talk more about future of social media and trends in another article sometime down the road.
Other Business Interests / Reopening of World Economy
Beside working on social media marketing/digital marketing, I was on the lookout for other business interests. There were some preliminary thoughts on some sectors, still a lot more homework to be done before making any major moves. With a new set of uncertainties coming in Year 2023, I have to be more cautious.
The world economy reopened in 2022 with the lifting of risk management measures and borders in many countries worldwide, bringing back the much missed business trades, movement of people, revival of the travel and tourism industries. It’s not an exponential climb back, it’s slow and gradual, probably with some dips here and there.
Dark Clouds/Challenges looming ahead in 2023
In this year 2022, just when the world is relieved and happy to be recovering, reopening and moving away from this global pandemic that turned the world upside down for the past 2.5 to 3 years, the world economy is facing a new of economic challenges (high inflation with a recession looming over us) and political instabilities in some parts of the world.
Personal
Recovery from an uneventful down time in 2021
A few uneventful events got me spiralling down into a rabbit hole in 2021, it took me a while to get myself out of that situation, allowing me to enter 2022 with a clean slate of mind, personal well-being and mental health.
JOMO versus FOMO
JOMO = Joy of missing out, FOMO = Fear of missing out. The world of social media in recent times had been getting more messy and complicated, oversharing, excess showing off, all wanting fame, likes and first to post/share.
There was a time when I was FOMO, however I got so delusional on some aspects of social media, even though I am still actively using social media platforms, just more selective. I am moving into JOMO mode.
Maybe JOMO would free me up from those shackles, allowing me to concentrate on honing my craft, creativity and writing even further and better, as a writer, a visual storyteller.
There were still struggles
I am not going to paint a beautiful scenario or picture, like people posting on their FB or social media platforms, smiling, enjoying life and living a fun and exciting lifestyle.
There were still struggles over the whole year 2022, hidden away from social media. Not many people or nobody can really know what I am going through.
Year 2022 Theme: Onward vs Year 2022 in Reality
Year 2022 in reality was definitely Onward for me, even though the economy wasn’t giving us a smooth and easy recovery, I have to ride out the usual ups and downs like the rest, even as the world economy is working towards reopening and returning back to a more normal living of pre-pandemic days.
Last But Not Least
Reflecting Year 2022 in my technology, business and personal segments is just one half of my equation of my Year 2022 in Review. The other half of my equation of my Year 2022 in Review can be found here in this article: Reflecting Year 2022 (Photography | Travel) on my TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.
I would like to say a big Thank You to the various technology brands and PR agency folks that I worked closely with in Year 2022, to my readers for their utmost support for this year. Keep a lookout as my website is marking a 15 years milestone in January 2023!
Wishing you a Happy New Year 2023! Good luck and all the best in the new year ahead!
Today is Sunday 25th December 2022, it’s Christmas Day! Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I would like to take this day to wish you and your family a great and wonderful time together celebrating this festive season period.
I would also like to take this opportunity to say a big Thank You to various technology brands, organisations, pr and media agencies, as well as fellow technology media/writers friends and supporters for this great working relationships, friendships and support for my technology and business portal/blog during this Year 2022 as the world accelerated the reopening and recovery ofthe economy.
I probably wrote too much in previous editions of Merry Christmas posts, therefore I decided that I would leave that for my year end reflection post instead. Here’s wishing all of you a Merry Christmas 2022, hope you have a great time with your family, loved ones and friends over food, drinks, gatherings, warmth, care, hope and love.
Thank you for your belief, support and encouragement in Year 2022!
Today is 24th December 2022, it’s Christmas Eve. I would like to announce that I am on a media publishing break (Technology | Business | Personal) for the last week of 2022. I woke up feeling exhausted on Christmas Eve morning. Therefore, I feel and I do think that I need to take a break now and rest for this Christmas weekend, and enjoy whatever this festive season brings in for the final week of Year 2022.
On the subject of backlogs in my technology and business media news coverage, I would try my best to clear them in January 2023. As for CES 2023 media news coverage that I received earlier, my CES 2023 coverage would begin in January 2023. As for technology media pitches, collaborations and discussions, I would look into them in January 2023.
During the last week of Year 2022, I would be taking this period to rest, followed by reflecting 2022 in my areas of technology, business and personal. I am also in the midst of writing and sharing more thoughts and plans into my Yearly Theme 2023 that I have already selected.
Have a wonderful Christmas Eve gathering with your family and loved ones! Wishing you a Merry Christmas 2022 in advance!
Jabra, a world leader in personal sound and office solutions, launched the Jabra Evolve2 Buds, the latest product in the Jabra Evolve series lineup. In a new future of work environment, the hybrid future of work is becoming a standard for most professionals, having the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere is important.
The new Jabra Evolve2 Buds is a top-of-the-range product, designed to boost concentration and improve collaboration for professionals working on the move. The Evolve2 Buds are certified for leading virtual meeting platforms, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and use the latest technology to reduce disruptive background noise and enable clearer calls.
Minimised distractions
Whether we are working from home, office, or in a public space, we are often wrought with distractions everywhere: from the sounds of washing machine churning, to the sound of a barista working the coffee machine, to colleagues chattering in the background.
For this reason, the Evolve2 Buds come with anAdjustable Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology which hybrid-working professionals can use to personalise the ANC to their listening preferences, blocking out any external sounds and minimising distractions. The Evolve2 Buds also come with a sealing test feature called MyFit, as well as SafeTone™ with PeakStop, which ensures enhanced hearing protection and the most optimal seal for the best, personalised ANC experience.
Greater call quality and crystal-clear conversations
It’s now more important than ever for calls to be of greater call quality and crystal-clear conversations, allowing employees to be heard on calls and able to chat freely with their co-workers, business contacts or clients, without being interrupted, especially as virtual meetings are going to be the norm in the new hybrid future of work and living.
With many of us now used to the true wireless earbud form factor, Jabra developed the Evolve2 Buds to enable users to have high-quality conversations with Jabra MultiSensor Voice™. It uses a unique combination of four microphones, bone conduction sensors, and advanced algorithms to block out as much of the surrounding noise as possible so the user can be heard clearly by those on the call, contributing to more focused conversation experiences.
Extensive range and connectivity for flexibility
For those seeking stable connectivity and increased mobility, the Evolve2 Buds feature a long wireless range, owing to the unique, in-case dongle that can be plugged into your PC. With a wireless range of up to 20 meters / 65 feet, the Evolve2 Buds give employees the ability to move around their home or hybrid / remote work environments without compromising call quality.
Certified for leading virtual meeting platforms including Microsoft Teams and Zoom, the earbuds come with 5 hours of talk time and a total of 33 hours of battery including the charging case, avoiding the inconvenience of your earbuds running out of charge mid-meeting.
“The world we live in today has made us crave freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere. At the same time, we also learnt from our Hybrid Ways of Working 2022 research about the role that technology plays in increasing employee inclusion in hybrid work. With all that in mind, we sought to create a product with our new Jabra Evolve2 Buds to empower professionals to look, sound and be professional on the go,” says Agnes Koh, Regional Product Marketing Manager at Jabra.
Key features of the Evolve2 Buds:
Certified for Microsoft Teams and leading UC platforms – for enhanced collaboration experience
MultiSensor Voice technology – ensures professional call performance by using multiple mics and Jabra algorithms to block out noise
Plug-and-play USB adapter for enhanced connectivity – 20 metre/65 feet rangeallows users the freedom to move around their work environment
Advanced Multipoint connection – connect to two devices at one time
Adjustable Active Noise Cancellation – filters out background noise allowing for increased focus
HearThrough and single earbud use – allows the user to hear surrounding sounds through the earbuds whilst wearing them
Increased battery life – with 33 hours of battery, including the case and wireless charging
Ultra-discreet design – for ultimate comfort and a professional look
Pricing and Availability
The Jabra Evolve2 Buds come in both USB A & USB C variants and are available now at MSRP S$424 (without with wireless charging pad) and S$479 (with wireless charging pad).
Thursday 1st December 2022, we are now entering into the final month of year 2022, we can countdown 31 more days before we usher and welcome a new year 2023. This would be a mix of technology, business, writing and personal updates before I start my Christmas gift guides sharing, as well as technology and business media news coverage before taking a short break from writing and publishing during the last week of December 2022.
Final month of 2022 – Final sprint
This is the final month of 2022, this would be the final sprint to the end of year 2022, wrapping and closing up my year 2022 before starting new and fresh for year 2023. I am aiming to clear as many backlogs as possible, from media coverage news to product reviews.
Consolidation and preparation for 2023
The last week of December 2022, the period from Christmas leading up to New Year 2023, I am designating this week to be a rest week, consolidating and reflecting on my year 2022, strategising and preparing for my year 2023, choosing my yearly theme for 2023, goals and objectives.
Writing – personal, technology, business, social media
A number of topics are on my mind, ranging from a wide personal, technology, business and future of social media, that I am planning to write about. They might not be published in December 2022, they would probably feature in Q1 2023.
Topics on my mind:
Future of Twitter and social media usage
Business and economy outlook for 2023
Cryptocurrency – what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond?
Some battles that you will never know
A few days ago from this day 1st December 2022, there were two consecutive days when I met with friends who made their views heard, on asking me if I am considering to give up my business and return back to employee work.
While it’s out of friendly and genuine concern, I am also feeling the hurt and disappointment. Each of us have our own battles to fight, some if not all the battles that you will never know.
Nothing lasts forever, even though people make plans, goals and objectives, we don’t exactly know what the future lies or might change. Tomorrow is a mystery, some might say.
Christmas (December) + Birthday (January) gifts – Any sponsors?
The December Christmas festive season is upon us, before we know or even realised it, we will be starting off a new year in January 2023, preparing for Chinese New Year (CNY) 2023 during January 2023. Since my birthday is somewhere in between Christmas and CNY, any kind sponsors would like to sponsor me a 2-in-1 gift?
The story continues
Every updates that I wrote and published previously, it’s a never ending personal journey, in writing and visual storytelling. The story continues, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. A door closes, another door opens, this is life as we know it, my story continues, somewhere, somehow.
Adobe announced a new research in October 2022 that revealed the growing importance of brands understanding customers at a personal level and interacting with them as individuals, in real time. How are the consumer market sentiments, trends and styles changing in this modern era of social media and internet driven environment that we live in? How do all these trends, sentiments, trends and styles differ across different countries and regions? The key takeaway from Adobe Research reveals: Time to get personal.
Singapore Market
For the Singapore market, the majority (88%) of consumers in Singapore want to be treated as an individual with unique interests and preferences, with almost 2/3 of consumers (65%) saying they feel negatively towards brands that interact with them based on broad assumptions and labels, including age-based stereotypes such as “Millennial” and “Gen-Z”.
Asia Pacific Market
Across Asia Pacific, customers are calling on brands to demonstrate that they know them, show them, and will help them in the moments that matter – not once, but all the time,” said Duncan Egan, Vice President of Marketing, Adobe Asia Pacific and Japan. “To meet that standard, brands need to unlock preferences in real-time through customer data, and use it to deliver relevant interactions and content at the right moment. Scaling that across up to millions of customers is the next step.”
Adobe’s research shows the emergence of a new consumer that is not defined by age, that refuses to be stereotyped, and expects to be understood as the unique person they are today. For brands and organisations seeking to meet the modern consumer’s new expectations, they must ensure that they are equipped with the latest customer data platform technologies, whereby they can create a complete single view of every customer capable of delivering personalised experiences in real-time.
Time to get personal
The Adobe survey of 5,000 APAC consumers (2,000 Australians, 2,000 Indians and 1,000 Singaporeans) reveals 3x as many APAC consumers feel closer to people who share their passions and interests (62%) than those of a similar demographic (19%). The vast majority (86%) of consumers want to be seen and treated as individuals based on their unique interests and preferences.
Singaporeans feel strongly about this, with more than one-quarter (28%) rejecting the stereotypes of their generation and 88% wanting to be seen and treated as an individual.
Individuality is key
Individuality is a key factor in today’s climate. Consumers today have high expectations for the brands they are engaging with – they expect brands to see them as unique people, keep up with their changing habits and interests, and respect their privacy preferences. Almost 2/3 of Singaporeans (65%) now expect businesses to have a clear understanding of who they are as individuals, and only contact them with information relevant to what they are interested in at any given moment. 65% of Singaporean consumers, the same proportion think negatively of brands that use broad assumptions and stereotypes to engage them.
73% of Singaporean consumers, almost 3/4 say they expect personalised experiences from brands they share data with, with 65% wanting real-time offers relevant to them. However, more than 27% of Singaporeans, a quarter of them say brands are not doing this well or are inconsistent in their efforts to keep up with their personal preferences. Regular efforts to engage consumers with bespoke offers related to their current interests is of the highest importance – more than 4x as many people want frequent, thoughtful gestures (70%) over bigger one-off moments (15%).
Change is the only Constant
Change is the only Constant holds true, it’s getting faster in recent years. Adobe found out that consumer preferences and tastes are constantly evolving, reinforcing the need for brands to move away from simple groupings based on age or other fixed demographic factors. The consumers’ collective experiences over recent years and months has only added to that rate of change.
Most consumers across Asia Pacific se themselves and their peer group differently from how they were pre-pandemic , and 79% have adjusted their preferences and tastes even further in the past three months. The average person takes on a new interest or hobby 6x a year, rising to 10x a year for people under the age of 25.
To understand Singapore market better, brands need to take note on their ability to keep pace with them because this is a significant expectation for Singaporean consumers. In the survey, 60% of Singaporeans responded that they have changed their favourite brands as their tastes and financial situation has changed. Real-time visibility and delivering experiences in line with emerging preferences is vital to keeping even the most loyal customers on side.
Meeting consumers where they are
Adobe Real-Time CDP empowers brands to continually meet members of this new generation where they are. This customer data platform allows organisations view and manage customer profiles, make updates in real-time, and activate customer insights through Adobe Experience Cloud applications across the entire customer journey.
Experiencing Adobe Digital Experience at Adobe Experience Makers
My experiences with Adobe is mostly at Adobe’s Creative Suite side of things, as my photography (business and personal) and my content creation are key areas of my business services. I would be sharing about Adobe MAX on my TGH Photography and Travel portal/blog.
Experiencing Adobe Digital Experience at Adobe Experience Makers, I was introduced to Adobe’s business market segments. From a technology writer, digital marketer and formerly from a local small medium business (SMB) background, I am able to relate and understand digital transformation for businesses and organisations.
Attending Adobe Experience Makers allowed me to hear first hand real life case studies of businesses from both local and regional, on their digital transformation journey and engagements with their customers. Digital transformation and SMB related topics are areas of interest in my technology and business topics coverage.
Understanding your market, consumer behaviour, sentiments, trends and styles are crucial especially in this fast paced ever changing social media and internet driven world. Businesses and organisations also need a holistic digital platform that would allow them to cater and handle digital transformation, not just for themselves, they would make the engagement with their consumers a better experience for all.
Whether you are a business owner, management staff, IT head/lead or handling digital marketing, a new age of digital transformation is ushering a new transformation and change in a constantly changing digital world that is changing faster than before. Having a solid digital experience platform and diverse suite of digital services and tools are a must have for your businesses and organisations.
The time is now for businesses and organisations to embark on your Digital Transformation 2.0or maybe even Digital Transformation 3.0, and transform your workplace digital experiences for a new Future of Work, if you haven’t done so.
Adobe Digital Experience
For business organisations and institutions that are exploring new holistic digital experiences for your organisation and how you can go about implementing or transforming your current digital experiences, you can visit Adobe website https://www.adobe.com/sea/ and learn more about how Adobe is changing the world through its digital experiences.
* Information courtesy of Adobe and WE Communications *
Technology (Consumer and Enterprise), Business, Social Media and Digital Marketing
