Google invests in Indonesia’s ride-hailing leader Go-Jek

Google invests in Indonesia’s ride-hailing leader Go-Jek

Google has confirmed its investment in Go-Jek, the hail-railing service that rivals Uber and Grab in Indonesia. TechCrunch reported the investment earlier this month, which was made alongside China’s Meituan-Dianping and Singaporean sovereign fund Temasek. The trio were part of a final tranche of a $1.2 billion round that Go-Jek began negotiating on last April, […]

Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent set to dominate programmatic ad spend in China

Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent set to dominate programmatic ad spend in China

Chinese Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT) will account for the lion share of programmatic expenditures in China as advertisers are predicted to invest $22.81 billion on programmatic digital display ads this year in the Asian country, with mobile accounting for 83.7% of that total. This is according to eMarketer’s latest forecast of programmatic […]

Google inks patent deal with Tencent

Google inks patent deal with Tencent

Google has yet more news from China after the U.S. search firm announced a patent cross-licensing agreement with Chinese tech giant Tencent. The terms were not disclosed, but Google said the tie-in with Tencent, which is valued at over $500 billion, covers “a broad range of products and technologies” and is “long-term.” The two firms […]

Lego partners with Tencent to create games and a social network for children in China

Lego partners with Tencent to create games and a social network for children in China

Toymaker Lego has struck a partnership with Chinese internet behemoth Tencent to collaborate across a broad range of digital content and platforms. In making the announcement, Lego said it was seeking to increase the awareness of digital safety among children and parents in China, and to provide Chinese children with “fun, creative and most importantly […]

Snap is planning a foray into the Chinese ad market

Snap is planning a foray into the Chinese ad market

Under pressure to boost its slowing revenue growth and a stock price that’s been in the dumps for months, Snap is turning to China. The company is planning on an “ambitious” effort to attract advertisers from China and other Asian-Pacific countries to its Snapchat app. Snap has a goal of quickly growing sales from the […]

WeChat accounts could double as state IDs in China

WeChat accounts could double as state IDs in China

Some WeChat users in China will soon be able to use the chat app as a state-issued ID card. Financial Times reports that those living in Guangdong’s capital city Guangzhou will be able to use facial recognition to link their identities to the app in the Nansha district this week. The feature will apparently roll […]

Apple Accepts WeChat Pay In Bid To Boost Sales In China

Apple Accepts WeChat Pay In Bid To Boost Sales In China

Apple will now accept WeChat Pay as a payment method for App Store and iTunes purchases as it seeks to boost sales in China. The move comes months after Apple and WeChat owner Tencent fell out over Apple’s stance on in-app purchases. In a statement to Chinese media, Apple said the company is “dedicated to providing multiple […]

Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent dominate China’s red-hot digital advertising market

Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent dominate China’s red-hot digital advertising market

Alibaba Group Holding, the world’s largest e-commerce services provider, is poised to extend its lead in China’s fast-growing mobile advertising market with forecast revenue of US$14.6 billion this year, as total spending on digital campaigns in the mainland hits a new record high. Digital advertising expenditure in the mainland is predicted to rise 27 per […]

Starbucks partners with WeChat to launch social gifting feature for customers

Starbucks partners with WeChat to launch social gifting feature for customers

Starbucks has launched a social gifting feature on WeChat to create more digital connections with Chinese customers. The feature “用星說” (Say it with Starbucks) has launched on messaging app Weixin (WeChat) following a two-week trial. The feature enables users to instantly gift a Starbucks drink or digital gift card, which is stored in the receivers […]