Japanese digital marketer bullish on Philippines expansion

MANILA, Philippines — Tokyo-based digital marketing agency Ayudante Inc. has set its sight on expanding its presence in the Philippines, seeing business potential in the national push to promote electronic processes.

Ayudante said it acquired Singapore-based digital marketing provider Sparkline as part of efforts to build up its business network in Southeast Asia.

The company said it plans to maximize Sparkline’s existing portfolio in the Philippines to bring in its marketing products and solutions in the country.

Ayudante said the Philippines is a potential market for some of the digital services offered by Google Marketing Platform (GMP). As such, the company aims to capture some of the enterprise demand for data analytics and marketing services.

Likewise, Ayudante views the government’s push for digital transformation as one of the reasons to expand in the Philippines. To recall, the government under President Marcos is expediting its digital transition to limit red tape and for ease of doing business.

On its decision to acquire Sparkline, Ayudante said the transaction underscores the rising interest among multinationals to make their presence felt in Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem.

Ayudante said the buyout shows the prospect of regional acquisitions, raising confidence that small-scale innovators can sell to international buyers.

Ayudante prides itself as the first company in Japan that completed Google’s certification process to use GMP, a suite of some of the most advanced marketing solutions.

The marketing industry in Asia Pacific, including the Philippines, is getting a facelift in the advent of evolving forms of artificial intelligence (AI). Companies are starting to automate their marketing tasks, especially customer data analysis and search engine optimization, for cost efficiency.

Based on a study by the International Data Corp., AI will eat up 30 percent of marketing tasks in the region. Chief marketing officers (CMOs) are beginning to explore ways to employ AI in their respective workplaces.