SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 11 January 2021 - In a year where the shock of pandemic has caused small enterprises and prominent businesses alike to put up the shutters, Influential Brands®^[2] conferred recognition on brands that stood strong in their commitment to excellence.

Backed by an extensive survey conducted in July 2020 with the participation of 1,500 consumers, 15 companies are named the "2020 Asia's Top Influential Brands". The study showed that during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers gravitated towards brands that are available across multiple digital channels and are perceived as value for money. In categories with intense competition, brands with cross-generational appeal, for instance NTUC FairPrice, ultimately topped their categories.

The 15 companies among others cited by consumers as their preferred choices are AIA (Asia), Adidas (Singapore), Angliss Singapore (Singapore), AOX (Singapore), Beijing Tong Ren Tang (Asia), Chow Tai Fook (Asia), Decathlon Singapore (Singapore), EB Frozen Food (Malaysia), Everbest Soya Bean (Malaysia), Häagen-Dazs (Singapore), IG Group (Singapore), NTUC FairPrice (Singapore), NTUC LearningHub (Singapore), POKKA (Singapore), PropertyGuru Group (Asia).

At a time where the labour market is faced with great uncertainty and employee morale is at an all-time low,  Lazada (Asia), KFC (Singapore), Pizza Hut (Singapore) and PKF (Singapore) are crowned "2020 Asia's Top Employers" based on an anonymous survey of more than 10,000 employees. The awardees surpassed industry standards in having meaningful employee engagement, strong alignment between employee and company culture and relevant HR practices in this digital age. The company culture and employee engagement audit was conducted in collaboration with aAdvantage Consulting firm, Influential Brand's research partner.

BUSINESS LEADERS WINNING STRATEGIES AND ADAPTATION TO THE NEW NORM

"For FairPrice, we embrace technologies that are transformative, progressive and forward-looking, which are essential for us to remain relevant to those we serve. FairPrice will continue to invest on both online as well as physical stores as we improve the customer journey and also make it as seamless as possible for the customers regardless of the platform they choose." said Mr Seah Kian Peng, Group CEO, FairPrice Group.

"The physical presence is still very essential for customers. As human beings, we want to connect with others, and our experience store is meant for that. Our store advisors have no objectives to sell more or promote the expensive items, but our approach is really about authenticity and sincerity, to be friends and family members to our customers." said Mr Nils Swolkien, Managing Director of Decathlon Singapore.

On catering to different market needs, Ms Rieko Shofu, Group Chief Executive Officer of Pokka Singapore said, "Recognising the trend that consumers are now more health conscious, we have expedited our innovation to develop healthier drinks. As a brand that exports to more than 60 countries worldwide, it is critical for us to understand and adapt to the differences in consumer preferences, lifestyle and market conditions".

Ms Angel Ding, Managing Director of Angliss Singapore said, "The pandemic has caused a sharp decline of 30% of our business.  Angliss Singapore pivoted towards expanding a new business model (B2C). Angliss Singapore transformed from a leading distributor of premium gourmet brands to also include serving the end consumers directly, by supplying them with quality and fresh ingredients to prepare meals. "Our company's vision of serving those who serve great food continues to be a driver for Angliss Singapore, to be a gamer-changer and a trusted brand in the industry."

Mr Magnus Ekbom, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Lazada said, "In these times, we need to rely on our experience and capabilities that we have built overtime. In addition, we recognise that our people have phenomenal capabilities and will do things that you wouldn't believe was possible if you just empower them, let them take ownership, responsibility, and see things through."

On the note of the future's plans and outlook, Mr. Hari V. Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of PropertyGuru said, "We have been really tested this year, but our team has been found to have a tremendous amount of resilience and unity.  Besides our team, our customers and investors are stakeholders that we focus on and we are glad that all three have really shown a lot of trust in us. If they are going to show that kind of faith in us in a year like this, I have confidence for the future."

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Influential Brands® (www.influentialbrands.com)