Travellers happy to interact with hotels on social media

The 2014 Accorhotels Social Media Monitor reveals that hotels are the biggest opportunity in social media with almost half of travellers – especially the Chinese and Indonesians and those aged 25-44 – following a hotel brand in Asia Pacific, a greater percentage than those who follow airlines or other travel-related brands such as online travel agents.

Airlines come first in countries with a strong carrier, such as Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Other travel-related brands come in third place overall; with China, the Philippines and Thailand showing the most interest. Fashion and music brands only made a top three appearance in Vietnam and Japan. Despite it being a cliché, men tend to follow sport and finance brands more, juxtaposed with fashion and cosmetics for women.

Source: Accor.

Accor worked with ORC International to survey over 6,500 travellers across 13 countries to uncover the social media habits of its guests across Asia Pacific. As the largest hotel group in the region, with 600 hotels across 17 countries, Accor is uniquely placed to provide a full insight into the social media habits of travellers and the group uses the results to better target travellers where and when they are looking to search, book or share their travel experiences.

The study found that four out of five respondents follow brands on social media, with the Chinese and Vietnamese the most keen, and those from Japan, Australia and New Zealand the least so. Generally speaking, women and younger travellers are more likely to follow a brand on social networks.

Malaysians and Filipinos use social media first and foremost to get immediate assistance, along with travellers above 55. Chinese and Hong Kong users are the most likely to seek VIP treatment, while the Indonesians show the greatest affinity with brands. Younger travellers and Koreans use social media mostly to get information. Women are looking more for information and deals than men; whereas men are more likely to show loyalty to a brand and are more sensitive to VIP treatment.

With regards to the key motivation for following a brand, the top two spots have swapped from last year and now people want to get information first (74%), followed by deals (71%). Overall, Thais and Japanese are the hungriest for information, and New Zealanders and Singaporeans are the top bargain hunters.

“By understanding what our guests are looking for when they engage with our brands online, we can better target the messages and services we offer them, whether it be in-hotel deals, advice on the best attractions within a city or access to VIP services,” says Emilie Couton, VP Guest Experience, Accor Asia Pacific.

Travellers tend to use hotel pages on social media more before and after their stay:

- Two out five travellers use it at least 'sometimes' to search for information before their stay. Filipinos, Thais and Vietnamese are the biggest users, and New Zealanders and Australians the smallest. Overall, one-third of respondents said their usage has increased in the past year and the younger the traveller, the higher the increase.

- One-third follow a hotel brand when they are staying there,  at least 'sometimes', with Vietnamese, Thais and Indonesians leading the pack. Women are more likely than men to follow a hotel brand, especially when at the hotel. And the younger they are, the more they are likely to follow the hotel brand

- Almost half always or sometimes follow the brand after their stay. Again, the Vietnamese, Chinese and Thais are the most likely to do so.

- When in-house, almost half of respondents said they usually share their location, especially when staying in an upscale hotel. Thais, Vietnamese, younger travellers and women are the most likely to do so, which suggests they like to brag or show off more than other travellers. The Japanese are the most discreet about sharing their location.

“Engaging on social media with guests while in-house is a great opportunity for us to impact positively on their experience,” said Couton. “We need to give guests good reasons to follow individual hotel accounts by providing content relevant to each stage of the trip and giving them something that will enhance their visit.”

Following is one thing, but then what? The good news is that one-third of travellers have already booked a hotel after having seen an advert on social media, with younger travellers the most likely to do so, along with the Vietnamese, Thais, Filipinos and Chinese.There is overall positivity around social adverts in the online space. More than two-thirds of travellers find them useful or don’t mind them, with only 15% ignorant of their existence and just 12% finding them irritating. In general, women find ads on social media more interesting and useful than men.

To view the 2014 Accorhotels Social Media Monitor video click here, and here to view the entire infographic.

Lenovo launches new workstations, Tiny all-in-one

The Lenovo TiO has a Tiny desktop computer (left) which slots into the back of a 23" monitor (right). Both items can be used separately, or together.

Lenovo has launched workstations and a 'Tiny-in-one' (TiO) in its final major product launch for 2014. 

The new workstations at the left.

“Building upon the advancements that we delivered in the recently launched P300 workstation, we listened to an extensive amount of customer feedback, and have crafted the newest additions to the P Series of ThinkStations to take users to new heights of performance, dependability and usability,” said Jessie Quek, Country General Manager, Lenovo Singapore.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P500, P700 and P900 are professional-grade desktop workstations, with space-saving designs as well as energy-efficient features. The latest Intel Xeon processors provide computing horsepower, while NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards carry out the visualisation work.

The P Series ThinkStations feature modular designs that let users upgrade critical components such as the motherboard and power supply without the need for tools. The machines have a FLEX Bay designed to support an optical drive or the FLEX Module, which can be used to support an ultraslim optical drive, a media card reader, or Firewire (IEEE 1394). At the same time, professionals can increase functionality without sacrificing rear PCIe slots by using a mezzanine card that connects to the motherboard – allowing for support for SATA/SAS/PCIe storage and advanced RAID solutions. 

Lenovo ThinkStation workstations stay cool with a patented tri-channel cooling architecture. Three hot-pluggable fans are situated at three different levels of the workstation for more effective cooling.

Lenovo’s new ThinkCentre TiO 23 modular All-in-One (AIO) gives businesses the flexibility to mix-and-match a 23" AIO experience with all current ThinkCentre Tiny PCs (sold separately). Unlike classic AIO computers which have the monitor and the computer integrated tightly together, the TiO is powered by a detachable ThinkCentre Tiny PC that locks into the back of the monitor through a simple tool-less process. This hybrid configuration allows users to configure their AiO with the computing performance to match their needs. When the time comes to upgrade or service the system, users simply replace the old Tiny PC and are back at work in less than two minutes.

Quek said the TiO "radicalises the way that businesses think about IT refresh cycles and costs of ownership.” She pointed out that the Tiny PCs are convenient and literally quite tiny, being just "four golf balls by three golfballs" in size, and weighing approximately the same as a 1 litre bottle of Evian water. 

The TiO has a 23" FHD display, front-access USB 3.0 audio ports, an optional optical disc drive (ODD) and an ergonomic stand that allows for tilt and height adjustment. A single standard Lenovo power adapter is used for both the monitor and the Tiny PC. As the system is VESA compatible, users have the flexibility to deploy it on a variety of VESA-compatible mounts, stands, and brackets. 

The Tiny-in-One also offers enhanced physical security for the Tiny PC with an advanced locking mechanism that secures Tiny and the Tiny-in-One’s optional ODD module inside the system when a Kensington cable lock is attached.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P500, P700 and P900 will start from S$1,100, S$2,500 and S$3,200 respectively. The ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One monitor has a starting price of S$449, and the ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One (bundled with the ThinkCentre M53) will start from S$749. 

Personalised gifts are much more meaningful: Joanne Peh

Recently-wed celebrity couple Joanne Peh and Qi Yu Wu shared how chocolate had figured in their history together when they headlined the launch of Ferrero's first Southeast Asia boutique, Pasticceria Ferrero. 

The Mediacorp stars were at the boutique outside Wisma Atria along Orchard Road in Singapore last evening.

"I used to eat it layer by layer as in the TV commercial," said the Singaporean actress of the classic Ferrero Rocher praline. She used to buy Ferrero Rocher at Chinese new year for the gold packaging, she shared. Gold coloured items symbolise prosperity during the Chinese new year period, while round items symbolise completeness.

Peh recounted a time before they were married, when they were both at work. She remembered that Qi had snacks in his bag and some had melted from the heat. He took out a whole chocolate out of his bag for himself, then offered her a melted one before asking if she would prefer the whole chocolate. 

Qi shared that he had never given her chocolate as a formal gift. "Today might be the first time," he said, explaining that to him, giving chocolate to someone is not done lightly. 

Peh added that personalised gifts can be very meaningful. "What do I want to convey with the choice of chocolates? Knowing your friend and the effort that you put into it - it's that which means so much more," she said.

Read the blog post about the boutique here.

Exclusive Ferrero Rocher pralines available at the Pasticceria Ferrero, in Singapore for the festive season

Launch headliners Qi Yu Wu and Joanne Peh pose for pictures.

Ferrero Rocher has launched its first Southeast Asia boutique, Pasticceria Ferrero, the only store of its kind in the world this festive season, at Wisma Atria along Orchard Road in Singapore. 

Before the official launch.

The boutique allows visitors to assemble customised boxes of chocolates with new and exclusive variants of the Ferrero pralines that are only available during this time of year.

Visitors can create their own customised gift boxes with pralines only available at the boutique during this festive season.

Leonardo Perrone de Almeida, Marketing Director, South East Asia, Ferrero Asia, spoke of the brand's long tradition in the fine art of gifting. "As the number one chocolate brand in Singapore, Ferrero certainly has a special place in the heart of Singaporeans. This year we wanted to offer Singaporeans.. a piece of our tradition and heritage to South East Asia," he said. 

Guests at the launch of the Pasticceria Ferrero were shown how each Ferrero Rocher praline is made by Luca Dellapiana, a Ferrero Chef from Italy. The seven-step process begins with filling the two halves of the wafer sphere with a creamy chocolate filling. A handpicked premium hazelnut is then popped in, and the two wafer halves are joined into the familiar spherical shape. The wafer sphere is then dipped in chocolate, which is tempered at 45 degrees Celsius, then cooled to 29 degrees to give it the crunch and the shine. The praline is then rolled in crushed hazelnuts, after which the whole is dipped in tempered chocolate again, and then chilled for a few minutes before it is ready to eat. 

The Rocherones are available in 'giant' (left) and 'mini' (right) sizes. Both Rocherones and the Christmas pyramids (below) are Christmas Limited Edition offerings. 

Live demonstrations by Chef Dellapiana and Chef Alessandria Davide, also in Singapore only for a limited time, will be conducted for the next four weekends, till 1 December, at the Pasticceria Ferrero. Chef Dellapiana's original creations are also on show at the boutique: look out for the Christmas Limited Edition Rocherones, which are shaped like a giant-sized classic praline and filled with smaller pralines. The Christmas Pyramids are also only available during this time. 

Some of the exclusive pralines available only during the festive season at the Pasticceria Ferrero. 

The special pralines only available for Christmas include: 

• Ferrero Tenderly White, a white chocolate praline with a hazelnut filling.
• Ferrero Capuccino, crispy wafer specialty with a smooth coffee filling
• Ferrero Tenderly Nougat, milk chocolate praline, creamy nougat and a whole hazelnut.
• Ferrero Manderly, a crisp hazelnut-covered specialty, with a smooth hazelnut filling and almond centre.
• Mon Chéri: Launched in 1956, this praline marked the beginning of Ferrero history in the world of boxed chocolates. The recipe combines dark chocolate, liqueur, and cherry. 
• Pocket Coffee, available from 1968, a dark chocolate praline filled with liquid espresso.
• Kusschen White: 'küsschen' means 'little kiss'; a white chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Kusschen Milk, a milk chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Kusschen Dark, a milk and dark chocolate praline with hazelnut filling.
• Raffaello: Introduced in 1989, Raffaello consists of a whole almond in a creamy filling enclosed in a crispy shell, covered in flakes of coconut.
• Ferrero Rondnoir: a crisp dark chocolate covered specialty, with a smooth filling and a dark chocolate and hazelnut centre.

Ferrero is also the company behind Nutella, Kinder and Tic Tac. Read about Peh and Qi's thoughts on Ferrero Rocher and chocolate here.

Five-star hotel to serve Sydney airport

Australia’s largest hotel operator, Accor, has announced that they will be part of a new mixed-use hotel, commercial and retail precinct to be developed in Mascot, near Sydney Airport.

Accor has signed a management agreement with Goodman to manage a 5-star hotel to be badged Pullman Sydney Airport as part of a new A$100 million development project that will encompass office and retail facilities. Pullman is the largest network of upscale hotels in the Asia Pacific, with more than 45 hotels across the region and counting.

Accor Pacific Chief Operating Officer, Simon McGrath, said Accor is an airport hotel specialist at a time when airports are no longer delivering transport alone. "The Sydney hotel market has been considerably constrained over the last two years with occupancies idling between 80-90%, hence the urgency for new inventory to service the high corporate and leisure demand in the city. Pullman Sydney Airport will not only add 229 rooms to Sydney’s bourgeoning tourism economy but it will be the first internationally branded 5-star hotel serving the international airport precinct," he said.

Goodman’s General Manager Australia, Jason Little, said: “The new mixed-use precinct provides the highest and best use for this prominent South Sydney site and complements the Development Act (DA) approved future development of two commercial office buildings, totalling 34,350 sq m, together with ground floor retail space.”

Pullman Sydney Airport will include conference facilities as well as an Executive Lounge, a quiet space for guests to do business or relax.

Construction of the hotel development on O’Riordan Street, Mascot started in November and the Pullman Sydney Airport is expected to open in May 2016.

Mashreq relaunches SmartSaver credit cards

Mashreq, a major financial institution in the UAE, has re-launched its SmartSaver credit card. SmartSaver, a top cash-back credit card in the UAE, now offers savings of up to 10%, with no caps, with 50 leading brands.

Source: Mashreq.

The card offers returns of 1.25% on every domestic purchase, 3.25% on all international spends, 5% savings on all education, telecom and utility bill payments and no joining or annual fee, Mashreq said.  

Nimish Dwivedi, Head of Cards at Mashreq said, “The typical cash-back card in the UAE is focused largely on specific categories of spends such as supermarkets or education with the actual give-back to customers being subject to multiple ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ – tiers, thresholds, exclusions etc. With SmartSaver, we’ve done away with the ambiguity and transformed the savings universe. 

"Cardholders, or should I say ‘SmartSavers’, get a ‘no-strings attached’ give-back on every spend, benefit from additional savings in high-expense categories like school fees, telecom and utility spends that tend to strain the household budget and most uniquely, get bonus savings of up to 10% on typical everyday spends at leading brands such as Al Maya, Al Adil, BHS, Mom & Me, Raymond, Park Avenue, Leather Palace, Homes r Us, Fitness First, Prime Medical Centre, VLCC, Kinokuniya, Borders, Al Futtaim Travels, Emax, Oman Insurance and many more.”

Eyad Al Kourdi, UAE Country Head, MasterCard said: “MasterCard is constantly looking for new ways to provide innovative and enhanced payment solutions in the UAE. The Mashreq SmartSaver credit card is what every consumer requires – simple, secure, and hassle free way to save money. We are delighted to once again be offering our customers payment solution options, along with our long-term partner Mashreq Bank.”

SmartSaver cards are accepted at over 450 partner outlets across 15 categories including supermarkets, fashion, apparel, home dcor, health & wellness, travel, hospitality, books & stationery, car rentals, auto accessories, electronics, and jewellery.

Meritus Hotels & Resorts to manage the Meritus Bali Seminyak Resort & Spa

Source: Meritus Hotels & Resorts. From left: Meritus Hotels & Resorts COO Tan Choon Kwang with Director of PT. Bali Seminyak Sejahtera, Ricky Thomasia Naro, at the signing ceremony. Looking on are Meritus Hotels & Resorts Regional VP Andrew Hickey and PT Bali Seminyak Sejahtera Shareholder I Nyoman Retha Aryana.

Asian hospitality group Meritus Hotels & Resorts has inked a management agreement with Indonesian property developer PT Bali Seminyak Sejahtera to operate a new-build resort in Seminyak on the island of Bali, Indonesia.

To open in 2016, Meritus Bali Seminyak Resort & Spa blends classic Balinese architecture and modern oriental interiors, with Chinois-inspired motifs. There are 181 guestrooms, each of which features an in-room entertainment system and efficient connectivity. A full-service business centre will complement the resort’s conference and event spaces.Ricky Thomasia Naro, President and Director of PT Bali Seminyak Sejahtera, said, “The Meritus brand has always resonated strongly in Indonesia. We are excited about this partnership, and confident that with Meritus’ track record and expertise the new resort is well-poised to elevate the standards of high-end resort accommodation in Seminyak whilst contributing to the growth of tourism in this dynamic destination.”

“Bali presents an exciting opportunity for us to enhance our brand presence in this important market by delivering the Asian hospitality experience unique to Meritus,” said Tan Choon Kwang, Chief Operating Officer of Meritus Hotels & Resorts. 

Book promises to rescue presentations from missing the point completely

With presentations commonly used today to convey important information, manage projects, and for planning, it is not surprising that a significant proportion of the work week is spent on presentations. Yet presentations often end up being a total waste of time and resources for all concerned. 

Belgian communications expert Ed Gruwez, CEO of Ogilvy Internal Communications and Founder of presentation design company To The Point at Work, says most presentations are “simply appalling: unclear, bloated and boring exercises that completely miss their objectives and lead nowhere despite the long hours of preparation.” 

Gruwez said: “It's hard to imagine our daily, professional lives without presentations. Yet money and many hours of useless work are lost in presentations that lead nowhere. There has been far too little research in this field but the little that is available indicates that presentations are not only often a waste of time but they also impact the quality of corporate decisions, and even the general employee job satisfaction. 

“Managers and organisations would therefore be well inspired to stop and think about the quality of their presentations and how to handle them better.” 

Gruwez has created a simple, effective method to get the message across. Concerned that organisations are losing “handfuls of cash and man-hours” through bad presentations, at a time when reducing expenditures has never been more important, he has penned the first step-by-step guide of its kind to getting presentations right. 

Presentation, Thinking & Design: Create better presentations, quicker – newly released by Pearson, a major education publisher, through their FT Publishing International imprint – is an easy-to-follow, pinpointed manual to mastering the content, structure and logic behind the presentation, and sharing a message with impact. It also covers the theory underpinning good practice, explaining how the human mind works in terms of receiving, processing and storing information, and how to harness it. 

Across 240 pages, this highly-visual, full-colour book reveals how to: 

• Prepare an excellent presentation in limited time 
• Structure ideas to make them clear for those less familiar with the subject 
• Make a presentation as short as possible, yet still complete 
• Make ideas attractive to an audience  
• Get the audience to remember the key points 

Although aimed primarily at those who typically do a lot of presentations, the book is relevant to anyone interested in improving their communication skills and will help sharpen up reports, important emails and keynote speeches. 

The book costs S$45.95 inclusive of GST in Singapore, and can be purchased at major retail outlets such as MPH, Times and Times Newslink. It is also available online here.

*Image from Pearson.

SingEx launches Last Mile Fulfilment Asia

Last Mile Fulfilment Asia (LMFAsia), an inaugural trade conference and exhibition named for its focus on the last-mile fulfilment aspects for the logistics and e-commerce industries, will take place in Singapore next year. 

This is the first event of its kind focussing on last-mile fulfilment issues and opportunities within Asia, with about 1,500 trade attendees, delegates and exhibitors from the Asian region expected at the first edition, SingEx said. LMFAsia will bring together four key sectors – e-commerce, retail, logistics and parcel delivery – on one platform to maximise the business opportunities for e-commerce in Asia.

According to eMarketer, Asia Pacific will overtake North America as the world’s largest e-commerce market this year, with B2C e-commerce sales forecast to grow from US$383.9 million in 2013 to US$855.7 million by 2016. China, Indonesia and India will be the top three drivers of e-commerce growth in this region, with Southeast Asia poised to register strong growth as well. But while consumers are buying, logistics players, brand owners and retailers are struggling with technological and infrastructural constraints in last-mile fulfilment, as well as the higher fulfilment costs within Asia.

SingEx Exhibitions, a wholly-owned entity of Singapore-based SingEx Holdings, has launched LMFAsia to address this specific gap in the market today, providing a platform for all players within the fulfilment ecosystem to address the opportunities and challenges. It will bring together fulfilment centres, logistics companies, postal agencies, parcel courier companies and technology solution providers to meet with e-commerce companies and retailers to discuss and find solutions to the last mile challenges, forge new partnerships and uncover business opportunities in Asia.

Aloysius Arlando, CEO of SingEx Holdings, says, “Current events in the marketplace are addressing broader issues in the general logistics sector, thereby limiting the sources and platforms that e-commerce companies and retailers can go to for last mile fulfilment issues. SingEx is well-attuned to the impetus and needs of the Asian markets, and we saw this gap as an excellent opportunity to create an event that will provide a dedicated platform for the fulfilment ecosystem.”

Supporting this event as a Strategic Partner is EDB Singapore. Says Lee Eng Keat, EDB’s Director of Logistics and Natural Resources, “Keeping in mind the growth of e-commerce and the complexity of Asia’s fragmented trade and regulatory landscape, we are building up Singapore’s capabilities in e-commerce ranging from consumer insights to last mile fulfilment. LMFAsia will bring together thought leaders to exchange ideas on the issues and possible solutions for last mile fulfilment in Asia. The event will also allow brand owners to get a better understanding of how Singapore can help them connect to key markets and enhance their competitive edge in the burgeoning Asian market, especially Southeast Asia.”

“All business partners we are talking to have e-commerce as a top priority on their agenda. And they are all situated in different stages of development with variety of challenges and hurdles. With our global supply chain network and e-commerce know-how, we support our clients to address and master these challenges, hence being equipped for growth in this exciting market,” says Mitat Aydindag, Head of arvato SCM/eCommerce Asia, arvato Bertelsmann, which will be exhibiting in the event.

Daniel Chen, Business Development Director of D’Trans, also looks forward to the opportunity to network with key representatives from the fulfilment ecosystem across Asia, and to leverage this event to develop robust e-commerce solutions that will enable D’Trans to fulfil its delivery promise to its customers. 

“D'Trans strives to deliver growth for all our clients through provision of a dedicated logistics services by offering reliable economical and safe transportation of our customers' documents or products to their desired destination right where they want. We look forward to engage with our clients and harness the logistics network which we will establish through LMFAsia's platform,” says Chen.

LMFAsia will be held on 19 and 20 March 2015 at MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO. It will comprise a two-day conference and an exhibition, with business matching and networking sessions as key features of the event.

New W&R range is both art and functional

Kebony has announced that Drew Wahlberg Rosskelly has used kebony wood for its new W&R range. Inspired by experience, culture and natural elements, the W&R pieces are meant to be art pieces as well as functional tableware. 

Source: Kebony. The W&R range.

The designs are inspired by the creation of culinary experiences and are conceived in collaboration with food innovators. Evocative of nature, the smooth rounded edges and warm toned Kebony wood combine to create pieces which provide the user with a strong sensory experience. The spoon was the first custom designed item in collaboration with the world’s most innovative food professionals at NOMA*.

Sets can be purchased exclusively from Wahl&Ross design workshop at www.wahlross.dk.

Kebony wood is a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood. The Kebony technology is a patented, environmentally friendly process which enhances the properties of non-durable wood species to give them similar characteristics to the best performing woods. 

*Michelin-starred NOMA Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, is considered one of the world's best restaurants. 

HTC launches smartphone, imaging ecosystem components in Singapore

HTC has launched the RE, a new type of camera, the HTC Desire EYE smartphone, the HTC Eye Experience imaging software, and Zoe, a collaborative video editing community, in Singapore. 

"Back in 1997, we allowed people to leave their laptops at home in favour of powerful, pocket-sized smartphone computing. Today we are taking a similar leap forward - combining incredible hardware with unrivalled software," said Jack Yang, President of South Asia, HTC Corporation. “HTC is reinventing the way we think about imaging. We are taking you out from behind the viewfinder and putting you back where you belong, at the heart of the action and some amazing new innovation in software to enhance the use of technology.” 

HTC also shared pictures taken by the RE, which show its wide angle and adaptive exposure capabilities:

The HTC Desire EYE will available in Coral Red and Submarine Blue, from 27 November 2014, launching at the SITEX Show through StarHub and M1 at a recommended retail price of S$728 including GST. The RE will be available from 19 December 2014 for S$348. Updates will be announced on the HTC Singapore Facebook page. 

Read the blog posts about the launch here and here.

Running app wins Splash Award

RunSG, an app entered by a team from Hwa Chong Institution (College Section) at the Splash Awards, clinched the top prize in the Pre-Tertiary Category this year. 

The app charts routes for runners using data on traffic conditions and air quality, creating the most rewarding routes for the runner based on the distance he is looking to run. It also encourages runners to meet up and run together. 

The app also picked up the data.gov.sg prize for the ‘Best Use of Open Data’. 

Organised by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS), Splash Awards, now in its 11th year, aims to engage youth across tertiary and pre-tertiary institutions in Singapore to nurture their skills and passion for infocomm technology in a unique and creative way. 

Asia Pacific to see more cyberattacks in 2015

An annual prediction report from cybersecurity leader Trend Micro reveals that retail and financial institutions outside of the US will be increasingly targeted by cybercriminals in 2015.

Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2015 and Beyond: The Invisible Becomes Visible says that in 2015 there will be a rise of targeted attack campaigns across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Such attacks focus their efforts on infiltrating a specific organisation. 

Noteworthy cases in the US and China show that targeted attacks have become the preferred means of intelligence gathering for cybercriminals. The motivations behind these campaigns include obtaining financial information, personal data, top secret classified government data, and intellectual property (IP) such as industry blueprints. 

Trend Micro threat defense experts have already noted attacks against organisations in Vietnam and India, and recently in Malaysia and Indonesia. Attacks in other APAC countries can be expected. In particular, social media will increasingly be abused as infection vectors. Social media can be used to carry suspect links, and also as a reference to personalise the content used to dupe a user into visiting a malicious site or downloading malware.

“What we are seeing today is not a huge surprise. Cybercriminals have increased their velocity and the brutal measures they use to steal information,” said Dhanya Thakkar, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Trend Micro. “Following the success of targeted attacks from Chinese and Russian cybercriminals, many attackers from other countries will regard cyberattacks as a more practical method to grab a foothold in an organisation.”

Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2015 and Beyond: The Invisible Becomes Visible makes several predictions for 2015:

Targeted attacks will become as prevalent as cybercrime.

A security threat could focus on getting 'command and control' access, such as issuing a command to the hard disk to destroy itself, criminal purposes, hacktivism, espionage, or just destruction. 

David Siah, Singapore Country Manager, Trend Micro likened network protection to Mentos, a popular candy with a hard exterior and a chewy interior. While enterprises invest in hardening the external perimeter, the network inside is still 'soft'. "If someone wants to get in, he will get in, and can do anything within the castle walls," he said. 

Attacks will target Android

The increased adoption of mobile devices will also increase the risk for mobile users. Android—the top mobile platform in APAC, making up an average of 71% of total impressions—has a fragmentation problem. This means the mobile device user has to rely on the device provider to protect the software.

Cybercriminals can take advantage of this fragmentation problem by developing exploits for existing device vulnerabilities that have not yet been patched. This can be done easily using exploit kits similar to the infamous Blackhole Exploit Kit.

Trend Micro also found that companies still believe that they are unlikely to be targeted, or that trusted environments are safe. A survey by Trend Micro found that 35% of companies in APAC are sure they have escaped attacks, whereas more than a quarter (26%) actually said they do not know. The remainder either suspect, or know that they suffered breaches.

Siah.

The reality is that more malicious detections were detected and blocked in Singapore over Q314 than in Q214. Siah said that in Q3, than 7 million attempts were made by Singapore-based users to access malicious websites, with 611,000 attempts trying to get to malicious URLs hosted in the country.

Siah highlighted that common malware like WORM_DOWNAD.AD, codenamed 'Conficker', are still making it to the top 10 in Singapore, implying that Singapore users are not updating their systems regularly, or using an operating system that is no longer supported by Microsoft, such as Windows XP. 

A vulnerability termed CVE-2012-0158 is a favourite means of attack, followed by CVE-2010-0188. The first was discovered in 2012, and the second in 2010, Siah added, showing that victims have not patched their systems against them since 2012 and 2010 respectively. 

Microsoft Office accounts for 53% of targeted attacks, and another 46% are through Adobe Reader. "We live so much with documents today. If there is an attachment I might just click on it, it could present itself as a legitimate document that talks about my work, or a report about the industry that I'm very interested in," noted Siah. 

While lax user practices help the online cybercriminal community, and well-known malware like Zeus is offered free to the community, it may seem like updating systems regularly will be enough protection; but Siah said such updates depend on bugs to be publicly announced by others, after which 'signatures' can be created to detect them. This leaves a window of opportunity in between the announcement of the bug and the availability of the patch for cybercriminals to target users. 

In addition, known vulnerabilities are just the tip of the iceberg. Existing bugs like Shellshock were only announced after decades, while malware can mutate to the point where they are essentially signatureless. "Traditional cybersecurity defences cannot detect such signatureless threats," Siah warned. "Exploiting a vulnerability will be as easy as creating an app."

It is a global problem, even if targeted attacks used to be associated only with countries like US or Russia, Siah further said. Trend Micro is aware of gangs in Brazil and China, and while the cybercriminals may base their operations in one country, they could be connected by the Internet to anywhere else in the world. 

Siah shared that Trend Micro sensors have found that attacks in APAC range across Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, mainland China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Bangladesh, with Singapore being a relatively minor target. "If a US company has a Taiwan subsidiary, the attackers could go to the subsidiary and once they have gained control of the Taiwan servers they could then jump internally from country to country till they reach the main HQ," Siah pointed out. 

Users should expect that at least one of their accounts, whether on web services or online portals, will be compromised. The prevalence of social media usage in APAC – with about 970 million active social media users – will make users in the region viable targets. Given the predicted increase of attacks next year, cybercriminals will have more opportunities to steal user credentials. As a result, Trend Micro advises users to be more diligent when it comes to password use and online security.

Click here for the full report.

Flickr Wall Art now available internationally

Yahoo has launched Flickr wall art in international markets, allowing companies to decorate their walls with the work of Flickr photographers around the world. 

In October, Yahoo announced the Flickr Wall Art service, which allows Flickr photographs from licensed artists who are part of the Flickr Marketplace to be turned into museum-quality wall prints that can be purchased on Flickr. 

The Flickr team has curated Flickr-licensed photographs in popular categories such as abstract, landscapes, travel, and animals that can be ordered in sizes from 8”x10” up to 20”x30” and shipped internationally.

Flickr's Premium Photo Mounts are printed with professional grade paper and mounted with 1” wood-textured edges. With the Gallery Canvas Wrap option, artist-grade canvas is stretched across a traditional 1.25” wood frame. 

 

Check out more information in the Tumblr post here and start browsing here. 

Read the blog post about a similar service from Getty Images here.

*These images from Flickr are the author's, but not in the Flickr Marketplace.

Final adidas Originals = PHARRELL WILLIAMS delivery for 2014 coming 28 November

The final adidas Originals = PHARRELL WILLIAMS product delivery for 2014 – with additional drops to follow in 2015 – finds Pharrell toying with the classic polka dot: a bold, fun print motif that signals both energy and joy. 

Source: adidas Originals. The Polka Dot Pack includes Stan Smith sneakers.

The Polka Dot Pack launches across Southeast Asia on November 28, and includes Stan Smith sneakers in leather. The Polka Dot Pack aims to express the most profound joy of all: love. With its youthful, uplifting spirit, offering imagery and styling that are approachable and “real”, the Polka Dot Pack strives to communicate the key tenet of the continued collaboration.

“Equality is love visualised. It is a symbol and action of affection. Equality is everything from a greeting to a declaration of true love. In all its forms – it is acceptance, it is love, it is strength,” says Pharrell Williams. 

The collection will arrive in a palette of yellow, blue and fresh white with small-scale red dots, with the sneakers priced at S$169. The sneakers will be available at the adidas Originals Stores in Singapore at Pacific Plaza, Bugis+, 313 Somerset, JEM as well as Limited Edition at 313 Somerset and Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. 

Hashtag: #adidas, #adidasOriginals, #Pharrell

Patricia Rox brings signature colour and detail to Asia

Patricia Rox debuted in Europe in 2013 and is already gaining momentum internationally with plans to establish the brand here in Asia, beginning with Singapore. 

The luxury womenswear company creates globally inspired, traditionally handcrafted pieces, and officially launched the brand and its Spring/Summer 2015 The Fantasy Capsule in Singapore recently. 

With exotic, intricate prints and bright, bold colours at the forefront of its designs, Patricia Rox brings one-of-a-kind ready-to-wear and accessories to discerning, sophisticated women. 

The latest Spring/Summer The Fantasy Capsule features vibrant, circus-inspired scarves and buffalo horn and enamel jewellery which transport the Patricia Rox woman back to her whimsical childhood fantasies. The collection is luxurious yet effortlessly chic, and is versatile enough for a resort, travelling or attending a soiree. 

Model wearing the Hera toga
dress with a backdrop of
scarves with the same print.

Patricia Rox is the brainchild of fashion lawyer Patricia Haywood. Gathering inspiration from her love of travel, Patricia has created a brand that brings together traditional techniques and modern ideas to create unique, handmade pieces, and a brand with a mission to make well-crafted pieces available to women everywhere. 

"At Patricia Rox, we go to great lengths to bring women unique and well-made clothing and accessories. Our vision is to bring together some of the most creative people from different regions to create something special, and to make the art of traditional craftsmanship accessible to women worldwide," says Haywood, Founder and Creative Director, Patricia Rox. 

Every scarf and piece of jewellery is handcrafted by skilled and passionate craftspeople. Patricia Rox works with artisans who are the best at their craft and who are skilled at preserving the integrity of the materials used in each piece created. 

Each print is painstakingly hand-drawn by one artist, with some prints taking 200-300 hours to complete. These one-of-a-kind prints are viewed as works of art. This traditional technique translates to smaller runs and limited editions of each design and ensures that each and every piece will be unique and exquisitely crafted. 

With a mission to find the best natural materials like silk, cotton, linen, horn, enamel and pearl from around the world to create unique pieces that are just as unique as the Patricia Rox woman, all materials are ethically and sustainably sourced from only the best suppliers from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. 

Currently, the collection of Patricia Rox scarves is available online at www.gnossem.com, a Singapore based online shopping site for unique and quality fashion from top, independent designers. Outside of Singapore, Patricia Rox is available in Asia at Aman Resorts in Bali, and www.shopzaozao.com in Hong Kong.

An e-commerce site and physical flagship store are in the works.

*All images from Patricia Rox.

The Great Escape from the Asian Civilisations Museum

The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore is organising two evenings involving movies and lockdown games in Night at the Museum: The Great Escape from Asian Civilisations Museum.

Billed as the first-ever lockdown game in a museum in Singapore and probably the world, participants have to solve puzzles, uncover secrets of the museum and learn the hidden meanings behind ancient objects in order to 'escape'. Winners stand a chance to win movie vouchers for Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

Participants can also enjoy free screenings of Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian on a first come, first served basis*.

The first of nine game sessions is a corporate challenge, where all team members have to be from the same company, but participants are free to join any of the other sessions. 

Game Play Schedule
12 December	13 December
*6.30pm – 8pm (Corporate Challenge)	5pm-6.30pm
8pm-9.30pm	8pm-9.30pm
9.30pm- 11pm	9.30pm-11pm
11pm-12.30am	11pm-12.30am

Tickets cost S$25 per person, with early bird discounts in force till 24 November. Teams must consist of four to eight people. Book tickets here.

Euromonitor survey uncovers a new food villain: sugar

Euromonitor International has noticed a backlash against sugar as consumer attitudes change around the world. 

The negative attitude towards sugar is driving changes in food trends as people make a conscious effort to either reduce their sweet food and drink intake, or avoid sugar completely. Euromonitor’s Global Consumer Trends Survey revealed that 42% of consumers seek out food labels with limited or no added sugar.

“Sugar is now seen as a health risk by most, and as toxic as tobacco by some,” says Gina Westbrook, Director of Strategy Briefings at Euromonitor International. “Sugar has endured a tide of negative public opinion as the amount of scientific research linking the rise in sugar intake with obesity has increased, leading the government to become increasingly concerned about the rising cost of illnesses such as diabetes and cancer.”

The World Health Organisation recently said that cutting the recommended daily sugar limit in half to 5% would have ‘additional benefits’ and consequently, manufacturers are being forced to reduce sugar content and develop natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners.

Added Westbrook, “Companies will continue to work with ingredients suppliers to develop new alternatives, with natural sweeteners like stevia holding the greatest growth potential.”

The report covers 34 global markets, including Australia and China. All 34 markets have seen a five-year rise in obesity, and 27 markets have also experienced an increase in diabetes.