SoftBank Corp. Types Capital and Enterprise Alliance With ADA, an Built-in Digital Advertising and marketing Chief With Operations in 9 Asian International locations
TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE) – SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434, “SoftBank”) announced today that it is forming a capital and business alliance with Axiata Digital Advertising Sdn. Bhd. (“ADA”), a Kuala Lumpur-based data and AI company that provides integrated digital marketing solutions in nine Asian countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Korea). ADA is a subsidiary of the Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata Group”), a major telecommunications operator in Asia. Under the terms of the agreement, SoftBank will invest approximately $ 60 million in ADA, giving it a 23.1% stake in the company. In addition, Daichi Nozaki, Vice President of SoftBank and Head of the Global Business Division of the Enterprise Business Unit, will join the ADA board in mid-May 2021.
Through this alliance, SoftBank will leverage ADA’s sales and customer support structure, as well as its data and AI expertise, to accelerate the digital marketing business across Asia. SoftBank will also work with ADA to generate synergies with its own solutions and those of its group companies. In addition to other services, SoftBank offers the customer data platform “Treasure Data CDP”, and the group company LINE Corporation offers companies a wide range of services. In collaboration with ADA, SoftBank will propose and offer solutions to Asian companies that incorporate ADA’s solutions and expertise to support their digital marketing activities.
ADA’s strength is led by its proprietary Technology IP, which consists of 375 million unique consumer profiles in the region. The company uses this deep data to help companies and brands develop digital marketing strategies and assist with execution, and to provide advice on how to use first-party data. In addition, ADA offers marketing technology solutions that companies can use to increase their digital maturity. and end-to-end e-commerce solutions that optimize conversions across the customer funnel.
Based on the Beyond Carrier strategy, SoftBank is expanding beyond the traditional telecommunications company by offering innovative services in a variety of industries and by focusing on digital transformation (DX) initiatives through collaboration with partner companies. This alliance with ADA will promote SoftBank’s Beyond Japan initiative to expand business abroad. ADA offers a wide range of digital marketing services. By combining these services with the diversified solutions and technologies of SoftBank and its group companies, both companies expect significant synergies.
About ADA
ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and implements integrated digital, analytics and marketing solutions.
Operating in nine markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA works with leading brands to drive digital and data maturity and achieve their business goals. We are anchored in the following main services:
Delivering business insights, data enrichment, and advanced analytics
Understanding consumer attitudes and developing data-driven creative marketing strategies
Implementation of end-to-end digital marketing solutions for growth hacking, funnel optimization and goal optimization
ADA complements its unique digital know-how with extensive proprietary data from 375 million consumers.
About SoftBank Corp.
Guided by the SoftBank Group’s corporate philosophy “Information Revolution – Happiness for All”, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) Telecommunication services using cutting edge technologies to start and run new businesses. SoftBank Corp. Serves more than 45 million mobile and corporate customers in Japan and is redefining industries as part of its “Beyond Carrier” strategy by leveraging its unique strengths as a network operator to fully exploit the power of 5G, Big Data. AI, IoT, robotics and other key technologies. Further information is available at www.softbank.jp/en/
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Other company, product, and service names in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
