Digital happenings this week from Google, Sina Weibo, HTC and more

Sina Weibo has appointed Ogilvy & Mather to embed its microblog platform in Hong Kong through an integrated campaign. This marks the first time Weibo will be advertised in Hong Kong with a 360-campaign hitting the streets with a series of above-the-line PR and social media activities. 

Google and Ipsos have collaborated on a study that reveals urban Chinese users are the most influenced by mobile phone advertising. 84 per cent of Chinese answered in the affirmative when asked if mobile ads drove them to action, followed by urban Indians (75 per cent) and Indonesia coming in third with 74 per cent. 

HTC was awarded the title of digital brand of the year at Pixel Media's inaugural 2011 Digital Advertising Awards. HTC's collaboration with creative agency Kimlo Workshop and media agency Solo Digit promoting the HTC Desire HD phone also picked up the Best Display Advertising award.

Geoff Dossor was appointed as chief operating officer of Proximity Japan, taking over from Naoki Fuchinoue who moves to a client service-oriented position. Previously, he was chairman and chief creative officer at MRM Japan in 2007, and recently founded social media marketing consultancy Brandshare.  

DDB Hong Kong was awarded the creative business for insurer Manulife, with plans to roll out a large-scale, integrated campaign encompassing digital and social media elements in mid-October. The account spans Manulife's strategic branding and communications initiatives for its insurance, employee benefits and investment funds.

Adz, a digital advertising marketplace and demand-side platform added Mike Langton and Myung Jo Choi to its business development team. Langton steps in as vice-president of business development, Asia-Pacific responsible for creating and developing partnerships with agencies, advertisers and publisher. Choi was appointed regional sales director for Southeast Asia and will report to Langton.

Content startup Mobile Now has set up a regional office in Singapore, with digital veteran Ken Mandel joining the team in an advisory capacity. The agency also plans to set up another in office in China, which brings the total number of offices in the country to two, with the other one established in Shanghai in 2009. 

Edge Marketing, an integrated marketing agency specialising in the digital space, appointed Akhil Malhotra as client service director while Tina Do steps in as strategic planner. Malhotra was most recently with Cowan Vietnam and Red Brand Builders, and Do brings over 10 years' experience in strategic consumer planning. 

Singapore Management University (SMU) appointed Tequila\Singapore for its website overhaul project following a three-way pitch. Tequila will be tasked to revamp the website from the ‘ground up’ over the next 10 months, seeking to address the growing influence of social engagement and mobile communications on all stakeholder groups on a multi-device compatible platform. 

New Zealand and Hong Kong have come out on top as the markets with the most favourable pay-TV regulation in Asia-Pacific according to a report by industry body CASBAA. The study revealed that the best-regulated markets use a 'light touch', create an open environment and fosters active competition.