Digital happenings this week from WPP, Baidu, Dow Jones and more

WPP’s digital media investment consultancy Media Innovation Group (MIG) has officially launched in Asia, headed by Innocean’s former business director James Welch. Based in Singapore, MIG will work to bring digital media buying and data insights closer to creative agencies. MIG is already up and running in the USA, Europe and Latin America, but this is its first foray in Asia.

Market research company Gfk this week released a new report indicating smartphone usage in the Philippines grew at a fast clip between January and May this year. With the average price of smartphones down 23 per cent in the region, five times as many smartphones were sold in the first five months of the year, compared to the same period last year. 

Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo has completed a US$22.5 million investment giving it a 20 per cent stake in a joint venture with Chinese internet search provider Baidu. The joint venture, Baidu Yi Xin, has been in the works for more than a year and is a content platform provider for mobile phones. Beginning in August, the platform will provide content from Japan, starting with a collaboration with Japanese social game developer DeNA. Baidu Yi Xin will distribute DeNA's games localised for the Chinese market. 

Digital agency VML Qais under Y&R is continuing its expansion across Southeast Asia with a launch scheduled in Indonesia and then Malaysia. The agency's sister design firm Landor Associates this week also announced its pending launch in Melbourne, Australia and Luala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

In a new report issued by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Southeast Asia Singapore Chapter (IAB Singapore), Singapore generated total online ad spend of more than US$107 million in 2011. This marks the first time the revenue has moved out of double digits. The results also showed a strong close to the year, with revenue in the second half increasing 25 per cent to US$59.8 million compared with the first half of the year. 

Independent design agency Designercity has won the digital remit for the soon-to-launched shopping centre Hysan Place in the Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district. The agency has already launched the mall's Facebook page, which introduces landmark tenants and also features a social-media game and a stop-frame animation video of the mall's construction. A further website and mobile and digital kiosks will be rolled out over the coming month.

Dow Jones is to expand the operations of the Japanese language edition of WSJ.com following the acquisition of SBI Holdings’ 40 per cent stake in The Wall Street Journal Japan. Dow Jones will now become the sole publisher of the site, which launched in 2009 and attracts around 2 million visitors a month. The move allows WSJ to reach new readers and introduce them to the broader worldwide coverage of the Journal.

Property website iProperty.com has named Rice Communications as its communications agency in Singapore. The agency is tasked with managing the client’s corporate communications and media relations in the market on a retainer basis. The initial focus is to support efforts in raising awareness of the brand among people and organisations in Singapore looking to buy and rent property.

Search and social media agency Reprise Media Australia has two new bases of operations in Perth and Brisbane on the back of undisclosed new business wins. The new premises will be operating out of parent-group Mediabrands offices and are in addition to the agency's operations in Sydney and Melbourne, bringing the staff count to more than 50. 

The third annual Burson-Marsteller Global Social Media Check-up this week announced that the number of Fortune Global 100 companies with a branded YouTube channel has jumped from 57 per cent in 2011 to 79 per cent this year. The report examined the Fortune Global 100's use of all major social networking platforms. 87 per cent of these companies are using at least one of the major social platforms to communicate with online stakeholders, with YouTube enjoying the strongest surge in popularity. 

Digital advertising agency R/GA Singapore, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, has appointed Christer Eriksson as regional planning director. Eriksson joins from Razorfish Singapore. In his new role, he will continue to ba based in Singapore in reporting to chief strategy officer William Charnock. Eriksson takes charge of leading clients' strategy across the APAC region.