AdEasy launches #AdEasyJagaSME initiative to help SMEs weather through Covid-19
By Digital News Asia May 5, 2020
- #AdEasyJagaSME webpage provides visibility to SMEs, help with sales
- AdEasy also partners OtomateMe to help those SMEs with no online presence
Malaysian adtech startup AdEasy, an online marketplace for buying offline advertisement space, recently launched an initiative targeted towards helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during these troubling Covid-19 times.
Called #AdEasyJagaSME, the program is meant to urge people to buy local and support SMEs so that they can weather through the pandemic. This is done through providing better visibility and helping drive immediate revenue for SMEs via a one-stop webpage, which went live earlier in April.
“We thought about this initiative on the 6th of April and launched the webpage within three days. With this initiative, we want to do our bit to help SMEs — the backbone of the Malaysian economy — amidst this global crisis,” says Therine Goh, AdEasy cofounder and COO.
This program comes at a time of reduced consumer spend, plus the inevitable recession of a post-pandemic world. The resulting movement control order (MCO) has made it particularly difficult for SMEs to stay afloat – for a nation which 38% of GDP contribution and at least 60% of total employment come from SMEs, they need all the help they can get.
The #AdEasyJagaSME webpage allows SMEs to register for free, where they will go live within 24 hours of singing up. The “support” button on the webpage will redirect users to the SMEs’ website or social page where they can browse and purchase their respective products and services.
A “share” button, on the other hand, allows users to spread the word and give specific SMEs a shout-out on social media.
Putting a word out
The #AdEasyJagaSME initiative follows various other advertising and awareness campaigns that AdEasy is running, in helping bring visibility on their online channels. The startup has help from its partners, which sponsor free airtime, digital screen ads and shout-outs on social media platforms.
Current media partners supporting AdEasy’s initiative include Astro Radio, Look Here, Visual Retale, Focus Malaysia, Rodeo, JagaApp as well as Sky Blue Media.
One SME that has voiced their thanks for the #AdEasyJagaSME intiative is IGL Coatings. “Covid-19 brought the threat and reality of closing for good to SMEs. In response to this crisis, we launched Ecoclean Pure, a multipurpose all-surface safe and stable sanitiser made with natural plant extract,” says IGL Coatings director Fiona Chin.
“The #AdEasyJagaSME initiative enables businesses like ours to gain more visibility, which helps open doors to new customers across Malaysia, and all for the low low price of free! This initiative is from their hearts to the rest of Malaysia and we are thankful for it.”
AdEasy believes that the initiative also benefits the general public, who are now able to more conveniently browse and purchase their necessities from relevant SMEs thanks to the #AdEasyJagaSME serving as a listing of local SMEs across multiple consumer verticals ranging from entertainment to education.
The startup also assures that it will prevent scammers and frauds from taking advantage of the initiative as well as the pandemic to prey on unsuspecting consumers – AdEasy verifies all listed SMEs on the webpage. Additionally, all purchases are done directly through the SME; AdEasy does not charge any additional commissions or middlemen fees.
AdEasy has another online initiative called #SaluteMalaysianHeroes, where they run digital screen ads at seven locations in Malaysia to thank Covid-19 frontliners. This is sponsored by Sky Blue Media, offering FOC LED street bunting and overhead bridge digital screen ads spaces until the MCO is lifted.
“We also wanted to show our gratitude towards the Covid-19 frontliners and #SaluteMalaysianHeroes is just a humble way of saying thanks. Under this program, to involve the community more, we will be selecting a few tagged social media posts from the public to be used in our creatives for the digital boards,” shares Melissa Sim, AdEasy cofounder and CEO.
To help SMEs who may not have any no online presence, AdEasy has partnered with Otomate whose OtoOrder form allows businesses to receive orders directly from customers via WhatsApp.
All customers need to do is select their item(s) of choice, fill in their contact information and click "submit". The business will immediately receive a message with all of the information in one go to help them quickly close the sale. OtoOrder was launched in April this year and is powering over a hundred SMEs to-date.
SMEs can sign up to #AdEasyJagaSME here .
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