Spice Lab is said to be the largest female-focused media firms operating in Thailand and Vietnam

by TMR / photo credit: www.fout.co.jp

FreakOut, the global marketing technology arm of Tokyo-listed FreakOut Holdings Inc, is attempting to dig deeper into a number of niche advertising areas in SouthEast Asia.

In its latest move, it announced the acquisition of Spice Lab Pte Ltd — said to be one of the largest female-focused media companies operating in Thailand and Vietnam. The acquisition is done via FreakOut Pte Ltd, the group’s Singapore-based subsidiary that handles corporate management and has overall control of the advertising companies within the group.

In a statement, FreakOut said the acquisition will expand its proprietary media solutions in addition to its native AdTech and trading desk programmatic businesses, as well as strengthen its consumer marketing offering for brands targeting “next generation” female consumers in South-East Asia.

Spice Lab, which is also headquartered in Singapore, specialises in consumer marketing for the cosmetics and fashion industries and targets trend-conscious, millennial girls and women in the South-East Asian region.

It was previously owned by Japanese Internet advertising and mobile content company Drecom Co Ltd.

Spice Lab’s online magazine Spice is its digital channel to target female readers in Thailand and Vietnam.

“Having worked many years in the native space, we at FreakOut had a lot of exposure to clients having a tough task in sourcing right, good quality content to communicate their brand message that resonates with their target group,” said FreakOut AdTech COO Narayan Murthy Ivaturi.

The statement said brand advertisers now have access to FreakOut’s mobile-first publishing platform that hosts 87% of “next generation” women readers, with a reach of 20 million page views per month and a social media presence of over 2.5 million followers.

Through the Spice platform, the statement added that FreakOut can provide content marketing solutions by running clients’ video campaigns and employing influencers with a focus on major cosmetics and fashion brands in both the domestic and overseas markets.

The platform, according to the statement, already works with more than 200 brands and advertising agencies.

FreakOut Holdings is led by its representative founder and global CEO Yuzuru Honda. — TMR