Digital happenings this week from Unilever, Combiphar, Volkswagen, Facebook and more

Global FMCG company Unilever has launched of its men’s branded channel, titled 'Locker room', on Microsoft’s MSN website in Malaysia. Collaborated with media planning firm Mindshare, media group Catcha Digital and Microsoft, Unilever aims to promote a range of men’s personal care brands via the channel, including Axe, Clear, Rexona and Vaseline.

Pharmaceutical brand Combiphar has selected VML Qais as its digital and social media AOR on a retainer basis, following a three-way pitch, which was also involved XM-Gravity and Wunderman. Encompassing all Combiphar brands, VML Qais’ scope of work includes revamping the website, its front and back-end, search engine optimisation and marketing, all social media strategy and mobile app development.

Wunderman China has hired Chris Jones as first executive creative director to show commitment to its clients and bring its creative output in line with international standards. Jones will be based in Shanghai and report to Clement Yip, managing director of Wunderman China Group. He will lead creative teams, nurture talent and drive digital innovation across six Wunderman and Agenda offices with 400 staff members in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Adsfactor, an online advertising network, is launching its automotive channel in Hong Kong. Adsfactor Automotive consists of standard display and rich media advertising inventory from 20 of the leading automotive content and listings websites in Hong Kong, averaging about six million ad impressions per month. According to comScore data for July 2012, the platform had a monthly unique user reach of 134,000, surpassing other auto-related websites in the market.

As part of an experimental marketing push, DDB China Group has developed an online interactive game called ’Tiguan, live the journey beyond’ on its dedicated site for Volkswagen’s Tiguan, enabling users to experience the advanced functions of the new Tiguan 2012 Edition online. To move their own customisable Tiguan forward in the game, users can check-in to actual physical locations through their SNS accounts (Weibo, Renren, Jiepang) to collect miles, or invite friends to collaborate with them on this journey.

Facebook has launched a feature that will allow brands to target customers on Facebook based on information the brands have already collected for CRM purposes, such as email addresses and mobile numbers. InsideFacebook reported that “personally identifying information will be hashed before being uploaded to Facebook” so the customer information would remain private to the brand and not be accessible to Facebook itself.

Maxus has appointed Rachna Julka as its regional digital director for Asia-Pacific following three new business wins across the region: Courts, Eurokars and Blizzard Entertainment. Courts appointed Maxus to handle its digital media, SEO and SEM in Singapore, while Maxus will also handle the digital and SEM services for the Eurokars Group. Blizzard Entertainment appointed Maxus as its digital AOR in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand to provide media, social & search engine marketing services for Blizzard's portfolio of games like World or Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo.

In the face of stiff competition from other property websites, iProperty.com is taking on a repositioning exercise to focus on PR and digital advertising. Newly appointed general manager Sean Tan said the property website will form an in-house editorial team to provide news content related to property development, home decorations and interior design. It is also looking to work with bloggers to promote the site.

Asian CEOs are hesitant to jump on the social-media bandwagon, either for themselves or their companies, according to a survey by marketing consultancy Added Value Saffron Hill. The study, commissioned by MEC and CNBC, surveyed 32 leaders in multinational companies across Singapore, Hong Kong and India. CEOs told researchers that they were reluctant to embrace social media because they "valued their privacy".