Digital happenings this week from Maxus, Rocket Fuel, GE, Mastercard and more

Weber Shandwick has strengthened its regional digital expertise with the appointment of Girls in Tech founder Adriana Gascoigne as its vice president of digital, Asia-Pacific, to lead the agency’s digital experts and drive the integration of digital techniques, tactics and strategies with traditional communications for major regional accounts across the region.

73 per cent of digital marketers agree that brands are becoming publishers and 90 per cent believe content marketing will become more important over the coming year, according to a recent survey by Econsultancy in association with Outbrain.

Maxus has launched a global technology R&D division, Metalworks, in Asia, focusing on utility and delivery of technology solutions, implementing ideas for clients. Metalworks will be a standalone unit within the agency, with clients utilising the division without a requirement to engage Maxus.

Mobile advertising should be mainstream in the next two to five years, predicts research firm Gartner in a report advising marketers to keep an eye on bar code marketing, mobile coupons and augmented reality. The report compiled consumer five types of mobile behaviour to identify top trends in mobile marketing.

IPG Mediabrands has launched Global Technology Solutions (GTS), a new technology services company within the Mediabrands group, focusing on providing flexible and cost-efficient technology services to IPG business units worldwide.

US-based artificial intelligence (AI) ad solutions provider Rocket Fuel will expand into Japan via a strategy alliance by Dentsu's digital marketing arm cyber communications inc (CCI). Under the terms of the strategic alliance, cci will run its digital ad management service, PerformanceX Management, on top of Rocket Fuel’s platform, offering full-service brand and direct response campaigns to clients.

General Electric (GE) has invested in digital brand-experience 'showspaces' to exhibit numerous technological achievements under its 'In China for China' corporate strategy, the latest being a technology centre in Shanghai and innovation centres in Chengdu and Xi'an.

Industry experts predict significant growth in the mobile advertising and e-commerce sectors in Thailand after the long-awaited auction of 3G licences drew to a close. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) reportedly sold a total of nine licences to Thailand’s three major telecom players. The service is expected to be available within 60 days.

Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo has partnered with Mastercard to expand its contactless payment options for Japanese consumers worldwide, which will enable consumers using iDTM mobile payment to make contactless payments while traveling the world, anywhere MasterCard PayPass is accepted.