Following investigations into Singtel following its role in a marketing campaign launched with influencer marketing company Gushcloud that placed competitors StarHub and M1 in a negative light, the telecommunications operator has since been issued a stern warning by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).
Prominent blogger Wendy Cheng, who goes by Xiaxue, posted an exposé on Gushcloud in March, showing proof that Gushcloud bloggers were explicitly told to "complain/lament about competitor's (M1/StarHub) services/network connections".
M1 and StarHub of course were fuming mad over revelations and took up the matter with IDA, who've recently concluded their investigations into the incident.
In the stern warning issued, IDA made it clear that the authority will not tolerate such practices, and requires Singtel to put in place necessary measures to ensure appropriate management oversight and control over its marketing and advertising campaigns.
"IDA is disappointed that such marketing tactics have been employed by Singtel," they wrote in their press release. "IDA has always encouraged licensees to compete by promoting the availability, price and quality of their own services, and not by disparaging those of their competitors."
In the days that followed the exposé, Singtel Group CEO Chua Sock Koong herself made a full apology to M1 and Starhub, and have since terminated the services of Gushcloud and fired the employee who initiated the smear campaign brief.
Following investigations into Singtel following its role in a marketing campaign launched with influencer marketing company Gushcloud that placed competitors StarHub and M1 in a negative light, the telecommunications operator has since been issued a stern warning by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).
Prominent blogger Wendy Cheng, who goes by Xiaxue, posted an exposé on Gushcloud in March, showing proof that Gushcloud bloggers were explicitly told to "complain/lament about competitor's (M1/StarHub) services/network connections".
M1 and StarHub of course were fuming mad over revelations and took up the matter with IDA, who've recently concluded their investigations into the incident.
In the stern warning issued, IDA made it clear that the authority will not tolerate such practices, and requires Singtel to put in place necessary measures to ensure appropriate management oversight and control over its marketing and advertising campaigns.
"IDA is disappointed that such marketing tactics have been employed by Singtel," they wrote in their press release. "IDA has always encouraged licensees to compete by promoting the availability, price and quality of their own services, and not by disparaging those of their competitors."
In the days that followed the exposé, Singtel Group CEO Chua Sock Koong herself made a full apology to M1 and Starhub, and have since terminated the services of Gushcloud and fired the employee who initiated the smear campaign brief.