Tag: advertisement

Auckland, New Zealand – TRA, a local-based insights agency, sought in its latest findings the question “What makes a TV commercial (TVC) a Kiwi favorite?”, based on a survey from 1,000 New Zealand respondents.

Said survey was conducted last March 2021, and encouraged candid feedback from viewers on what ads had stuck in their hearts and minds. The TRA survey looked at a nationally representative sample of 1000 New Zealanders aged 18 to 60 years old (sourced from the Dynata research panel). 

Open-ended responses were manually coded to look at frequency of mentions, resulting in a top ten. Survey participants were also asked why they liked their favourite ad, and how it made them feel about what was being advertised.

  1. ASB: Ben and Amy

New Zealand banking institution ASB launched the ‘Ben and Amy’ campaign in early 2020. Throughout a tumultuous year, ASB has released several executions featuring the Ben and Amy characters, who are featured as couples, and in the series of these light-hearted humorous skits, the story follows the couple and all sorts of flashbacks, alluding to saving up money as early as in their childhood years.

These have continued to provide TV audiences with uplifting entertainment value and nearly twice as many Kiwis mentioned this ASB campaign as their favourite than the next most favourite ad by Sky. Tracking shows a very positive effect across all their brand metrics since the launch of this campaign.

  1. Sky Sport: Life Needs More Sport

The hilarious 45-second spot depicts a child running around ‘naked’ on the beach, with added sports commentary to allude to the brand’s message of ‘life needs more support’. Said spot is an offering to avail of Sky Sport’s television subscription.

Sky has also leveraged the now-famous boy’s face across other advertising touchpoints to re-trigger memories of this favourite TV ad. As Sky Sport fends off new sport streaming rivals, it’s crucial for the brand to maintain relevance and stay in conversations among sports fans.

  1. PAK’nSAVE: Stickman

Short but worth a chuckle: the 15-second spot by this New Zealand discount food warehouse chain is a slapback humor skit dedicated to offering the chain’s best offers for a particular time, in this case: chicken.

Where Sky Sport are still only into the first two years of establishing their ‘Life Needs More Sport’ brand platform, PAK’nSAVE has been at it for 13 years, and is the ultimate example of being ‘consistently surprising’ in the NZ ad landscape.

  1. Electric Kiwi: Song Ban

You either hate it or you love it: this ongoing campaign by this online electricity retailer has been a polarizing campaign, as the jingle about the company’s many offers has ‘annoyed’ other consumers. But as a challenger brand, polarizing is a great strategy to get the Electric Kiwi brand disproportionately talked about. More people have named this their favorite ad than many other bigger budget ads out there right now.

  1. TrustPower: Lost and Found

Another electric retail company on the list, but this time the company is more focused on the value of storytelling, including its ‘Lost and Found’ ad where it tells the story of two seemingly strangers suddenly discovering that they were childhood acquaintances, who spent great memories together.

TrustPower has really leaned into best-practice theory on the power of emotional storytelling. They even used neuro-research techniques to optimize emotional response at the concept stage, and with the final edit of this new TVC.

  1. Mercury: Kiss Oil Goodbye

This 60-second spot timelessly leverages the power of surprise with a clever reframing of electricity in a very timely way as electric vehicles are going mainstream in New Zealand. Not to mention a catchy song, amusingly sung in Kiwi accents. Social media metrics indicate strong engagement and lots of positive conversations about this campaign.

  1. KFC: Micro-comedy Series

The New Zealand arm of the popular fast food chain KFC has always resorted to a contemporary taste in their ad skits, including this 15-second spot where an old man strikes all the bowls in lawn bowls, as DMX’s ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya’ used as the ad track.

Lots of Kiwis out there love the micro-comedies from KFC. By leveraging their brand codes such as the red and white striped bucket, fried chicken, consistent music and of course, The Colonel, these ads have a cumulative positive effect on brand building.

  1. Lotto: Lost Ticket

One could never imagine a greater plot twist than his 90-second spot from the national lottery of the country, as it narrates the story of a stewardess who won the Powerball lottery, and decides to return to the country from Thailand. Despite the misfortune she had encountered, the scenes leading to it are truly what made the ad special to Kiwis.

  1. Nova: Goat-Value Goose

Nova and their Greg Grover character have unashamedly bashed audiences over the head with their brand name, but in an entertaining and in a rhyming memorable way. If you think these ads are annoying, remember that they’re also the favorite of many other New Zealanders.

  1. AA Insurance: Live a Little Freer

This campaign has had a steady presence in TRA’s favorite ads tracking. A memorable soundtrack over entertaining and relatable household accident moments has kept audiences smiling and kept this insurance company on top of consumers’ mind.

TRA Managing Director Andrew Lewis, says, “New Zealand’s favorite ads all showcase the kind of engaging storytelling that connects with viewers. These creative ideas have emerged from listening to the audience, getting to know them and understanding their cultural context. The result is ads that are memorable and get brands into customer conversation.”

Meanwhile, Carl Sarney, head of strategy at TRA, commented, “New Zealand’s favorite ads all demonstrate TRA’s three principles of creative effectiveness in their execution. They’re remarkable, or surprisingly different from what other brands are doing, they’re rewarding, offering audiences entertainment value, and remembered – committed to their brand and ad idea across all touch points.”

Singapore – To celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, McDonald’s Singapore has launched ‘My Happy Table’, a physical activation that uses technology and a camera set-up to help Singapore-based individuals ‘reunite’ with their families in Malaysia.

‘My Happy Table’ aims to help bridge the distance felt by Singaporean and Malaysian families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this experience, family members will once again be able to eat breakfast together as though they are seated at the same table.

The setup will be done within party rooms at the McDonald’s Canberra Plaza in Singapore and McDonald’s Taman Desa Tebrau in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. ‘My Happy Table’ will open for public usage starting from 23 April to 28 April, with the call for entry on 19 April. 

Furthermore, McDonald’s Singapore has also released a video to mark the launch of ‘My Happy Table’, showcasing its employees in Singapore who are originally from Malaysia, and highlighting the difficult decisions the employees have had to take to support their families. The video underscores their longing for their family, especially during Ramadan.

The activation and the filming of the launch video were done in partnership with Publicis Communications’ global advertising company Leo Burnett Singapore.

“‘My Happy Table’ at McDonald’s is our way of helping to narrow that distance by facilitating mini-reunions for Muslim families during this Ramadan. As a brand that celebrates family togetherness, we’re heartened to see our employees and customers reunite ‘virtually’ with their families and create happy memories during these trying times,” said Drina Chee, the senior director of marketing and digital customer experience at McDonald’s Singapore.

Meanwhile, Jennie Morris, the chief creative officer of Publicis Communications, commented, “McDonald’s is one of the few brands that can authentically participate in culture. ‘My Happy Table’ is a wonderful example of meaningful creativity, where even just for a few hours, McDonald’s could recreate the magic of sharing a meal together – showing that our Spirit of Ramadan is definitely stronger than the border that divides us.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – AdEasy, a local-based adtech startup, has announced the launch of AdEasy PLUS, a media subscription plan service that allows businesses to buy advertisement spaces all in an online marketplace.

Through the service, an AdEasy PLUS subscriber will be able to advertise on a selection of out-of-home (OOH), residential, in-app, and online ad spaces worth up to RM50,000 each month, with the plan priced at RM4,299 a month.

Additionally, as part of this subscription, AdEasy PLUS subscribers will enjoy a free 30-minutes virtual consultation with their dedicated media expert every month, and free monthly ad delivery worth up to RM750. The plan has no lock-in period for the subscription and subscribers may cancel any time for free. 

“With AdEasy PLUS, not only will subscribers be able to enjoy 11 times more value, they will be able to test, compare and decide which ad spaces, in terms of type and/or location, would work best for them. Furthermore, different types of ad spaces are added to the plan almost every month, so that subscribers can optimize their campaigns by complementing and amplifying the impact of a mix of media touchpoints that work best for them,” said Therine Goh, COO and co-founder of AdEasy.

To date, AdEasy offers the following media types: digital billboards, digital screens, and shopping mall ads within the Klang Valley as well as residential ads, in-app ads, online articles, and radio streaming ads. 

According to Melissa Sim, CEO and co-founder of AdEasy, part of the reason why they released AdEasy PLUS was to allow businesses, big and small to plan and optimize their campaigns under limited budgets being constrained by the difficulties brought by COVID-19.

“When COVID-19 entered our economy’s lexicon, advertising strategies had to be flexible yet affordable to adapt to the shifting sands of customer behaviour. COVID-19 had led brands big and small to scrutinise their ad budgets so affordability and effectiveness are key,” Sim stated.

She added, “With AdEasy PLUS, startups and SMEs – the backbone of the Malaysian economy – will have an avenue to track, optimise and launch omnichannel advertising campaigns with confidence, and build greater visibility so that they may thrive in spite of the current business environment.”

According to a study by market research company Kantar, over half (55%) of senior marketers and advertisers worldwide will pay greater focus to campaign effectiveness, which means a greater emphasis on optimization and measurement. Notably, 53% of those surveyed said that COVID-19 has led them to be more innovative and more willing to try something new.

Jakarta, Indonesia – A large majority of consumers across Asia Pacific are receptive to contextually relevant ads, according to a new report by digital ad verification Integral Ad Science (IAS).

According to the report, 96% of consumers in Indonesia, 91% in Singapore, 86% consumers in Australia, and 75% in Japan prefer digital ads to appear alongside relevant content. Consumers value seeing ads that are related to the topics or articles they’re consuming online. Relevant ads are not only more memorable, but also more likely to foster a favorable consumer opinion toward the brand, noted the report. 

Furthermore, consumers don’t just simply prefer contextual relevance; their perception of an ad is also impacted by it. Roughly 9 out of 10 consumers in Singapore and Indonesia and more than 7 out of 10 in Australia and Japan say their perception of an online ad is impacted by the surrounding content on the page.

Consumers in APAC tend to prefer contextual relevance of the ad be present across all verticals. Across the board, consumers paired the ads they prefer with articles categorized in the same content vertical. For example, 90% of consumers in Japan, 86% in Australia, 82% in Singapore, and 76% in Indonesia preferred entertainment ads alongside entertainment articles, and a similar sentiment was observed across verticals.

“[The] research shows that the quality of an advertising environment can influence how consumers perceive ads and associated brands. The APAC data clearly shows contextually relevant ads impact consumers beyond their immediate response, forming part of their longer-term recall and favorability towards a brand,” said Laura Quigley, SVP for APAC at IAS.

She added, “Contextual targeting represents a major opportunity for brands in 2021 and understanding how context influences consumers’ perception of ads is critical to capture long-term interest. For marketers, this is essential to stand out within increasingly crowded marketplaces and drive action as a result of ads.”

Malaysia – Gong xi fa cai! With Chinese New Year a monumental celebration across Asia, brands didn’t waste a second making the most out of the festive holiday, pulling out the theme to showcase each of their creative advertisements. 

In Malaysia, brands across all industries flexed their red-accented and gilded films on YouTube to ring in the year of the Metal Ox, and the platform has just revealed the CNY ads that made it to its top 10 this year.

The ads were chosen not only based on views but also watch time and audience retention. Take a look at the list, arranged in alphabetical order.

1. Celcom Axiata: Double Your Joy with Any 2 Phones @ RM188

Celcom Axiata: Double Your Joy with Any 2 Phones @ RM188

In a simple but graphically endearing ad, telecom Celcom Axiata drew in Malaysian viewers not just with its creatives but with an attractive offer letting customers nab 2 phones at RM188, from a slew of mobile models such as Huawei, Vivo, and Realme.

2. Daikin Malaysia: Daikin CNY 2021: The Extraordinary Family GO

Daikin Malaysia: Daikin CNY 2021: The Extraordinary Family GO

Air condition manufacturer, Daikin Malaysia, stresses the importance of family this CNY through a comedic short film, bringing the message through the all-too-familiar and anxious scenario of a guy’s courtship to a girl’s parents.

3. McDonald’s Malaysia: Golden Prosperity Burger

McDonald's Malaysia: Golden Prosperity Burger

Global fast-food brand McDonald’s is known for regularly sprucing up its food offerings to align with current cultural celebrations, and this CNY, it offered Malaysian customers a special ‘Golden Prosperity Burger’ to add to their momentum of festivities.

4. NESCAFÉ Malaysia: Happy New 牛 Year ~ NESCAFÉ

NESCAFÉ Malaysia: Happy New 牛 Year ~ NESCAFÉ

With a straightforward sing and dance video, NESCAFÉ in Malaysia delivered its greetings by partnering with famous personalities and performers Pong Pong, Jestinna, DJ Perry Kuan, and Ariff Bahran.

5. Shopee Malaysia: Shopee CNY Sale is Happening Now! 

Shopee Malaysia: Shopee CNY Sale is Happening Now!

With a quirky and cheery acoustic performance, Shopee in Malaysia released its share of the 2.2 sale ad, which offered eight-themed marketing deals such as its daily RM8,888 Shopee Fortune Box, and daily 88% Off Vouchers.

6. Tenaga Nasional: TNB CNY 2021 – Nian-tastic New Start

Tenaga Nasional: TNB CNY 2021 – Nian-tastic New Start

Still within the message of family and togetherness, electricity giant Tenaga Nasional goes all the way back to give audiences a piece of the origins of the celebration.

7. Tesco Malaysia: The TESCO ONG Medley 2021

Tesco Malaysia: The TESCO ONG Medley 2021

Through a jovial medley, grocery chain Tesco in Malaysia reminded how through its range of fresh produce and food products, customers can achieve a fruitful celebration this CNY.

8. Vivo Malaysia: Vivo CNY Huat Cow Cow 2021

Vivo Malaysia: Vivo CNY Huat Cow Cow 2021

With a brief 15-second but upbeat music clip, Vivo Malaysia invited viewers to learn how to Huat Cow Cow, or how to bring in ‘maximum prosperity’.

9. Watsons Malaysia: Watsons CNY #HappyBeautifulYear​ 2021

Watsons Malaysia: Watsons CNY #HappyBeautifulYear​ 2021

Much like others in this list, health and beauty retailer Watsons in the country made use of a musical short film, featuring a star-studded cast including Summer Grace, Danny Ahboy, and Jenn Chia among many others.

10. Yakult Malaysia: YAKULT新年2021 ‘Miles apart, but close at heart’

Yakult Malaysia: YAKULT新年2021 'Miles apart, but close at heart'

Even before the pandemic struck, family members are forced to spend time apart for a number of reasons such as those that choose to work away from their hometowns for better opportunities. In a touching short film, Yakult Malaysia showed that there are still ways for families to send love albeit from a distance this CNY.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine headquarters of the now global fast-food brand Jollibee has released its Christmas ad in the country, which puts to the spotlight one of the few silver linings the pandemic has brought – more time with family.

The ad is one straight out of the “new normal,” where in the first few seconds of the ad, people walking in the streets with face shields on are seen.

The ad was made with no special fuss, but hits home – people have definitely been plagued by the massive lifestyle changes amid the pandemic, but on the other hand, it has also unexpectedly brought a positive effect, such as closer ties with the family.

Such sentiment is represented by the inner thoughts of a child, who looks out the window, longing to go back outside and play in the playground. Then the mellow beginning quickly changes into a happy and grateful disposition.

From the bothered musings of the child “Hangang kailan kaya ganito…” (Until when will this continue) that are delivered as a lyrcial song, the child breaks into a smile and an upbeat tune, now enumerating, still through a song, the good side of it all: the home standing in as the boy’s playground, creating bonding moments with his parents, grandparents, and siblings.

So where does Jollibee appear? In the ad, Jollibee’s signature food items – such as Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti – are displayed as the anchor for the characters’ family time at dinner and merienda (snack time).

Within two days, the ad has already raked in 2.6M views, as of writing, on YouTube. Filipino viewers loved the film, with one commenting on Jollibee’s channel, “[Nice] commercial. [Showing] the positive side of this pandemic ?? [and] bringing family closer to each other ?”

Another user commented, “Jollibee never fails me with [its] commercial ✨??”

Jollibee has been known for proactively participating in designated calendar celebrations and using its special films to pay tribute on Valentine’s, Mother’s, and Grandparents day.

One of its films released on Valentine’s of this year called #CoupleGoals, garnered 21M views, which depicts the reality among seemingly perfect couples on social media.

Aside from the brand’s Christmas ad, the fast-food chain has also recently delighted its Filipino patrons with another year-end surprise when it brought back its signature one-third pound patty burger Champ, and the jumbo variant of its staple Burger Steak, Ultimate Burger Steak.

United Kingdom – In celebration of the company’s 40th partnership anniversary with children charity foundation Make A Wish, Disney EMEA launches its “From Our Family To Yours” campaign, and features an animated video advertisement centered on the spirit of Filipino Christmas.

Featuring two characters, a grandmother (Lola) and her granddaughter, the video shows notable Filipino Christmas traditions, specifically parol making, or making of Christmas lanterns.

The video starts off in a Philippine location in the 1940s where the grandmother in his childhood days strolls around in a plaza or a public quadrangle and meets up with her father. He then gestures a mano, a Filipino honorific way of showing respect to the elders (0:15 video timestamp). She is then given by her father a Mickey Mouse doll as a Christmas gift.

Fast forward to 2005, and the grandmother and her granddaughter live under the same roof, and bond over making parols, a Christmas version of Filipino lanterns made from bamboo stilts and colored paper (0:50 video timestamp). However, as time passed by, the granddaughter lost interest in lantern making, evident in the granddaughter’s shift to other teenage things.

One particular scene provokes Lola’s sadness, as her granddaughter leaves the house, leaving her alone and the old Mickey Mouse doll she has been holding on for decades, an ear ripped off.

However, the video concludes with the daughter realizing that the Mickey Mouse was a memento of her Lola and decides to surprise her grandmother with a plethora of Christmas lanterns around the house and gifting her a fixed Mickey Mouse doll. Both are brought back to their cherished memories, and hug each other at the end.

The video’s official soundtrack is titled “Love Is A Compass” performed by UK artist Griff. Digital download purchases of the track and a limited edition vintage Mickey Mouse soft doll are eligible to support the Make a Wish Foundation, as 100% and 25% of the item sales respectively are donated to the said foundation.

Limassol, Cyprus – To address the growing demand for Chinese market-targeted advertising, digital performance agency Mobiblade launches an automated ad service solution for advertisers seeking to launch ad campaigns to Chinese consumers.

The said service, which is available at the Mobiblade Portal, caters to clients by providing services such as social planning, social and search planning, or programmatic advertising. These are then targeted to Chinese websites or applications. After inputting required information such as company details and Chinese network documents, clients may then pay online and links to the availed portal services will appear on the client’s user portal. Additional services may be also purchased on top of the availed services.

The company, with full digital services offered to global clients, offers ad campaigns for various industries, ranging from finance to travel. Ad services include in-app ads, social media ads, and remarketing services.

Sydney, Australia – Australian AI and data science company Quantium has collaborated with internet protocol television (IPTV) provider Fetch TV and TV data insights company Adgile Media to launch Q.Measure TV, an ad reach solution which aims to bridge the gap on consumer analytics for business goods through comparison of physical sales against TV advertising impact. 

The said solution aims to deliver accurate and timely reporting for advertisers amid the changing tides of the digital world.

Lawrence Puang, executive for media and marketing for global markets at Quantium stated the solution is a “game changer” in looking at the expenditures of brands on TV advertising, which at some estimates, cost around two-thirds of the advertising budget.

“Existing solutions prove TV works. Q Measure TV goes further in enabling advertisers to optimize their TV advertising strategies to maximize sales. Never before have fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) advertisers been able to see exactly who they reached at an anonymized level, to measure how those consumers have responded and then accurately optimize campaigns to drive customer acquisition and incremental sales for existing shoppers,” said Puang.

With the existing solutions partnership, Adgil Media will serve as an analytics provider for data collected from live and on-demand TV towards TV ad measurement and media schedule validations. On the other hand, Fetch TV will measure the viewing behavior on 7% of Australian households, which equates to almost three (3) hours of viewing per day.

“Closed loop reporting, built on high-quality first-party data sets, and at a scale that reliably reflects the total market, is incredibly powerful. It promises  to reinforce the value of free-to-air TV advertising, and enhance the ability of advertisers to optimize their investment decisions for this critical media,” Scott Lorson, CEO of Fetch stated.

Some of the key features of Q Measure TV include access to ad performance data, demographic breakdowns, conversion rates, advertising leverage, and competitor campaign comparisons; all of which are beneficial resources for advertisers to step up their game in category marketing dynamics.

In a statement, Craig Service, Adgile Media’s chief revenue officer expressed high hopes with the recent collaboration towards effective TV advertising solutions.

“We’re incredibly excited to combine our  independent, first party, real-time TV data with such an innovative new product. When you  have transparent data, you have transparent answers. Adgile’s role in this powerful  partnership is to provide real-time granular, structured and accessible TV data to fuel  Q.Measure TV, ensuring the measurement outputs are delivered with actionable speed,  accuracy and calculated on transmitted only audience impressions,” Service stated.

Q.Measure TV will officially launch to the market during Quarter 2 of 2021.

SingaporeーSoftware technology company AnyMind announces its launch of AnyShop, a one-stop platform for the company’s various eCommerce tool platforms and partnered integrations that will help businesses and influencers build their e-commerce capabilities.

Users can enjoy the leverage of the following platform offerings: eCommerce site analytics, social media analytics, product manufacturing, site development, and partnered integrations. 

Through these analytic platforms, businesses and influencers alike can apply automated push notifications, site speed improvements, and mobile app compatibility, just to name a few. Furthermore, marketing users can track, discover, and manage marketing activities through the company’s in-built platform, AnyTag.

When it comes to product tracking and promotion, users may use AnyFactory, the group’s in-built cloud platform that allows production efficiency by making it a one-stop-shop for sourcing to manage orders across Asia. The company also offers eCommerce site development and partnered integrations through sales channels and online payment providers, such as providing Shopify services for the Japan market.

“True to our renewed mission of making every business borderless, we are breaking down borders within our own products and business lines to create new value for businesses and individuals today. This only adds on to what we’ve developed and achieved for the marketing and entertainment tech spaces, turning us into a true brand enablement platform,” said Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group. 

AnyMind envisions in the near future to expand their software platforms by launching a separate logistics management platform for warehousing management, and also an end-to-end solutions for business and individuals from production, marketing, and distribution.