Tag: Ambassadorship

Singapore – In celebration of its 501 jeans’ 150th anniversary, global clothing brand Levi’s has named popular South Korean girl group NewJeans as its newest global ambassador. The year-long partnership – spanning Spring/Summer ‘23 and Autumn/Winter ‘23 – will include a new campaign featuring the brand, concerts, and appearances. 

To kick off the partnership, Levi’s will release a brand campaign featuring NewJeans that celebrates the group’s positive energy and each member’s unique personality, all whilst wearing items from the upcoming Levi’s® Spring/Summer 2023 collection. 

Additionally, NewJeans will celebrate 501 Day on May 20th – the date in 1873 when Levi Strauss & Co. was granted a patent on the process of riveting pants – in Seoul with a live performance.

According to Levi’s, the five-member girl group is perfectly placed to be the brand’s ambassador as they represent ‘youth and timelessness’.

“NewJeans is a talented group that has looked to the past for inspiration while boldly blazing their own unique future in culture. As the group’s influence on the music industry and culture continues to grow, we’re excited to be a part of their journey and help NewJeans connect with fans globally in a fresh and authentic way,” said Chris Jackman, vice president of global brand marketing at Levi’s.

Meanwhile, NewJeans expressed their excitement over the partnership, stating, “We’re honoured and thrilled to represent Levi’s, a timeless brand that literally created the world’s most iconic new jeans while constantly looking towards the future.” 

The group also added that because of the brand’s support for youth culture and their admiration for Levi’s, the partnership is something that came naturally. 

Throughout the year, NewJeans will also continue to celebrate the anniversary of Levi’s 501 jeans and represent the brand as a global ambassador.

NewJeans is a K-Pop girl group featuring members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, with music that spans forward-thinking reimaginings of 2000s sounds with singles “Attention,” “Hype Boy”, “Cookie”, and most recently, “Ditto” and “OMG”, which both entered the Billboard Hot 100 this year.

Previously, parent company Levi Strauss has also announced a slew of commercial endeavours around East Asia, including the launch of new stores and new in-store services throughout the region.

Singapore – Global logistics service provider J&T Express has appointed football star Lionel Messi as its first global brand ambassador.

According to J&T Express, the ambassadorship reflects the company’s commitment to continue benefiting the local communities and its efforts to bring technology-enabled solutions to customers in all its global markets through collaboration with local network partners, embodying Messi’s continuous commitment to improvement and collaborative attitude.

As part of the partnership, Messi will be promoting awareness of J&T Express not only as a prominent logistics provider but also as a one-stop e-commerce specialist across every touchpoint in the supply chain, and a champion and practitioner of the “better together” spirit.

The ambassadorship is also targeted at elevating the brand’s popularity and promoting J&T’s offerings. Messi’s addition to J&T Express also launches a series of social media and marketing campaigns under the theme of #JTBetterTogether, amongst other activations.

Rachel Liu, global branding director of J&T Express said, “We are honored and excited to collaborate with Lionel Messi as our global ambassador. He is a generational athlete whose work ethic, humility and dedication align with the values that we imbue at J&T Express.”

Liu added, “Through his grit and accomplishments, Messi is an inspiration to many. This resonates deeply with our values of building a caring, responsible and sustainable business.”

On partnering with J&T Express, Messi said, “J&T Express has made remarkable achievements since its launch. We share many similarities in our passion and determination to never stop improving. Just as the sport of football unites millions across the globe, J&T Express seeks to develop logistic solutions to connect its customers to the world. I look forward to being part of this journey.”

J&T Express has been making its brand more known globally through various initiatives, including its expansion in the UAE and Saudi Arabian market.

Shanghai, China – China’s kid’s clothing label, Balabala, has partnered with advertising agency Ogilvy Shanghai, to launch its new official brand ambassador, Gu Yu, a one-of-a-kind virtual child influencer. This latest move is part of Balabala’s brand rejuvenation journey, shifting away from the traditional fashion marketing playbook in favour of innovative, tech-infused activations that resonate with the new generation of digital-native parents.

Gu Yu, which translates literally as ‘grain rain’, takes her name from the eponymous Chinese lunar calendar festival on 20 April, signalling a rise in temperatures and the arrival of heavy rainfalls essential for good crop growth – a symbolic nod to Balabala’s belief in promoting children’s free growth and self-expression. 

To bring Gu Yu to life, Ogilvy Shanghai has conducted extensive target consumer research and analyzed data sets of children’s faces that were then aggregated into a 3D rendering software to create an initial prototype. The creative technology team then used a suite of AI and 3D modelling tools to further refine her facial features including eye shape, hair thickness, and skin texture, and animate the virtual influencer in various scenarios as she explores her passions.

First introduced to the world on the social commerce app Xiaohongshu, Gu Yu doubles up as an independent fashion blogger, connecting with fans through regular short-form content that documents her life as an influencer, such as sharing behind the scenes of upcoming promotional videos and introducing some of the most recent clothing item releases from Balabala, alongside real-life child models or in the form of NFT digital collectibles.

In this first phase of a multi-dimensional strategic repositioning campaign for Balabala, Gu Yu acts as a modern companion of real-life children with their unique passions and lifestyles by showcasing a variety of outfit styles, inspiring kids to express themselves freely through fashion.

Thomas Zhu, group executive creative director at Ogilvy Shanghai, shared that bringing Gu Yu to life has been an incredibly exciting creative journey, from the very early research and conceptualization stages where they defined her key traits, facial features and personality all the way to technology implementation and agile social content creation. 

“As one of the first virtual influencers for a childrenswear brand created in China, Gu Yu is a testament to Balabala’s commitment to digital innovation and positions the brand as a true metaverse pioneer in the kids’ fashion category. We look forward to seeing her interact with fans over the next few months in novel, exciting ways,” said Zhu.

Meanwhile, on e-commerce, Balabala took the launch of these new modern silhouettes up a notch to release a limited-edition ‘meta dress’ NFT piece, which 1000 lucky customers could get their hands on by shopping on the brand’s flagship store or by using their loyalty points. Gu Yu’s presence will not be limited to China’s top social media and commerce platforms. Soon she will be at the heart of new phygital experiences, where digital and physical boundaries will blend in to deepen customer interactions – from walking down the runway at Balabala’s offline fashion shows to co-hosting in-store brand events, fans will be able to connect with Gu Yu way beyond their smartphone screens.