Australia – Independent creative agency SLIK has unveiled a unique virtual seat and stadium experience for Paralympics Australia. This innovative platform is designed to engage and educate fans through interactive play while significantly boosting fundraising efforts for the athletes.

Building on the success of Paralympics Australia’s Tokyo 2020 fundraising campaign, SLIK has expanded beyond mere virtual seat purchases. The agency has introduced an immersive virtual stadium, allowing fans to play and explore, bringing them closer to the Paris Paralympics experience.

Through this virtual stadium, users can explore Paralympians’ stories, view supportive messages, watch exclusive behind-the-scenes content, browse Paralympics merchandise, and interact with other players in an engaging and dynamic virtual environment.

SLIK also collaborated with para-athletes and consulted with usability and accessibility experts to ensure that accessibility was central to the virtual experience.

Speaking on the launch, Cameron Murray, Paralympics Australia’s interim CEO, said, “The innovative experience brings a new level of support and engagement to fans—all while delivering essential funding for our organisation, which is vital to the sustainability of para-sport in Australia. SLIK’s creativity, innovation, and enthusiasm for the project were critical in shaping the experience.”

Kyle Bennett, co-founder and head of technology at SLIK, added, “We’ve worked hard to raise the bar for donation campaigns, turning a one-way purchase process into an engaging virtual experience. We couldn’t be more proud to be helping Paralympics Australia in their mission to transform lives through the power of sport.”

This launch follows Paralympics Australia’s appointment of SLIK earlier this year. The partnership aims to create a distinctive virtual experience set to debut before the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, with the goal of supporting their fundraising efforts.

The virtual stadium and seat experience can be accessed through Paralympics Australia’s official website. 

Hong Kong – As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games begin, Cathay has teamed up with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong to launch a new campaign honouring the historic achievements of previous Hong Kong’s Paralympians.

Titled ‘Every Move Counts,’ Cathay’s campaign seeks to revive and spotlight the stories behind Hong Kong’s most legendary Paralympic moments, many of which were barely recorded and have since faded from memory.

The campaign puts a focus on three trailblazing Paralympians—Cho Ping, Benny Cheung, and Ko Chi Kin. Utilising AI, it reimagines and brings to life the pivotal moments when these athletes competed and won medals for Hong Kong.

As part of the campaign launch, Cathay is also rolling out a range of supportive initiatives for Hong Kong’s Paralympians, including special check-in counters, excess baggage allowances, dedicated baggage handling in Hong Kong and Paris, unlimited business class flights, 1 million miles for medallists, and more.

Edward Bell, general manager of brand, insights, and marketing at Cathay, said, “As the Official Airline Partner of the China Hong Kong Paralympics Committee, Cathay wanted to honour the grit, passion, and sheer talent of our home city’s Paralympics team, who share Cathay’s ‘Move Beyond’ spirit. Just like them, Cathay strives to make every move count, so we launched a campaign to ensure that this year these amazing athletes get the recognition and cheers they deserve.”

Halo Cheng, group creative director at Leo Burnett Hong Kong, added, “We’ve been oblivious to the monumental feats from our highest-achieving athletes for too long, but now Hong Kong’s Paralympians are finally getting the cheers they deserve. It was a huge honour to interview past Paralympians and learn their stories. We may have missed out on cheering for past Paralympians, but it’s not too late to cheer on this year’s 23 athletes.” 

Cathay recently introduced its new brand ambassador, Siobhán Haughey, a double bronze medallist at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Together, they are championing support for Hong Kong’s local athletes while inspiring everyone to reach new heights in their own journeys.

Singapore – To combat the growing threat of scams, StarHub has teamed up with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to launch a public education campaign aimed at enhancing vigilance against cyber threats.

The campaign features a Scam Masterclass Series designed to engage viewers from all walks of life, highlighting that while everyone is susceptible to scams, recognising the warning signs is crucial for staying one step ahead. By exposing the common tactics scammers use to trap their victims, StarHub aims to equip viewers with essential knowledge and practical tools to outsmart these threats.

Leveraging SPF’s expertise in cybercrime, the Masterclass content highlights the evolving nature of cyber threats, including the use of advanced voice-changer AI. Featuring an ethical hacker, the series reveals common scam tactics such as impersonation, job fraud, and authority scams, offering insights into how these methods are employed to deceive victims.

Ultimately, the series seeks to foster a safer digital environment for all, empowering individuals with the skills needed to protect themselves against increasingly sophisticated scams.

Hoo Chuan-Wei, chief information security officer at StarHub, said, “StarHub is deeply invested in the security and wellbeing of our community. Our commitment goes beyond merely safeguarding data; it’s about fortifying the digital landscape to protect every individual. This cybersecurity campaign reflects our dedication to empowering Singaporeans with critical awareness and insights to effectively combat scams and cyber threats. Through this campaign, we hope to play our part in cultivating a more vigilant and resilient digital community.” 

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Devrajan Bala, director of the scam public education office (SPEO) in the Singapore Police Force, added, “All of us must be prepared that scams and cybercrimes will continue to evolve and we may encounter them anytime. We must not let our guard down and always remain vigilant in our fight against them. One simple way is to always stop and check if it’s a scam whenever in doubt. The Singapore Police Force will continue to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to educate the public on the various types of scams and cybercrimes to safeguard our community.”

The Scam Masterclasses will be available on StarHub’s website, retail stores, and social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook), as well as on StarHub TV channels like Hub E City, Hub Sports, and AXN. By utilising these diverse platforms, StarHub aims to equip a wide audience with the knowledge to recognise and counter cyber threats.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Digibank by DBS has teamed up with the creative agency Digital Sea, a creative agency combining the expertise of FCB and McCann, to launch its new campaign showcasing a heartfelt journey of ambition and achievement.

Titled ‘Dream Unlock: From Office Hustle to K-Pop Stage Rustle,’ the campaign features a short film that follows the heartfelt journey of a Gen Z individual who, after considerable effort, finally meets her idol. 

Based on the concept of ‘Dream Fulfilled: Gen Z & Millennial Story’, it highlights a genuine story of determination and passion, illustrating the lengths to which Gen Z and Millennials will go to fulfil their dreams.

From the challenges of obtaining a pricey concert ticket to navigating the competitive ticket-buying process, the campaign also shows how the digibank Z credit card is the ideal companion for reducing stress and making dreams more accessible without jeopardising cash flow.

This is the second campaign by digibank to employ cutting-edge AI tools. This campaign blends dynamic and vibrant AI visuals with the essence of pop culture, capturing the excitement of fulfilling a dream.

Melfrida Gultom, head of consumer banking group at Bank DBS Indonesia, stated, “Digibank by DBS is celebrated for its innovative digital banking solutions. Our goal is to consistently set new benchmarks in the industry in everything we do.”

Also speaking on the campaign, Risanti Febriana, executive director of marketing and communications consumer banking at Digibank by DBS, said, “With the spirit of ‘A Different Kind of Bank,’ DBS Indonesia positions itself as a bank that is different from traditional banks. We continue to focus on providing a different and better experience for consumers in managing their finances, including helping them to achieve their dreams. We convey this message in a recent and relevant way, ensuring that our communication resonates with our audience.”

Meanwhile, Bellamia Agustina, GM of Digital Sea, shared, “This campaign demonstrates the incredible potential of combining creativity with cutting-edge technology. We are thrilled to collaborate with digibank to tell a story that resonates deeply with the Gen Z and Millennial audiences and showcases the innovative spirit of digibank.”

New Zealand– ASB Bank has partnered with The Monkeys Aotearoa, part of Accenture Song, for its latest campaign, which highlights the vital role of home ownership managers in guiding New Zealanders through the evolving challenges of home ownership.

The campaign features a series of light-hearted films starring the popular advertising couple, Ben and Amy, along with their new furry family member, Sunny the Saint Bernard. When the family faces challenges adjusting to their new addition, Teana, a real-life ASB Home Ownership Manager, steps in to help them get back on track.

ASB’s campaign aims to showcase the expertise and experience of its team in guiding and supporting people through every stage of their home ownership journey, from renovations and mortgage adjustments to enhancing the comfort of their homes.

The campaign extends across ASB branches, digital platforms, and social media, featuring interactive street posters uniquely designed for dogs. These’sniff’ posters, created in collaboration with Phantom Billstickers, emit a scent to attract dogs and are displayed at locations in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

Additionally, the integrated campaign also directs New Zealanders to the ASB website, where they can use the ASB Mobile Banking App to find and book an appointment with a local home ownership manager tailored to their needs.

Helen Fitzsimons, chief marketing officer at ASB, said, “We’re here to help New Zealanders achieve their home ownership goals. We understand the Kiwi dream of owning your own home, and we know that even for those who do own a home, the current situation is rarely the final goal. As people’s lives, families, and jobs expand and change, so too do their priorities, and we’re committed to helping our customers at every step of their home ownership journey. 

“Our new campaign highlights the incredible work our home ownership managers do and how they go the extra mile for our customers, whatever life throws at them,” Fitzsimons added. 

Meanwhile, Damon Stapleton, chief creative officer at The Monkeys Aotearoa, commented, “A home is more than just four walls; it’s a space where life happens. But sometimes, your home gets out of sync with your life, and you just need more space. In our latest campaign, we again turn to Ben and Amy to showcase how the constantly evolving life of a homeowner can be aided by a passionate ASB Home Ownership Manager.”

New Zealand – Age Concern New Zealand has teamed up with ANZ Bank and advertising agency TBWA\NZ to launch a new campaign designed to protect older individuals from growing threats of scams. 

Over 40 years after its original run, the campaign brings back the beloved 1980s cop drama CHiPs, which was a staple on New Zealand TV screens in the late 70s and 80s. Renowned for its action-packed storylines and memorable characters, CHiPs remains an iconic piece of television history.

In this campaign, CHiPs is reimagined to raise awareness among elderly New Zealanders about the increasing threat of scams. The initiative seeks to empower individuals by reinforcing their right to hang up, say no, and reject unsolicited calls, texts, and emails from people they don’t know.

Additionally, the campaign is designed to be empowering, engaging, and enjoyable, aiming to alleviate feelings of overwhelm or fear while educating viewers on scam prevention. It focusses on resonating with older New Zealanders, helping them recognise and avoid the scams currently targeting them.

The national campaign, launched across Age Concern centres and various media, features a 60-second hero trailer alongside targeted 30- and 15-second spots. Developed by TBWA\NZ, these spots aim to raise awareness and educate viewers on essential scam protection behaviours.

In addition to its broad national reach, the campaign is featured in Age Concern centres and rest homes across New Zealand. It includes digital literacy programs to boost online confidence, a scam awareness training guide, the ANZ Scam Academy website, and practical toolkits. Posters and guides will also be distributed to libraries and community centres nationwide.

Shane Bradnick, CCO of TBWA\NZ, said, “While scams and fraud are challenges faced by all Kiwis, we wanted to focus on how we could uniquely support the older people of New Zealand first. With ANZ’s partnership with Age Concern, our goal was to use humour and nostalgia to engage, entertain, and empower seniors to be ‘on patrol’ against scams.”

Bradnick further explained, “Making this unique miniseries meant a long production process. We chose to re-edit and rework the original footage into brand-new micro-storylines that deliver a clear and concise message about modern-day scams. We reviewed over a hundred episodes across all six seasons, carefully piecing together moments that could effectively convey key messages of scam prevention—or, as we like to say, bringing old-school justice to today’s scams. We worked with Warner Brothers to secure licensing of the show, the specific footage, actors, and music, and to gain permission from the California Highway Patrol. We also worked with show star Erik Estrada to help launch the campaign in PR in New Zealand.”

Meanwhile, Matt Pickering, general manager of marketing at ANZ, shared, “It’s been a great process to work with Age Concern on a program that can help make a real difference. At the heart of this scam awareness program is education and empowerment in an engaging way. This is just one aspect of the work we are doing with Age Concern around digital literacy and one aspect of the work we are doing to help battle fraudsters targeting New Zealanders”.

Bangkok, Thailand – To celebrate Thai flavours, KFC Thailand has launched its latest campaign, the ‘Zabb Festival,’ paying homage to the iconic Zabb taste by bringing back the fan-favourite KFC Crispy Zabb Skin to its menu. 

KFC’s ‘Zabb Festival’ is crafted for Thai cuisine lovers and spice enthusiasts. The campaign features flavour-packed menus, allowing fans to indulge in the return of the KFC Crispy Zabb Skin, now available in two new offerings: ‘The Box All Zabb’ and the ‘Zabb Snack Box’.

The campaign will run for a month and be available at over 300 KFC locations across 55 provinces in Thailand. This is part of KFC Thailand’s 40-year anniversary celebration, inviting Thais to create unforgettable memories with iconic local flavours.

Suhayl Limbada, market lead and chief marketing officer of KFC Thailand, said, “Our iconic Zabb taste is something worth celebrating. As we turn 40, we couldn’t think of a better way to mark the occasion than by offering a feast of Zabb-flavoured treats that will make every Zabb fan jump off their seats. In the best kind of way! This includes the return of our spicy chicken skin, but it’s only available in limited restaurants, so get it while you can.” 

Hong Kong – Taking a distinctive approach, HSBC has partnered with dentsu GBA to launch its latest customer-centric campaign, showcasing the company’s unwavering commitment to meeting the unique needs of customers from all walks of life.

Titled ‘The HSBC Way’, the campaign highlights the essence of the bank’s dedication to its customers and the community by delivering a superior customer experience. It also expresses gratitude to employees for their invaluable contributions and the challenges they overcome.

Embodying its philosophy, “Giving our best, nothing less. This is The HSBC Way (滙豐道)”, the initiative adopts a holistic, human-centric approach. It features a series of 15-second in-the-moment videos that bring real stories to life, showcasing HSBC’s thoughtful and accessible services, made possible by the tireless efforts of their dedicated professionals.

From customising mobile banking for senior customers to enhancing fraud prevention and providing seamless international support, the campaign films highlight HSBC’s dedication to its customer-first philosophy. They demonstrate how the bank tailors its services to meet diverse needs and address real-life challenges.

Cheuk Shum, managing director and head of marketing for wealth and personal  banking at HSBC Hong Kong, said, “At HSBC, our customers have always been at the heart of everything we do. As a leading brand in the banking industry achieving a  positive NPS (Net Promotor Score), we understand that it’s the collective effort from  everyone in HSBC, from frontline to the back office. Through ‘The HSBC Way’ campaign,  we celebrate this spirit by showcasing the genuine passion of everyone involved in the  business in going above and beyond, walking the extra mile every single day to ensure  our customers receive the best possible banking experience and support. We give our  best to our customers, nothing less. “

Meanwhile, Jeffry Gamble, chief creative officer for GBA and Hong Kong at dentsu, shared, “‘The HSBC Way’ is more than just a creative endeavour to make noise; it’s a powerful storytelling approach that captures the true essence of HSBC’s customer-centric ethos. Our approach emphasises the customers’ genuine interactions with HSBC and how that can make a difference in their lives without them even realising it.” 

The campaign will be rolled out across a diverse multimedia landscape, including extensive television broadcasting, broad digital platforms, widespread social media channels, and extensive outdoor advertising.

Hong Kong – Pizza Hut Hong Kong has partnered with Edelman Hong Kong for a dynamic new campaign featuring their limited-edition ‘Torch Fries.’ The campaign includes an innovative social series that uses playful predictions to forecast the medal outcomes for Hong Kong athletes.

In this campaign, Pizza Hut has introduced a new social series titled ‘Frenchie Predictions,’ featuring a charismatic French presenter and his trusty fortune-telling companion, a French bulldog named Baguette, to predict whether Hong Kong’s athletes will win gold, silver, or bronze at the Games.

Baguette’s role involves selecting between Pizza Hut pizza boxes containing the ‘Torch Fries’ to determine the medal outcomes for Hong Kong’s beloved athletes, including Cheung Ka-long, Siobhan Haughey, and Vivian Kong.

The social series will air on Pizza Hut Hong Kong’s Instagram and Facebook channels, with hopes that Baguette’s lucky predictions will come true in the coming weeks.

Renee Chan, director of customer experience and marketing at Pizza Hut Hong Kong, said, “The Games always grip the city, and we didn’t want to let this pass. When you’re not an official sponsor you always need to get more innovative about how you show your support, and our limited-edition Torch Fries and Frenchie Predictions campaign does exactly that—in a playful and fun way.” 

Crystal Poon, integrated brand lead at Edelman Hong Kong, also stated, “When our athletes win, everybody and every brand reacts with joy. And so we wanted to get ahead and find a way to celebrate the outcomes before they even happened, and after Baguette correctly predicted the winner of the football game in Germany and the winning goal scorer, we knew what we had to do! .” 

The limited-edition ‘Torch Fries’ feature French fries and potato wedges wrapped in a garlic-infused oil-coated tortilla cone, designed to mimic the iconic Torch. Pizza Hut invites its fans to savour the excitement of the Games in a unique way with ‘Torch Fries.’

Australia – realestate.com.au, the commercial property website under REA Group, has partnered with creative agency 72andSunny to launch its ‘Keep Moving’ campaign, unveiling a fresh brand strategy and innovative creative platform.

The ‘Keep Moving’ campaign aims to inspire and motivate buyers, sellers, and renters to pursue and find their next dream home, with realestate.com.au providing support throughout the journey.

Featuring a film directed by award-winning Australian director Nick Ball of Finch, the ‘Keep Moving’ campaign presents a heartfelt story of the highs and lows of finding a new home. It illustrates how realestate.com.au can guide buyers, sellers, and renters through the process with a deeply personalised property experience.

Moreover, the campaign highlights the property platform’s consumer experience capabilities that can support Australians in taking the next steps in searching for a property. 

Sarah Myers, general manager for audience and marketing at REA Group, commented, “As a leading Australian brand, we are proud to continue to feature Australian music and work with Australian talent across our campaigns. Eurogliders track, ‘Heaven (Must Be There)’, became the heart of this story, with the lyrics and composition perfectly narrating the many lows and highs of the featured family’s journey. 

“Our focus on deeply personalising the property experience helps arm property seekers with the right tools and the confidence to find their own piece of heaven. As we move into the key spring property season, our audience continues to grow, and we’re seeing strong consumer engagement with an ongoing uplift in buyer inquiries on our platform,” Myers added. 

Meanwhile, Laura Popa, head of brand at 72andSunny, said, “The strategy positions realestate.com.au as a trusted partner, empowering and supporting all Australians to progress their property journey. We are really proud to work alongside realestate.com.au, Finch, and Kaimera to craft this story and campaign.” 

Launched during the Paris Olympics coverage on July 27, the multi-channel ‘Keep Moving’ campaign will run across TV, BVOD, YouTube, OOH, cinema, radio, digital display, and social media via Kaimera. Future iterations will highlight realestate.com.au’s realEstimate tool, home loan options with Mortgage Choice, and new product features.