Tag: Campaign

Singapore – In celebration of this year’s Chinese New Year (CNY), Singapore’s telco Singtel has launched its annual short film, aimed at honoring the season’s spirit of bonding with family and community. 

The new film, which was conceptualized by the Singtel brand team, is the third installment in Singtel’s festive film series which tells the story of two rival families that have endeared themselves to Singaporeans after their madcap but meaningful altercations in previous films – ‘His Grandfather’s Road’ and ‘My Grandmother’s House‘.

Titled ‘The Hunt For The Lucky Tiger’, the film is set against the backdrop of the pandemic, featuring the Ang and Huang families who went on a staycation during the CNY break instead of traveling overseas. Kismet leads them to choose the same hotel on the beautiful and now 5G-powered island of Sentosa, sparking fresh contention and comedic rivalry between the families when they run into each other upon arrival. 

The story takes a dramatic turn when Ah Boy, the youngest son from the Ang family, goes missing. The families rally to comfort a panicky Wendy, who is Ah Boy’s mother, setting aside petty squabbles to find him. Mr. Ang even goes as far as to call for a search and rescue drone from Garuda Robotics to locate his son. Seamlessly over 5G, he captures the drone footage and movements via live video streaming on his mobile device.

Lian Pek, Singtel’s vice president for group strategic communications and brand, believes that Chinese New Year exemplifies the importance of family, friends, and relationships, closely reflecting Singtel’s spirit of celebrating connections. 

She further shared that it is a timely reminder to treasure the relationships people have made, especially in light of recent global events that have tested these bonds.

“As a leader in 5G innovation, we’re offering audiences a glimpse of tomorrow, from augmented reality enhanced entertainment to drone applications powered by hyper-connectivity. 5G has the unbridled potential to redefine experiences and operations across multiple verticals and we hope to empower the broader community by harnessing the benefits of this next-generation technology,” said Pek. 

Singtel said that the film also serves as a showcase for 5G use cases, such as Garuda Robotics’ autonomous drone systems which are currently undergoing trials at the 5G@Sentosa testbed, a public-private sector collaboration led by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), and Singtel.

The film will air on Singtel TV and various social media channels today, 18 January 2022.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In conjunction with Chinese New Year (CNY), which will be celebrated on 1 February, banking institution RHB has launched a new campaign film, aimed at inspiring Malaysians that the ‘good’ can start from one person.

As a preface to RHB’s new ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) aspirations, the film, which was created in collaboration with advertising agency FCB Malaysia, humanizes a crucial environmental issue and brings a pivotal lesson to life via a heartfelt story of a young boy and his father, who both have different views of what a small spark of action can do

Titled ‘A Spark for Change’, the film tells the true story of a fishing village that faced a waste management crisis due to its inaccessibility and the irresponsibility of its residents in managing their litter. A group of 10-year-old kids took up the responsibility and cleaned up the entire fishing village, inspiring all the villagers to be more mindful of their waste and litter.

Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, RHB Group’s CMO, believes that progress is often sparked by those who are bold enough to take the first step to bring change to the world, inspiring others with their actions to do the same. 

“That is how we can make the world a better place, and that is what ‘Together We Progress’ is all about. Hence, ‘A Spark for Change’ is more than just an environment story; it’s an origin story of progress,” said Murad.

Meanwhile, James Voon, FCB Malaysia’s associate creative director, said, “We had to strike a fine balance between education and emotion, and thanks to our production partners at PRS and GT Records, the story was perfectly and beautifully told.”

Ong Shi Ping, FCB Malaysia’s co-owner and chief creative officer, shared that people can start something good and inspire others around us to do the same.

“As we are in the midst of rebuilding our communities and lives together, I think this lesson is more relevant to us now than ever,” said Ping.

The campaign is already running across all RHB Bank’s social and digital channels.

Manila, Philippines – Following the success of the #SmileStrong campaign launched in 2020, Colgate in the Philippines has launched its latest ad under the campaign, which is a call to action for viewers to have the courage to take action, regardless of life’s challenges.

The previous local campaign featured various personas, namely teacher and motivational speaker and born with down syndrome Brina Maxino, local actress Candy Pangilinan who is mother to a son who has ADHD, and Arizza Nocum, peace advocate and entrepreneur who co-founded KRIS, a non-profit organization promoting peace through education. Said campaign saw the personas share people’s judgments of their capabilities and capped it off with a positive “I smile.”

In this latest ad, Colgate features Marlon Fuentes, a Grab taxi driver who has Tourette syndrome. In it, Fuentes describes that due to his condition, including uncontrollable body movements and twitches, he is easily being judged by many passengers. However, he goes on to say that he can’t just simply shrug off the negative impressions from other people, as he chose to accept who he is.

The campaign’s inspirational tone exudes the campaign’s goal of staying positive, with Fuentes stating that just like how he takes care of his own family, he too can assure his passengers that he will drive them safely to their destination.

“Moving ahead into 2022, the Colgate team are continuing their ambition to deliver real impact on society and elevate equity across borders. In the Philippines the team looked for new personalities to lift the spirits of the nation battered by the ongoing pandemic. The sense of ‘pangiti-ngiti lang’ (just smiling through it) was prevalent, and the team wanted to find true optimists whose spirit would rise above this,” the company said in a press statement.

The campaign was made by Red Fuse, WPP’s integrated global team dedicated to serving Colgate-Palmolive.

Speaking about the creative process of the campaign, Dino Ocampo, executive creative director at Red Fuse said that it was a pleasure to highlight the heroism and inner strength of a driver with Tourette’s syndrome, and show how he manages to overcome not only his condition, but the prejudices of those around him. 

He added that Fuentes’ captivating optimism has managed to transform and elevate all of them at the team who were fortunate enough to work with him.

“With the pandemic reaching a critical point in the Philippines throughout the last year, overall community morale was at an all-time low. Trying to push a message of optimism in a time and place where people could barely find a reason to smile, was a challenge,” Ocampo stated.

He added, “Meeting Maron was like a breath of fresh air. He inspired us all. Our talented director Direk Joel Limchoc, was energized by his outlook and really set the tone to build his story in a way that was meaningful to us all and which also aligned to Colgate’s stance on ‘Optimism in Action’.”

Colgate’s #SmileStrong campaign is an ongoing brand campaign which aims to focus on equity advertising by highlighting select people as their ‘muses’ to best represent their vision of creating ‘a future for everyone to smile about’. The campaign itself has been rolled out in the past few years in the region, including in Thailand and Malaysia.

Hong Kong – Bonnie Wong, known as DJ Ah Jeng for 903 FM, is featured alongside her mother in a fun and quirky Chinese New Year-centric advertising campaign by online classifieds platform Carousell in Hong Kong. In it, they motivate their fans to declutter to bring luck, and hope for a better 2022, by selling these second-hand items on the platform.

Throughout the video, Ah Jeng and her mother share a twist on the usual decluttering habits, by listing items to usher in different types of luck for the new year. For example, selling game consoles for better personal relations luck, and selling books for better career luck.

Said ad is part of Carousell HK’s ‘Spring Cleaning Week’ campaign to encourage Hong Kongers to declutter in a more sustainable way. Instead of throwing away items that are still in good condition, you can list them on Carousell for win-win outcomes: save the earth by reducing waste, and earning back money for giving out lai see, or the red envelopes given out during Chinese New Year.

From 7 to 23 Jan, users can list all their unwanted items from decluttering on Carousell to win exclusive CNY gift bags, which contain red packets, hand sanitizer and decor such as fai chun (a CNY-themed decoration with Chinese calligraphy) and a limited edition Carousell Mahjong set.

For Kevin Huang, managing director at Carousell Hong Kong, there is an untapped preloved earning potential in Hong Kong. Citing their own Carousell Recommerce Index, they discovered that each Hong Kong user has an estimated average of 43 unwanted items they store in their homes that could be sold.

“Chinese New Year is generally a time where people clean their homes, declutter and sometimes throw away many items that are still in good condition. Coupled with the traditions of buying everything new for the new year, there is a lot of waste involved. We want to encourage celebrating in a more sustainable way that is better for the environment, and also by encouraging people to do so in a practical manner that can spark change.”

He added, “List your pre-loved items on Carousell; save the earth and also earn back some money. For those who want to clear items quickly, you can also do so by listing items for free on Carousell in our Free Category.”

This campaign is reminiscent of Carousell’s previous regional campaign for Hong Kong and Singapore where they encourage users to declutter stuff and sell them at Carousell. For this CNY-themed campaign, it was made possible with influencer agency Cloudbreakr, creative agency Hungry Digital, and media agencies Essence and Wavemaker HK.

India – Tasva, Indian men’s ethnic wear brand by conglomerate firm Aditya Birla Group and Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani, has launched a new campaign, aimed at encouraging men to express themselves in their true spirit, especially during their special day – their wedding. 

The campaign, which was created in collaboration with creative agency Taproot Dentsu, challenges the social code of conduct prescribed for the groom at weddings, showcasing the typical ways a groom must behave in a function such as posing for photos, standing upright and looking like a royal mannequin, being traditional in greeting his elders, and dressing a certain way that may not suit his personality.

Titled ‘Sada Mast Raho’, the film features a groom dressed up in a Tasva outfit, watching his bride perplexed and guests getting bored. Thereafter, he takes the wedding by storm by dancing and singing, discarding serious codes and rituals that surround an Indian wedding.

Tahiliani said, “The spirit of our brand, ‘the best of self’, cannot be expressed in jaded, forced portraits but must be expressed in the current possibilities – of movement, freedom, and self-expression. The film captures this in the digital age.”

Meanwhile, Titus Upputuru, Taproot Dentsu’s creative head for Gurgaon, shared that they wanted to change the conversation because the young men who have marriage on their minds aren’t suddenly turning into these very serious men. 

“It is their big day and they still want to have a good time. That’s why we wrote ‘Sada Mast Raho’. It was wonderful to partner Tarun Tahiliani. I love his sensibilities and the finesse that he has brought into the garment is pure genius,” said Upputuru.

Abhinav Kaushik, Taproot Dentsu’s head for Gurgaon, said, “With Tasva, we aim to widen their range of choices and encourage that natural self-expression and exuberance even in Indian wear. This campaign is an absolutely refreshing way to break the seriousness that comes with ethnic wear.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As Chinese New Year (CNY) draws near, which will be celebrated on 1 February, the Malaysian biscuit brand, Julie’s Biscuits, has launched a new short film, aimed at encouraging Malaysians to embrace and share optimism in 2022.

The film, which is created in collaboration with independent creative agency GOVT Singapore, invites viewers to see the silver lining in situations and challenges.

Titled ‘The Worst Feng Shui Master’, the short film is a humorous and intriguing tale that features the troubles of Master Wong, a Feng Shui consultant whose business and reputation appear to have fallen into hard times since he lost his lucky jade ring, making his astute skills and abilities hang in jeopardy. With this, Master Wong was mocked on social media by his fiercest rival, Chan Sifu, and when it seems at first that all is lost, a twist of fate in fact leads Master Wong to a profound realization – that hope can arrive in unexpected ways.

Tzy Horng Sai, the director of Julie’s Biscuits, shared that they wanted to encourage people to be agents of hope to one another as the new year begins.

“As we emerge from a time of uncertainty, Julie’s wishes everyone a wonderful celebration in the lunar new year festivities and we deliver our greetings in this meaningful film with a hint of humor,” said Sai.

Kevin Joseph, GOVT Singapore’s associate creative director, commented, “This film aims to show everyone that coming back from hard times is possible, especially with help from our fellow members of society.”

The new short film is now available to watch live on Julie’s website and YouTube account.

In addition to celebrating Chinese New Year, Julie’s Biscuits will be introducing a limited-edition Golden Eggy Roll that offers a perfect, buttery golden crispy texture. Julie’s Love Letters, a crowd favorite, will also be seeing an all-new packaging.

Thailand – In line with Johnnie Walker’s recent ‘Keep Walking‘ campaign in 2021 that aims to inspire and help people to breathe life back into social spaces, the global whiskey brand has launched a new program called ‘The Walkers’, which aims to celebrate actions that drive positive impact for people in Thailand. 

The new program, which is developed in partnership with VICE’s creative agency Virtue, will be brought to life in the country through a series of locally relevant initiatives which bring communities together to support local venues and bars. Singer and actress Violette Wautier will be leading the agenda to revitalize local street culture and encourage Thais to taste the richer experience of local communities.

Julie Bramham, Johnnie Walker’s global brand director, shared that they wanted to explore how the latest chapter of the brand’s ‘Keep Walking’ campaign could support its partner communities across the world as people start socializing again.

“The Walkers program is a meaningful way to work with locally loved and valued voices to help reinvigorate social spaces like bars, clubs, and venues to help get the local culture back on its feet and moving again,” said Bramham. 

Meanwhile, Nate Woodhead, Virtue’s group creative director, noted that they wanted to create a campaign that honored those changemakers driving action at a time when the world felt powerless. 

“When we looked at the context of each of our key markets it was clear that reconnecting people through social and cultural experiences was the perfect starting point for The Walkers program,” said Woodhead.

Aside from Thailand, the program will also run on other key Johnnie Walker markets, including South Korea, India, Africa, and Brazil, as well as Mexico, and Colombia, among others.

The campaign follows US$100m of investment over the past 18 months from parent company Diageo to help pubs’ and bars’ post-pandemic recovery by supporting jobs and communities around the world through its ‘Raise the Bar’ program.

Australia – Australian insurance company, NRMA Insurance, has launched a new out-of-home (OOH) campaign, which is a road safety holiday message, aimed at reminding Australians to drive safely during the holiday season.

NRMA Insurance provides insurance for cars, homes, travel, business, and motorcycle, as well as boat, and caravans in New South Wales, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania, as well as South Australia, and Western Australia.

The campaign, which is created in collaboration with creative agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire (BMEOF), features a series of cinematic images that capture the anticipation of a loved one’s arrival.

Titled ‘Safe always arrives’, the campaign’s images were created with award-winning photographer Simon Harsent, from The Pool Collective.

Micah Walker, BMEOF’s CCO and founder, commented, “In a world of complicated projects, it’s refreshing getting briefed to do a pure OOH campaign. Simon shot them beautifully.”

The campaign is now running across rural sites in New South Wales and Queensland.

India — Paytm, leading technology and financial services company, has rolled out a new campaign that centers around financial autonomy and Paytm’s convenient mobile payment platform. The digital film was done in association with Dentsu Impact and the creative agency from dentsu India.

The campaign is set amid New Year celebrations and features a common phenomenon that is often trivialized, thereby inviting the audience to challenge their perception of women and their financial dependency.

The film centers around a lady who is bought free drinks by another man in a bar, whom she approaches and pays back candidly with Paytm’s mobile payment platform. True to its message, the film closes with both parties feeling satisfied with the encounter, creating a campaign that both men and women can learn from.

Anupama Ramaswamy, national creative director & managing partner for Dentsu Impact, commented on the campaign, saying that giving it back, by paying it back makes the intent of this campaign palpable for both women and men. 

“The New Year campaign demonstrates how it pays to challenge the conventions of how we think of finance and gender. And any challenge to the traditional way of accepting things makes the brand and the message it conveys modern and aspirational, striking a chord especially with a younger generation,” shared Ramaswamy.

Last March, the e-commerce payment and fintech company also released a campaign for Women’s Day in association with Denstu Impact, titled ‘The Divide’, that highlights empowerment in financial literacy with women.

Mumbai, India – IDFC Mutual Fund, finance company based in India, has launched a new investor awareness campaign themed #InvestmentMeinNoEmotion that delivers the message of disciplined investing in the face of market volatility. The campaign highlights the Balanced Advantage Fund category as a potential solution to control the behavioral dilemma. This was done in collaboration with creative agency TBWA \ India.

A Balanced Advantage Fund is a hybrid fund that invests in both debt and equity markets, adopting a dynamic asset allocation strategy that can actively rebalance the portfolio depending on the market.

The campaign composes of two short videos, titled ‘Chef’ and ‘Shiromani’, that highlights a chef and a musician, who unintentionally reveal embarrassing information about the inspiration behind their ‘talent’ while being swayed by their emotions, offering the viewer a chuckle while triggering an introspection. The campaign conveys the message of getting carried away by emotion when dealing with key professional situations. The short films are a metaphor for investing hard-earned money with too much emotion like anger, joy, agitation, and greed.

Speaking about the campaign, famous Bollywood director Sagard Ballary, who directed the films, stated that the creative team chose humor as an expression to convey the idea which always works when you have to get a point across, especially one as complicated as investing.

‘’Nobody likes to be preached to. Subtle thoughts implanted while you are laughing always works – so my challenge was to create memorable characters that everybody could relate to and situations and expressions that the viewer would identify with,’’ shared Ballary.

Meanwhile, Vishal Kapoor, CEO of IDFC Asset Management Company Limited, commented, “It is only human to be emotional, whether it is anger, joy, fear or greed. However, avoiding these can help with better investment outcomes. For many investors, the fear of missing out or the greed of supernormal returns can override sensible investment decision-making. A Balanced Advantage Fund, through its dynamic allocation to equities and debt based on market conditions, can provide stability and better risk-adjusted returns over the long term.’’

The campaign was produced by Bolt, a division of Omnicom group, to which TBWA belongs.

The #InvestmentMeinNoEmotionshort films will be rolling out across different media platforms namely television, digital and social media, as well as a series of innovative creatives through outdoor media including hoardings across 15 cities that will create additional visibility.