Last Women’s Month, global skincare brand SK-II has launched a thought-provoking film, “More Youthful With Age #越大越不ZHUANG”, featuring a docuseries chronicling the transformation journey of five women as they learn to embrace their bare skin and true selves as they age.

This has catapulted into one of the most viral and talked about brand topics on Chinese social platform Little Red Book, sparking passionate discussions on how women are expected to look as they grow older, and courageously sharing the choices they’ve made to stand apart and find their truest selves.

To shed more light on how SK-II made this campaign to effectively reach the Chinese market, MARKETECH APAC spoke exclusively to Sue Kyung Lee, global CEO of SK-II, to learn more about how beauty brands can create authentic campaigns that resonate towards Chinese consumers, and what outlook can the beauty industry in Asia-Pacific expect for this year.

For Lee, consumers are at the heart of all that they do at SK-II. In order to serve their consumers better than anyone else, they seek to have the deepest understanding of the consumer, encompassing her lifestyle and values.

To achieve this, Lee shared, “We talked to our consumers in-store, held focus groups and did a deep dive into social conversations to find out the pressures and expectations that Chinese women were facing. And what we uncovered was a growing cultural shift towards independence and self-aspiration; to ‘unmask’ yourself and redefine society’s expectations of what it means to be a woman.”

She also added that their Chinese campaign is very much aligned with their brand values of authenticity and being true to yourself over many decades. Additionally, this coincides with their latest brand refresh, with a new brand identity with an increased emphasis on natural visuals and the authentic narratives of ‘PITERA’, their exclusive skincare ingredient.

When asked about how SK-II aims to differentiate itself in this landscape, amidst other international and domestic brands, Lee said that the key is to always keep consumers at the heart of everything that they do, being present and raising the bar in serving their consumers wherever they choose to look or shop, across all omnichannel touchpoints.

Furthermore, Lee attributes the strength of the brand to be unique through the narratives of their brand identity. “At SK-II, we have a powerful and authentic story with our brand and our iconic and exclusive PITERA. We are constantly looking to find meaningful ways to connect with our consumers through genuine stories of how and why SK-II with PITERA continues to transform the skin of millions of women around the world,” she remarked.

Talking about the potential challenges and opportunities that the beauty industry in China will face for this year, Lee shared that there is great potential for reinforcing omnichannel marketing in China, especially with the ever-increasing number of platforms, experiences and channels within the market.

Stressing the importance of this, Lee stated, “As we talked to consumers in our research, it was fascinating. We asked them about how much time they spent online vs offline, and no one could respond properly as consumers do not even think about or differentiate online vs offline consciously, showing how the digital and physical world are seamlessly integrated with each other in their lives.”

“We need to ensure that as a brand, we are present and raise the bar in serving her seamlessly across all omnichannel touchpoints she is on in China. This is a challenge as well as an opportunity for all of us in the beauty industry,” she added. 

Lastly, talking about what’s next for the beauty industry in the Asia-Pacific this 2024, Lee said that Southeast Asia has been emerging as the next frontier of luxury beauty opportunities in Asia Pacific.

“Markets like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia hold a great deal of promise for prestige brands like us as consumers shift from mass to luxury and become very savvy with the brands that they choose to support,” she concluded.

Sydney, Australia – European-headquartered digital media, gaming, and entertainment company Azerion has partnered with advertising platform Right Thing Media to allow advertisers to deliver campaigns with social impact messaging inside its portfolio of in-game advertising and high-impact inventory across APAC. 

Under the partnership, Azerion and RT.M will enhance existing creative with social and environmental impact messaging and calls to action that inspire and engage audiences. They can work with any ad format, distributor, agency or media owner across web, mobile, and app campaigns. The two companies also manage the full creative and amplification process, from concept to completion: compiling post-performance data from ad distribution partners, and delivering funds to non-profit, charity, and social enterprise partners.

Moreover, the partnership enables advertisers to earmark an agreed percentage of their total campaign spend to be pledged to a nominated charity or nonprofit partner. It also produces an impact report that combines ad performance with impact insights and outlines how the campaign has made a tangible difference to society, whilst meeting the brand’s ad performance goals.

Gerson Barnett, executive director of Right Thing Media, commented, “We are thrilled to team up with Azerion in the Asia-Pacific region to drive change within the media industry and enable charities to elevate their profile. We’re all about action, and our partnership with Azerion will enable more brands to deliver effective high–social–impact campaigns to deliver a responsible media supply chain.”

Meanwhile, Georgia Woodburne, Azerion’s JAPAC managing director, said, “We have a platform that allows us to reach millions of users, serving quality creatives in environments where we already have secure heightened attention. We’re excited to be able to partner with Right Thing Media to use our platform for positive social impact, and to bring awareness to causes that really matter, for both consumers and brands.”

Mumbai, India – With the aim of helping brands create more responsible advertising practices for their upcoming campaigns, advertising regulatory body Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has launched a new service called ‘Advertising Service’ which gives brands non-binding advice, at a pre-production stage, on advertising claims and depictions to further mitigate the risk of ads being misleading, offensive, unfair or unsafe.

Said service, which will be available for all members and non-members of ASCI, and will be under a paid service.

Part of the objective that ASCI holds with the launch of this new service is that aside from being a regulatory body, they also aim to help protect consumers from objectionable ads. . They also added that the service provides confidential quick expertise to help advertisers make more responsible advertising, which in turn, saves them effort, money as well as possible loss of reputation once the advertisement is already in the marketplace.

In addition, ‘Advertising Service’ aims to help advertisers balance creativity with responsibility and is being offered in line with best global practices followed by different self-regulatory organizations.

“What is quite unique in the ASCI Advertising Advice service is that the Advertising Advice panel will also include technical experts in different specialties who can examine the claim and evidence for technical claim support. It is important to note that this service is not intended to be a pre-clearance, and advertisers may use the advice to better their ads in a manner they deem fit,” the regulatory board said in a press statement.

The service, while provided by the body’s technical team and subject experts, is not a pre-clearance of the advertisement, and neither is it a guarantee against complaints being filed by consumers. However, the service is expected to mitigate the risk of advertising being misleading, offensive, unsafe, or unfair. 

“ASCI will process any complaints they receive against such ads as per its normal process. The advisory panel for Advertising Advice service is completely different from the complaints process to avoid any potential conflicts,” they added.

For Subhash Kamath, chairman at ASCi, the newly-launched service as a crucial element in the cause of self-regulation pushed the body, adding that the service gives brands a chance to better prepare their campaigns and mitigate reputational risks.

“While there is no guarantee that consumers will not raise a claim against a brand, the advisory does help brands take steps to ensure that their campaigns don’t violate any norms formulated to protect consumer interest. We believe that this advisory service will provide the necessary support to the advertising ecosystem to create more responsible ads without affecting creativity,” Kamath stated.

Meanwhile, Manisha Kapoor, secretary-general at ASCI, commented that the advisory can be used by brands to great effect while planning their campaigns as brands wish to be competitive and push the boundaries of claims. She also added that with this service, they can support advertisers to make strong claims while not crossing the all-important lines of honesty, decency, fairness, and safety.

“An external scrutiny by experts at the pre-production stage can add tremendous value to campaign development. [In the] post-release of the campaign, any stoppage can cause significant disruption and cost for an organization. But by making this a part of the way advertisers think of campaigns at an early stage, such risks can be mitigated. We see this as a win-win for advertisers and consumers, who then get exposed to fewer problematic ads,” Kapoor added.

ASCI has long been helping advertisers with proper regulations about advertisements, which included their draft guidelines on influencer ads, and COVID-19 related campaigns.

Cyberjaya, Malaysia – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has launched two new campaigns, the Go-eCommerce Onboarding and Shop Malaysia Online (SMO) campaigns, to help businesses leverage on new opportunities and to strengthen the agility of local businesses all the while reducing their operation costs. 

To be executed via a public-private co-funding model, the campaigns will see the government inject an incentive package worth RM200 million aimed at providing support to Malaysian businesses to enhance their sales capability in e-commerce and help boost their sales.

The campaigns go under the Belanjawan 2021 initiatives or the country’s National Budget for the year. 

The Go-eCommerce Onboarding campaign is an initiative to encourage the adoption of e-commerce and e-payment by local businesses. A further RM100m budget has been allocated for the program; its focus is to help local businesses widen their market reach via e-commerce and e-payment.

Meanwhile, the SMO campaign features sale campaigns to encourage online consumption. Through this, discount vouchers will be issued to consumers to be redeemed against their online purchases on participating e-commerce and e-payment platforms.

MDEC’s CEO Surina Shukri shared that they are attuned to the needs of the industry and businesses, thus the increased allocation this year to further provide the impetus for the growth of eCommerce and its ecosystem, in line with the goals of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) – a plan to accelerate the country’s progress as a technologically-advanced economy.

“Facilitating local businesses to go digital and online will ensure that they are able to future proof against potential aftershocks. By supporting Malaysian businesses, we will also ensure jobs and livelihoods are sustained. We are committed not to leave anyone behind and the welfare of the local businesses and people is our priority,” said Shukri.

Meanwhile, Aiza Azreen Ahmad, the chief digital business officer at MDEC, commented that they are fully committed to equip and enable Malaysian businesses to navigate and thrive through these business unusual times. 

“With strong support from the government, we aim to further catalyze the growth of e-commerce in Malaysia, with the goal for the country to be the largest market in ASEAN by 2025, in line with MyDIGITAL. Thanks to the support from all the partners and stakeholders, these campaigns were a runaway success in 2020. Public-private collaborations will be crucial and we look forward to more fruitful partnerships in the future,” said Aiza Azreen.

The campaigns are expected to benefit 300,000 local businesses, with 50,000 being newly onboarded. In terms of total gross merchandise value, it is targeted to exceed RM1b generating 10 million transactions. About 30,000 women entrepreneurs are also expected to benefit from this initiative to push the inclusivity needle further.

Both campaigns are scheduled to run from 1 July until 31 December 2021.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia As Malaysians celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan last 13 May, brands of various industries have launched each of their unique campaigns to come in solidarity with Muslims in Malaysia, and commemorate Hari Raya.

YouTube in Malaysia has just launched the year’s top 10 Ramadan-Raya ads that have touched the hearts of many viewers, where the list was based on factors such as organic and paid views, watch time, and audience retention.

1. Tenaga Nasional Berhad: TNB Raya 2021: Hikmah Raya Aida

For this year’s Raya, Malaysia’s electric utility giant Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) released a quirky short film, featuring the brand’s well-loved character, Aida, who came to realize that ‘family time’ is the most important treasure in life.

2. Etiqa: Etiqa 2021 Raya – Balik Tanjung Mana?

Through a married couple-themed ad, insurance and takaful business firm Etiqa in the country reminded its viewers of the value of ‘togetherness’ this Raya.

3. Watsons Malaysia: Watsons Raya 2021 #RayaUnikRayaIkonik

In a musical short film, health and beauty retailer Watsons in Malaysia introduced the unique family of Ayda Jebat and Nabil, embracing each other’s differences to have an iconic, unforgettable Aidilfitri.

4. MR DIY: Iklan Raya MR.DIY 2021: Kerana Azman

Household products retailer MR DIY inspired viewers with a heart-warming campaign that highlights ‘self-worth’.

5. Lazada Malaysia: Lazada Ada Sentuhan Raya 5.5

In line with e-commerce platform Lazada’s 5.5 Sale, the app released some amazing deals and ‘lowest price guaranteed’ promise for its customers.

6. Petronas: PETRONAS RAYA 2021: Syukur Raya

Narrated by a singing dove, the short animated film by the country’s oil and gas company Petronas Malaysia presented a fun and cheeky story of compassion.

7. RHB Group: RHB Group Raya 2021: Sempurna

Malaysian financial service company RHB Group showed its support to the deaf community through a Raya ad that tells the true story of a girl, who shares videos of herself performing sign language song covers, despite suffering from a hearing disability.

8. Saji Malaysia: Iklan Raya SAJI 2021: Mangkuk Tingkat Mak Teh

Cooking oil brand Saji celebrated Ramadan through a heart-rending campaign, highlighting a wife’s longingness for her husband.

9. Julie’s Biscuits: Ini Iklan Raya, tau?!

Through a comic yet meaningful campaign, biscuit brand Julie’s Biscuits made use of typical Raya ad scenarios to encourage its consumers to show more appreciation towards women.

10. Shopee Malaysia: 2021 5.5 Raya TVC

In a 15-second sing and dance video, Shopee in Malaysia introduced its Ramadan and 5.5 Sale which offered shoppers free shipping with no minimum spend.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dentsu Malaysia has won Malaysian insurance company AIA’s creative retainer services, with immediate effect.

In addition to the existing creative duties of dentsu for AIA PUBLIC Takaful, the network will now become the sole creative agency of record to further support AIA’s purpose of delivering communications that would empower Malaysians to make healthy living choices in the new normal.

AIA is one of the largest independent pan-Asian life insurance and finance corporations, with a presence in 18 markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

Chief Marketing Officer of AIA, Heng Zee Wang said that after an impressive stint with its Takaful business, the company has decided to place its trust in dentsu to extend its capabilities in managing the entire AIA brand in Malaysia, creating integrated solutions that will help build a stronger brand narrative and deeper connection with customers across multiple touchpoints. It is expected that dentsu will create an integrated model that aims to leverage ‘connected creativity’ and help evolve AIA’s brands to be fit in this virtual economy.

Meanwhile, CEO of dentsu Malaysia One Michelle Ong commented that they are deeply honored to acquire the business.

“Our collaboration internally even during work-from-home has been charged with inspiring positivity. The brief was to have AIA at the forefront of consideration for both health and wellness needs. However, one requirement was to not just deliver a ‘campaign’, but a sustainable communication solution that can be carried forward naturally and touches all the relevant consumer and agent points,” Ong said.

Milan Agnihotri, chief strategy officer of dentsu, shared that the anchor of AIA’s proposal was in the seamless integration of ‘Big Organizing Idea (BOI)’ with ‘Return on Investment (ROI)’ for the brand.

“We leveraged our proven methodology of ‘Masterbranding + Behaviour Mapping’ to make sure we steer the brand through the funnel and the brand ecosystem – externally and internally, on a single-minded platform,” Agnihotri added.