Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – RHB Bank has released their latest Chinese New Year film, which was conceived and created by creative agency FCB SHOUT, which tells the life story of Beatrice Leong, an autistic rights activist and filmmaker who only found out she is autistic when she was in her 30s.
Titled ‘Acceptance’, the film was directed and narrated by Leong herself and shot entirely from a first person’s POV, allowing the viewer to see the world through her eyes and better understand how an autistic person processes the things around them.
The film talks about Leong struggles in coping with being different, constantly feeling unwanted and unaccepted by the world that simply couldn’t understand her. After learning about her diagnosis, her life dramatically turned around, taking great strides as an autism activist, becoming a beacon of hope for people who are autistic – especially women in Malaysia.
Her new purpose led to the foundation of her NGO called ‘Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group’, which champions representation for the autistic community in media spaces and policy-making.
Talking about the film, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, group chief marketing officer of RHB Banking Group, said, “At RHB, we are committed to making progress happen for everyone, and our various Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (‘DEI’) initiatives are testament to this. This heartfelt and personal film by Beatrice Leong reaffirms our commitment to continue supporting the neurodiverse community and serves as a timely reminder during this festive period to embrace and celebrate one’s true self.”
Meanwhile, Tjer, head of creative at FCB Shout, commented, “It was really exciting to produce a film that was shot from a first person’s POV, but we did it not just because we wanted to do something different; there’s actually a deeper meaning behind the technique. Beatrice spent much of her life hiding and running away from the world. That inspired us to tell her story without actually showing who she really is, right until the very end.”
“Doing so also allows us to let the viewers experience what being an autistic person is like in an immersive manner, so that they can have a better understanding of this condition and begin to embrace and celebrate the differences in people,” added Tjer.
‘Acceptance’ was released on January 29, 2024, and is running across all RHB Bank’s social and digital channels in conjunction with the Chinese New Year festive celebration, which starts on February 10, 2024.
Singapore – Alipay+, Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment digital platform, announced that it has enabled new e-wallets in Singapore and expanded its partnership with Resorts World Sentosa(RWS) to accept more cross-border mobile payments in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Through this expanded partnership, more tourists visiting Resorts World Sentosa(RWS) will now be able to pay with their home e-wallets, with Alipay+ enabling the use of six new e-wallets namely, Hipay (Mongolia), MPay (Macao SAR, China), MyPB by Public Bank (Malaysia), Toss Pay and Naver Pay (South Korea), and Tinaba (Italy).
RWS is amongst the first of Alipay+ merchants in Singapore to accept 12 international e-wallets, which can be used at all its attractions and stores. The previously accepted e-wallets include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), GCash (Philippines), Kakao pay (South Korea), Touch n’ Go eWallet (Malaysia), TrueMoney (Thailand) and others, in addition to Alipay (Chinese mainland), which has been accepted by RWS since 2015.
This partnership to accept more Alipay+ partner payment apps, will welcome Chinese and Asian tourists in a more efficient manner, enabling them to have a more seamless, enjoyable experience at RWS.
To better serve the expected increase in tourists during Chinese New Year, RWS and Alipay+ are jointly launching a festive campaign exclusively for Alipay users, where they can access special promotions and privileges within the Alipay app.
To start, RWS is offering a virtual RMB$128 red packet to Alipay users who can collect it via the Alipay app, which can be used to offset payments for the RWS Mini program and on-site payments.
Alipay is also a key payment partner for RWS’ ‘Bai Jiu Shake Up’ event, where Alipay users can enjoy Bai Jiu cocktails with their Chinese New Year dinners at restaurant table65, and CHIFA! where dinner is paired with Bai Jiu cocktails specially created by Bar Sanyou. Alipay users can also enjoy a further RMB$150 discount for the event when they collect the red packets online.
The partnership will also see both parties jointly introducing campaigns for other Alipay+ partner users throughout the year.
Talking about the partnership, Chang Chee Pey, senior vice president and chief experience officer at RWS, said, “With increased flights and visa-free travel to Singapore soon, we want to make it even more convenient for Chinese visitors during key Chinese travel periods such as the Lunar New Year. With Alipay already widely accepted as a fast and convenient payment mode across Resorts World Sentosa, this payment experience for visitors will definitely be welcomed.”
Meanwhile, Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ offline merchant services, Ant International, commented, “Resorts World Sentosa is a must visit destination for tourists coming to Singapore, and through this expanded partnership, more travellers can now enjoy seamless mobile payments and a more hassle-free experience that will allow them to enjoy the attractions, food and retail options even more.”
“To help businesses in Singapore, big and small, to benefit from the growth in tourism in 2024 and beyond, we’re focused on strengthening our Alipay+ ecosystem locally, by bringing in more users via our payment partners and expanding our merchant coverage through close collaborations with our local partners and our integration with SGQR. We look forward to bringing more innovation to our partners and enhancing the digital travel experience for tourists,” she added.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As we come around the corner of Chinese New Year festivities, oral care brand Listerine in Malaysia has cooked up a quirky and good-vibes campaign that sees it playing around the relatable ‘feat’ of capturing a decent family photo.
The campaign, dubbed #SwishAwaySuay where ‘Suay’ means bad luck, shows a family finding it a challenge to take a photo that would have everyone showing a genuine, bright smile. The reason for such is each member’s personal burden becoming evident in their iffy dispositions.
The comic short is, in fact, quite a one-woman show, with the characters played by a single person – local content creator Jenn Chia. The popular social media personality is known for her comic fictional portrayals, and the campaign sees all of them unite in one space, led by Jenn’s famous persona ‘Auntie Siow’.
IPG Mediabrands’ Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), which is the one responsible for the creation of the campaign, said that Jenn was an obvious choice to collaborate with, in order to relate across all ages.
“We created the storyline with her in mind, because we love her versatility and creativeness, and gave her full creative licence to utilise all her famous characters and write the script together with us,” said Andy Ng, head of performance content & social.
“Every year, we challenge ourselves to keep things fresh and engaging for Listerine. Rather than going the traditional route, we looked to present [out-of-the-box] entertainment to connect with our young consumer,” he added.
The storyline finds its resolution with everyone taking the Listerine mouthwash to metaphorically ‘wash away’ bad luck – Suay – and be in a blissful state, ready for the perfect family photo.
#SwishAwaySuay kickstarted with Jenn’s video on her Instagram account @soimjenn. According to MBCS, the video garnered up to 20,000 likes in just 12 hours.
Tracy Foo, senior brand manager of Listerine, said, “We’re always looking for new ways to innovate Listerine as a brand, and this year has been no different. The MBCS team has once again presented us with a trendy idea that intersects well with our brand and cultural insights, while Jenn has truly brought to life a myriad [of] different characters, with friendly festive family banter that is so relatable across ages and even cultures. We’re extremely pleased with the outcome and glad to see such a positive audience response thus far.”
Meanwhile, Jenn commented, “It has been such a gratifying experience working with the MBCS team to conceptualise something unique and different. I love how open Listerine is to push boundaries! Listerine was confident in building on the storytelling and concept enough to allow the product to be revealed during the plot twist, rather than in the first 5 seconds. I am so happy to create and be a part of this collaboration with Listerine and MBCS,” said Jenn.
The campaign launched on 3 January and will run through CNY. It will also be featuring an on-ground roadshow at 1 Utama Shopping Mall between 4-8 January, with an opportunity for fans to meet Auntie Siow. To further add to the brand engagement, four game stations have been set up for the public to experience Listerine first-hand.
Malaysia – The celebration of Chinese New Year has not been the same for everyone since the pandemic hit in 2020. Seeing that most of us have been unable to ring in the new year as we once did for the past two years, many are now eager to kick off 2022 with the best possible Chinese New Year festivities.
With this in mind, marketing communications agency Naga DDB Tribal and Watsons Malaysia have collaborated to release a festive piece based on the common sentiment of wanting to amplify the celebration this year — by welcoming the new year with a sense of revitalized hope and energy, making it “a grand and epic celebration.”
Titled ‘大阵仗过靓年’, which translates to ‘Celebrate The Grandest #HappyBeautifulYear’, the short film is inspired by the Mandarin word, ‘功夫’ (gong fu), which could either mean ‘Kung fu’ or ‘effort’. Naga DDB Tribal said this gave the team the freedom and idea to play with the word’s double meaning, which also became the premise for the film’s main message to Malaysians – keeping them entertained and engaged in a martial arts comedy that communicates the messaging — a wonderful #HappyBeautifulYear awaits as long as we put in the effort.
Caryn Loh, MD of Watsons Malaysia, explained, “After almost two years of battling the pandemic, Watsons, as the No.1 health and beauty retailer in the country, returns with the grandest celebration for Chinese New Year. Through this, we hope to inspire everyone that the grandest celebration comes from our hearts, and it’s with whom we celebrate that makes the celebration grandest. Together, we can embrace each other’s strengths and overcome any challenges to make this year’s celebration a grand one.”
Watsons Malaysia’s CNY campaign is further amped up with special appearances from an all-star cast which includes Han Xiiao Aii, Phei Yong, Amber Chia, Jinnyboy, Julie, Meeki, Mei Fen, Smashpop, and Wilbur.
Raphael Ang, head of Chinese copy of Naga DDB Tribal, said, “The star-studded cast, Watsons’ signature CNY melody, high production value, and the entertaining plot have made Watsons Malaysia’s CNY film the most anticipated CNY content over the years. For many viewers, content from Watsons during CNY is synonymous with the arrival of Chinese New Year and as such, we are mindful that our CNY film has a social duty in spreading good values and positive messages among Malaysians.”
The agency’s COO Clarence Koh also commented, “We believe that driving real-world business results requires us to create experiences that resonate with the audience through the conversion funnel. The film is a good starting point to generate interest and buzz for the brand but it’s not the only thing that mattered to us.”
Aside from the main film, Watsons Malaysia also produced a series of short video assets for the various digital platforms to highlight the wonderful deals that are available in-store and online. Watsons members stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM2.8 million when they purchase any Watsons products during the promotional period. Terms and conditions apply.
Watsons’ Grandest Celebration #HappyBeautifulYear, ‘大阵仗过靓年’, has accumulated over 6 million views on both Watsons’ YouTube and Facebook platforms at the time of writing.
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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’.
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’
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.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Creative agency FOREFRONT ushers in the Year of the Ox with a cheerful and colorful music video, with a track composed and produced by singer and songwriter, Ang Chee Ciang.
The campaign, dubbed ‘A Return to Abundance’, is a collaboration with its new sister tech venture FOUN. FOREFRONT said the campaign aims to represent new beginnings, good fortune, and positivity in this new year.
The film features the agency’s team members which were filmed in the comfort of their homes and were creatively stitched by its video production team. The deliberate use of the character ‘锋’ in the video, is derived from FOREFRONT’s Chinese name ‘先锋’.
“It’s truly heartwarming to witness how our team members come together virtually for this campaign despite the lockdown restrictions. It’s important that we make the best of what we have in these difficult times. The road ahead may look rough now, but we are definitely on the road to recovery,” commented FOREFRONT Group Founder Darien Mah.
Following its annual tradition, the agency will be implementing a social media giveaway for its highly-anticipated angpow packets. The angpows’ intricate design this year features a gold outline of an ox with horns pointed upwards which the company said alludes to an uplifting change in fortune. The design also features an optical illusion depicting a fish which symbolizes abundance.
In addition, the campaign has launched a microsite to host a series of interactive content and for the official giveaway details of the limited edition angpows.
Chinese New Year (CNY) is the first major holiday of the year in Southeast Asia (SEA), and a tremendous opportunity for marketers. In 2021, this opportunity has shifted online, with surging online activity in the region and e-commerce skyrocketing with blockbuster year-end 9.9, 11.11, and 12.12 sales.
This year’s Chinese New Year will be celebrated on the 12th of February
This CNY, we welcome the year of the Ox, the zodiac animal marked by traits such as diligence, reliability, and inspiring confidence – values that brands can lean into this season as they strive to bounce back from last year’s crisis. With a fresh sense of optimism, marketers would be wise to parlay the immense growth in digital adoption into exciting opportunities as the SEA region fully embraces online shopping. Especially during the holidays, shoppers are looking for online, immersive experiences that translate to retail therapy.
One sure-fire way to meet this need is by introducing dynamic and personalized shoppable content. Channel the festivities and optimism of the year with these exciting forms of shoppable content across food, fashion, technology, and more.
Showcase curated and irresistible shoppable content
Brilliant and engaging content that feels authentic, with a high level of conceptualization and interaction can reach and engage consumers who are averse to ads while capturing the holiday spirit.
One example is leveraging powerful storytelling and leaning into branded entertainment such as a shoppable video. Consider an interactive film – a heartwarming story of a family celebrating the festivities amid social distancing, while introducing products, shoppable within a click, that fit within that experience. This way, a brand can take their consumers through an authentic journey that shapes positive brand association, while also providing a direct path to purchase – making every moment shoppable.
Another tactic that works well for fast-moving consumer goods such as food items is a shoppable image carousel or hotspot, with easily recognizable products and images. This allows for quick browsing and an instant path for shopping. For brands that would like to go big with a splash, a customized landing page provides unique, can’t-be-missed experiences that create a large impact and draw in the user to make a purchase.
Drive discovery and inspiration
What’s another way to make your shoppable content hard to miss? Be discoverable. As consumer behavior shifts towards experiential e-commerce, customers want to find and learn about new products online. A study by Valassis and Kantar Research showed that customers are making more informed buying decisions than ever, with 60% researching their products online before purchasing. A research by Verizon Media also shows that people go online to search for inspirations and ideas while they shop, where in Europe, around 35% of consumers searched online for ‘gift inspirations’ during the holidays and we can expect this to be a growing trend globally as e-commerce continues to boom.
When it comes to shoppable content, not everything has to be a hard sell. Look to combine value with information for the shopper. Shoppable editorial articles, for example, can deliver valuable and informative content, as well as build customer confidence and trust in their purchases.
Also consider gift guides for shoppers with distinct themes, such as an interactive gift guide for CNY with the latest styles and colors that will bring luck and positivity for the year. As for undecided buyers, a shoppable quiz or poll is a fun and interactive way for them to discover new items, gift wrapped with personalized shopping advice.
Introduce interactive and immersive experiences
While online shopping certainly provides the conveniences that physical shopping cannot, certain factors of the brick-and-mortar experience are still not easily replaced. Yet, as more and more shoppers rely on e-commerce and lean on mobile shopping, the demand for reimagined sensory physical shopping experiences becomes all the more necessary.
Shopping for clothing and makeup heavily relies on ‘window shopping’, or the buyer’s interaction with the product – with decisions largely based on how it feels or fits. When it comes to shoppable content, experiences can go beyond mere interaction and become immersive, with rich and dynamic XR experiences aiming to bridge the physical-digital realm.
This is an opportune moment for brands, especially fashion, and beauty, to create innovative experiences through multiformat, tailored content. Consider forms such as AR-enabled shoppable content that not only strikes inspiration for shoppers by letting them view multidimensional facets of an item, but also allows them to try the items on for size: think of it as a ‘try before you buy’ feature where a shopper can virtually try on clothing or a makeup product. Other formats can enhance social experiences through rich forms of interactive content, such as being able to watch shoppable videos with friends
To really take online shopping up a notch, brands need to create a frictionless, relevant experience as consumers interact with content they trust. With 5G launching across SEA, 5G-enabled devices will set the stage for more innovative, personalized, and engaging experiences, especially for shopping.
Truly engaging and effective shoppable content requires a masterful mix of information and context, inspiration, and action. In order to scale shoppable content to the right audience and amplify positive results, it is especially useful to complement this with other forms. Enhance its impact by going omnichannel and pairing shoppable content with native ads, prominent front-page display ads, social media, and even DOOH – easiest if done with a one-stop-shop demand-side platform that allows for omnichannel buying across a diverse set of channels in a single platform.
With supercharged shopping experiences online and a rebound in consumer interest – 2021, the year of the Ox is shaping up to be promising for marketers. As CNY rolls in, good fortune and prosperity await brands who are able to capitalize on the opportunities emerging, and pivot to innovative, engaging, and dynamic offerings online – this year and beyond.
This article was written by Rico Chan, co-head of Verizon Media for APAC.
Verizon Media is a division of Verizon Communications, Inc., which houses media brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and HuffPost to help people stay informed and entertained while creating new ways for advertisers and media partners to connect.
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