Singapore – Singapore-headquartered e-commerce for Southeast Asia, Lazada, is taking its marketing to new heights as it announces its very first regional ambassador for in-app mall, LazMall; and it’s none other than top K-drama leading man, Hyun Bin. 

Last October 2020, Lazada has also unveiled a massive first for the brand that similarly involved the K-pop craze – signing on top K-pop actor Lee Min Ho as the first regional-wide ambassador of the brand. Prior to launching regional ambassadors, Lazada’s marketing strategy has always relied heavily on local endorsers, partnering market-specific stars to bring in the engagement with consumers.

Hyun Bin has been a prominent actor among Hallyu, or the term coined for the ‘Korean wave’. He is one of South Korea’s top celebrities and known for K-dramas and movies Secret Garden, Memories of the Alhambra, and The Negotiation. Most recently, his popularity surged even more when he starred as the leading man of the Netflix-produced romantic comedy K-drama, Crash Landing on You. The series gained global craze and afforded both Hyun Bin and the show’s leading lady Son Ye-Jin numerous brand partnerships following the success of the series. 

Hyun Bin_Lazada_LazMall
The first LazMall ad featuring Hyun Bin with an action-filled narrative

On the new ambassador, Lazada Group’s CMO Mary Zhou, commented, “Lazada was the first to bring the virtual ‘mall’ concept to Southeast Asia and we are delighted to welcome renowned superstar Hyun Bin as LazMall’s first regional brand ambassador. With his expansive portfolio of critically-acclaimed films and television dramas, Hyun Bin is a familiar personality respected for his genuine personality and extraordinary dedication to his craft by fans all over the globe. This highly resonates with LazMall’s brand promise of authenticity, quality, and a trusted online destination for consumers to enjoy a convenient shopping experience.”

The announcement comes as Lazada celebrates the third anniversary of LazMall as well as 9.9, the first of the year-end mega campaigns. For starters, Hyun Bin headlines an action-inspired ad. Also known as a great action celebrity, the short ad aims to capture the imagination of fans that is reminiscent of Hyun Bin’s popular action sequences. 

In the TVC, Hyun Bin stars as an agent on a covert mission commanding a crew of operatives. In a fun and celebratory twist, his character targets the mission of releasing thousands of LazMall care packages to the public.

On his LazMall ambassadorship, Hyun Bin said, “I’m very happy to be joining the Lazada family and connecting with fans in Southeast Asia as LazMall’s first regional brand ambassador. I look forward to creating lots of fun times together, starting with the 9.9 shopping festival. I wish everyone good health and hope you stay safe until we can meet again in person.”

He added, “Shooting the short film for the campaign was incredibly fun, especially when we got creative in demonstrating the efficiency, reliability, and variety of products that LazMall offers to shoppers through a secret agent mission storyline.”

LazMall is Lazada’s in-app mall that features flagship stores from both established and starting merchants. This differs from independent sellers in the app. Earlier in August, LazMall introduced a new personalized portal, LazMall Prestige, featuring an extensive portfolio of eight categories with over 50 premium brands such as Bacha Coffee, Bang & Olufsen, Elemis, and Longines, as well as Polo Ralph Lauren, and Salvatore Ferragamo. 

In addition to popular features like Brand Mega offers and an improved returns policy across the region, consumers will gain access to brands through an intimate, visual storytelling experience. This includes an enhanced discovery spotlight via ‘The Prestige Edit’, which features content-rich thematic editorial sections.

In line with the special online launches, Lazada’s mascot Lazzie will also make his idol trainee debut via Lazada’s newest addition on LazGames – Lazzie Star. 

Manila, Philippines – As the pandemic forced live events to go virtual, Globe’s corporate venture builder 917Ventures in the Philippines has decided to roll out a new marketplace platform, called ‘Fanlife’, which is made to cater to K-pop and K-drama supporters. 

‘Fanlife’ is the ultimate marketplace platform for the said fans and will offer exclusive experiences and official merchandise. Fans may learn more about their favorite artists via exclusive content and get a chance to meet them. They will be able to stoke their love for their favorite artists with collectibles and merchandise available on the e-commerce site.

‘Fanlife’ was one of the selections from the first batch of the Velocity program, a 917Ventures initiative that helps aspiring entrepreneurs build successful businesses. It aims to expand the reach and engagement between local and international artists and their supporters, offering an immersive experience on www.fanlife.ph. 

“Fanlife connects you to your favorite artists through exciting experiences, bringing you closer to them with just a click. You may also discover your new favorite artist and be a part of your favorite artists’ communities all within the website,” said Aya Villa-Real, the Venture Builder of Fanlife.

Meanwhile, Vince Yamat, the managing director of 917Ventures, commented, “We believe the best ideas and ventures come from such a diverse entrepreneurial base in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. As such, Velocity provides venture builders the opportunity to build businesses leveraging on the advantage of operating within 917Ventures and Globe.”

The new platform comes as local telco giant Globe, the parent company of 917Ventures, recently announced that it is looking to scout new businesses to explore other sources of income, as both global and local telecommunication revenues were greatly affected by the coronavirus crisis.

Singapore – The Singapore branch of the famous wax museum franchise Madame Tussauds has now a new celebrity to add to its collection of wax figures: Korean actor Lee Min Ho.

The new wax figure of Lee Min Ho will be part of the newly-launched ‘K-Wave Zone’ in the museum, where prominent Korean entertainment stars are also featured, including Korean actor Song Seung-heon, model and actor Kim Woo Bin, and singer and actress Bae Suzy.

Lee Min Ho has been one of the most popular Korean actors known in Asia, recently surpassing 20 million followers on his official Instagram and Facebook page, which also makes him one of the most followed Korean stars on different social media platforms combined. He is well known for his roles in many Korean dramas, including ‘City Hunter’, ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’, ‘Boys Over Flowers’ and more recently in Netflix’s ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’.

“We are proud and honored to have Lee Min Ho joining the rest of the stars at the new K-Wave zone. We believe that his figure will definitely draw the attention of many, and we will continue to bring in more stars throughout the year,” says Alex Ward, general manager of Madame Tussauds Singapore

K-Wave Zone was first launched last month, where aside from taking pictures with the wax figures, visitors are also given the chance to enjoy certain Korean elements, such as taking pictures with the facility’s in-built cherry blossom tree, or pose for pictures in the zone’s cherry blossom flower wall.

Based in Imbiah Lookout in Sentosa Island, the Madame Tussauds in Singapore has waived general admission fees until March. Visitors can use SingapoRediscovers vouchers to get access to the K-Wave Zone.