Tag: Marketing Campaign

Singapore – Singaporean telecommunications company Singtel has released its new Chinese New Year film that emphasises Singtel’s commitment to providing prompt and quality service to its customers, which serves as a key differentiator of its services.

Titled ‘Don’t Worry, Be Hoppy!’, the sitcom-style short film featured two rival families, who got competitive at first but eventually bonded over the results of Singtel’s quick service. 

“Customer service lies at the heart of the Singtel customer experience and this film underscores our commitment to providing personalised, empathetic and accessible service to our customers,” said Anna Yip, chief executive officer of Consumer Singapore at Singtel.

She also added that Singtel intends to keep investing in its people and processes to deliver quality service that sets them apart from competitors. 

Lian Pek, vice president for group strategic communications and brand at Singtel, also said, “In today’s hyper connected world, technology plays a critical role in connecting people and supporting their digital-first lifestyles. But as played out in our latest festive film, sometimes things don’t go as planned and that’s where a committed service provider makes all the difference.”

Singtel has also previously released its Singapore’s National Day ad titled ‘The Making of a 5G Nation’, which illustrates how its infrastructure and engineering expertise have been vital to the National Day Parade since the 1960s.

Manila, Philippines – McDonald’s in the Philippines is jumping into the gaming space for its latest campaign. Called ‘Unbranded Menu’, the new campaign aims challenge gamers to hunt for McDonald’s ‘food-alikes’ across video games and then swap their inedible discoveries for actual McDonald’s items.

The campaign, made in collaboration with advertising agency Leo Burnett, began when the Philippines’ popular gaming personality Alodia Gosiengfiao found a Big Mac look-a-like inside Grand Theft Auto V and posted a screengrab of it. She then challenged her eight million followers to do the search. 

More gamers and streamers joined in and tagged their discoveries #ThisIsMcDonalds, which signalled the start of the hunt. 

Some of the Philippines’ top gamers and their fans are also already sharing pictures of unbranded and logo-free virtual food items that resemble the iconic French Fries, Big Mac, and Quarter Pounder sandwiches, amongst other McDonald’s food items. These have been found in classic video games like The Sims and Resident Evil; online multiplayer games like Fall Guys, Roblox, and PUBG; role-playing games such as Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, and Persona; and giant titles like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Cyberpunk 207, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Raoul Panes, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe Philippines and Leo Burnett Manila, said that the campaign was targeted at connecting with the Philippines’ 40+ million strong gaming community.

“Then we stumbled upon an amazing discovery: so much food in the gaming multiverse looks just like McDonald’s products, despite being unbranded. Why not hack this unbranded space to build brand love for McDonald’s through the gamer behavior of screen-grabbing milestones and discoveries for posterity or bragging rights?” he added.

To fuel the hunt, McDonald’s has also been giving gaming credits, consoles, and other gaming merchandise in exchange for screengrabs of food-alikes with the #ThisIsMcDonalds tag.

“It has been fascinating to follow this virtual hunt and watch gamers exchanging virtual food clones for the real deal. Leo Burnett’s idea taps into the relationship between gamers and food, which is a big part of gaming culture, and helps us to connect with a huge gaming audience in the Philippines and beyond,” Oliver Rabatan, McDonald’s Philippines chief marketing officer, further explained.

Thailand – Tops, Thailand’s largest supermarket chain, has released its new Christmas advertisement that shows the value of gift-giving even with the most unassuming supermarket items.

The campaign was made in collaboration with global brand experience agency VMLY&R. The short film titled ‘The Underrated Gift’, portrays how people have the tendency to overthink the gifts they give during the holidays.

The story revolved around a woman worrying over her gift search. In the film, she overcame this worry as she discovered how simple supermarket items such as zip-lock bags, canned wild salmon, and a pack of salami can delight her loved ones.

“At Tops, we have always believed in providing premium products at affordable prices. With our motto #EveryDayDISCOVERY, we want to emphasize that the best gifts are the ones that receivers can enjoy and that value and happiness can be found from even the most underrated items,” said Chakkit Chatupanyachotikul, head of marketing, public relations and CSV at Central Food Retail Group (CFG).

Anuwat Nitipanont, chief creative officer at VMLY&R Thailand, further commented, “Joyful experiences should not be limited to expensive, one-of-a-kind gifts. We want to encourage everyone to see the value of seemingly ordinary things and become free from their own limitation of choices.”

He also added that the film showcases how these’‘underrated gifts’ triumph this holiday season and will get people to rethink their holiday shopping lists.

VMLY&R Thailand also previously collaborated with Thai home improvement retailer Boonthavorn for the latter’s rebranding campaign with the short film ‘Ummm..’

Singapore – As part of its campaign to celebrate music versatility, HEINEKEN has officially kicked off its ‘Refresh Your Music, Refresh Your Nights’ campaign in Asia with two concerts done in Malaysia and Vietnam. 

Launched Asia-wide, the campaign was developed by Le Pub, BBH Singapore, Leo Burnett Vietnam and Leo Burnett Malaysia, while Iris Singapore led the regional PR and influencer strategy.

Both concerts featured the world-famous electropop duo, The Chainsmokers, as well as local artists from both countries. Over 85,000 music fans attended the concerts in support of the featured artists.

The Malaysia leg of the concert was held on December 9 with homegrown artists Yunohoo and NYK, while the Vietnam stop was held the day after, featuring artists Thu Minh and Karik.

Prior to the concert series, HEINEKEN encouraged fans to vote for their favourite renditions of The Chainsmokers’ hit songs created by the local artists.

According to Rajeev Sathyesh, HEINEKEN’s brand director for APAC, the campaign was targeted at echoing HEINEKEN’s belief that life tastes better with an open mind, regardless of social situations or music preferences. 

“The fans’ incredible energy and willingness to break out of their music bubbles affirmed our belief that music does transcend all boundaries,” he added.

Heineken has also previously released a global campaign to promote work balance while enjoying a cold bottle of beer.

India – National steel company ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) has recently launched a new campaign called ‘Reimagineering’ which fuses reimagination and engineering–two key levers that will shape India’s growth and development over the next several decades.

Conceptualised alongside dentsu India’s iProspect, the campaign’s objective is to raise awareness and build imagery of a global new-age steel manufacturer committed to creating a brand-new future for the industry, people, and the planet. iProspect India has created a multi-media campaign architecture with an aim to accelerate the brand’s key vision in the market.

In addition, the campaign covers key touchpoints such as television with dominance in the news genre and front jackets in leading English and vernacular dailies to drive credibility. As a result, AM/NS India is associated with the ongoing FIFA World Cup as one of the digital sponsors.

Speaking on the campaign, Bibek Chattopadhyay, head of communications at ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India said, “We embarked on a journey almost a year back to craft the corporate identity and design for AM/NS India – a venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the most valued brands in the metal and mining space worldwide.” 

He added, “With the 360-degree campaign, entailing media formats, we unveil a Young, Dynamic, Smart, Thoughtful, and Global architecture that elevates the brand presentation. Reimagineering – one world that eloquently puts forth our ambitions for the market we are privileged to serve – is rudimentary to our concept and reflects our brand philosophy, ‘Smarter Steels, Brighter Futures’.”

Meanwhile, Vinod Thadani, CEO of iProspect and chief digital growth officer at dentsu Media commented, “We are extremely proud to be part of this amazing campaign. The beauty of the campaign is in synchronisation of 6 very impactful KVs, a powerful and visually delighted TVC with melodious background score and multiple format renditions across touchpoints.” 

He added, “We planned the campaign [in] such a way so that each touchpoint [complemented] each other to establish the core proposition of the brand. I am confident post this campaign, AM/NS brand awareness will be enhanced significantly.”

Singapore – Global logistics service provider J&T Express has appointed football star Lionel Messi as its first global brand ambassador.

According to J&T Express, the ambassadorship reflects the company’s commitment to continue benefiting the local communities and its efforts to bring technology-enabled solutions to customers in all its global markets through collaboration with local network partners, embodying Messi’s continuous commitment to improvement and collaborative attitude.

As part of the partnership, Messi will be promoting awareness of J&T Express not only as a prominent logistics provider but also as a one-stop e-commerce specialist across every touchpoint in the supply chain, and a champion and practitioner of the “better together” spirit.

The ambassadorship is also targeted at elevating the brand’s popularity and promoting J&T’s offerings. Messi’s addition to J&T Express also launches a series of social media and marketing campaigns under the theme of #JTBetterTogether, amongst other activations.

Rachel Liu, global branding director of J&T Express said, “We are honored and excited to collaborate with Lionel Messi as our global ambassador. He is a generational athlete whose work ethic, humility and dedication align with the values that we imbue at J&T Express.”

Liu added, “Through his grit and accomplishments, Messi is an inspiration to many. This resonates deeply with our values of building a caring, responsible and sustainable business.”

On partnering with J&T Express, Messi said, “J&T Express has made remarkable achievements since its launch. We share many similarities in our passion and determination to never stop improving. Just as the sport of football unites millions across the globe, J&T Express seeks to develop logistic solutions to connect its customers to the world. I look forward to being part of this journey.”

J&T Express has been making its brand more known globally through various initiatives, including its expansion in the UAE and Saudi Arabian market.

India – Writing instrument brand Pentonic has released a new film, demonstrating its product Pentonic GumStik. The ad was conceptualised alongside Wunderman Thompson Kolkata.

The film tells the story of a nerdy 10-year-old who loves Airplanes. He creates a model with a Pentonic GumStik and throws it in the air, which then embarks on an epic flight. The visual story is complemented by a unique sound design as it builds on the idea of kids using vocal effects while playing with toys. 

Deepak Jalan, managing director at Linc Pens, said, “Pentonic as a brand is designed to be unique. The GumStik is a transparent gum in unique black packaging and comes with Super Sticking Power. We needed a unique film to expand our mindshare among the target audience which is school-going kids and their parents.”

Meanwhile, Vijay Jacob Parakkal, managing partner at Wunderman Thompson Kolkata, commented, “We have been partnering with LINC Limited on the brand Pentonic since 2019 across multiple product and format launches. We are happy and proud to be part of their growth story.”

Lastly, Soumya Chowdhury, VP & CSD for client servicing at Wunderman Thompson Kolkata, said, “Pentonic GumStik is a new entrant in a category that is defined and created by a behemoth. We had to do something to get noticed. This is a film that attempts to do that. It retells the story of adhesive power in a way that is likely to stick around in the mind a bit longer.”

Bangkok, Thailand – KFC Thailand transforms its iconic bucket into the new ‘KFC Basket the Bucket’ this Christmas to join Thai people in their obsession with gifting baskets. This is in collaboration with their newly appointed creative agency, Wunderman Thompson Thailand. The KFC ‘Basket the Bucket’ is made of locally sourced materials and handcrafted by local artisans, with the iconic chicken bucket packaging a perfect fit inside it. 

According to KFC Thailand, gifting during the festive season in Thailand is always an epic battleground of festive hampers or gifting baskets. The basket has been a symbol of well-wishing and gifting for Thai people. 

The 30-second commercial that came with the campaign shows Thai people receiving usual gifts given this Christmas as they sarcastically let out dry laughs before showing a man munching on KFC chicken and ends with lines, “when the bucket comes, its party on!”

Chief Marketing Officer Suhayl Limbada at KFC Thailand said, “Taking a global icon like the KFC bucket and infusing it with the locally famous gift basket depicts the richness and beauty of our country’s culture and is a very special project. As people return back to celebrating special moments with their loved ones, to be able to incorporate our iconic KFC Bucket as a gift in such a unique way is a perfect ode to our excitement at the prospect of a festive season that is full of cheer and Finger Lickin’ Good moments.” 

Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson Thailand adds, “KFC is a leader that always wants to stay connected and culturally relevant. We are always looking for the opportunity to infuse our brand into the culture in the most distinctive way, not just driving sales but also building the brand. Although KFC is not always associated with end of year gifting, ‘Basket the Bucket’ changes everything. By turning our iconic bucket into a gift basket, a symbol of the Thai gifting season, we directly put ourselves into the centre of attention this festive season.”

KFC also mentioned gifting their friends clown, king, and dragon, with their unique bucket basket this Christmas, to show their generosity for the holiday season.

Sydney, Australia – The Australian Financial Review (AFR), the market’s business-centric media, has launched a new brand platform called ‘Make it your Business’, conceptualised with the help of BMF.

‘Make it Your Business,’ will be released in stages over the next few months, and is a mix of tactical live data OOH, press, digital, social, and podcast assets. 

BMF’s Creative Director, David Roberts, speaks about the brand platform, “‘Make it your Business’ is a call out to anyone, in any field, hustling for success. You never know what AFR article could kickstart your next career move, investment opportunity or entrepreneurial adventure.”

Nine’s Head of Brand and Acquisition, Vera Straubinger, also said, “When you need information you can trust on investing, business moves, and careers, you turn to the most trusted and credible source. The AFR is the source that gives you a deep, nuanced understanding that stretches beyond your own horizons. And goes beyond the headlines.”

This is BMF’s first work for AFR since winning the account earlier this year.

Melbourne, Australia – In the spirit of the upcoming Christmas season, Australian department store chain Myer has launched a multi-touchpoint campaign, encouraging Aussies to indulge, smile, and shop more this holiday season.

Part of the campaign is a film that is set on Christmas eve, where a couple faces the relatable stress of having to wrap their family’s long list of gifts. Starting from exhaustion, the couple finally gets into their groove, transforming the mundane palaver into an exhilarating performance.

With fun, cheeky, and attention-grabbing tag lines such as, ‘Stuff the turkey, stocking and self-control’, ‘Grab Christmas by the baubles’, and ‘Deck the halls, kitchen and living room’, the campaign will be brought to life across TV, BVOD, OOH, digital, social, online, in-store VM, gift wrapping and team member uniforms.

The campaign is conceptualised by Clemenger BBDO, with its media strategy led by Essence.

https://youtu.be/BZHNUfyAPOs

Speaking about the campaign launch, Geoff Ikin, chief customer officer at Myer, said that they are approaching the festive season with more confidence than ever.

“From our much-loved Melbourne Christmas Windows, which will feature iconic scenes in celebration of Disney’s 100 years of wonder, to our national Santalands, curated Giftoriums and our Myer one VIP shopping nights, we are there to help our customers celebrate this festive season,” he said.

Ikin added, “The campaign has been created to cut through the noise in typically the most cluttered media environments at Christmas. It’s fun, engaging, irreverent and offers what our customers love – a little surprise and delight. Australians love to celebrate Christmas, and so do we.”

Meanwhile, Jim Curtis, chief creative officer at Clemenger BBDO, commented, “Christmas is a weird and wonderful time of year filled with rituals that under normal circumstances would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. We leave carrots in our driveways for flying reindeer, we wear itchy, woollen sweaters in the middle of summer and we go the extra mile to show our loved ones how much they mean to us.” 

He added, “This year we’re asking Australians to let the season be the reason and double down on everything that makes Christmas, Christmas. Yes, that even means fully embracing the unique task of wrapping gifts at midnight the night before.”