Tag: Marketing

U.S.A – Lee Kum Kee has teamed up with Grey Hong Kong to launch its first-ever U.S. campaign, aiming to build brand awareness and highlight the multilayered flavours of its signature Chili Crisp Oil to American audiences.

Titled ‘Deliciously Complicated,’ the campaign introduces U.S. audiences to the layered flavours of Lee Kum Kee’s Chili Crisp Oil and how it can enhance simple meals.

The campaign video opens with the question, “What’s this?” and answers with, “It’s complicated.” It takes viewers through the product’s layers, from crispy chili to savoury sesame, highlighting its ability to add depth to everyday dishes.

Lee Kum Kee and Grey Hong Kong have focused on platforms like Connected TV, YouTube Pre-roll, and Walmart.com to increase visibility and engagement. Additional visuals and digital banners encourage audiences to share their interpretations of the product’s complex flavour.

Elaine Thai, vice president of marketing at Lee Kum Kee U.S., shared, “For over a century, Lee Kum Kee has brought authentic Asian flavours to kitchens worldwide. Chili Crisp Oil builds on that legacy with a flavour profile that is anything but ordinary. This campaign invites U.S. audiences to discover its layers and elevate their everyday meals.”

This marks Lee Kum Kee and Grey Hong Kong’s first multilayered U.S. campaign. Their collaboration began with successful campaigns in Hong Kong, including the ‘Instant Noodles Launch’ and ‘Yummy Convenience Store’ pop-up, leading to their first U.S. partnership. 

With over 135 years of history and 30 years of experience with Chili Crisp Oil, Lee Kum Kee emphasised that the product’s complexity should be the focus for this new campaign.

“Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil is all about layers. Each taste adds something unique and brings texture, depth, and surprises with every bite. Like a good wine or highly rated coffee, it has complicated flavours authentic to their heritage, which inspired the campaign’s creative direction,” said Rick Kwan, executive creative director of Grey Hong Kong. 

“Deliciously Complicated’ embraces the idea that some things shouldn’t be simplified. The richness of Chili Crisp Oil isn’t just about good; it’s about creating an experience that encourages curiosity and embraces a taste journey,” added Kwan. 

As part of the campaign, Lee Kum Kee’s Chili Crisp Oil is now available at Walmart, both in over 2,600 stores and online.

Singapore – Singaporean bank DBS/POSB has released its new limited-edition home scent in time for the Lunar New Year, capturing the fragrance of mandarin oranges, a symbol of prosperity.

The ‘ABUNDANCE Home Scent, made in collaboration with The Secret Little Agency (TSLA), blends fresh and warm notes reminiscent of the festivities’ spirit, reflecting the tradition of sharing good fortune with the scent of mandarin oranges.

To create the scent, TSLA worked with perfume laboratory Oo La Lab to bottle the scent of abundance.

Promoting gift-giving during the Lunar New Year, DBS/POSB is giving away bottles of the home scent to customers who share a minimum of $8 with their loved ones using eGift or QR Ang Bao via PayLah!

Customers can redeem a free ‘ABUNDANCE Home Scent’ at DBS/POSB’s activations at Our Tampines Hub and Gardens by the Bay.

“Last year we bottled the scent of ‘huat’; this year we’ve evolved to capture the sweet smell of ABUNDANCE, a home scent that evokes warmth and overflowing prosperity into our homes to add a fun, unique sensory experience to our annual traditions,” Nicholas Ye and Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers at TSLA, said.

“We wanted to bottle the festive spirit that Lunar New Year is known for, with a scent that wafts through our homes and corridors of our neighbourhoods reminiscent of the good fortune and prosperity the season brings,” Ye and Neo added.

“Following the success of last year’s HUAT Eau De Parfum fragrance, which we created to complement our QR Ang Bao gifting experience, we are excited to gift ‘ABUNDANCE’ to our customers this year in the form of a home scent. This initiative is part of our broader efforts to promote digital gifting, which also includes enhancing our eGift solution to allow for greater personalisation and launching our ‘$8,888 Abundance’ giveaway,” Lim Bee Bee, head of marketing, consumer banking group at DBS Singapore, commented.

Singapore – Design Bridge and Partners (DBP), a brand design company, has appointed Charlie Lowe as its chief strategy officer for Asia-Pacific (APAC), effective immediately.

Lowe brings more than 15 years of agency experience, a decade of which he spent with Ogilvy. 

During his term at Ogilvy, Lowe worked with major brands such as IBM, VW, Nestle, British Airways, InterContinental Hotels, and Huawei. He handled various markets, including Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore, and New York.

Most recently, Lowe served as chief strategy officer at McCann Worldgroup, leading the agency’s growth in Southeast Asia with regional and global campaigns,

“When I started having discussions with Design Bridge & Partners about joining the team, everyone I spoke with was not only incredibly talented but also genuinely nice and engaging. Beyond being impressed by their list of exciting clients and work, I thought, ‘I really want to work with these people,’” Lowe said.

Alexandra Cerruti, APAC managing director of Design Bridge & Partners, commented, “Charlie isn’t your typical brand strategist. With a background in strategy within communications agencies, he brings a fresh and unique perspective to the team. As clients increasingly seek synergies and seamless brand experiences, the lines between branding and communications are becoming ever more interconnected. Charlie’s deep passion for brands, combined with his strategic insight, will be invaluable in helping us deliver holistic solutions that truly resonate with our clients. We’re excited to leverage his expertise to drive success and create meaningful brand experiences.”

Singapore – Sephora, a beauty products retailer, is celebrating diversity and authenticity in its new global film directed by filmmaker Anastasia Mikova.

The brand’s first film, ‘Beauty & Belonging,’ delves into the diverse definitions of beauty across the globe. 

As a documentary, ‘Beauty & Belonging’ features conversations with Sephora employees and founders of beauty brands from different countries. Through their perspectives, the film highlights how witnessing diverse representations is important to help people embrace their own beauty.

The documentary also include testimonials from brand founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee from Glow Recipe, Danessa Myricks from Danessa Myricks Beauty, Mario Dedivanovic from Makeup by Mario, Mathilde Thomas from Caudalie, and Akash and Nikita Mehta from Fable & Mane.

Through the film, Sephora echoes its values of inclusion, diversity, and equity, reaffirming its commitment to welcoming everyone.

Jenny Cheah, managing director of Sephora Southeast Asia & Oceania said, “It’s truly heartening to see the stories of our employees and brand partners come to life in this film. At Sephora, everything that we do – from deciding the brands to partner with to hosting large scale events for our loyal community of beauty enthusiasts – is guided by our purpose to champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty. Beauty & Belonging has succinctly and powerfully captured that essence.”

“It makes me so proud to be a part of Sephora when I watched the film. Our employees are the heartbeat of the organisation, and I am convinced that when they feel empowered to embrace and define their beauty, that will deepen the connection and impact that Sephora has with our customers and partners,” Xia Ding, managing director of Sephora Greater China, said.

Mikova commented, “I’ve always been fond of meeting people and discovering their stories – what makes them unique, their journeys, and their perspectives on life. At the same time, I love finding the threads that connect us all as humans and the meaning of beauty across cultures is one of them. Throughout the shoot of the movie, I was able to sense how rich, diverse, and sensitive the Sephora community is, but above all these people are part of one big inclusive family.”

Competition has always been intense in the market, with the race for a competitive edge pricing the realm of engaging channel partners. 

Ledvance, a global lighting solution provider, is also facing this challenge as the lighting industry in the Middle East undergoes rapid changes. For companies such as Ledvance, strengthening its network of distributors and gaining loyalty is necessary for continued growth.

This case study delves into how Ledvance collaborates with Rewardz, a leading digital rewards and recognition solution provider, to secure and motivate loyal channel partners, safeguarding its company’s growth in the industry.

The Challenge

Amidst the competition in the Middle Eastern lighting market, Ledvance faces a challenge in maintaining strong loyalty from its distributors, and consequently increasing channel partner engagement. The diverse needs of sales teams across countries such as the UAE, Qatar, KSA, Oman and Kuwait necessitated a solution that could offer both consistency and localisation, both being critical factors in ensuring that incentives were relevant and impactful.

The Objectives

The program objectives focused on incentivizing engagement among Ledvance’s channel partners through the implementation of a tailored program. Rewardz aimed to create a streamlined and flexible incentive platform that effectively motivated channel partners. The initiative sought to convert engagements into measurable outcomes, driving sales performance and fostering long-term brand loyalty.

The Solution

Through a collaboration, Rewardz launched ‘The LEDVANCE Club,’ an incentive platform with pre-configured point reward settings to simplify its process. This allows Ledvance to provide incentives based on a channel platform’s sales performance. Through the platform, partners can upload invoices and receive points based on the defined criteria for Ledvance product sales.

The platform also offers different reward programs depending on a channel partners’ specific role and tailored to each country’s sales teams. Within the platform, salesmen can stay updated by accessing important information published by Ledvance as announcements and exploring details about newly launched products, all in real-time.

The Results

The approach led to high engagement, with thousands of invoices submitted on the platform by partners. Ledvance’s partners have also reportedly redeemed significant amounts of rewards, showcasing the platform’s effectiveness in driving motivation and participation.

On the side of Ledvance, the rewards platform also streamlined processes, minimising manpower and time spent on paperwork through the digital incentive system. This allows the company to focus on other strategies.

Through the collaboration, Rewardz has contributed to Ledvance’s objectives, helping them obtain measurable results that lead to business growth.

Singapore – Retailer FairPrice Group, has unveiled its ‘Love prospers in the little things’ campaign to celebrate the Lunar New Year, highlighting the values of connection and gratitude. 

The integrated campaign was made in collaboration with Homeground United, an agency comprising Omnicom Production and TBWA\Singapore.

At the center of the campaign is a film following a feline named Mi Bao exploring its neighbourhood. The film highlights moments between family, friends, and strangers that are often overlooked yet embody the spirit of the season.

As part of the campaign, FairPrice presents activations, the ‘Chinese New Year Block Parties,’ which blends cultural experiences and games. Participants can get a chance to win an exclusive Mi Bao plushie sets.

The ‘Love prospers in the little things’ film can be viewed on television and online channels.

“Based on this cultural insight, we believed that a storytelling approach would have a greater impact in capturing the true essence of this festive season. In many Asian cultures, love often finds expression in the subtle, unspoken moments – a shared glance, a gentle touch or a quiet act of service. These understated gestures carry profound meaning and resonate deeply, which we felt a typical jingle or comedic film wouldn’t fully capture,” Loo Yong Ping, executive creative director at TBWA\Singapore, said.

“At FairPrice, we believe that love thrives in the little things — keeping to familiar and meaningful rituals that celebrate kinship during Chinese New Year. From preparing a hearty meal to the joy of giving, these moments of connection are what truly make the festivity special for those you love. Just like Mi Bao (咪宝), we see the love in everything our customers do, and it’s our purpose to make their everyday a little better as they shop from an abundant selection of festive goods at great value,” Alison Ee, director & head of customer & marketing (retail business) at FairPrice Group, commented.

“We are thrilled to once again put forth an exciting campaign in partnership with FairPrice Group for this year’s Chinese New Year campaign. This festive season is a time for family and celebration through the little rituals of each household. Together, we’ve crafted a campaign that not only honors the rich heritage of the season but also adds joy and demonstrates the value FairPrice brings to its customers. We’re proud to be a part of this milestone and look forward to continuing our work with FairPrice in the future,” Joyce Chen, chief executive officer of Omnicom Production, said.

Singapore – Loyalty programme yuu Rewards Club, launched by technology company minden.ai, has teamed up with Mediacorp for its inaugural micro-drama series designed for social media release.

With the increasing demand for micro-dramas on social media, the partnership aims to blend storytelling with product placement to showcase a fresh entertainment format in the industry.

The micro-drama, ‘Falling for the CEO’s Son,’ follows the executive’s son traversing a love triangle while discovering family secrets placing his personal and professional life at risk.

@yes933

又有新的情敌？ Watch till the end to find out who is @zelcrust’s love rival 👀 #YES933 #YES933Acts #YES933小剧场 #总裁儿子爱上我 #FallingfortheCEOson @SinneeSeow 萧歆霓 @高美贵 @therealjeffgoh @yuu Singapore

♬ original sound – Mediacorp YES 933 – Mediacorp YES 933

The ultra-short drama, led by Mediacorp’s audio brand YES 933, integrates the DBS yuu Card, Super Duper Rewards, and yuu Arcade into the storyline spanning three episodes. The drama has been running since November 2024.

The partnership with yuu Rewards Club marks Mediacorp’s first partnership for product placement in its micro-drama series.

“These ultra-short, vertical-format dramas are quickly gaining traction on social media platforms in Singapore, reflecting how audiences are consuming content today,” Jacky Mak, brand marketing director at minden.ai, said.

“As the first brand to collaborate with Mediacorp on their ultra-short episodic social media micro-drama, we’re honoured to support this pioneering entertainment content format in Singapore, leading the way in blending storytelling with product placement. We’re excited to showcase yuu’s unique features and deepen connections with our audience through storytelling,” Mak added.

Singapore – Creative agency VIRTUE Asia has promoted Lesley John to chief executive officer amidst a strategic restructuring. 

The strategic restructure allows the agency to work independently of VICE Media Group while still collaborating with the VIRTUE Worldwide network on relevant proprietary research and global clients.

John has been with VIRTUE Asia since 2021, having served as its managing director before the promotion. Over the years, she has worked with various global and regional brands including Diageo, Toyota, and Shiseido. 

Before joining VIRTUE Asia, she held leadership roles at MediaMonks, VCCP, Arcade, and BBH.

“This restructure represents an exciting new era for VIRTUE Asia, our people and clients. As we embark on a new chapter, the focus on creative innovation, cultural insight and meaningful partnerships remains unwavering. With greater autonomy and flexibility, our increased agility means we can meet the unique needs of brands across Asia, forge new alliances and tailor our approach to the region’s significant opportunities, while continuing to deliver the high standards that define VIRTUE,” John said.

“I’m delighted to be leading the teams in Singapore and India as CEO and while our clients will not notice any differences from the agency’s management change, we have plans to further invest in growing our team of specialists, underscoring our continued confidence in the region’s vast potential,” John added.

Chris Garbutt, president of VIRTUE Worldwide, commented, “Lesley’s appointment as CEO represents a new beginning for VIRTUE Asia. Operating independently, while maintaining collaborative ties with VIRTUE Worldwide will allow the agency to continue delivering innovative, culturally resonant work that drives real impact for clients. Under Lesley’s leadership, I look forward to watching the agency reach new heights and redefine what’s possible for brands in Asia.”

Philippines – The new Tesla Center has been launched in the Philippines to serve as Tesla Philippines’ headquarters located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the launch of Tesla Center Philippines, urging Tesla to advance electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing in the country. This is part of his aim to accelerate the adoption of a sustainable transport system in the Philippines, reducing carbon emissions.

The opening of the Tesla Center, according to Marcos, empowers local talents by including them in the shift towards sustainable technologies. 

Recently, Tesla opened a facility in the Philippines that produces iron phosphate batteries used to manufacture EVs.

The Philippine government has implemented policies for sustainable transportation, including the elimination of excise taxes on battery EVs, duty-free importation of charging stations, and lowering fees for EV drivers.

Tesla’s recent entry into the Philippines would also help convince more companies to innovate while investing in the EV sector, Marcos said.

Marcos has been urging investors in the Philippines, having encouraged the investment of Valiram Group and Dyson in the country.

“While it is true that electric vehicles are currently seen as premium products, Tesla’s entry into the Philippine market signals much more than high-tech cars on the road. It is a step – a very significant step forward to our long-term transformation towards a more environment-friendly transportation system,” Marcos said in his speech during the launch.

“With a more conducive and empowering environment now taking shape for the EV industry, I am very optimistic that more companies will seize the opportunity to drive this very vital sector in the coming years,” he said.

Singapore – YouTrip, a multi-currency digital wallet in Singapore, has launched its first ‘YouTrip Replay,’ a personalised preview of its users’ spending patterns in 2024.

Through ‘YouTrip Replay,’ users get their own persona reflecting their unique spending habits. The personas include ‘Bill-Paying Towkay,’ ‘360 Globetrotter,’ ‘BokChoy BoiBoi,’ and more.

The persona is based on YouTrip’s analysis of its users’ behaviours, unveiling the currencies they use most, top spending categories, and their ranking compared to other users.

While adding a personalised user experience, ‘YouTrip Replay’ also aims to guide users and inform their spending decision in 2025. It also highlights YouTrip’s new features and upcoming updates.

Additionally, the initiative helps YouTrip in creating targeted campaigns and executing feature updates by leveraging information on user behaviour.

As part of the initiative’s introduction, YouTrip is also offering a chance for a free hotel stay to users who share their persona on Instagram. The giveaway runs until January 26, 2025, with the winners set to be announced on February 26, 2025 on YouTrip’s social media channels.