Tag: Marketing

Australia – QIC is inviting all Australians to embrace their inner child, with the launch of its ‘Merry Everything’ Christmas campaign, encouraging customers to switch their adult perspective to see the holiday season through the eyes of their younger selves.

Created by Jane Doe Creation, QIC’s campaign kicks off with a ‘Naughty or Nice’ film tackling the age-old question of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice with a playful twist that sees the baton passed to the kids to judge their parents and relatives.

Directed by Alex Feggans at Austin Studio, the campaign will be running online across social media and will be supported by OOH signage and in-store activities including Santa photography, spend to win giveaways, free gift wrapping and more.

Elissa Maine, executive creative producer at Jane Doe Creation, said, “Christmas is a time for coming together with family and loved ones and to mix it up a little, this year we let the kids decide who was on the ‘Naughty & Nice’ list.”

“Casting real families and following the threads of their responses to build out our storytelling was a deliberate casting decision put forward by Alex. It radiates real warmth and connectivity throughout the campaign and brings a genuine smile to your face,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Bronwyn Cooper, head of marketing at QIC, commented, “We are adults all year round, yet there’s a special time of the year when we can let someone else out to play. The holidays are a time to create special memories with the ones we love most, and Merry Everything invites Australians to share the joy and channel their inner child this Christmas.”

As part of the Merry Everything campaign, QIC will also be launching the Naughty or Nice Quiz, where shoppers can determine whether they are likely to be on Santa’s naughty or nice list by entering the online quiz – with all participants going in the draw to win a $1,000 gift card.

Singapore – European automobile company PEUGEOT announced that it has appointed Accenture Song, the tech-powered creative group of Accenture, as its global creative agency of record from January 2024, as part of a competitive pitch.

Aiming to be the electric vehicle (EV) leader in Europe by 2025, PEUGEOT has consolidated all its global advertising communications, across Europe, Middle-East-Africa, South America, Mexico and Asia Pacific into Accenture Song.

Accenture Song is mainly tasked with helping to enhance familiarity and appeal to the brand and its wide EV line-up for a new younger, global audience with creative communications across all channels.

The first campaign will be a full-360 integrated launch of the all-new Electric Fastback SUV E-3008 in early 2024. It will be followed by supporting activities for the reveal of the new E-5008, as well as further launches yet to be revealed.

Phil York, head of PEUGEOT marketing & communications, said, “Over the last few years, we’ve seen dramatic and fast unfolding step-changes in the automotive industry and customer expectations. This rapid pace of change requires bold thinkers, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Accenture Song to help us on our journey of transformation into a 100% electric brand that sets new benchmarks for alluring design, driving pleasure and tech.”

Meanwhile, David Droga, chief executive officer at Accenture Song, commented, “Together, PEUGEOT and Accenture Song aim to do something new and different. PEUGEOT has an exciting opportunity in the electric category to define their products and services with a distinctive and human approach, emotionally connecting with a new generation of drivers.” 

“I believe our tech-powered creatively driven model that’s fuelled by our collective ambition will support PEUGEOT in the vision of becoming a true tech mobility company,” he added.

Thailand – KFC commemorated the ‘KFC celebrated Colonel’s 9.9 Birthday’ by launching a ‘Billion Heirs’ inheritance giveaway. The event included a tribute to Colonel Sanders’ prospective heir of 2.4 billion Baht. People from all over Thailand flocked to KFC restaurants to claim a piece.

The campaign sparked interest in every community in the pursuit of wealth. The “Billion Heirs” initiative, which promised an opulent 2.4 Billion Baht giveaway, including a Toyota Yaris Car 1.2 Sport and 8 million discount vouchers, ruled billboards, newspapers, television, and online platforms.

Speaking about the campaign, Suhayl Limbada, chief marketing officer of KFC Thailand, said, “The results were astounding. The campaign’s triumph was attributed to its simplicity, increased winning opportunities, and distinctive communication approach. Our KFC customers and fans brought the energy and excitement, making it the biggest lotto marketing campaign in Thailand.”

“KFC Thailand would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to every participant and congratulate all our heirs for helping us make this campaign a resounding success; this is a testament to KFC’s commitment to delivering unmatched exhilaration and joy to customers – and we certainly won’t stop at a Billion,” Limbada added. 

Meanwhile, Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson Thailand, commented, “We tailored the narrative to suit the Thai tradition of fortune-telling and we thought, why not make Colonel Sanders’ 2.4-billion-baht fortune the star of the show. This was an impactful strategy, ultimately allowing all Thais to become ‘Colonel’s heirs’. We created an enjoyable, thrilling experience, granting everyone the right to become ‘Colonel’s heirs’, with a simple and affordable purchase of the KFC menu starting from 99 baht.”

London – A new report by We Are Social notes how there is an uptick of ;social reckoning’ for brands in value-driven online spaces. 

The new report explored how individuals on social media are reevaluating and reshaping their sense of self-worth in the context of increased commercialization and commodification. They are questioning the value of their participation and involvement, their communities, and their creative contributions.

It also showed how the changing perception of value in social media is reflected in trends like creators emphasising knowledge over possessions and the debate over users purchasing verification on X (formerly Twitter). 

According to the argument made, cultural phenomena such as ‘Barbiemania’ in 2023 demonstrate people’s willingness to embrace manufactured hype as long as it creates opportunities for play, creativity, and community. 

The report has identified five trends under the umbrella of “The Social Reckoning,” analysing their possible influence on social media in the upcoming year and providing examples of how brands can use these trends into their marketing plans. 

Speaking about the report, Mobbie Nazir, global chief strategy officer at We Are Social, said,  “Our Think Forward report this year, as the name suggests, shows that a reckoning has come in social spaces. The commercialisation of digital worlds is forcing people to try new ways of creating, absorbing and sharing content. First it was the trend of de-influencing, now users are looking for new forms of self-expression even within a more commoditised landscape.” 

She added, “This new coalition government of capitalism and creativity has an inbuilt space for brands – but also a new and nuanced set of demands. Every brand will be judged: are you making a sponsored ad or are you a patron of the arts? It will be fascinating to see if – and how – brands are able to respond to these deeper measures of relevance and authenticity.” 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Insurance company FWD Insurance has recently unveiled its new brand campaign, ‘Celebrate Easy, Celebrate Living.’ Inspired by the company’s vision of changing the way people feel about insurance, the campaign highlights that insurance can be simple and can encourage and help empower Malaysians to celebrate living with it.

With its latest brand campaign, FWD Insurance aims to put a new spin on a traditional industry by offering innovative propositions and products that are easy-to-understand and supported by digital technology.

The campaign is now live in Malaysia across multiple media including digital billboards, social media and radio until 31 December 2023.

In tune with this campaign, FWD Insurance launched two new regular premium investment-linked products, namely FWD WealthLink and FWD Wealthlink Pro. FWD WealthLink comes with a 10% increase in coverage every five years, enhancing protection for customers and their loved ones by up to 50% of their original coverage.

On the other hand, FWD Wealthlink Pro offers a wealth bonus to customers where they will receive 8% of their coverage at the end of their 20th policy year and 4% of their coverage every 10 years subsequently, credited into their Investment Account. Customers will also receive an additional 400% coverage that will be payable in the event of accidental death due to natural disaster.

Additionally, a new rider FWD Medi First can be attached to FWD WealthLink to provide comprehensive medical coverage for hospitalisation, surgical and medical expenses, as well as an inflation shield against rising hospital room and board costs with a RM10 increase in hospital room & board and 10% increase in annual limit for every 3 years until the end of the coverage term.

Aman Chowla, chief executive officer of FWD Insurance, said, “We are committed to making the insurance journey simpler, faster, and smoother for our customers. With our Celebrate Easy, Celebrate Living brand campaign, we want to communicate that insurance can be easy and provide our customers with the protection they need to live their lives the way they want and celebrate living.” 

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Moving forward, we will continue to uphold our commitment to provide products that meet our customer’s needs at every stage of their lives,” he added. 

Sydney, Australia – Slingshot, a creative media agency, has been appointed by Inghams to handle its media strategy, planning, and buying accounts. 

Slingshot’s latest appointment is in line with their clients expansion, this includes Standards Australia, Pacific Smiles, and Capilano.  

Speaking about the appointment, Simon Rutherford, Slingshot CEO and partner, said, “Our agency aspires to work with celebrated brands and individuals who stretch and challenge us, so we are loving working with the Inghams team. Inghams is an iconic Australian brand, steeped in history with a fantastic brand story.”

He added, “We’re excited about helping them bring that story to life. When you apply creativity across all areas of media and data, transformational growth occurs, we’d love to deliver that for Inghams.”

Meanwhile, Rebekah Lagan, marketing manager of Inghams, said, “We recently refreshed the Inghams brand and wanted to broaden our thinking to unlock the potential of this campaign. Being more targeted in our approach and clearly communicating our brand story. We wanted an agency that would question our assumptions and get us thinking in some fresh ways, Slingshot have definitely done that across both media and content strategy.” 

She added, “We have really welcomed their creative thinking and we are excited about our upcoming campaign.” 

Singapore – With Singles Day emerging as the top shopping season in Southeast Asia, over 50% of Singles Day first-time shoppers return for more, highlighting untapped potential for retailers according to a report by commerce media company Criteo.

Regionally, the report said that Singles Day emerged as the top shopping season with a 139% increase in sales while Black Friday saw a substantial 42% growth. New buyers surged by 335% on Singles’ Day, emphasising the value of acquiring them.

Specifically, Singles Day (11.11) experienced the largest increase in sales in SEA with Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand witnessing the largest spike amongst SEA countries, with an increase of 192%, 214%, and 210% respectively. Regionally, other shopping events such as 12.12 saw sales spike by 112%.

Black Friday also rose in popularity as retailers in SEA saw a 42% increase in sales in 2022, compared to 17% in 2021. In Vietnam, retailers experienced the highest sales growth on Black Friday (+141%), which is likely due to Black Friday coinciding with the Vietnam Grand Sale 2022, a national effort to boost domestic consumption and support economic recovery in the post-pandemic period.

The report also stated that new buyer opportunities arise not only before, but also during and after key shopping events as significant spikes in purchases by new buyers rose by 335% on Singles’ Day, and 9% on Black Friday compared to September 2022. 

In addition, 51% of 2022 Singles’ Day new buyers made additional purchases from the same retailer between December 2022 and May 2023, highlighting the lasting benefits of acquiring new customers during peak events.

With this in mind, Criteo also provided some actions that brands and retailers can take such as capturing new buyer opportunities through investing in acquiring customers during the peak season, planning early for early shoppers, and launching campaigns earlier for better customer engagement. 

Talking about the results, Taranjeet Singh, managing director, enterprise, at Criteo APAC, said, “In the dynamic world of commerce, our insights from 2022’s Double Days reveal a clear trend – seasonal sales are a marathon not a sprint. At Criteo, we eagerly anticipate each year’s insights as an opportunity to empower our brand and retail partners in aligning consumers with the essentials they seek, fostering meaningful connections.” 

“By integrating data and technology, supply and demand, and online and offline realms, we empower brands to construct a comprehensive peak shopping season strategy that ensures an unparalleled multi-touchpoints customer journey,” he added. 

Tokyo, Japan – International advertising agency dentsu has recently announced the launch of its ‘global practices structure’ along with key leadership appointments, led by Jean Lin, group president – global practices, Dentsu Group Inc.

These developments emphasise dentsu’s ambition to build highly integrated, people-centred, end-to-end solutions, as well as its commitment to its enduring global leadership brands including Carat, iProspect, dentsu X, Dentsu Creative, Merkle and Tag.

Moving on to the appointments, Yasuharu Sasaki becomes global chief creative officer, leading dentsu’s global creative practice. In this new role, Sasaki will be responsible for driving expertise to unlock the full potential of Dentsu Creative’s capability and impact across all practice areas. 

On the other hand, Will Swayne becomes global practice president – media, where he will be building a winning media practice community that delivers continued excellence in its offerings, driving client growth and transformation. 

Lastly, Pete Stein becomes global practice president – CXM, in this role, he will partner with all four Regions to ensure the implementation of the dentsu transformation agenda and global CXM practice initiatives in region and market.

Talking about the new global practice structure and appointments, Lin said, “With the creation of our Global Practices, dentsu is making a statement about what the future of integrated, end-to-end client solutions will look like. We’re removing the barriers and that will allow us to do just that in a way which very few others in the industry can match.”

“I’m so proud to bring together this new line-up of global practice leads and, in turn, their leadership teams, to do just that – unlock the potential of dentsu’s integrated capabilities to help our clients not only grow, but answer some of the greatest challenges of our time,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Hiroshi Igarashi, president and CEO, Dentsu Group Inc., said, “Under Jean’s leadership, within our Global Practice structure, we count many of the world’s most respected and historic agency brands, full of deep expertise and differentiated services. By creating a cross-service structure, we are simultaneously integrating those capabilities while ensuring clients can still benefit from distinct knowledge.”

Singapore – Online used car platform Carro celebrates its 8th anniversary with drama, launching 3 digital shorts that portray typical drama and film cliches, with some not so typical endings.  

Audiences can look forward to a K-drama style about a son’s true love and his unaccepting mother, then switch it up with a classic Thai horror tale that will unravel the horror of what’s truly hiding in plain sight in the garage, and lastly, finish it off with a Hong Kong love triangle that has you wondering if the female lead will end up choosing what’s really best for her.

Carro’s 3 digital shorts are the result of a multinational effort, fully shot on location in Malaysia, with teams from Singapore and Malaysia working on it, made authentic with a native cast and crew who flew in from Thailand and South Korea.

Katherine Teo, regional manager at Carro, said, “By tapping into our audience’s love for drama, we disguised our ads as genre films to let them know that any drama you get from our brand is strictly advertorial. For quality used cars that are fuss-free (and drama-free!) and As Good As New, Carro is the number one choice.”

Reflecting on 8 years of progress, Aaron Tan, group co-founder and CEO at Carro, commented, “I take great pride in what Carro has achieved and I am thankful for our dedicated employees, loyal customers, as well as our investors and collaborative partners who have taken us to these milestones. I look forward to many more good years as we contribute to even more sustainable, safe and accessible mobility solutions for all.”

Additionally, Carro will also be celebrating by throwing big promotions for customers around the region, specifically in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

New York, USA – Global media and marketing holdings company Omnicom has announced that it has agreed to acquire Flywheel, the digital commerce business of Ascential, for US$835m. It should be recalled that Ascential recently integrated its 10 digital commerce sister brands to form Flywheel.

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to Ascential shareholder approval, regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions.

Moreover, Flywheel will operate as a practice area within Omnicom and will be led by Duncan Painter, who currently serves as CEO of Ascential.

“By connecting Flywheel Commerce Cloud’s product and transaction data with Omni’s audience and behavioural data, we are poised to offer an end-to-end set of services that outpaces the competition. We aim to empower our clients to automate, optimize, and measure their digital commerce and media spend within an increasingly complex marketplace,” Painter said.

Currently, Flywheel’s services enable top brands to sell more goods across hundreds of digital marketplaces, such as Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba.

With a workforce of more than 2,000 professionals, Flywheel provides services in retail commerce operations, media execution, and market intelligence to over 4500 brands. These services are reinforced by their advanced technology platform, Flywheel Commerce Cloud, which delivers near real-time insights to improve decision-making and boost sales.

Meanwhile, John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom said, “E-commerce sales worldwide are set to increase by 50%, reaching about $7 trillion dollars by 2025. The acquisition of Flywheel significantly broadens our reach and influence in the rapidly expanding digital commerce and retail media sectors, two of the fastest-growing parts of the industry. Together, we will seamlessly integrate our offerings across retail and brand media, digital and in-store commerce, and CRM, ultimately delivering superior results for our clients.”