Tag: Marketing

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Within half a year since its establishment, Lion & Lion’s in-house film & content studio has unveiled its showreel to showcase its growth as an emerging studio and highlight its creative endeavours. 

The showreel not only demonstrates the team’s proficiency in film production, motion graphics and content creation, but also offers a peek into the behind-the-scenes creative process driving projects for its growing domestic, regional and global client portfolio.

The showreel takes viewers on a visual exploration of the studio’s portfolio, revealing their process of revitalising brands and crafting engaging narratives. With a dedication to evoking emotions, purpose and engagement, each work underscores the team’s commitment to excellence. 

Cheelip Ong, regional chief creative officer at Lion & Lion, said,  “We’re thrilled to unveil our showreel, a testament to our team’s expansive capabilities across film, content and production. In less than six months, we’ve been entrusted to work on nine different brands, a positive indication of market demand and client trust.” 

“We’re immensely thankful for this enormous proof of market validation. With our in-house team of filmmakers working hand-in-hand with our creative experts, we’re poised to deliver cutting-edge film content designed for the digital age,” he added. 

Under Ong’s vision and direction, the team has grown to add more capabilities such as motion graphics, scriptwriting, brand narratives and rebranding initiatives for clients spanning domestic, regional and global across industries such as FMCG, insurance and fintech.

Meanwhile, Chien Chiang, managing director of Kodak Lens, Signet Armorlite AMERA, mentioned, “With a clear understanding of our industry and category challenges, and with our target audience segments in mind, Lion & Lion’s strategic vision and out-of-the-box ideas provide cost efficiency in bringing creative and production cost under one roof.”

Lastly, speaking on the studio’s performance, Carrie Leong, assistant manager, corporate marketing & loyalty program at Tropicana Corporation Berhad, commented, “Lion & Lion’s Film & Content Studio consistently delivers quality content with new and fresh video directions and editing treatment.” 

Singapore – Popular coffee chain Starbucks has announced its collaboration with global mass media company Walt Disney to release Disney-inspired merchandise and stylish lifestyle accessories aiming to inspire a sense of shared nostalgia that resonates with all ages.

Launching on September 19 for a limited time, the collection will be launched in 15 markets across the Asia Pacific region, blending Disney’s iconic characters with Starbucks’ familiar third place experience.

Starring fan-favorite Disney characters such as Mickey and Friends, Chip ‘n Dale, Dumbo, Stitch and Angel, the Starbucks’ ‘Relive the Magic Together’ series features  an array of 15 different drinkware designs and six lifestyle accessories. The drinkware range features mugs, reusable cups, and tumblers, whilst the lifestyle accessories include reusable tote bags, umbrellas, and pins.

The new themed collection will be available across 15 markets, spanning Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Samuel Fung, vice president of product and marketing at Starbucks Asia Pacific, said “Our “Relive the Magic Together” merchandise speaks to Starbucks mission to strengthen human connection with elements of fun and imagination. This collection is poised to touch the hearts of fans of all ages. The possibilities of striking human connections over the everyday ritual of drinking coffee, rooted in our iconic Starbucks Experience, are truly limitless.”

“We wanted to creatively reimagine how some of our favorite Disney characters might enjoy moments of friendship together – perhaps even taking the time to cheers over a cup of coffee! By weaving together memorable Disney characters with Starbucks style and messages of forging genuine connections, we hope our designs brighten your day, bring comfort and happiness, and warm the hearts of people of all ages”, he added.

Singapore – Global hotel company Club Med is putting a strong emphasis on its lifestyle allure, transforming the concept of escapism into a destination through its latest advertising venture,named “That’s l’Esprit Libre.” This campaign not only refreshes Club Med’s image but also emphasises its modern visual identity.

Club Med is rebranding with the tagline “That’s l’Esprit Libre” to reflect its heritage and global presence. Their new campaign addresses the social aspects of travel and vacation experiences by combining a stylish, lighthearted tone with a modern aesthetic.

Commenting about the brand’s revamp, Quentin Briard, Club Med’s CEO of marketing, digital and technologies, said, “With our complete creative overhaul, Club Med is entering a new era aligned with our premium and lifestyle positioning.” 

l’Esprit Libre means having peace of mind and living a different way of life that elevates and enhances the ordinary. “That’s l’Esprit Libre” highlights those special times when we truly unwind while on vacation, letting go of the stresses of everyday life to rediscover what really matters. It urges us to rediscover the easy joys and find contentment in the here and now.

Meanwhile, Jules Renault, director of Soldats Agency, said about the commercial, “It’s anything by a typical commercial. It’s meant to be like a celebration – playful and fun. There’s irony and attitude in the voiceover’s narration, addressing an audience that’s not gone on vacation yet.” 

Singapore– L’Oréal has appointed new leaders to steer its strategic direction in the South Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa (SAPMENA) Zone, which was established as a growth region in 2021. The company is making strategic moves to harness its potential in this dynamic market. 

Adrien Koskas was appointed as general manager of L’Oréal’s consumer products division (CPD) in the SAPMENA region on October 1, 2023. He will be in charge of driving CPD’s growth in the SAPMENA Zone, which includes 35 markets and targets young and populous demographics worldwide. 

In his new role, Koskas will report directly to Vismay Sharma, President of SAPMENA, who is based in Singapore.

Koskas has an 18-year career at L’Oréal Groupe, spanning global leadership and marketing roles in both mature and emerging markets. He has served as Garnier’s global brand president since 2019. Leading Green Beauty initiatives, and establishing the brand as a key player in L’Oréal’s sustainability efforts. He previously held senior business leadership positions in France, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, including General Manager of CPD for L’Oréal UK and Ireland. 

Speaking about his appointment, Koskas expressed, “I am thrilled to start my new role as CPD SAPMENA GM and excited to work with the talented and diverse teams in the region to create the future of beauty for all.”

He added, “With 3 billion people, SAPMENA is a highly strategic region full of opportunities and new ways to engage with young, digital and beauty savvy consumers who represent many cultures and beauty aspirations. It is also the perfect environment to embrace cutting-edge innovations in so many fields to deliver our high growth ambition.”

Manashi Guha’s recent appointment as managing director, CPD, for L’Oréal UK and Ireland shows the region’s global leadership. As a founding member of the SAPMENA Zone Management Committee, she was instrumental in defining CPD’s strategic mission within this burgeoning region, and harnessing its vast market potential as the source of 50% of the world’s new consumers.

During her tenure, SAPMENA has not only strengthened its global brands, but also improved L’Oréal’s market approach in the region, laying the groundwork for three years of better results. 

Talking about her appointment, Guha said, “It’s been an honor to lead an incredible team of passionate entrepreneurs in the set-up of SAPMENA. South Asia Pacific with the Middle East is leading the beauty revolution and consumer sophistication with diverse beauty ideals and a dynamic digital culture of on-demand, always-connected and hyper social; we can bring a lot to the rest of the world.” 

I hope to bring that learning into my new role. But more importantly, as an Asian Indian wo(mentor), I believe the world is our oyster – we create our reality by unapologetically being who we are. L’Oréal Groupe is an incredible place to create your own reality where I have been recognized and encouraged for bringing my true self to the table,” Guha added. 

Asia Pacific – Social media app TikTok and international advertising agency TBWA have announced the release of a new joint whitepaper titled “Storytelling in the Next Creative Renaissance”, which encourages businesses to embrace the role of creativity and innovation in contemporary marketing. 

This key initiative by TikTok and TBWA aims to elevate industry standards and deliver insights that enable businesses to thrive amidst rapid changes in the digital landscape. 

The whitepaper highlights the significance and potency of everyday creativity by leveraging the power of the cultural zeitgeist (spirit of the time) through storytelling while exploring its various applications on and off TikTok. It provides an in-depth look at the crucial role creativity and innovation play in contemporary marketing strategies. 

The whitepaper also shared how brands that have broken away from ‘best practises’ are being rewarded by having discovered the possibilities on newer platforms. These brands are disrupting category conventions, capturing attention, creating on-going value, and gaining recognition.

Another thing highlighted in the whitepaper is the enormous potential for brands to influence across subcultures, as many of these subcultures already have global reach. As the brand’s relevance expands, so will the brands already connected to it.

Therefore, while there may be temptation for brands to hitch themselves to whichever niche has the greatest potential for growth, they should instead engage with subcultures that share their worldview. By joining these conversations authentically, brands now have a shortcut to word-of-mouth promotion. 

Furthermore, brands should harness the tech-enabled tools available to supercharge creative minds and tell stories at scale so executions can be upgraded quickly, giving assets new value or streamlining the creation of bespoke content. 

In line with this, TikTok has also developed and deployed a ‘Recut, Remix, Reimagine’, framework to foster creativity amongst brands and marketers on its platform. Under this framework, TikTok aims to encourage them to go beyond conventional marketing paradigms that will increase their creative output with the help of technology and also fine-tune it to align with targeted audiences and distinct subcultures. 

As the whitepaper emphasises, marketers who study digital platforms not only acquire valuable cultural insights but also position themselves to effectively benefit from marketing innovation.

As outlined by TikTok and TBWA in the whitepaper, we’re entering the era of the new creative Renaissance, where fostering meaningful connections is paramount. Rather than diminishing creative ideation due to budget constraints, brands and marketers should consider optimising other operational processes to reap the most from their marketing strategies.

Tessa Conrad, head of innovation at TBWA Asia, said, “What your brand stands for, what it offers people, and what it makes people feel, results in a community to connect and create with rather than just an audience to speak to.”

Meanwhile, Ng Chew Wee, head of business marketing for Asia Pacific at TikTok, said, “81% of our users take actions such as purchasing a product or seeking more information after watching a TikTok video. This suggests that brands creating relevant, engaging content have a genuine chance to directly influence consumer behaviour.” 

China – Sunny Zhu has been appointed as the general manager of the Shanghai office of the international creative agency We Are Social. Zhu’s responsibilities in this position include managing daily office operations and leading clients’ strategic expansion initiatives.

She formerly held the position of business unit director, and is now a general manager. In her new position, she will continue to work with companies like Google, Ferrari, and Korean Air while also focusing on regional growth and working with a team of 40 people. 

She joined We Are Social in 2016, and Zhu now reports to Tristan Qin, China Region EVP, with an extended scope of responsibilities. This encompasses leading the agency’s strategic initiatives and managing internal training and development programs throughout the organisation.

Speaking about her new role, Zhu said, “The team in Shanghai has been growing in recent years, and I’m excited to be part of a dynamic business that’s making great creative work. There’s a great spirit of collaboration and innovation, and in this next chapter, I’m looking forward to leading the team and driving results for clients.” 

Meanwhile, Pete Lin, CEO of North Asia, said, “Sunny has always stood out as an ambitious and talented leader, and over the years she has become a driving force and positive influence within the agency.” 

He added, “We’re excited to see how Sunny will help accelerate the growth of the Shanghai office as it becomes a dominant force in the Chinese advertising landscape.”

Australia – Havas today announces the acquisition of strategic communications consultancy Australian Public Affairs (APA). 

This acquisition will integrate APA within H/Advisors, Havas’s global strategic communications advisory network. This will be H/Advisors’ first owned operation in Australia, with the firm being renamed as ‘H/Advisors APA’.

In line with the continued investment in Havas’ capability across strategic communications and regulated environments, H/Advisors APA’s leading, insight-driven strategic counsel aims to add expertise and geographic reach to the network’s global clients as they continue expansion. It will also further strengthen Havas’ presence in Australia, adding new capabilities to better serve its clients.

The local leadership team from APA that includes CEO Tracey Cain, deputy CEO Phil McCall, and CFO Kathryn Higgs will continue in their roles. H/Advisors APA will be reporting to group CEO of Havas Creative Network Australia, James Wright, while leveraging global connections and opportunities through the H/Advisors network and its leadership.

Speaking on the acquisition, Wright said,  “As the Australian consulting landscape reforms amid recent crises, opportunity is emerging for strong, capable and values-driven global challengers that bring local knowledge and smart thinking.” 

“With complementary skills and alignment, H/Advisors APA will be perfectly positioned to fulfil requirements of corporates, governments and NFPs in need of a new approach. We look forward to integrating Tracey and her team into the Havas Village in the coming months,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Tracey Cain, now the chief executive officer H/Advisors APA, commented,  “For nearly three decades, we have built APA as a high quality, evidence-based firm with expertise in regulated sectors and complex stakeholder environments.” 

“The logical next step for us is to partner with Havas and H/Advisors to expand the services offered and the reach of our client base.  We have ambitious plans and are excited to take the next step with H/Advisors and the broader Havas Group,” she concluded. 

This announcement follows Havas’ November 2022 acquisition of health and pharmaceutical specialist Bastion Brands as part of a strategy to expand capability and increase the group’s specialist advertising and communications offering in the Australian market.

New York, USA – Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group has announced the appointment of OMG EMEA CEO Guy Marks as CEO of PHD Worldwide. He will be replacing Philippa Brown, who will step down from the role after almost 5 years of handling it. 

In his new role effective October 1, Marks will be headquartered in London and will be reporting to OMG global CEO Florian Adamski. His successor as leader of OMG EMEA is expected to be named in the following week.

Marks joined OMG in 2014 following Omnicom’s acquisition of Mobile5, the global UX, design and tech consultancy service that he co-founded. As CEO of OMG EMEA, he helped establish Omnicom’s Transact connected commerce and retail media consultancy in the region; and co-architected the expansion of OMG’s TRKKN analytics and cloud consultancy from five European countries to 20 markets across APAC, EMEA and North America.

Speaking on his own appointment, Marks said, “As the CEO of PHD – an agency that was born from a transformative concept of media as a strategic tool – my priority will be assuring that every PHD account team around the world have the talent, tools, technology and collective commitment to excellence they need to deliver the transformative ideas, solutions and service that drive growth for our clients, our agency, and our people.”

Meanwhile, Adamski commented, “Guy is one of our industry’s most entrepreneurial leaders, with an approach that transformed first OMD’s and subsequently Omnicom Media Group’s offering in EMEA over the past six years. The fact that – at the same time – he was also one of the network’s key people coordinating Omnicom’s boots-on-the-ground Ukrainian relief and rescue efforts tells you everything you need to know about both his character and his leadership skills.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Global fast food restaurant chain KFC partnered with Momo and Friends, a producer of quality dog snacks, to produce the world’s first ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snack in Thailand for International Dog Day.

The campaign is KFC Thailand’s move to promote the dogs’ wellbeing by providing a safer, healthier, and tastier alternative snack made of repurposed KFC chicken bones, reshaped into Colonel’s bow tie. 

Chicken bones can be enticing to dogs, but they can puncture the canine’s organs, causing internal damage. Therefore, the fast food restaurant chain is on a mission to reduce the dangers posed by feeding chicken bones to dogs with their new snack alternative that is guaranteed to be ‘paw-lickin good ’. 

Together with the release of the new doggie snacks, KFC Thailand also went a step further and organized a field day by giving free ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snacks to customers that visited select restaurants or participated in their online activities. 

KFC branches located in pet-friendly malls across Thailand can also participate in the movement to recycle fresh chicken bones. This is the restaurant’s attempt to upcycle food waste and ultimately keep producing the ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snack, which is also marketed as an evergreen treat for dogs. 

The ‘KFC Bone Tie’ initiative received positive feedback, catching the attention of many dogfluencers who joined the movement, alongside thousands of adorable photos of dogs and their owners enjoying the snack. 

KFC Thailand thanks all dog lovers who supported the movement and encourages all dog owners to continue to follow a safe and healthy diet for their pets. 

Suhayl Limbada, chief marketing officer at KFC Thailand, said, “As the leading fried chicken brand that makes everyone’s mouth water, we may have tempted many people to give their dogs chicken bones. This International Dog Day, we went to market determined to raise awareness on the harmful effects of giving cooked chicken bones to dogs, and to replace this instead with the world’s first dog snack – made with love from our KFC chicken bones!” 

Also commenting on the campaign, Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson Thailand, said, “We’ve added the magic touch to KFC’s brand identity by shaping the snack into a bow tie, making it cute and distinctive, exactly as the Colonel likes it. We teamed up with Gluta Story, a content creator with a famous gang of dogs who adorably helped us communicate this campaign with a film that made everyone watch until the end.”

Shanghai, China – WPP global design agency Design Bridge and Partners, has partnered with Kungfu Pu’er Tea, a producer of fine tea in Yunnan, to refresh its brand positioning, identity and packaging design system.

The partnership resulted in a new brand positioning and design system created by Design Bridge and Partners, which reinvents Kungfu Pu’er Tea as a wellness lifestyle brand made for ‘urban knights’ and designed for a new generation.

Furthermore, the rebrand aims to connect contemporary audiences with the ancient tea-drinking tradition. The new branding specifically celebrates the notion of tea as the “antidote” to the overwhelming, fast-paced lifestyle of modern society.

With the brand statement, ‘drink with the world and live a transparent heart’, the visual identity is inspired by the spirit of Chinese martial artists and  kung fu warriors, a symbol of living life with a pure heart dedicated to others.

The swordsman logo of Kungfu Pu’er tea has also evolved from the traditional Chinese Wuxia knight to a contemporary marque,  and the visual language for packaging and communications is formed as an artistic reinterpretation of Chinese traditional watercolor paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, rice paper and seal carving textures, reaffirming the spirit of ancient Wuxia knights and tea culture in the brand expression.

Kungfu Pu’er’s new identity will be adopted across communications and sales channels, and products with the new look and packaging are now on sale on TMall and JDMall stores.