Tag: M&C Saatchi

Indonesia – As XL Axiata repositions itself to be relevant not just to the individual, but to the entire family, the Indonesia-based telco provider has launched a new brand campaign that targets progressive Indonesian families.

The new film, which was developed in collaboration with performance marketing agency M&C Saatchi Indonesia, demonstrates XL Axiata’s unwavering loyalty to its users across the country, every step of the way.

Titled ‘We Are More’, the campaign talks about the progression in the life of a female subscriber as she goes through many different stages while staying close to her loved ones, and the ones who support her success, including XL Axiata. The song in the background narrates her life’s story – ‘I sing a thousand love songs, I write a thousand tales, the time that belongs to us, belongs to us’.

Moreover, the telco has also unveiled its new iconography called ‘Mo’, which projects one half of the XL logo as the ‘greater than’ sign, promising ‘more’ to all stakeholders.

Alfons Eric Bosch Sansa, XL Axiata’s CMO, noted that XL has come a long way in realising its purpose, and they are taking it a step further by being a brand that focuses on serving and supporting Indonesian families achieve their collective ambitions. 

“Through this campaign, we also attempt to deter from the unconscious bias that the industry has towards the portrayal of the role of women in society,” said Sansa.

Meanwhile, Nadia Yuliani, M&C Saatchi’s creative director for Indonesia, shared that with this film, XL hopes to unite Indonesians closer to their families, and remind them that XL will always share the values that they hold to keep their loved ones together throughout their lives. 

“We wanted to portray this through the story of a woman who is supported by XL at every phase of her life,” said Yuliani.

Anish Daryani, M&C Saatchi’s founder and president director for Indonesia, said, “By creating stronger relevance for XL in the lives of Indonesian families, this is an opportunity to demonstrate how Brand Purpose can translate to commercial success. It’s another way we can create, lead and manage change in a dynamic society that’s always aspiring for a better life.”

Singapore – Performance marketing agency M&C Saatchi has announced its new leadership team in Singapore, namely Madina Kalyayeva as managing director and Ali Shabaz as chief creative officer. Both hires will report to Richard Morewood, CEO for Asia at M&C Saatchi.

Both hires will be responsible for strengthening the agency’s integrated communications offering with a vision to rebuild it into a digital-first, Web3-ready outfit. A key focus for them will be to identify and develop the right people and partnerships to deliver impactful brand storytelling and innovative solutions across every touchpoint.

Kalyayeva joins the agency from R.S.V.P PR & Lifestyle Communications Agency, where she served as a managing director. Prior to this, she has had stints at Grey Group and McCann, working on clients that include Qatar Airways, Hotels.com, Coca Cola, and WWF, among others.

Speaking about her appointment, she said, “The foundation of new technologies like Web3 and metaverse are still being laid, and brands are still exploring the space. We are hoping to put the right expertise – people and partnerships – in place to navigate, create and lead meaningful changes, not just in the real world, but also in the metaverse.”

Meanwhile, Shabaz comes to M&C Saatchi with over 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry across SEA and the Middle-East. He has worked at multiple international agencies including BBDO, JWT, Grey and RAPP, and most recently the Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe.

He said, “It is truly a fantastic time to be in advertising. There is a buzz in the air and we are seeing amazing, never-before creative opportunities to tell great brand stories. I’m very excited to join the team at M&C Saatchi. The agency has a great culture and strong vision of the future. Working with Richard, Madina and the whole team is going to be inspiring. I think we are definitely looking at some interesting times ahead.”

Commenting on the new appointments, Morewood said, “I’m so delighted that Madina and Ali are joining M&C Saatchi Singapore. They have an amazing plan for the agency, combining world class creativity with future thinking digital vision, which will be a real point of difference for clients both in Singapore and as part of the M&C Saatchi Southeast Asia hub.”

Lastly, Moray MacLennan, CEO at M&C Saatchi, added, “We welcome Madina and Ali who will be hitting the accelerator pedal on our Southeast Asia strategy – digital first, fully integrated, delivering meaningful change.”

Vietnam – A new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in partnership with the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and M&C Saatchi, has unveiled how aggressive marketing tactics have drastically changed how mothers decide as to what formula milk they would like to buy.

In Vietnam, around 92% of Vietnamese respondents say that they have been exposed to marketing tactics related to formula milk in the preceding year. In regards to the top channels where formula milk marketing is seen or heard among mothers, the top three channels in Vietnam were TV (86%), YouTube (35%), and social media (35%).

Another type of marketing tactic mothers often see are free samples, with 28% of respondents saying they receive free samples of formula milk in hospital, 22% receiving free samples of formula milk outside hospital, and 35% from either of them.

Almost one in five women in Vietnam (19%) reported seeing promotional booths in a health setting, offering women promotions, ‘advice’ and free samples, often in exchange for women’s contact information to allow companies to follow up later with consultation calls and promotions. Following that, formula milk representatives contact consumers online, through social media, and on the phone, and present themselves as legitimate sources of advice and support for women.

The report also noted that marketing campaigns in several countries focused on how domestic products are more “tailored to local stomachs” than international products to counter the influence of foreign brands gaining traction with women and health professionals.

“Formula milk companies use sophisticated techniques and misleading messaging to market their products, including scientific language and imagery, pain points, and emotional and aspirational appeals. They also assume a friendly, supportive role to pregnant women and mothers, exploiting vulnerabilities to gain access and increase sales,” the report said.

Indonesia – To engage with a younger audience and create interest in writing and reading, independent agency network M&C Saatchi Indonesia has partnered with Twitter Indonesia to launch a new social media activation, where people could contribute with stories in a single Twitter thread. 

The initiative is in line with Indonesia’s annual literary festival, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, under the theme ‘Mulat Sarira’, which in English translates to ‘self-reflection’.

According to M&C Saatchi, the new social media activation has handpicked 70 contributors and curated over 270 tweets into a book, titled #TheThreadStory. It aims to promote the importance of reading to Indonesians, as the changing media habits of youngsters, especially the adoption of social media and streaming content, have further reduced their interest in reading.

Anish Daryani, M&C Saatchi’s founder and president director for Indonesia, shared that the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival has been trying to encourage writing and reading for eighteen years, but their voice doesn’t seem to be heard, which made them decide to change by harnessing the popularity of microblogging.

“We’re thankful to Twitter Indonesia for their support in coming onboard as a partner and to the hundreds of people who contributed to the first-ever crowdsourced book of tweets. We hope #TheThreadStory may have inspired many young netizens to pick up their first book and fall in love with reading,” said Daryani. 

Meanwhile, Janet De Neefe, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival’s founder, noted that this initiative is drawn from a local philosophy, and is the spiritual principle of examining people’s actions, thoughts, and values to ultimately build the deepest sense of ‘self-understanding’, ‘wisdom’, and ‘interconnectedness’ in pursuit of Dharma, or “the truth”.

“I am thrilled with the outcome of #TheThreadStory and hope that we can continue to join hands with young writers and readers across Indonesia. Maybe on the way, we will also discover many new voices that need to be heard, fulfilling our dream to provide opportunities for the future writers and readers of this extraordinary archipelago,” said De Neefe. 

Dwi Adriansah, the country head of Twitter Indonesia, commented, “Through #TheThreadstory, we encourage people to share their creativity in creating a book using a new way, which is through Threads. We hope this initiative helps people to rediscover their passions in literature.”

The book launch was live-streamed from Indus Restaurant in Ubud, Bali, on Ubud Writers and Readers Festival’s Instagram page.

Australia – Business Council of Australia, the association of business leaders that gathers and engages in professional, intellectual, and leadership development, has launched a new campaign, aimed at bringing together employers of all sizes from across the economy to boost vaccination rates in the country.

Titled ‘One Shot Closer’, the campaign, which was created in collaboration with creative agency M&C Saatchi and supported by Facebook, seeks to reach at least 80% of Australians and give every business in the country access to a toolkit of messages and assets to let them speak with a united voice. 

The Business Council’s CEO, Jennifer Westacott, shared that the campaign is carefully researched and geared to complement existing state and federal advertising with messages that remind Australians that safe and effective vaccines are their path back.

“This is critical to the economy and the mental health and well-being of all Australians, as businesses across the country are pulling out all stops to reach our vaccination targets and put Australia on track to reopen. We have shown we can bounce back if we plan now to safely reopen, but that all depends on our ability to get Australians vaccinated,” said Westacott.

Meanwhile, Will Easton, Facebook’s managing director for AUNZ, noted that they have supported Aussie businesses and the community in staying connected during these challenging times.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our support to the ‘One Shot Closer’ campaign and help the Business Council of Australia amplify this important message on our platforms,” said Easton.

Alexi Boyd, the CEO of Council of Small Business Organizations, believes that without a clear roadmap out of COVID restrictions small businesses will struggle to reopen and stay open.

“This initiative will help small businesses by encouraging more Australians to get jabbed, get our communities flourishing again and support Australian businesses,” said Boyd.

The campaign comes as more than 160 businesses employing millions of Australians sign the Business Council’s joint letter backing the National Plan, which is to help the residents to be freed from the pandemic lockdown.