Tag: Moonfolks

Indonesia – Haraku Ramen Halal, an Indonesian noodle brand under the Ismaya Group, has launched The One Noodle, a limited-edition product designed to let gamers eat without pausing their game.

The One Noodle is a 3.5-metre-long, unbroken strand designed for gamers who want to eat without pausing their game. With a thicker texture for better flavour absorption, it allows players to stay immersed in gameplay without interruptions.

“When the agency brought us this idea, I remember thinking—this is crazy, but also genius! Gamers don’t want to pause their game just to eat. It’s fun, it’s different, and it solves a real problem in a way that only Haraku can,” said Dewa Ari, marketing manager of Ismaya Group.

Conceptualised by BLKJ Havas and developed with support from Moonfolks in Indonesia, The One Noodle was shaped by BLKJ Havas’ creative direction and Moonfolks’ digital and content strategy to engage gaming communities.

“We also thought it was crazy, and that’s exactly why we went for it. The craziest ideas are often the best. This idea encapsulates Ismaya’s mission to offer seamless experiences for everyone—in this case, gamers. We’re thrilled to give our fans something that’s never been seen before,” shared Guilherme Machado, executive creative director at BLKJ Havas, and Anish Daryani, CEO of Moonfolks Indonesia.

The One Noodle was released as a limited-edition product and sold out within days. Its launch event featured gaming influencers and media representatives, offering attendees a chance to try the product and highlighting its connection to Indonesia’s gaming culture.

Indonesia – As part of its expansion in Southeast Asia, Havas has formed a strategic alliance with Indonesia-based independent agency Moonfolks, uniting Havas’ media expertise with Moonfolks’ integrated and digital marketing capabilities. 

Operating as ‘Havas Moonfolks,’ the partnership will offer a range of services, including traditional and digital advertising, social media, programmatic buying, performance marketing, creative development, and brand strategy. The collaboration aims to streamline media and creative efforts, enhancing the effectiveness and relevance of brand campaigns.

The alliance also reflects Havas’ broader strategy of integrating talent, capabilities, and platforms to streamline media and creative services. The partnership aims to enhance brand solutions by leveraging data, media, and creativity.

Additionally, the collaboration will introduce Havas’ proprietary tools and services, including Havas Market (eCommerce), Havas Play (Content & Activation), and CSA (Data & Tech), to the Indonesian market.

Effective January 6, 2025, Havas’ media team has integrated with Moonfolks, officially launching operations under the Havas Moonfolks brand.

Moonfolks will continue to operate as an independent creative and integrated agency under the leadership of its founder, CEO, and president director, Anish Daryani. Through this partnership, media and creative services will be integrated under the Havas Moonfolks umbrella.

Daryani will also assume the role of president director for Havas Moonfolks, bringing his industry expertise and market experience to drive growth and innovation. He will be supported by Stefanus Christofer (Steven) as general manager, working alongside Pankaj Nayak, the newly appointed president of SEA at Havas Media.

Under the guidance of Rana Barua, group CEO for India, SEA, and North Asia, Daryani and his team will have the resources and support needed to drive strategic decisions, align with regional objectives, and strengthen market growth.

Speaking about the alliance, Barua said, “Indonesia is one of Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest-growing markets, making it a strategic priority for us. This strategic alliance with Moonfolks marks a significant milestone in our growth journey and strengthens our position to lead with our Converged strategy, amplifying our ability to deliver impactful solutions for brands in local, regional, and global markets.”

Meanwhile, Daryani explained, “The industry has created significant complexity by separating creative and media functions into different agencies. I’ve witnessed firsthand how disconnected these teams can be, even when working on the same client or within the same holding company.” 

He added, “By uniting creative and media, we are leading the charge in challenging the traditional approach, bringing integrated agency teams together to solve business challenges for our clients. This collaboration provides a proven model that combines creative content, effective distribution, and a higher ROAS for brands. Through this alliance, we have completed our integrated model, allowing us to accelerate commerce for our clients in a way that truly drives results.”

Indonesia – Advertising agency Moonfolks has released a new whitepaper revealing how economic pressures are reshaping Ramadan consumer habits in Indonesia, spotlighting frugal spending, local brand support, and community values.

The whitepaper examines how Indonesian consumers are navigating financial constraints while maintaining the spirit of Ramadan. The research highlights several key trends, including frugal spending, as people become more cautious about their holiday expenses, and growing disinterest in promotions, with consumers now rethinking the value of discounts.

The report also identifies the rise of “Ramadan LocaInomics,” a surge in pride for locally made products, fuelled by boycotts related to the Middle East conflict. Additionally, the study notes a return to core values, with the spirit of “Gotong Royong” (community togetherness) remaining strong, reinforcing Indonesia’s position as the world’s most generous country.

To navigate the changing consumer behavior this Ramadan, Moonfolks’ whitepaper suggests that brands should focus on affordability, transparency, and cultural relevance in promotions. Embracing digital tools like ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (BNPL) and fintech apps can boost engagement, while purpose-driven campaigns and storytelling create emotional connections. Leveraging AI for precise targeting and adopting a community-centric approach will also help brands connect with local consumers and navigate Ramadan’s complexities.

Commenting on the release, Anish Daryani, founder, president director, and CEO at Moonfolks, said, “In yet another Ramadan shrouded by economic stress, declining earnings, and increasing costs, the ingenuity and creativity of consumers to overcome these challenges leave us with a feeling of awe. We have used these insights, and more, in developing all our Ramadan campaigns this year. We believe having years on the ground gives our brands an edge in staying ahead of the market challenges, ensuring we continue to deliver audacious commerce for them, even in times that are less favourable.” 

Elki Hendria, chief strategy and digital officer at Moonfolks, added, “There’s clearly nothing coming in the way of Indonesians making the most of their Ramadan. We call this the spirit of “Semangat,” which translates into “keep up the spirit” or even “keep fighting.”. “Pantang Menyerah” is another terms we use to imply “never give up”. We saw this during Covid-19, and we’re seeing this again during an economic squeeze. Brands need to fuel this spirit to win the hearts of consumers and a share of their wallets”. 

Jakarta, Indonesia – Paint company Asian Paints has tapped Moonfolks for an end-to-end integrated campaign for its ‘Infinito System’ product lineup–a comprehensive five-product range designed to fix an array of wall problems, ensuring long-lasting beauty.

Moonfolks developed the name, branding, packaging, shopper and communication materials and managed the media planning and buying. The PR campaign is also led by Moonfolks. 

In addition, the entire ‘content to commerce’ framework will ensure achieving upper and lower funnel metrics for the brand, meeting objectives of leads and conversion. This will ensure that the campaign reaches the right audience through the most effective channels, including social media for which there’s a robust content strategy. 

Regular updates and interactive content will keep the campaign vibrant and engaging on social media. Besides, the campaign involves an influencer strategy, using credible sources to drive authenticity for the value proposition of the ‘Infinito System.’

Through this collaboration, the aim is to ensure that Indonesian homes achieve long-lasting beauty, extending beyond the campaign and enduring for infinity.

The branding ‘Infinito’ itself is derived from the Italian word for infinite, with the logo incorporating the infinity symbol within the letter ‘N,’ emphasising the concept of endless beauty and durability while positioning Infinito as the central solution for maintaining beautiful walls in Indonesia.

Moreover, Moonfolks also created the packaging, digital videos, and visuals for the product lineup. Its 30-second and two 15-second videos aims to bring the brand’s belief to life in a story about the never-ending saga of repaints throughout the years, illustrating the need for a proper solution—hence the ‘Infinito System’.

Abhilasha Kannan, managing director at Asian Paints Indonesia, said, “Asian Paints understands the pain points of the consumer, around which we base all our innovations. The creation of Infinito System is no different from that perspective. The Indonesian homeowner needs to be rescued from painting woes they need to go through every year. And so we created a long-lasting solution to have perfect walls that gives homeowners peace of mind for at least 5 years. Communicating a complex system was a difficult business challenge, and Moonfolks was able to simplify every aspect of the brand for us to be able to communicate the benefits of the Infinito System effectively.”

Meanwhile, Anish Daryani, founder and CEO at Moonfolks, commented, “At Moonfolks, we believe every brand deserves a “Moonshot” – our proprietary approach to brand building. We drive commerce for brands combining brand purpose (brand identity and advertising), brand content (digital), brand experience (shopper and activation), brand reputation (PR and influencer marketing) and brand reach (media solutions and content distribution). Birthing the Infinito System, and co-parenting it with the Asian Paints team has been a deeply transformative experience for both the teams. The coatings category in Indonesia has seen little innovation, which makes it disruptive for Asian Paints, while offering genuine value to consumers.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Moonfolks has won the creative brand duties for Suzuki Indonesia in a multi-agency pitch. The mandate involves a defined scope to support marketing efforts of Suzuki brands in Indonesia, but also engagement on integrated campaigns for specific brands and new product launches from time to time.

Popular brands of Suzuki in Indonesia include Jimny, All New Ertiga Hybrid, New XL 7 Hybrid, Grand Vitara, Baleno, S-Presso, New Ignis, APV, New Carry Pick-up, among others.

Commenting on the win, Harold Donnel Tampubolon, 4W marketing and business strategy director at PT Indomobil Suzuki Sales, said, “Car ownership in Indonesia goes beyond functional needs. Its aspirational, self-actualising and a lifestyle statement. As Suzuki innovates for a more sustainable future, we needed an agency partner that is able to bring our values to life. In Moonfolks, we found a partner that has both strategic and executional skill to understand the Suzuki brand core and make it come to life.”

Meanwhile, Anish Daryani, founder, CEO and president director at Moonfolks, commented, “We’ve been craving to have a strong automobile brand in our portfolio, and we found the answer in Suzuki. As an iconic brand, and a strong pipeline of innovative launches in the months to come, we believe we can give Suzuki the ‘moonshot’ it truly deserves. We are excited and committed to translate content and brand experience to commerce and work with Bapak Harold and his team to create stronger brand love for car buyers in Indonesia.”

According to The Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO), Indonesia produced 1,395,717 units of four-wheeled vehicles in the period Jan-Dec 2023. Other data from GAIKINDO suggests that 96.3% of all cars produced in Indonesia were from Japanese manufacturers (2019), signifying the importance of Suzuki within the industry.

Indonesia – Creative agency M&C Saatchi Indonesia has officially rebranded itself as ‘Moonfolks’ on its sixth year anniversary, following CEO Anish Diryani’s acquisition of the company as an independent entity and exit from the M&C Saatchi group of companies.

As such, Moonfolks will be led by its co-founders, with Anish Daryani as president director and CEO, Dami Sidharta as chief creative officer, and Elki Hendra as chief strategy & digital officer. 

With the new agency’s new purpose being “Make Audacious Possible”, Moonfolks aims to deliver ideas that are out-of-this-world to help brands achieve the impossible and take them to new heights. 

In order to achieve this, the agency has created an ‘accelerated commerce” model, whereby all agency services are directed towards generating commerce for clients, delivering higher ROAS (Return on ad spend).

The services, according to the agency’s newly launched website, are, Moonfolks Advertising as the advertising arm, Moonfolks Digital as the digital services arm, Moonfolks Shopex as the retail and brand experience arm, and Moonfolks PR as the brand reputation arm. 

Furthermore Moonfolks Authentic Intelligence is another solution the agency has launched, riding on Gen-AI expertise to create high volumes of content with a distinct cost advantage for clients. The agency has also announced the launch of its internal content production unit, Goosebump Pictures.

On the acquisition, the company retains all business licences and tax papers, with complete continuity of business where the agency retains all client, talent and partner contracts. The rebranding does not affect any significant changes to the team.

Commenting on the launch, Daryani said, “We’ve had tremendous success as M&C Saatchi Indonesia. And we’ll take that several notches higher as we relaunch the agency with the freedom that comes with our independence. We will be more agile and fluid in our approach, and build further on the values we have created over the past 6 years.”

“Moonfolks has all the ingredients for success. A loyal and satisfied client base, a fun-loving culture that embraces DEI, a talent-centric approach to business and an environment that encourages people to do their life’s best work. The industry is going to feel our impact in Indonesia, and across the region,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sidharta also commented, “We’re taking our second-first step. But unlike our first-first, it won’t just be the three of us. We have some of the brightest minds in the industry with us this time around and we’ll get to where we want to be a lot sooner. It’ll be very exciting every step of the way.”

Lastly, Hendria concluded, “Our goal is clear: not only do we curate compelling ideas and content, but we’re committed to crafting narratives that not only captivate but also catalyse commerce. We are here to redefine the boundaries of possibility, making audacious goals strategically achievable in an AI driven world”.