Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – IPG Mediabrands has appointed Elina Peek-Lantz, former head of digital strategy and planning at Maxis, to be its new managing director of Reprise, the global performance marketing agency within the Mediabrands network.

Peek-Lantz has 17 years of experience working with international teams in corporate and start-up environments as a highly qualified data-driven marketer. In her new role, she will be responsible for innovating Reprise’s product and service capabilities, and will be working in close collaboration with partner agencies UM and Initiative to drive the strategic direction of performance marketing, analytics, and technology channels across all clients. Peek-Lantz will also be reporting to the CEO of Mediabrands Malaysia, Bala Pomaleh.

Commenting on her new role, Peek-Lantz said, “I’m thrilled to join Mediabrands as we expand the Reprise footprint in Malaysia. The current market landscape has created great opportunities for brands to further amplify their online presence, and the Reprise framework of ‘Customer Flow’ is a perfect launch pad for any business looking to incorporate digital strategies and drive business growth. I look forward to expanding the Reprise service and product portfolio as we focus on creating a seamless customer journey for path to purchase.”

Meanwhile, Pomaleh shared that Peek-Lantz comes with deep knowledge of the changing nuances in their digital marketing ecosystem, and they have seen great strides in these new spaces and have been investing immensely in growth areas such as e-commerce, experience design, and performance content. 

“Elina’s role will have a significant influence over the success of our organisation as she works alongside our leadership teams at UM and Initiative to drive digital strategies and create a safe and responsible media environment across our portfolio of clients,” said Pomaleh.

Pippa Berlocher, president of Reprise APAC, noted, “I’m excited to have Elina join our business. Given her entrepreneurial background and experience, I know she will bring great energy and capabilities that both our team and clients will benefit from. Malaysia remains a key market for us in the APAC region, and I’m looking forward to partnering closely with Elina to elevate the craft excellence within our business and drive growth for both our clients and Mediabrands.”

Sydney, Australia – Jessica White, a renowned digital and performance expert, has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Reprise Australia, effective November 1 this year. This adds significant firepower to Reprise’s capabilities as it continues to build its global reputation as a full service digitally-led performance agency.

Reporting directly to CEO Mediabrands Australia Mark Coad, White also takes an immediate place on Mediabrands’ executive leadership team.

She has worked in the media industry for nearly 15 years – both agency and client side – the majority of which has been spent leading the development and implementation of data-led transformation in media and brand communications.

White has held senior roles both internationally and locally within Mediabrands, recently returning to Australia from NYC while maintaining her global head of activation role with Initiative. Prior to her role as head of activation, she was head of data and technology for AKA Kinesso NYC, driving the commercial data and programmatic strategy across the business.

Speaking on her appointment, she said, “Increasingly I hear clients wanting more accountability for their media spend, so better connecting media to business outcomes will be an area of focus. In partnership with our agencies, Reprise is uniquely positioned to drive the brand and performance cohesion needed to achieve this.”

She added, “It’s an exciting time to be in the industry and I can’t wait to develop my team’s skills and capabilities to deliver truly outstanding work for our clients.”

With her CEO appointment, White takes over Andy Holford who stepped into the role of interim CEO earlier this year.

Coad said, “I am delighted Jessica is joining Reprise, as a leader I just know she is going to shine and under her watch Reprise will continue to go from strength to strength. The business is pumping; the team are enthused and the clients are enjoying some truly wonderful work. I look forward to spending the next few months working alongside Jess as we transition into a new era of Reprise’s history.”

Singapore – IPG Mediabrands’ global performance marketing agency Reprise has announced new regional executive roles in Asia-Pacific, namely Parul Gautam as head of analytics for APAC, Caitlin Draper-Wheeler as experience director for APAC, and Sid Mehta as head of performance for media in APAC.

Gautam and Draper-Wheeler’s appointments take effect immediately, while Mehta’s appointment takes effect on 1 August this year.

In her new role, Gautam will be responsible for collaborating with Mediabrands agency partners and local market leadership to set the standard for excellence, driving growth in analytics across the APAC region. He was previously the vice president for Interactive Avenues India, a Reprise network company, where she developed the analytics function to lead more than 35 Global and Indian clients.

Meanwhile, Draper-Wheeler will drive the strategic direction for SEO and CRO crafts in the region to develop compelling solutions which inspire existing and prospective clients and deliver transformative growth. She joins from Stanley St, where she served SEO and CRO director. She also brings in more than 8 years industry experience including management positions across iProspect, Digital Hothouse and PHD.

Lastly, Mehta joins from his former position as head of paid media at NP Digital. He brings in 10 years industry experience specialising in digital marketing, having spent around 7 years leading search social and digital at Resolution Digital.

All appointees will report to Pippa Berlocher, president at Reprise APAC.

She said, “I am delighted to see our vision and ambition for Reprise APAC being realised. [We] have continued growing that traction and momentum through the key craft areas of our business – testament to the appointment of these three new leadership roles.” 

Berlocher added, “We identified expert talent from both within our Mediabrands network family and the wider industry, equipped with the ability to anticipate the pace of change by harnessing the skills and structure required to propel our clients business forward.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Oral care brand Listerine in Malaysia together with Reprise, IPG Mediabrands’ performance marketing agency, has launched a new campaign titled, “Mulut Kosong Kosong: Mulut Sihat, Raya Penuh Berkat” (Clean Mouth: Healthy Mouth, Raya Full of Blessings), which aims to incorporate practical tips such as using mouthwash to improve healthy eating practises. The new campaign is in fact its special commemoration for the Ramadan and Raya festive period. 

The digital campaign features a series of three short films to personify attributes of a healthy mouth and encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth. The three short films also showcase different people’s unique personalities in celebrating Ramadan. The first personality is ‘Foodie Mouth’ the one who eats everything during Ramadan without any concern towards oral health, second personality is ‘Sweet Mouth’ the one who is the centre of attention because of good oral health and her dazzling smile, and lastly, Onion mouth, used colloquially, as someone who enjoys socialising and gossiping about others and confident about her oral health.

The overall campaign message is to keep a healthy mouth that is free of germs (‘kosong kosong’).

Kim Chew, client service director of Reprise, said the campaign was inspired by Malaysians who love a play on words. In this instance, the word mouth (mulut) is used alongside to provide a unique personality for each ‘mouth’ character, typical characters one would find around the Ramadan/ Raya dining table. 

“We wanted to personify attributes of a healthy mouth to encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth (mulut sihat),” Chew said.

Chew added, “Getting the mouths just right was extremely tricky but fun at the same time. When casting, we carefully identified actors in a very minute way. Interestingly, the actors too needed a few rounds of practice to get the right nuances of expression, limited to just the mouth, lips, tongue and teeth. We also worked closely with a very talented makeup artist who painted the characters very attractively. Essentially, the mouth becomes the body and the face simultaneously!”

As part of the campaign, an Instagram filter contest was launched, with a prize for the best responses to nosy questions asked during Raya celebrations. Users can record their best comebacks, manners in mind, along with the hashtag #MulutKosongKosong on Instagram reels. 

Meanwhile, Tracy Foo Swee Ki, senior brand manager of Listerine, commented, “Personifying the different personalities in this way, and really giving them characters, beyond just the verbal narrative was extremely important. The mouth is the main feature of the shots, and the Reprise team took great care to provide the right treatments to highlight mouths in a non-offensive, truly appealing way. 

“The message we want to leave you with is that swishing twice a day with Listerine doesn’t just help to keep your breath fresh, it helps you enjoy Raya with a cleaner, healthier mouth,” Ki adds.

The company also worked with sister agency Universal McCann, and key opinion leaders to engaged to drive the campaign message. The film was made available on all digital platforms.

Singapore – Reprise, IPG Mediabrands’ performance marketing agency, has announced the appointment of Neha Tejuja to the newly created role of head of performance strategy for Reprise Asia-Pacific. Tejuja will be based in the agency’s regional headquarters in Singapore.

Tejuja holds an extensive understanding of strategic leadership and expertise in the industry with over a decade and a half of experience driving vision for clients’ businesses within creative teams across local, regional and global markets. Tejuja joins Reprise from her prior role as senior strategy director and e-commerce lead for Wunderman Thompson Singapore where she was responsible for delivering end-to-end strategies.

Other than Wunderman, Tejuja also held strategic roles in Grey Group in Singapore and Publicis Groupe in India. In her new role as the APAC head of performance strategy for Reprise, Tejuja will be responsible for establishing best-in-class performance strategy across the region, collaborating closely with the regional strategic leadership at integrated partner agencies UM and Initiative on driving growth, business performance and vision implementation for the growing Asia Pacific region.

Tejuja commented, “I was drawn to Reprise for its excellent performance marketing credentials and high-quality strategic process. I’m passionate about making that offering come to life for our diverse set of clients and elevate the strategic success that our teams are achieving across APAC.”

Pippa Berlocher, president of Reprise APAC, to whom Tejuja will be reporting, commented that Tejuja is a passionate leader with a proven track record of helping some of the largest global client brands reach their utmost potential across the APAC region.

Berlocher added, “In addition to this, she invests just as much care into helping her team around her reach theirs. Tejuja’s energy, creativity and expert experience make her a valuable addition to our growing regional executive team as we expand upon our established Performance Marketing proposition and reputation in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – New streaming platform sooka, releases its latest campaign together with Reprise in commemoration of this year’s Raya celebrations, the festival of the ‘breaking of the fast’ celebrated by Muslims in Malaysia. 

The film titled ‘Krisis Social Media Anis’ (Anis’ Social Media Crisis), directed by P. Prem Anand Pillai of ‘Love Child’, features the trials of social media wannabe, Anis, as she laments the loss of two followers the day before Raya. Her family, who happens to share a similar obsession with social media and calls each other by their social handles, rallies together with a social media guru for tips and insights to help her gain back lost followers, urging more followers for Anis through their own social media accounts. All to no avail.

Head of Brand & Communications of sooka, Hilda Shamsul Bahri, said, “The idea came from a series of real stories on the challenges of this generation who see ‘Likes’ and ‘Followers’ as their social currency. But it’s not always about the ‘Likes’. We want younger Malaysians to know that your self-worth is not dependent on social media perception. Rather, it is about giving thanks, and improving connections with our family and loved ones this Raya. We love the freshness of this festive film by Reprise for us as it falls very much in line with what we stand for as a brand.”

Kevin Le, executive creative director of Reprise Digital, said, “The film was inspired by millennials, who crave social validation. This quest to belong on the social sphere through the best content, more likes, and followers sometimes comes at the cost of what’s real. This Raya, we wanted to show that the best followers are your family, so embrace your true selves and appreciate the people who have always been supportive of you.”Le also added that the central character of Anis is relatable to the younger generation, whether they celebrate Raya or not.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Immunity support brand Redoxon by Bayer Malaysia has launched a new campaign together with Reprise, the global performance marketing network under global advertising company IPG which aims to promote a healthy Ramadan.

This year’s Ramadan-themed film, titled “Kuatkan imuniti, rezeki Ramadan dinikmati,” is a Malay musical genre called Seloka which is commonly used in a witty way for the storytelling of folklore and traditions. The film emphasises the necessity of a robust immune system during the month of fasting in order to reap the benefits of Ramadan’s blessings. Lisa Surihani, Redoxon’s newly-appointed Brand Ambassador, is a well-known celebrity who is featured in the campaign.

Amir Faiz, group creative director of Reprise, said that the film was inspired by Malaysian Muslims who work their hardest to achieve the ideal Raya celebrations with family. This can be seen in the intense moonlighting during Ramadan to earn a side income. As expectations run high to have the best decorations, outfits, and homes, it is a time of long hours and intense pressure to fulfil familial obligations

“We chose to spread this message of health and boosting immunity in a light-hearted way through Seloka, embracing both the fun and pressures of the month, Faiz said.

Amir emphasised, “After a long hiatus of celebrations with the pandemic, there is an urge to make this year’s celebrations a huge affair. The campaign aims to show immunity as the currency to keep you going and extends its legs through social engagements with the Redoxon brand ambassador.”

Meanwhile, Junie H’ng, ASEAN brand lead of Redoxon, commented, “Ramadan is all about observing faith and practising moderation in eating and personal habits. We want Muslims to know that Redoxon is here to help them stay healthy as they keep hustling to seek their ‘rezeki’ (good fortune). 

“The Reprise team have successfully portrayed those messages by encouraging thought towards self-care this Ramadan. By taking Redoxon Triple Action daily which contains Vitamin C, Zinc, and now added with Vitamin D, one can maintain immunity and overall well-being to be empowered to find your blessings,” H’ng adds.

Alongside the film, the audience can engage with ‘Redoxon Petua Busters’ (Redoxon myth busters), highlighting common tips and solutions to strengthen immunity, without having to resort to typical traditional beliefs. To give back to the community and show appreciation to those hustling, the “Hustle Demi Idealfitri” activation allows AirAsia app users to exchange rewards points to sponsor a Redoxon Ramadan Care Pack for Air Asia’s riders. 

The film was directed by Esham Shahlin and produced by Artisia Productions. It was released on 5 April on digital channels.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Our furry friends do so much for us, and it’s always an endearing imagination on what really goes on their minds, and if ever, have we wronged our pets one way or another.

In a very playful campaign by pet food brand ProDiet, cats divulge their real emotions towards their owners, who demand they be given real seafood.

Composed of a film and microsite, the campaign ‘Kami Nak 100% Makanan Laut!’ (We Want Real Seafood) showcases cats as though leaving threatening messages for their owners demanding real seafood and meeting in a cat parliament called ‘Parlimeow’. The campaign also sees cats raising protest slogans including ‘nine lives matter’ and spreading tips and tricks for their fellow cats to learn how to deal with owners’ non-compliance to real food requests.

Created together with integrated communications agency Reprise, its Creative Director Mandar Wairkar jovially said the agency flexed its ‘cathletic’ minds, even bringing cats in for ‘focus group discussion’.

Wairkar continues, “They meowed, we listened. Since cats are notoriously fussy eaters, we chose to give them a dissenting voice to demand for better food. And ProDiet’s proposition of 100% real seafood has allowed us to create a pet revolution of sorts. Something that is by cats, for cats.”

With a presence in Malaysia, ProDiet is an international brand that delivers pet nutrition for cats of all life stages. Its main brand promise is using 100% real seafood where its products offer real fish pieces.

The brand’s CEO PY Choy commented, “We were excited by the enthusiasm of the Reprise team to challenge this idea of 100% Real Seafood. What better way to show this off than through the cats? This quirky idea of cats not getting the real deal and standing up to their owners was very compelling, with the campaign having potential for further legs down the line to show the aftereffects of this cat uprising. A fun, bizarre, and comical campaign that we hope all cat and pet owners will enjoy.”

The quirky messaging of the campaign is bolstered through the campaign microsite which features commentary, posters, and a petition to join the uprising for real seafood.

Mandar adds, “By getting into the minds of cats, we played out these very real problems from their perspective and imagined how the conversation would go between them. The lingo, grammar, and spelling are all reflected in cat-speak, so to say. It was a tremendously fun process to reimagine things in this way, and we definitely hope Malaysians find it a-meow-sing.”

The integrated campaign is in Bahasa Malaysia and runs until March, with the film released across all digital platforms.

Australia – General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), the GM venture operating within Australia and New Zealand, has launched its inaugural locally produced campaign via performance marketing agency Reprise

The campaign called ‘That’s Boss’ introduces GMSV’s Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss to the ANZ market, showcasing the ethos of ‘mateship’ and adventure which are key characteristics of Aussies and Kiwis.

The campaign’s 2-minute video, shot on location in Tasmania, creates a story of a few mates around a campfire reminiscing about the incredible things they’ve done during their day out and about, where their adventures are aided and abetted by the rugged off-roader vehicle.

Marcelo Andrade, national head of strategy for creative & content at Reprise, said the strategy was simply about telling a compelling story based on true and authentic people behavior to drive purchase intent.

Created with a humorous spin, friends in the ad look back on their energy-driven and scenic activities that have been both literally and figuratively done through Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss such as a trip to the countryside, ‘fishing’, a ‘bike ride’, and flying a parachute.

“Key to the campaign is the idea that LT Trail Boss is for adventurers who aren’t afraid to cut their own path and ‘Live Big, Roll Strong’ showcased by the vehicle itself doing what it does best; from tackling rocky landscapes to traversing water crossings and towing heavy loads,” said Andrade.

Jodie Lennon, GMSV’s general manager for marketing, CX, and communications, said, “The campaign highlights a variety of vehicle attributes throughout the videos, always doing so with a liberal dose of humor to give the story a genuine feeling of reality and truth.”

She adds, “We think the humor, set against adventurous backdrops and rugged activities will really resonate with enthusiasts who will relate to the various ‘That’s Boss’ experiences.”

The campaign is the first work created and produced by Reprise since being named GMSV’s creative agency of record in ANZ earlier this year.

Launching last week, the 2’ ‘Hero’ video is supported by more than ten variations of 6”, 15”, 30’’, and 60” spots; a series of comic feature-led videos; digital banners; social posts, and a series of teaser videos, among others. The campaign will feature across social channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

Singapore – The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), which operates under the premise of delivering the government’s digital services to the public, has recently appointed Reprise, the global performance marketing network under global advertising company IPG, to be its social content agency, effective immediately.

Reprise, known for its full suite offering of crafts designed to deliver customer flow, will lead the strategic social content development for GovTech across their digital platforms. 

“At Reprise we are focused on providing a holistic Flow throughout the entire digital customer experience. We are beyond proud to partner with GovTech, an innovative and transformative brand that focuses on building effective solutions for both citizens and businesses across Singapore” said Karen Soo, head of Reprise Singapore.

Reprise has been active in various appointment and brand campaigns in the region. Just recently, in celebration of the upcoming Merdeka or the Malaysian Independence Day, they have worked with chocolate drink brand MILO for a new campaign. In addition, Reprise has also worked with Ford in Malaysia for a new video campaign about ‘seeking the outdoors’ soon.

All of these activities come after Reprise has also recently appointed Pippa Berlocher as the new APAC president at Reprise.