Web Series Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Manila, Philippines – Top player in the Asian travel industry, AirAsia, in the Philippines, has released a new content series for the web, just in time as the region gradually opens up for travel.

Interestingly, the airline has tapped into the influencer culture, roping in its very own First Officer Rod de Lara and Senior Cabin Crew Bien Geronimo to host the said web series. The series is titled ‘airasia Thrills’ and will be taking viewers to captivating landscapes and uncharted territories as hosts set foot in local destinations such as Zamboanga, Bohol, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao and General Santos.

The series also aims to boost viewers’ excitement and adrenaline as the show will feature extreme activities such as Vinta racing, cross-country motorbiking, scuba diving, and free diving, among others.

De Lara and Geronimo who are both avid triathletes will be testing their limits on the show, taking on different challenges related to the different destinations.

Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines spokesperson, said, “Now that COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) and some provinces have gone down, we are sure that most Filipinos are eager to travel but don’t know where to start. airasia Thrills will give them a sneak peek of what to do and where to go. We hope that AirAsia Thrills will not only thrill them, but fire their enthusiasm in completing their bucket list.”

Dailisan adds, “We believe that traveling is good for our mental health, and rediscovery of activities, food, and places will complete your thirst for traveling in the new normal. And for those still staying at home, we got you covered as airasia Thrills will take you virtually to different tourist destinations in the Philippines.”

The series has already started 1 October and will run until January 2022. The series can be viewed on its Facebook page ‘airasia Super App’ and its Youtube channel of the same name.

At the end of the season, lucky viewers can get a chance to win tickets and other exciting prizes from AirAsia partners Samsung, The North Face Philippines, Grind, ROX, and Monster Energy Drink.

Singapore – Singapore’s telco giant Singtel has launched its latest Chinese New Year short film, a comedy sketch titled “My Grandmother’s House”, which centers around the theme of the importance of unity over rivalry.

The video revolves around two rival families, headed by their missus, Wendy, and Adeline who are about to visit their grandmother in the upcoming Chinese New Year. Due to the regulations mandated by the government, only eight visitors are allowed to be guests in a house, which results in the standoff between the two families, where both race in reaching grandmother’s house first.

As both families engage in competition, a twist in the story ensues as an emotionally driven grandmother narrates the story of how she met Daisy, an old best friend of hers, at an old Tracy Kwang concert, with whom she lost touch with, yet memories remain thanks to a jade pendant they both shared.

All of a sudden, Wendy’s youngest son surprises all of them when he was able to get in touch with Daisy over a video call. The grandmother and Daisy talk over and show surprise that they both wear the jade pendants years ago. Wendy tips off the skit by saying “You can always join us” in reference to Singtel’s 5G connectivity, as the whole family laughs and spends the Chinese New Year together in unison.

“Chinese New Year has always been a great time for us to underscore Singtel’s brand message that connections in the deeper sense of the word should be esteemed, hence the film’s tagline, ‘Stay connected to what matters’. This is all the more pertinent as Singapore eases into Phase 3 with renewed hopes of post-COVID recovery,” said Lian Pek, Singtel’s vice president for group strategic communications and brand.

Pek added, “Ultimately, we’re all in this together and we should continue to help each other out of the woods. We also wanted to bring some fun and cheer through a film that everyone can relate to, as people look forward to better things ahead.”

Commenting on the abundance of 5G references in the comedy skit, Pek said, “As a company that’s been leading in the next-generation connectivity stakes, we made a subtle nod to the benefits of 5G – from faster GPS downloads which gets the family to their destination earlier to faster gaming speeds and high definition video calls. As we roll out our 5G network and coverage, this is a tongue-in-cheek way of illustrating how this next-generation technology can deliver positive new experiences and possibilities.”

Singtel’s “My Grandmother’s House” rolls out today, January 22 and to all of Singtel’s social media channels and Singtel TV.

Manila, Philippines – The country’s Department of Trade and Industry has rolled out its new Christmas-themed web series on YouTube titled “PASA-LOVE” to highlight various local and regional products in the country.

The web series, which translates to “Share The Love,”is the department’s answer to promote the “Buy Local” campaign, especially as Filipino entrepreneurs are hugely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Buy Local” campaign aims to help these entrepreneurs stay afloat by patronizing their products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xg0dF_4RRo&t=90s

“A lot of our countrymen have lost their jobs and their businesses due to the pandemic. Thus, this is the perfect time to let them feel the real spirit of Christmas. Through simple patronization of locally-made products, we can share our love for the country, and show the real definition of unity. Buy local, give local this Christmas,” said Blesila A. Lantayona, DTI’s regional operations group undersecretary.

The “PASA-LOVE” web series premiered last November 3 and has currently released its fourth episode, where the department has already promoted food products from the Cordillera region, locally-made shoes, and sandals from Marikina City, and heritage crafts from the Western Visayas region. More episodes are set to be released on its YouTube channel.

United Kingdom – In celebration of the company’s 40th partnership anniversary with children charity foundation Make A Wish, Disney EMEA launches its “From Our Family To Yours” campaign, and features an animated video advertisement centered on the spirit of Filipino Christmas.

Featuring two characters, a grandmother (Lola) and her granddaughter, the video shows notable Filipino Christmas traditions, specifically parol making, or making of Christmas lanterns.

The video starts off in a Philippine location in the 1940s where the grandmother in his childhood days strolls around in a plaza or a public quadrangle and meets up with her father. He then gestures a mano, a Filipino honorific way of showing respect to the elders (0:15 video timestamp). She is then given by her father a Mickey Mouse doll as a Christmas gift.

Fast forward to 2005, and the grandmother and her granddaughter live under the same roof, and bond over making parols, a Christmas version of Filipino lanterns made from bamboo stilts and colored paper (0:50 video timestamp). However, as time passed by, the granddaughter lost interest in lantern making, evident in the granddaughter’s shift to other teenage things.

One particular scene provokes Lola’s sadness, as her granddaughter leaves the house, leaving her alone and the old Mickey Mouse doll she has been holding on for decades, an ear ripped off.

However, the video concludes with the daughter realizing that the Mickey Mouse was a memento of her Lola and decides to surprise her grandmother with a plethora of Christmas lanterns around the house and gifting her a fixed Mickey Mouse doll. Both are brought back to their cherished memories, and hug each other at the end.

The video’s official soundtrack is titled “Love Is A Compass” performed by UK artist Griff. Digital download purchases of the track and a limited edition vintage Mickey Mouse soft doll are eligible to support the Make a Wish Foundation, as 100% and 25% of the item sales respectively are donated to the said foundation.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Digital agency Kingdom Digital has been roped in by Malaysian beauty brand KOSÉ Malaysia to produce the “Girl Next Door” mini web series to celebrate the launch of its new SEKKISEI Clear Wellness range as well as to commemorate its 35th anniversary.

The series will be two-part and will star personalities, Alvin Chong and Jasmine Suraya Chin. The production by the agency is in collaboration with the production company Imagineers Film.

According to Edmund Lou, head of strategy at Kingdom Digital, the campaign’s objective is to educate consumers on SEKKISEI Clear Wellness’ star ingredient, ITOWA, and to demonstrate how simple, natural ingredients can be formulated to help them achieve healthy, clear, and smooth skin.

The short film tells a heart-warming love story between two neighbors, Josefine and Alvin. The story starts off with the flamboyant female lead going to great lengths to catch her love interest’s eye but her efforts were futile until she embraces the “less is more” concept.

“We decided on the ‘less is more’ concept as KOSÉ’s latest revamped range is a true personification of minimalism and simplicity. With this, we want to position KOSÉ SEKKISEI Clear Wellness as a brand that upholds the Japanese art of minimalism in both aesthetics and functionality. Working closely with the client, we selected Alvin and Jasmine as the stars of the “Girl Next Door” mini web series as these personalities’ fanbase and followers match KOSÉ’s target audience profiles – especially in terms of the Malay and younger demographics. We believe Malaysians will resonate well with this mini web series, as well as the campaign as a whole,” added Lou.

Meanwhile, Reuben Kang, founder, and filmmaker at Imagineers Film shared that their aim was to convey the agency’s “less is more” concept in a way that was relatable and engaging to KOSÉ’s target audience.

“These days we are seeing a shift towards messages of simplifying and removing unnecessary excess in our everyday lives. However, in the beauty world, this minimalistic lifestyle hasn’t exactly caught on – many young women still hold the misconception that heavy makeup is the must-have look. Through the “Girl Next Door” mini web series, we hope to translate this idea of simplicity and champion that less is, truly, more,” explained Kang.

Also, Annie Tay, marketing manager at KOSÉ Malaysia shared that the rebranding was spurred by the fact that consumers are now more conscious of products’ ingredients. This has resulted in an increase in the demand for skincare with natural ingredients.

“It was essential that we partner with an agency that understood what our brand stands for and the importance of brand-building. We are delighted to partner with Kingdom Digital who was able to seamlessly transform our objective into an entertaining and relatable web series while maintaining the essence of SEKKISEI Clear Wellness as the focal point. With the agency’s strategic approach, we will be able to engage more authentically with our audience through down-to-earth messaging and continue accelerating our online visibility,” expressed Tay.

To drive awareness and evoke consumers’ interest, the campaign will be supported by social postings along with a custom KOSÉ Instagram filter. The filter is currently live, and users can try it by clicking on the ‘Filter’ tab on KOSÉ’s Instagram. Aside from the stars of the web series, a few select influencers will also be promoting this new filter. The campaign will run from 2 October 2020 to 31 December 2020.