Tag: Wunderman Thompson

Bangkok, Thailand – In a time of pandemic uncertainty and economic instability, each one of us are always finding ways to spark joy within ourselves. And to showcase what the internet has to say about the various factors that make us happy, bank KrungSri has partnered with advertising company Wunderman Thompson Thailand to create a music video that would reflect just exactly that. 

Produced by musician and director Morvasu, as well as illustrator Kanith, the music video dedicated to Krungsri’s mobile application utilizes the app’s social listening data, which enabled the team to compose the music’s lyrics that ring true to the genuine ways that spark people’s happiness such as ‘Waking up to a nice cup of coffee’, ‘Unboxing my new toy’, and ‘Getting paid cures all ailments’. 

The final verse of the MV, titled ‘Simple Happiness’ focuses on the benefits of the app, and how “Happiness is easy…as mobile banking”.

For Mingkwan Pattanawong, executive vice president and head of corporate branding and marketing division at Bank of Ayudhya, the campaign not only reflects Krungsri’s brand promise of ‘Make Life Simple’, but also aims to give happiness back to consumers under the epidemic situation and during the year-end celebration.

“It is just like KMA – Krungsri Mobile App, which is easy to use, meets every financial transaction need, and helps make consumers smile. For this campaign, we work with Wunderman Thompson to use a new creative style of music marketing by bringing more than 2 million voices of Thai people from social media channels that reflect their simple happiness to create this new song and MV. We believe that this campaign will give our target audience a moment of happiness and smiles together,” Pattanawong said.

Meanwhile, Thasorn Boonyanate, executive creative director at Wunderman Thompson Thailand, commented, “Bank of Krungsri wants to change their appeal from a classic, traditional bank into a more digitally driven service with their app called ‘KMA’. With the tension of COVID-19 where everyone is more stressed than ever, we thought [to create] an entertaining and relaxing music video, combining all the things people love to see with the recent trend where people love to watch ‘Satisfying Video – Lofi – Relax’ videos.”

Hong Kong – As part of HSBC’s commitment to helping consumers get closer to their next trip abroad, the financial institution has launched an immersive 3D innovation campaign, aimed at highlighting its EveryMile Credit Card.

HSBC’s EveryMile Credit Card offers cardholders various spending benefits and rewards when traveling. It is also the bank’s first credit card in Hong Kong made from 85% recycled plastic.

The new campaign, which is created in collaboration with creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson and media company PHD Hong Kong, brings comedy legend Dayo Wong Tze Wah, superstar Ronald Cheng Chung Kei, and musical phenomenon Mirror’s Lokman and Tiger together for a fun-filled adventure through space. Titled ‘Takes You Further Every Day’, the campaign extends the TVC narrative to the rest of the multi-channel and innovative campaign.

Its storyline also continues with a series of interactive OOH marketing, starting with a first-in-the-industry 3D TV ad of HSBC’s spaceship flying using naked-eye technology.

HSBC said, “The EveryMile Credit Card campaign leverages new technology to attract, engage, and interact with customers but more importantly, the campaign is appealing to a wide range of local audiences with culturally relevant content and generational talents embracing their roles as Space Rangers and ambassadors for EveryMile Credit Card launch.”

The advertisement is currently displayed on a 3D TV screen in the high-traffic district of Causeway Bay at 3 Matheson Street in Hong Kong. 

In addition, HSBC is also inviting audiences to take part in an ongoing interactive game, where participants will be searching for three pieces of the Space Rangers’ flying saucer scattered around the city with a chance to win RewardCash if they succeed in retrieving the displaced parts. 

The locations of the pieces are hidden in the series of integrated takeovers including the 3D installation displayed at Queens Road Central, the 3D TV, and the light show outside HSBC’s main building.

Bangkok, Thailand – With many Thai businesses projected to shut down by the end of 2021 due to the pandemic, mobile operator dtac has launched its new improved 700MHz spectrum signal with its new campaign, aimed at helping local businesses survive and thrive by giving its advertising space to promote their own businesses.

The launch of the new 700MHz spectrum is a reflection of the brand’s ambition to become a network for all, as dtac is committed to ensuring digital access through intensive network coverage expansion, to reduce inequalities and empower societies with the ability to use digital technology.

Titled ‘#GoodforAll’, the new campaign, created in collaboration with Google and creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson, adopted hyper-personalization marketing through data-driven creative where online ad spaces were personalized to regional level dialects and location specific targeting of local communities. Using technology and data, Wunderman Thompson produced more than 300 highly personalized creatives just for dtac’s real customers to find new customers in their local areas on the spaces.

Through the campaign, dtac selected customers from 50 provinces across the country where their businesses were promoted on billboards, out of home, and TV tie ins, as well as online films – personalized at nationwide scale, all of which were donated by dtac. 

Lih Ren How, dtac’s chief marketing officer, believes that building deeper connections with the local communities and people is important, and this emotional engagement differentiates their brand. 

Meanwhile, Park Wannasiri, the chief creative director of Wunderman Thompson Thailand, said they focused on how they can fight together with their customers. 

“In every touchpoint, down the whole funnel. Hats off to our brave clients. They did put in all of their capability to help real people, by doing good without expecting something in return. In the end you get the result you deserve,” said Wannasiri.

Sean Ong, Wunderman Thompson’s director of strategy for Thailand, shared that their strategy was to change the conversation of the category, and the category was focused on the future technology (5G), which may seem appealing but unattainable for the majority of Thais. 

“In contrast, dtac’s ‘#GoodForAll’ changed the conversation from flighty dreams of the future, to practical tangible improvements that people need today. dtac 700MHz network improvements increased data capabilities and coverage on existing handsets. These are benefits that can help drive small businesses and customers to overcome the challenges they are facing now. It was more than a telecommunications network but a network of support and progress,” said Ong. 

More than 1,500 dtac customers and businesses participated in this campaign, with 120 businesses given free ad spaces to promote their businesses – directly infusing a lifeline back to their businesses.

Sydney, Australia – As part of its commitment to fighting climate change, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), top organization in helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic and human development, has launched what it say its largest climate advocacy campaign.

Titled ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’, the campaign is designed to engage the world in a drive towards a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.

The campaign was created together with creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson Australia, with global creative company Activista, creative studio Framestore, and IT service management firm Mindpool. It launches with a hero film led by Activista, which features a dinosaur addressing the UN General Assembly, urging the leaders of the world to not go extinct by their own doing. Given there is no silver bullet argument against climate inaction that appeals to everyone, the 7 billion strong audiences each cling to different excuses to justify it, and to curb inaction, the film will drive to a digital ecosystem called ‘The World of Excuses’.

‘The World of Excuses’, which was created by Wunderman Thompson Australia, allows users to click into the said ‘excuses’ on the website. Each is pictured as an asteroid rocketing towards Earth, where viewers can find information and tools to provide direct action. 

The tools will be rolled out in phases in the coming months. It includes the ‘Chrome Plugin Thesaurus Rex’, which is designed to help people navigate the terms around fossil fuels online, ‘The Voice of Reason’, an Alexa skill that disarmingly rebuts every climate change myth, and a spin on ‘The Birds’ and ‘The Bees’, with an e-book that gives children the arguments they need to convince their parents and peers.

Boaz Paldi, the global partnership and engagement manager for UNDP, said that they wanted to spotlight the climate crisis and at the same time energize the debate about some of the economic solutions that are out there to get people on a path to de-carbonization, as addressing fossil fuel subsidies are a critical issue in the fight against climate change. 

“The campaign gives hope that despite the trajectory we seem to be on there is still time to act and solutions to fight for. Creativity and technology are two of the necessary tools we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and move towards a green transition. It’s why we needed the best minds in the industry to partner with us in our journey to make these goals a reality,” said Paldi.

Meanwhile, João Braga, Wunderman Thompson Australia’s chief creative officer, shared that this behavior change campaign gave them the largest possible target audience anyone could have, and with 7 billion people to speak to and a challenge of this caliber, they needed deep creative thinking from every discipline. 

“This digital experience is only just the start of our work with the UNDP to help end the excuses around climate change for good and provide people from all walks of life the understanding and the facts they need to make a difference. We’re even working to take this idea as far as outer-space, by naming real asteroids after these excuses,” said Braga.

Moreover, the digital ecosystem includes ‘Global Mindpool’ – a collective intelligence platform that empowers people to make their voices heard, playing an active part in building a more sustainable, equitable future through contributing their thoughts to large and diverse groups of global collaborators, with the aim of mobilizing data to help tackle the climate and inequality crisis and influence policy change.

UNDP said that its offices across 170 countries will be activating the campaign.

Sydney, Australia – United Nations Development Program (UNDP), top organization in helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic and human development, has appointed creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson Australia, to be its lead digital experience agency in its upcoming advocacy campaign.

The campaign, which is also in partnership with global creative company Activista and IT service management firm Mindpool, is deemed to be the largest climate advocacy campaign of this era and looks to launch the first phase in late October. It aims to engage millions of people in the drive towards an equitable and green recovery from the global pandemic.

Through the campaign, UNDP will be ensuring they collectively meet the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the world, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Boaz Paldi, United Nations Development Program’s global partnership and engagement manager, noted that creativity and technology are two of the necessary tools they need to achieve, which are the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the move towards green transition.

“It’s why Wunderman Thompson has been the perfect partner for us – an agency with passionate people with the right expertise to help us in our journey to make these goals reality,” said Paldi.

Lee Leggett, the chief executive officer at Wunderman Thompson Australia, commented, “This project is close to our hearts here at Wunderman Thompson. It’s why we’re all so incredibly proud to be part of it and work alongside the United Nations Development Program to create work that inspires change for a better world.”

Hong Kong – Creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson in Hong Kong has announced Maggie Wong as its new CEO. Wong is formerly the managing director of Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnett Hong Kong.

The move comes after former managing director Matthew Parry makes the move to Australia, joining Wunderman Thompson Sydney to assume the same MD role. 

Wong brings with her more than 17 years of experience. She has worked with established international brands across various industries, including Expedia, Lexus, and Pizza Hut, as well as HKT, and Standard Chartered.

Aside from her previous role in Publicis, Wong has also worked as the managing partner at marketing communications agency The Gate, and the business director at architectural design firm Alan Chan Design Co.

Commenting on her appointment, Wong said, “Wunderman Thompson HK has established an excellent base with a diverse blend of talents and capabilities to turbocharge the next chapter of growth. I’m hugely excited to be joining the wonderful team and by the prospect of what we can achieve together.”

Meanwhile, Ewen Sturgeon, Wunderman Thompson International’s CEO, shared they are very excited to see Wong join them and bring her own brand of leadership, as she has the right focus on creativity, data, and experience to continue growing the Hong Kong office.

“Matt leaves to Maggie a strong and successful agency, with a great team and clients. And I’m thrilled that Matt continues to grow his career in the Wunderman Thompson network,” said Sturgeon.

Australia – With the original formation of a KITKAT chocolate, everyone knows that the best way to eat it is to break the partitions and enjoy it finger by finger. After all, this is where the famous slogan of the brand comes from, “Have a break, Have a KitKat.” But through the years, people have been less traditional and are taking a bite out of their KITKATs with the way they like and how they think it is most enjoyable.

In a fun and light campaign by Nestlé Australia on TikTok, the brand is finally acknowledging the passionate debate swirling online about the correct way to eat a KITKAT.

Done with creative agency Wunderman Thompson, the ‘Have a bite’ social campaign sees KITKAT jump in to respond to the many people proudly flaunting their innovative and somewhat intriguing approach to the correct KITKAT consumption method.

The natural tendency is to tear the pack, break off a finger, and snap in half. But some people have opted to take a giant bite out of all four fingers, or even nibbling off the chocolate layers.

The campaign, which will be running until 30 September, kicked off with prominent TikTok creators throwing their voices into the debate by showing how they have a bite. Roped in the commotion to shed more light is screen legend Michael Caton who bit into a KITKAT himself and asking Aussies, “Is this wrong?” 

Commenting on the campaign, João Braga, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson, said, “As Australia’s favorite chocolate bar, we know that people have some serious love for the iconic treat, but we wanted to discover new ways to engage with the fanbase online. What better way to do this than by jumping into the heartfelt and passionate debate over the true, right, and ‘correct’ way to eat a KITKAT.”

Joyce Tan, Nestlé’s head of marketing, added, “We knew it was time to finally weigh in on the conversation regarding how to properly eat a KITKAT and acknowledge the weird and wonderful ways Aussies eat theirs.”

“Teaming up with Wunderman Thompson, we were able [to] leverage the power of TikTok creators and iconic Australian actor Michael Caton to generate real-time conversation about the many ways that a KITKAT is enjoyed,” Tan said.

In line with the social campaign, KITKAT releases limited-edition packs showing variations of the iconic bitten KITKAT.

Ultimately, Nestlé said in a press release, KITKAT is OK with how you choose to eat your KITKAT “as long as you’re taking a break to enjoy it.”

To show that ‘other’ ways of having a bite are at least being entertained by the brand, KITKAT is testing the waters with some limited-edition packs, where the iconic snapping fingers printed on the pack are replaced with some of the different ways Aussies bite their KITKATs.

According to Wunderman Thompson, the campaign has gained 4.3 million views organically across TikTok and Instagram in the first 48 hours of launch, and the attention of some very passionate KITKAT fans with more than 70,000 votes in a Twitter debate.

Thailand – In the true sense of making lemonade out of lemons in life, Thai dairy brand Dutch Mill decided to release a film about the struggles it went through to launch its latest commercial that had the goal of introducing its new product, Dutch Mill Selected Rich Espresso coffee-flavored milk.

The star of the film is the five-member crew of Wunderman Thompson Thailand, the agency which worked on the planned commercial. In a documentary-style film, it took viewers through how the original 50-member team of the agency had been downsized to just five and how the last men standing made the best of the situation.

The goal of the commercial is to demonstrate the journey of fresh milk and rich espresso coffee through the Rube Goldberg machine. The machine is the famous chain-reaction type of machine which often connects unrelated devices to perform a simple task in an overly complicated way.

Titled the “The Lockdown Rube Goldberg,” the production crew documented the Herculean task of engineering and filming the complex machinery it has envisioned for the commercial with a 5-member crew over three grueling months.

Under the governmental policy in Thailand, which remains in heavy lockdown, commercial shoots are restricted to no more than five people on set, which poses a huge challenge to all production crews.

Wunderman Thompson Thailand’s ECD Thasorn Boonyanate said that through their efforts, they aim to prove that it’s possible for brands to launch communication under a 5-person production limit.

“Not only did we commission the crew to make this documentary to promote themselves, but we also diverted a portion of our agency fee to hire 70 production staff who are currently out of work. The truth is we all need each other to get through COVID-19 together,” said Boonyanate.

Ultimately, in the end, the agency attained sweet victory, making Dutch Mill, the client, happy.

At the end of the film, the finished commercial was shown, where as a conclusion, it connects how the new drink by Dutch Mill helps to make one feel ‘strong’ in any situation. 

Raviwan Mahakachaporn, the marketing director of Dutch Mill, said, “In this lockdown situation, it is tough for all of us but especially for freelance workers who are not on a payroll. They need all the support they can get, and we are happy to be their working partner. We hope this video will cheer you up and fuel your strength to fight another day.”

According to the agency, within three days, the video had already received over 4,000 shares and four million organic views.

The current campaign follows Dutch Mill’s support of more than 200 Mum-and-Pop shops in Thailand during the pandemic which saw it diverting its advertising spend for user-generated geo-targeted ads for the local stores.

Shanghai, China – Creative agency and consulting company Wunderman Thompson in China has recently bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Raymond Chin as chief creative officer and Joyce Ling as chief strategy officer.

With 20 years of experience, Chin has used creative innovation to propel many brands’ digital transformation. Having previously served as digital creative director at advertising company J Walter Thompson in Shanghai from 2008 to 2013, Chin returns to the Wunderman Thompson network after serving as Accenture Interactive’s chief experience officer, leading subsidiary ad agency Droga5 in creating a more meaningful and targeted customer experience for brands.

“Brand creativity should not be just about communication but should also cover all dimensions of brand experience from product, service to CX innovations. It’s why I am excited to return to Wunderman Thompson, an agency that believes in this experience-driven approach,” Chin said regarding his appointment.

Meanwhile, Ling was previously the chief strategy officer for J. Walter Thompson for Greater China and was also previously chief strategy officer at ad agency network McCann Worldgroup in China, and vice president of strategy at digital consulting company Publicis.Sapient.

Having 20 years of experience in both traditional and digital advertising in China under her belt, Ling’s experience spans industries, including technology, luxury goods, FMCG, health, tourism, and lifestyle. She has worked on more than 100 brands, including Nestle, Michael Kors, LVMH, Heineken, Unilever and more.

“It’s very exciting to be back at the Wunderman Thompson network. I look forward to enhancing our strategic offerings to set up for client success, together with a team of driven and passionate talents.” Ling said pertaining to her appointment.

Both will serve under the leadership of Carter Chow, chief executive officer at Wunderman Thompson China.

“Their experiences since their previous tenure at J Walter Thompson have mirrored our growth as an agency network, and we are glad for the opportunity to work together again. I am certain that both Raymond and Joyce will further our growth as a future-focused agency and look forward to the collision of inspiration and ideas,” Chow concluded.

Beijing, China – With China becoming more and more open to exploring new trends and strategies within the retail and commerce market, Asia-Pacific and Western brands ought to take better attention in order to succeed in tapping the Chinese consumer market, a new report from Wunderman Thompson Intelligence shows.

Citing data from market research firm eMarketer, who notes that 52% of total retail sales globally originate from China, the report unveils how China is ‘opening’ itself to the world in terms of commerce. For Chen May Yee, APAC director for Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, Chinese tech giants and global brands alike are trying new ideas first in cities like Shenzhen, from where they spread across China and its borders, hence no global brand can afford not to pay attention. 

Statistics-wise, 27% of Chinese consumers shop online four to six times a week, compared with 19% of Indians, 14% of Thais, 12% of Australians and 11% of Indonesians. Despite the regularity, 9% of Indian consumers say they shop online every day, compared to 7% in China.

In terms of spending power, Chinese consumers are willing to spend the most on online purchases, averaging to US$1,507 though Australia is not far behind, with an average of US$1,177.

While there has been a significant rise of the Gen Z demographic in the consumer space, the older generation are not to forget as well. China’s seniors are the last untapped demographic when it comes to commerce, but not for long. Post pandemic, 81% of Chinese consumers that are aged over 55 years old are now more comfortable using digital technology.

The report also notes that the pandemic and accompanying lockdowns have pushed record numbers online, often through sheer necessity when shops were shut down. This is evident by the fact that even in China, which already boasted a high level of digital literacy before the pandemic, 62% state that they have become more comfortable using digital technology post-pandemic.

In China, the country that created the mega-influencer capable of moving millions of dollars of merchandise in a single livestream, a degree of influencer fatigue is setting in. About 24% of Chinese say friends and family are now their biggest influence on buying decisions, versus 16% who cite social media influencers and 4% who say celebrities. In China, some online marketers are tapping into this shift by promoting friend recommendations, micro-influencers and peer-to-peer networks.

The report also notes that the Chinese market has pioneered various strategies and new demographics to tap into, including launching of live commerce as well as venturing into the gamer market, where eight in ten among Chinese respondents are playing games on mobile phones. Surprisingly, 91% of respondents who are over 55 years old say they do gaming as well on mobile.