Advertising + Marketing Malaysia - August 2016

AUGUST

E

W RRA BR I H AN

R

KEE PI N

INTERNAL L Y

ECT IN G FONTE

ET ’C R S C D SE

G

CREATING CONN

T

T EN M

E OF EXCI L P ENNIAL TALEN TE P I MILL OOI SHARES ON PAG T IS R H ORINE S TO E 20 NO

.

SY EA MOTIVATE T D. EM TH

A

2016

ANALYTICS

STRATEGY

CREATIVE

TECHNOLOGY

The always-on customer experience requires a digital-always approach.

Epsilon’s digital messaging solution powers omnichannel dialogs between you and your customer, delivering highly personalized campaigns via email, mobile, social, online and offline. This enables you to use data from virtually anywhere, at any time to orchestrate more profitable relationships.

Contact us and get insights on how to take your customer relationships to a new level.

apac-info@epsilon.com | epsilon.com

Epsilon International, a trading name of Alliance Data FHC, Inc.

ED’S LETTER ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

GOOD CONTENT LASTS A LIFETIME Venus Hew, Senior Journalist venush@marketing-interactive.com Vivienne Tay, Journalist viviennet@marketing-interactive.com Editorial – International Inti Tam, Deputy Editor (Hong Kong) intit@marketing-interactive.com Production and Design Shahrom Kamarulzaman, Regional Art Director shahrom@lighthousemedia.com.sg Fauzie Rasid, Senior Designer fauzier@lighthousemedia.com.sg Advertising Sales Johnathan Tiang, Team Lead johnathant@marketing-interactive.com Ee Kai Li, Account Manager kailie@marketing-interactive.com Erica Loh, Account Manager erical@marketing-interactive.com Nadiah Jamaludin, Account Manager nadiahj@marketing-interactive.com Ong Yi Xuan, Trade Marketing Executive yixuano@marketing-interactive.com Advertising Sales - International Sara Wan, Senior Sales Manager (Hong Kong) saraw@marketing-interactive.com Event Production and Marketing Hairol Salim, Regional Lead - Events and Training hairol@marketing-interactive.com

Recently I was put on “distraction duty” during my two-year-old niece’s dinner time.

Bored within minutes of my Jim Carrey (from The Mask) impressions, she reached out for the nearest smartphone device available.

What resulted was an awe-worthy sequence of events.

Within minutes, and with very little help, she accessed YouTube, found a bunch of nursery rhymes she liked and scrolled through the list to end up on a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star video. The song then went on loop for a good three minutes.

While I was blown away at how easily toddlers can navigate the world of digital, it was also somewhat nostalgic to see that great content (in this case, an age-old nursery rhyme) can transcend time, no matter how much the mediums of communication change and evolve.

During a recent A+M Insights conference on targeting cross-border travellers, Soon SzeMeng, vice-president and head of marketing strategy, planning and insights at Visa, echoed a similar sentiment saying marketers should move from being focused on the channel of communication to the communication itself.

As such, this month we look at how good content is necessary for effective communication with your target audience.

On page 22, we ask both client-side marketers and influencers in Malaysia to share tips on how to create the perfect influencer marketing strategy in this quickly changing world of social.

At the end of the day, content might be king, but distribution is after all, still queen. As such, forging the right partnerships matters more than ever in gaining the trust of your consumers and winning over their hearts and wallets as an authentic brand.

With that, I hope you enjoy the issue.

Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

Editorial Rezwana Manjur, Editor rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com

Andrew Davy, Regional Marketing Lead andrewd@marketing-interactive.com Event Services Yeo Wei Qi, Regional Head of Events Services weiqi@marketing-interactive.com Circulation Executive Deborah Quek, Circulations Executive deborahq@marketing-interactive.com Finance Evelyn Wong, Regional Finance Director evelynw@lighthousemedia.com.sg Management Søren Beaulieu, Publisher sorenb@marketing-interactive.com Justin Randles, Group Managing Director jr@marketing-interactive.com Tony Kelly, Managing Director tk@marketing-interactive.com

Marketing is published 12 times per year by Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd. Printed in Singapore on CTP process by Sun Rise Printing & Supplies Pte Ltd, 10 Admiralty Street, #06-20 North Link Building, Singapore 757695. Tel: (65) 6383 5290.

MCI (P) 122/01/2016. For subscriptions, contact circulations at +65 6423 0329 or email subscriptions@marketing-interactive.com. COPYRIGHT & REPRINTS: All material printed in Marketing is protected under the copyright act. All rights reserved.

No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior written consent of the publisher and copyright holder. Permission may be requested through the Singapore office. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Marketing are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Singapore: Lighthouse Independent Media Pte Ltd 100C Pasir Panjang Road, #05-01 See Hoy Chan Hub, Singapore 118519 198755 Tel: +65 6423 0329 Fax: +65 6423 0117 Hong Kong: Lighthouse Independent Media Ltd Unit A, 7/F, Wah Kit Commercial Building 302 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2861 1882 Fax: +852 2861 1336 To subscribe to Marketing magazine, go to: www.marketing-interactive.com

Rezwana Manjur Editor

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

JU NE 2 016 M ARKE TI N G 1

Advertising + Marketing’s MasterClass series is an ongoing programme of specialised workshops covering wide-ranging topics relevant to present-day marketing communications disciplines. One day in length and customised to ďŹ t the needs of marketers from various functions, each MasterClass course will enrich you with skills and tools to bring your competencies to a higher level.

Check out all upcoming courses here:

WWW.MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.COM/MASTERCLASS-SERIES/MY

COMING UP Social Media Content Creation Date: 14 September 2016 Social Media Crisis Management Date: 20 September 2016 Explosive Storytelling Date: 13 October 2016 Under the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), registered employers can claim rebates for trainings conducted by an overseas trainer/ training provider.

Contact Carlo Reston, carlor@marketing-interactive.com, +65 6423 0329 for further information on agenda and registration.

AMMCS_Print_Ad_V7.indd 1

10/8/2016 10:08:43 AM

CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4

A MONTH IN NEWS A round up of a month of news from Malaysia and the region.

10 DID NINTENDO LOSE OUT BY NOT LAUNCHING POKÉMON GO IN ASIA? Should Asia have been one of the initial markets to launch Pokémon Go? Vivienne Tay asks.

13 NAGA DDB’S ECD ON THE INSPIRATION BEHIND AN ANTIPAEDOPHILIA CAMPAIGN What really goes through the mind of a creative director when creating such a hard-hitting spot?

Venus Hew reports.

14 IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO ATTRACT MUSLIM TRAVELLERS TO SINGAPORE? What more can be done to attract this lucrative segment? Vivienne Tay explores.

19 THE DEMISE OF THE CALIFORNIA FITNESS BRAND Why selling a job is no longer the ideal way of retaining talent. Marketers must now start selling a vision internally.

Is this the beginning of the end for mega gyms? Vivienne Tay writes.

20 PROFILE: CORINE OOI, FONTERRA BRANDS’ GROUP GM OF GLOBAL MATERNAL – PAEDIATRICS Fonterra Brands’ Corine Ooi speaks to Vivienne Tay on selling a brand vision internally to retain employees.

22 CRAFTING THE RIGHT STRATEGY FOR INFLUENCER MARKETING Influencers are great in reaching your target audience, but having the right strategy is a must.

Vivienne Tay explores the world of influencer marketing.

SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE!

13 10 What you’ll learn in this issue: >> How to keep Millennial marketers happy. >> The ins and outs of influencer marketing. >> Ads that resonate with Malaysians.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

14 19 AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3

NEWS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

WANT MORE BREAKING NEWS? SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE INDUSTRY.

Pahang’s visitor initiative The Pahang government has collaborated with Global Ikhwan to promote the Visit Pahang Year (VPY) 2017 campaign through its chain of 83 restaurants and cafes internationally. Global Ikhwan’s role is to provide spaces in its restaurants to display the 2017 materials, said a spokesperson from Global Ikhwan. Meanwhile, the Pahang state government will help promote Global Ikhwan’s restaurants to Malaysians travelling overseas looking for local delicacies.

Shell celebrates 125 years To celebrate Shell’s 125 years in Malaysia, it launched #StationStories, a web series celebrating the journeys of its customers. #StationStories was a project Shell tested in the middle of last year in Malaysia, alongside the Netherlands market, where it tapped on the potential to connect with its customers while they are pumping petrol.

The campaign is slated to run until November.

Decathlon’s big Malaysia push French sports chain Decathlon confirmed plans to expand aggressively into Malaysia and hopes to open up to 60 stores within the next decade. Malaysia is the third country in ASEAN to have a Decathlon store after Singapore and Thailand. The expansion is part of its global plans to triple its stores globally in the next decade from its current number of 1,000.

Rexona’s fresh move Rexona partnered with MullenLowe Malaysia to create a series of immersive brand experiences titled “Rexona Fresh Moves”. The campaign saw Malaysian youth icons, celebrity Scha Alyahya and international hip-hop artist SonaOne daring Malaysian youths to a series of activities aimed at promoting the advanced protection technology of Rexona MotionSense. It also witnessed a line-up of key opinion leaders such as Faiz Dickie, Chazy Nash, Mawar Rashid and Nadrah Zamani.

Enriching travellers Through its loyalty programme called Enrich, Malaysia Airlines offered members a chance to enjoy up to 50% off flight redemptions from Malaysia to Greater China. Called “Wo Ai Ni”, the deal was exclusive to Enrich members. The airline also collaborated with its lifestyle partner Rocketmiles to further enhance travel plans to China.

Enrich members were able to use their Enrich miles to redeem flight tickets.

4 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Fujifilm makes creative hire Fujifilm Malaysia appointed Govt Kuala Lumpur as its creative partner following a three-way pitch. The new appointment involves covering all aspects of strategy, creative ideation, execution and monitoring for Fujifilm’s digital cameras across digital, social media, ATL and on-ground activation platforms. The campaign kicked off in August, in conjunction with the launch of its new range of cameras.

Allianz’s new programme Building towards its new digital agency model regionally, Allianz launched an Allianz Masters regional training programme aimed at professional development. Created by LIMRA, Allianz Masters underpins the company’s commitment to provide customers with distinguished services and support. It also aims to empower advisers with the right skill-sets, along with the goal of achieving greater customer satisfaction in the user journey.

INTI rides the K-wave INTI International University & Colleges released a two-part parody called “Descendants of the Sun – #Macha vs #Taeyang” which rides on the popular Korean series. The video centres on a love rivalry between two boys over a girl and infused some of the most memorable moments of the original drama, along with a local touch. The parody was created by Grenos Film – the founders of which are INTI alumni.

iFashion buys Dressabelle Online collaborative venture platform iFashion Group acquired Dressabelle for SG$7.5 million in cash and shares. By joining the iFashion Group, Dressabelle widens its selection of products and forms collaborations with other brands under the platform, which moves towards its goal of becoming Southeast Asia’s leading online fashion retailer.

Additionally, Dressabelle’s vast experience will strengthen iFashion’s capabilities to groom smaller brands for possible future acquisitions.

A bitter aftertaste Malaysian coffee chain Zawara Coffee found itself in hot water after two of its men were arrested by the Sepang police for a marketing stunt involving a military utility vehicle used to promote its coffee. The vehicle was asking members of the public “to take a shot” of its espresso and had been going throughout town for the past two months.

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Aviation rights The Malaysian Aviation Commission released a new code to protect consumers travelling by air to and from Malaysia called the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016. Consumers’ rights will be protected and clearly defined when flying in and from the Malaysian Peninsula. It aims for more transparency and education on how to exercise these rights when it relates to flight changes, pricing, baggage and other things.

A lifestyle store 7-Eleven Malaysia launched its 2000th store in Malaysia with a revamped and modern convenience store format. This will be rolled out across Malaysia via a programme of store refurbishments and new stores.

The new generation 7-Eleven convenience stores encourages customers to see 7-Eleven as a lifestyle concept where they can enjoy the range of products on offer by spending time at the store, similar to a neighbourhood café.

Campaign to fight paedophiles Non-profit organisation Protect and Save the Children and Naga DDB launched their new project called “Nursery Crimes” to create an awareness of paedophiles in Malaysia, a taboo subject for many. It centred on three films in three different languages to educate the Malaysian public on paedophilia.

The videos also come in 360 versions to immerse the viewer with the child’s point of view.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

4As partners with IPA again The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) partnered with UK-based Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) for the second time to introduce the IPA commercial certificate. This was to arm future advertising industry leaders with an education in agency finance in Malaysia. Crafted by advertising practitioners from the IPA Finance Policy Group, it aims to strengthen an understanding of the commercial factors influencing agencies and clients.

McDonald’s chases partners McDonald’s is on the lookout for local franchise partners in Malaysia and Singapore, undertaking a decision to adopt a development licensee model. This decision will enable focused investment in the brand and speed up growth in the Asian markets. According to Bloomberg, the sale of the franchise rights could bring in about US$400 million for the brand, which owns more than 250 stores in Malaysia.

Firefly gets swatted In a bid to promote its new beach vacation deals, Firefly placed an ad called “Hey B*#%H. I’m here!”

It made its rounds on social media for all the wrong reasons with some netizens deeming it as “misogynistic” and “degrading”.

To clarify its position, the brand said on social media: “Hello everyone, we’ve included an explanation that b*#%h in this ad means the beach, and we mean no harm.”

Sailing the Seven Seas Health supplement brand Seven Seas Malaysia partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia to launch a campaign collaborating with badminton icon Foo Kok Keong. The threepart video, which centred on the truth that age should never stop the pursuit of passion, followed Foo from his boyhood days to the time he was part of the Malaysian badminton team that brought back the elusive Thomas Cup after 25 years.

In-flight magazine flies off shelf Following the completion of an audit process by the Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia, AirAsia’s in-flight magazine Travel 3Sixty saw an increase of 12% in average net distribution per publishing issue from January to December 2015. Back in 2014, Travel 3Sixty was the only in-flight publication in Malaysia and the region to be audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and it continued to maintain this status for 2015.

Ekuinas sports new business Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (Ekuinas) has entered the retail sportswear business following the acquisition of a 35% stake in Malaysia’s Bumiputera sportswear retailer, Al-Ikhsan Sports for RM68.6 million. The deal included the 100% acquisition and injection of the company’s homegrown sportswear apparel brand, AL Sports, under the Al-Ikhsan umbrella, to leverage on the increasing interest in health and fitness among Malaysians in general.

Isentia strengthens presence Isentia opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur to meet the evolving needs of Malaysian consumers. This followed a movement to keep up with the fast-changing media landscape, where the company is tracking and reporting on communications campaigns as a provider of integrated digital and offline media intelligence in Malaysia. The company also projected a strong double-digit growth locally.

Perfect round of golf G.A Brand Design Kuala Lumpur developed a 30-second TV commercial entitled “The Perfect Round” to promote its golfing destination, The Els Club Malaysia.

Former South African top pro golfer Ernie Els was featured prominently in the film, shot entirely on location at the club in Malaysia.

It describes what goes into a great round of golf from early morning alarms, hours of practice to even companionship.

Swee Cheong fined Swee Cheong Watch & Pen was reportedly fined by the Kota Baru Municipal Council in Malaysia, according to The Star. The posters causing the offence were supplied by the manufacturers, the Malaysian news source was told. They were of famous Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai posing for Longines, a Swiss watch brand, and two models posing for fashion brand Guess’ watch line.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 5

NEWS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Havas launches Adcity Havas launched a new global network called Adcity focused on connecting brands and consumers across everyday life activities through both OOH and local cross-media communications. Adcity applies consumer understanding to data activation, media convergence, new technologies and client interactions. It operates across 35 offices via 300 experts across Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America. It will see additional offices opening in Europe, the US and Asia.

Brand-safe inventory Blis launched Blis Prime which offers access to high quality and brand-safe inventory which it claims will deliver “great campaign results”. Blis Prime gives advertisers a customisable marketplace guaranteeing access to high-end publishers, premium data and exclusive ad formats that aren’t available in the open market.

Global inventory from publishers such as News International and Forbes, combined with location data, is made available programmatically via exchange partners across the Blis Platform.

HOW MUCH DOES THAT COST?

GOING PLACES

PSB Academy launched its #psbgoplaces campaign which aims to promote its undergraduate programmes to recently graduated polytechnic students. The campaign looks to raise its profile as a premier tertiary educational institute.

Through the omni-channel campaign, students and lecturers fronted the campaign. The tonguein-cheek phrase “Raise the Bar, Go Places” was targeted at parents and prospective students who

6 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

drove to the undergraduate fair in June. The campaign was promoted at road shows, on print and on out-of-home channels and was amplified by earned media, digital and social media platforms. Around SG$200,000 was spent on bus wraps for this campaign.

Six weeks into the campaign, PSB Academy saw a 14% increase in leads generated over the same period last year, making up 32% of total leads accumulated in 2016.

#unstereotype yourselves Unilever wanted to change the way women and men are portrayed in advertising through a new movement called “#unstereotype”. According to Aline Santos, executive VP of global marketing for Unilever, #unstereotype is about men as well as women. The global consumer goods company also urged marketers globally to be aware of the outdated stereotypes of gender that advertising still propagates.

Revlon snaps up Arden shares Revlon agreed to buy all of the outstanding shares of Elizabeth Arden for US$14 per share in cash, in a deal worth US$870 million. Benefits that Revlon is expected to enjoy include an expanded global footprint and a significant presence across all major beauty channels and categories, including the addition of Elizabeth Arden’s growing prestige skincare, colour cosmetics and fragrances.

The jewel in the crown Swarovski awarded its global media business to Havas Media, giving the agency responsibility for its account in more than 35 countries, including the US, China, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia, Canada, Spain, Mexico and Brazil. The scope of work will cover the full range of media, including social and programmatic. Havas will take over responsibilities from ZenithOptimedia, the incumbent agency for the past nine years, from January 2017.

Measuring digital advertising Oracle and Snapchat partnered up to measure the impact of digital advertising in the physical world. The two are looking to measure incremental store sales resulting from marketing campaigns run on Snapchat.

By analysing the impact of campaigns on in-store sales, Oracle Data Cloud will help consumer packaged goods advertisers quantify and improve their ongoing marketing efforts on Snapchat.

Dove’s aggressive approach Dove, a personal care brand owned by Unilever, announced a new spot accompanying its latest campaign #MyBeautyMySay, where it features stories of women of different backgrounds standing up for their own beauty. It also explored the act of how society uses their beauty against them and takes on an aggressive approach on how women should fight for themselves and not be subject to such judgments.

Fighting it out Abercrombie & Fitch sued Gap as the former claimed the hire of its new chief marketing officer Craig Brommers violated his non-compete clause. According to the lawsuit, Brommers, who had been a senior VP of marketing at the company for nearly three years, is prohibited from working for 12 retail competitors, including Gap, for a period of a year upon resigning from Abercrombie.

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

AUDIT WATCH

THE BUSINESS OF AUDIT Asian Legal Business (ALB) is a monthly publication which reaches senior legal professionals and corporate business leaders from all business sectors and industries. It has a circulation of 40,000 and is distributed in Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

ALB combines news, research and analysis from professional legal journalists and expert opinions of senior industry professionals, along with market-leading data from Thomson Reuters. Each issue provides insights and contains in-depth features examining changes in legislation, important areas of practice, overseas jurisdictions and revealing profiles of major industry leaders.

It has been audited in the past and the team is preparing for the audit this year by the Audit Bureau of Circulation in Singapore. One of the biggest benefits of auditing for

UNHCR appoints Edelman UNHCR Hong Kong, a suboffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appointed Edelman as its marketing agency in Hong Kong. UNHCR was recording the highest levels of forced displacement on record leading up to World Refugee Day on 20 June. Edelman launched #itstartswithus, an integrated campaign with digital marketing at the heart to drive conversation in Hong Kong and Macau and generate leads and donors for UNHCR. Cleartrip gets creative India’s online travel company Cleartrip appointed Mullen Lintas (ML) to handle its creative duties.

These duties will be handled out of ML’s Bangalore office.

The agency was appointed after a multi-agency pitch and was chosen for presenting a communications strategy that was forward-looking and in line with the expectations of the company.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

a niche publication such as ALB is to establish genuine and believable circulation numbers.

“In recent years, magazine circulation quoted is in some ways an artificial figure. Auditing validates circulation because there are less things that can be hidden,” said Amantha Chia, publisher and head of sales and legal business, ASEAN and North Asia, Thomson Reuters.

Three-way partnership Dutch dairy product brand Friso China, Chinese internet giant Tencent and media agency Carat China announced a strategic partnership to develop new content to engage with Chinese consumers. The three parties will conduct co-operation around content marketing programmes such as Let Go, Baby, and work together to release a white paper on mothers and kids in the near future.

A new film fund Chinese internet giant Baidu set up a RMB2 billion (US$307.7 million) fund to invest in more than 30 films over the next two years.

The announcement was made during the Shanghai International Film Festival. Yongming Xu, general manager of Baidu Nuomi, said the company would fund at least 30 movies, including animated films, live action films and several targeting Chinese youth, hoping to earn billions at the box office.

The Simpsons go to China The Simpsons store has finally set foot in China. Its first theme store opened in Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun, featuring more than 125 exclusive merchandise items related to The Simpsons animated television series, a Gracie Films production in association with 20th Century Fox. Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products also announced the launch of three additional retail stores in Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing during the second half of 2016.

A worldwide barrel hunt Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey rolled out “Jack Daniel’s Barrel Hunt”, a global scavenger hunt, as part of its 150th anniversary celebration. The first barrel hunt took place in the US on 1 July and visited over 50 countries in 90 days. The brand also provided clues via its local Facebook pages to help fans find the hidden whiskey barrels around the world to win the unique and specially designed prizes.

Strategic alliance Global mobile communications brand BlackBerry entered a strategic alliance with PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi Tbk (Emtek). It will provide cross-platform BBM users with access to enriched content and services. The partnership aims to advance BBM for the consumer market through a licensing agreement with Emtek Group that enables the company to develop new BBM applications and services for Android, iOS and Windows Phones.

Hilton launches in Xi’an Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Worldwide’s upscale global hotel brand, launched Hilton Garden Inn Xi’An/Hi-Tech Zone. This is the second Hilton Worldwide hotel in Xi’an after Hilton Xi’an. Owned by Yango Group and managed by Hilton Worldwide, the 276-room Hilton Garden Inn Xi’An/Hi-Tech Zone adds to Hilton Garden Inn’s portfolio of more than 675 hotels worldwide.

Finding a new balance New Balance appointed DeVries Global to lead its public relations and influencer engagement programmes in China. The agency will support New Balance on integrated brand communication campaigns, media and key opinion leader outreach, and social media management.

Andres Vejarano, regional managing director for Asia at DeVries Global, said the company was thrilled to assist in spreading the word on New Balance to a growing audience in China.

Remembering the past McDonald’s celebrated its latest Toy Museum which holds a large variety of toys, including 1,000 toys dating back to 1980, at City Plaza in Taikoo Shing. Through a four-day campaign, the fast-food chain partnered with DDB and Tribal Hong Kong to turn back time by recreating McDonald’s adverts from the past. The campaign was designed to inspire shared feelings of nostalgia with its authentic retro-look hailing from the 1990s.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 7

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PAYPAL’S ‘NEW MONEY’ CAMPAIGN AIMS TO CASH IN ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMY Vivienne Tay takes a look at the brand’s first major campaign following its separation from internet giant eBay. PayPal launched its “New Money” campaign in Asia Pacific. This is the brand’s first major brand campaign as an independent company following its separation from internet giant eBay. A+M spoke to Leanne Sheraton, PayPal’s head of APAC for marketing and consumer business, about its latest marketing initiative.

She explained the objective of the campaign was to make a statement about the future of money and introduce the “new” PayPal to the world at the same time.

The 45-second commercial of “New Money” highlights PayPal’s features as a paperless payment option, not limited by time zones and geographical factors. The campaign will also be localised for the market it launches in for Asia.

Sheraton explained “New Money” is a statement to inspire people about the possibilities of the new global economy.

“New Money has no boundaries. We have the technology and the innovation for people to be able to buy and sell securely and confidently no matter where in the world they are. These are the possibilities of the new global economy,” she said.

The campaign, which was first aired during the first quarter of the annual SuperBowl game earlier this year, was PayPal’s first SuperBowlscaled ad. The spot was produced by musicvideo director Nabil Elderkin, known for his work with some of the world’s top music artists such as Kanye West and Nicki Minaj.

As such, the campaign clearly targets Millennials.

Sheraton added the boundaries between global and Asian Millennial consumers are now even more blurred given Asian consumers are seen to be the audience with the most global mindset.

Quoting a recent global study by PayPal and Ipsos, surveying cross-border buying patterns of Millennials, she said Millennials in Asia Pacific are in fact the most globalised 8 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

New Money: PayPal is hoping to inspire people about the possibilities of the new global economy.

in their mindsets and behaviours – 79% of Millennials in Asia Pacific have shopped online in the past 12 months, higher than the global average of 73%, with two in five shopping cross-border.

“In Asia Pacific, people are hungry to pursue new interests, new experiences and new opportunities in the global economy.

People are no longer limited by what is available around them or be excluded from a world of new experiences, options and opportunities,” she said Moreover, being in a period of profound transformation, be it how people shop, how merchants sell, how people interact with financial institutions; the very nature of money itself is changing.

It’s a time where payment and financial systems must serve customers, not the other way around.

Similarly, Millennial entrepreneurs have been creating new idea-based businesses, ushering a new wave of entrepreneurship.

The lure of being an entrepreneur among Millennials has never been greater, she added.

This is arising from the combination of how mainstream digital payments and social platforms have become, as well as an independent self-starter spirit that is driving a wave of innovation to achieve purpose-driven work and life.

But the territory is not without challenges. A lack of ease in navigating the complexities of a global economy and difficulty in finding the best solutions are some, to name a few.

Other notable challenges include fraudulent online activities and transactional difficulties.

As such the campaign also aims to inject a positive sentiment into the world of online payments.

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

New

STAy TUNEd FOR OUR NEW BREAKTHROUGH FOLLOW US AT:

BRANDAVISION SDN. BHD. LOT 9.04, LEVEL 9, PAVILION KUALA LUMPUR, 168, JALAN BUKIT BINTANG, 55100 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA TEL: +603.2141.8111

|

FAX: +603.2118.8851

|

Email: info@brandavision.com

|

www.brandavision.com

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

DID NINTENDO LOSE OUT BY NOT LAUNCHING POKÉMON GO IN SINGAPORE? Should Singapore have been one of the initial markets to launch Pokémon Go given its high smartphone penetration rate and love for all things Pikachu? Vivienne Tay asks.

Taking the world by storm: Pokémon Go has been a huge hit and marketers need to realise gaming is no longer a niche market.

Unless you live under a giant rock, you’d know Nintendo’s latest game Pokémon Go has caused quite a stir worldwide since its recent launch. From causing traffic problems to job losses because of anger management issues over the game, Pokémon Go has definitely aroused emotions.

The game was initially available in the US, Australia and New Zealand. While a global rollout was planned, several media reports said that it is on pause because of technical difficulties.

According to The Wall Street Journal, 10 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Pokémon Go has already added more than a staggering US$9 billion to Nintendo’s market value. It is also starting to surpass Twitter in the number of daily active users on Android.

For those of us not heavily involved with the game, here’s how it works. Users need to turn on the camera function on their mobiles as the game utilises augmented reality to “catch” the Pokémons on the go. When spotted, you have to swipe at the little monsters to consider them caught.

So why is this such a global phenomenon,

you ask? Well, it’s because it combines 1990s nostalgia with “a taste of the future” using augmented reality, explains Justin Peyton, chief strategy officer APAC of DigitasLBi. He says the game adds a sense of purpose that really connects to the audience.

Nonetheless, if you grew up in Singapore in the ’90s, most certainly you’d be familiar with the Pokémon craze the nation faced. Combined with the fact the market is very much a mobilefirst one, we wonder why Nintendo didn’t launch it in Singapore and Malaysia, along with the WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

initial markets US, Australia and New Zealand.

Prantik Mazumdar, managing partner at Happy Marketer, says while he is surprised Singapore was not considered to be one of the initial test beds for Nintendo despite its smartphone penetration, markets such as the US, Australia, Japan and New Zealand were probably used because of the bigger scale it can get from the larger population sizes.

Agreeing with Mazumdar, Peyton says there were probably two different strategies that came into play when releasing a game such as Pokémon Go globally.

First, scale would come into play. As such, Nintendo launching it in markets such as the US, helped build a global appetite before launching it into other markets through the publicity and awareness generated.

“This makes a lot of sense for brands who are very confident in their product,” he says.

The alternative, he adds, would have been to use smaller markets that display similar behaviours to large markets to test functionality and effectively evolve a product before a wider release. He says both are apt strategies.

Selecting which is right for a game or app simply requires the publisher to take an honest look at their product to determine where they are in the development pipeline.

After all, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and ideally, the impression you make in large markets should be a great one because that will drive the majority of the revenue.

Should marketers give Pokémon Go a go?

Mazumdar says with the trend, more experimental marketers are likely to jump on this wave and utilise the geolocation functions of Pokémon Go to put their brands on the map.

But if they do so, they should make it quick.

“As Pokémon Go is a mobile game, the craze will probably be something which is short-lived,” he says.

Erik Hallander, regional mobile and innovation director at Isobar Asia Pacific, however, warns against brands jumping in too quickly on the trend for the sake of it.

The moment it gets too geared towards brand profit, gamers will see through it in a heartbeat and riot. The gaming audience is a more cynical audience than everyone else.

Meanwhile, for Ashley Ringrose, founder of Soap – Linked by Isobar, Pokémon Go is an indication that gaming is now mainstream and brands should no longer deny it by saying gaming is niche. While the use of augmented reality makes the game more shareable, brands should not start trying to replicate it, he says.

He says the trend would be more beneficial WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

POKÉMON: A GO OR A NO FOR RETAILERS? If you didn’t aready know, Pokemon Go is a game which was jointly developed by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and game developer Niantic which broke free from Google last year.

Niantic focuses on real-time geospatial and indexing techniques, and as such, its games utilise augment reality.

While there is certainly excitement around the game, not everyone is happy. One such company is Palmers Fresh Grill, a restaurant in Lexington, United States, which claims its business has been disrupted.

In a statement to A+M, a spokesperson from the Palmers Fresh Grill said there was definitely an increase in traffic to its restaurant, however, this has been more of a bane than a boon. Out of the 40 people who visit the restaurant each day since the game’s release, only a total of two parties actually dined in.

“The rest were like zombies, bumping into guests, blocking tables as we try to seat them and trying to walk into our kitchen. Guests, as well as employees, are fed up with the impolite behaviour of these players,” the spokesperson said.

Palmers Fresh Grill has since posted signs, letting people who play know the restaurant’s dining area is only for restaurant patrons.

Low Bee Yin, marketing director of Courts Malaysia, said in a conversation with A+M that despite knowing the game is a current fad, having the Pokémon pop up in different areas of the Courts store would definitely result in immediate engagement. While this can drive footfall into the store, a brand marketer should not expect this to result in sales.

“It would be great for Courts to be one of the places people can find these little creatures.

If time and technology permits, as a marketer, it would be a dream to create our very own Pokémon,” she said.

However, Low is aware this might tip the balance towards commercialisation of the game which could result in the loss of appeal from consumers.

Sulin Lau, head of marketing services at Maxis, added that as a brand that’s been supporting the gaming and e-sports community for a while, she and her team were exited to see mobile and AR gaming going mainstream.

“Recently we saw Pokémon overtaking sex as a Google search term. More interestingly, people are interacting with the app over 40 minutes each day – which is higher than we’ve seen for even the biggest messaging and social apps,” she said.

“Even if the initial craze settles down, it’s likely that Pokémon Go (and all the other AR games that will surely follow it) will disrupt how most telcos see mobile gaming – as mainstream rather than niche.”

Meanwhile, Howie Lau, CMO of StarHub in Singapore, without revealing StarHub’s plans, said that as a marketer and tech enthusiast the entire phenomenon was exciting because it was the first time augmented reality had been implemented in a large-scale setting.

“This no doubt pushes the boundaries of mobile, and as all the reports say, it is extremely addictive,” Lau said.

Globally, some establishments have put in place strategies to cash in on the action and increase footfall. L’inizio Pizza Bar in New York reported a 30% increase in sales, according to Bloomberg through the use of “lures”. Lures is part of the in-game purchases to attract Pokémon creatures towards their location, and hence, build their collection.

However, according to the Financial Times, Niantic is planning to allow retailers and brands to sponsor locations on its virtual map to further expand its revenue stream.

Pokémon Go currently utilises a customised version of Google Maps to map in-game locations such as “stops” and “gyms” to encourage users to move from one location to another. Sponsoring locations may involve making a particular venue an official “Pokémon stop” which would, hence, help in driving location to businesses with a brick and mortar shop.

It has also been reported by multiple news sites that some “poke stops” have surfaced in locations seen as inappropriate such as Holocaust memorials in Auschwitz, Poland.

to smaller players in the market such as retail stores or F&B establishments.

For bigger brands such as supermarket chains, this might be seen as a more blatant

move. Like Mazumdar, he adds the buzz will probably “wear off in a few weeks”. “Have some fun with the ‘fad’, but don’t try and go any deeper and make money.”

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 1

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Time to play a new game: Some believe Nintendo should move towards software creation for the world of mobile rather than focus on console.

SHOULD NINTENDO MOVE TOWARDS CREATING MORE MOBILE-CENTRIC GAMES? What is the future of Nintendo in today’s world of mobile. Vivienne Tay writes.

Since its inception, Nintendo has been a console manufacturer, primarily focused on building and profiting from the hardware of gaming.

In fact, in a recent interview with Reuters, Serkan Toto, founder of Kantan Games, a Japanese gaming industry consultancy, said Nintendo still regarded itself as a console maker and perceived mobile gaming to be the “junk food” of the gaming industry.

However, with the company’s recent success with Pokémon Go, it is facing pressure from investors such as Oasis Management to press for a change in strategy and move towards the world of mobile, said a Reuters article.

A spokesperson from Nintendo also said the company’s three main objectives through mobile was to maximise exposure of the gaming brand’s intellectual properties to consumers, drive profits on mobile devices and create a synergy with its console business.

Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata insisted the move into mobile was not because Nintendo was losing its enthusiasm for the console business.

However, industry players A+M spoke to 12 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

agreed that Nintendo should move towards software creation for the world of mobile rather than focus on console. This is mainly because the mobile hardware industry is already densely populated and so creating a new phone like a console would be a waste of resources.

Preetham Venkky, director of KRDS Singapore, said: “The strategy to shift from hardware to include software is an ideal and probably the only move for Nintendo.”

He added that mobile screens had been one of the biggest disruptions and disruptors of the past decade in the industry.

“Instead of television, mobile is becoming the first screen for Millennials and Gen Z as they are spending more time on mobile than they are on fixed devices such as television or desktop computers.”

Prantik Mazumdar, managing partner at Happy Marketer, said Nintendo’s initial hesitance towards mobile gaming was likely because of the fear of cannibalising its own console business. But he added that taking mobile seriously was the best move forward as “it is far better for Nintendo to disrupt its own business than let other competitors do so”.

Creating longevity in the world of mobile Mobile games, however, have been a hit and miss, with many gaming audiences losing interest once the hype wears off.

It is also hard to capitalise on given that globally, only 15% of internet users say they have parted with their cash for a mobile game within the past month.

As such, to grow a mobile gaming user base is not easy.

Venkky added Nintendo’s foray into mobile gaming would not come without challenges.

But one way to ensure longevity is by acquiring popular games and companies.

“The best strategy it can take right now is to acquire companies which can allow them to create the software (games) needed to succeed in mobile gaming or undertake some majority investments on the lines of what they’ve done with Niantic,” he said.

Added Mazumdar: “Identifying the different and main revenue streams is also necessary.

“Nintendo needs to decide which revenue stream would be its primary source – for instance in-game purchases or sponsored locations.”

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

NAGA DDB’S ECD ON THE INSPIRATION BEHIND AN ANTIPAEDOPHILIA CAMPAIGN Alvin Teoh, executive creative director of Naga DDB, shares with Venus Hew the dark reason behind the campaign.

Making a difference: Naga DDB and a host of partners are spreading the word about the evils of paedophilia.

Creative agency Naga DDB is spearheading the child protection cause within the ad industry, tying up with a non-profit organisation called Protect and Save the Children (PSC). The two are aiming to create awareness of paedophiles in Malaysia.

The project named “Nursery Crimes” centres around three films in three different languages to educate the Malaysian public on paedophilia. The campaign took about two years to complete and each of the three films direct people to a microsite where crucial information on paedophilia is dispensed.

Partners involved in the production and launching of this campaign include Tribal Worldwide, Superwonderful, Fuse and Milk PR. Campaigns are running on both TGV Cinemas and Astro’s many mediums for free.

The agency is not able to comment on the total worth of the ad spaces.

In an exclusive interview with A+M, Alvin WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Teoh, executive creative director of Naga DDB, said agencies such as Naga DDB had the power to create “purpose-driven” stories for social causes such as this.

“Ad agencies have the power of influence and if we can draw parents’ attention to this sickness and empower them with knowledge we can play a role to save innocent lives from being torn away. We’re not activists, but we can bring attention to these things through what we do,” Teoh said.

The campaign comes not long after the nation was rocked by headlines of the 30-yearold British paedophile Richard Huckle, who preyed on up to 200 Malaysian children in an impoverished part of Kuala Lumpur. He was sentenced to life in June this year after admitting to 71 charges of sex abuse against children aged from six months to 12 years old in Malaysia.

The incident made global headlines and was widely covered by the local media and

international media such as the BBC. The latter also compiled various reactions of the locals on the abuse in a report. When asked what drove his team to create the spot, Teoh said even in modern Malaysia, paedophilia was a taboo subject for many. Recounting a personal experience, he added that two years ago his nine-year old daughter barely escaped a molestation attempt in school.

“I have my wife to thank because she was the one who made her aware of these dangers from when she was young. The answer is awareness. In Malaysia, that is lacking. It is something that is shameful and not talked about in many communities. As a dad, I was almost broken by that incident and when my creative team heard about it, they decided to work on a huge awareness campaign,” he said.

He revealed this was just the beginning in a very long battle in which Naga DDB would commit to the cause for the long term.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 3

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO ATTRACT MUSLIM TRAVELLERS TO SINGAPORE? What more can be done to attract this lucrative segment? Vivienne Tay finds out.

Time to lift our game: There is a great opportunity for Singapore to attract Muslim visitors, and not just from Muslim-majority markets.

14 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Many retailers and brands have understood the importance of targeting the Muslim consumer. Recently, A+M wrote about brands such as Uniqlo, D&G, Mango and H&M making a foray into Islamic fashion.

The travel industry has also woken up to the potential of Muslim tourists. Late last year the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said it would set aside about 15% of its marketing budget to promote the country as Muslimfriendly.

Meanwhile, according to a report on The Gulf News, hotels globally are looking to become fully halal as the number of Muslim travellers is set to increase from 108 million in 2014 to 150 million by 2020.

Yet, a recent article in The Straits Times reported that Muslim travellers to Singapore are likely to dip after 2020 because of the predicted rise of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Oman. This conclusion was reached from the data acquired from CrescentRating’s Global Muslim Travel Index 2016 and the Ramadan Travel Report 2016.

Although the original report, as seen by A+M, did not specifically point to the dipping of the Muslim traveller footfall locally, it still begged the question on whether enough is

being done to attract this growing market.

In a statement to A+M, Leong Yue Kheong, assistant chief executive (international group) at the Singapore Tourism Board, defended Singapore’s position saying it would “remain an attractive destination for Muslim travellers” due to “a sense of familiarity” and harmony when they step into Singapore.

From halal food choices, and places to fulfil religious obligations while being on vacation widely available, Leong added Singapore also had an extensive variety of family-friendly attractions.

The experiences Muslim travellers get in Singapore ensures there is always something which will appeal to those from the Middle East.

“Nonetheless, STB strives to ensure Singapore remains a unique destination through the injection of appropriate content that will create memorable experiences and not only attract new visitors, but also bring back repeat visitors,” he said.

Leong added that to target this group of travellers, the STB also released a halal travel guide for Muslim travellers in Malaysia and Indonesia – in conjunction with luxury-fashion magazine Glam and Glam Lelaki (Malaysia) and travel publication Panorama magazine (Indonesia).

The travel guide details the wide selection of halal food and facilities, as well as the various ethnic landmarks and precincts in Singapore.

Currently, STB also has an office in Dubai which works with trade partners in the Middle East to increase the awareness and affinity of Singapore as an ideal holiday destination, said Leong. This includes embarking on partnerships to promote the destination across the region, and developing new marketing materials that are culturally sensitive and appropriate for this market.

“In keeping with the market trends, STB also seeks to engage travellers more actively through digital and social media channels with the aim of creating a community of travel advocates for Singapore,” Leong said.

Can more be done?

Agreeing with Leong is professor Cedomir Nestorovic, director, executive MBA for Asia Pacific at ESSEC Business School, who added Singapore has been especially popular with Muslim travellers as they often come travelling in huge groups and families. As such, the issue of healthcare and safety are of big concern to these families.

These travellers are also known to stay for an extended period of time – sometimes this can be as long as the entire month of Ramadan, explained Nestorovic.

Hence, one way the government can

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

continue luring them is by having a superior healthcare system and infrastructure.

But nonetheless, he added: “Although Singapore welcomes Muslim travellers, nothing is actively being done to attract them.”

“In the short-term, Singapore’s position as a top destination for Muslim travellers will not be impacted due to its strong position in the hearts of Muslim travellers. However, in the mid to long-term, it may lose out to other countries which are making a stronger marketing push to attract Muslim travellers to its destinations such as Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

“Singapore is not losing popularity because of its diminishing appeal; it is losing its popularity because other countries have more to offer.”

To attract Millennial Muslim travellers, he said that having international tie-ups with other Asian countries such as Thailand, South Korea and Japan can be useful in helping Singapore expand its offerings. One example of such an initiative is travel package strategies.

“This will not only smoothen the transition process for Muslim travellers taking time to visit Asia between countries, it will also provide a greater ease of mind and further strengthen Singapore’s position as a central hub in Southeast Asia where travellers can get all they need before heading to their next destination,” he added.

Q Akashah, executive director at Islamic branding consultancy Ogilvy Noor Singapore, said there was an opportunity for Singapore to focus more on destination branding to attract Muslim visitors, and not just from Muslimmajority markets.

“A strong spirit of community is key in Muslim cultures and is well-reflected in Singapore. We could look to attract Muslim visitors from Muslim-minority markets to Singapore during Ramadan so they can also experience and immerse themselves in this community spirit during a significant occasion on the Muslim calendar,” she said.

However, there needs to be a thoughtthrough plan to attract Muslim visitors, especially as we are seeing the disposable incomes of this consumer segment increasing, alongside their desire to travel the world, she added.

She also pointed out Japan as a case study with its focus on showing that the nation is Muslim-friendly.

“It has been making consistent efforts over the past few years and it is at multiple levels – not just in showcasing to visitors the ease of accessing halal authentic Japanese food, but also at a government-to-government level. This reflects how seriously they are taking this,” she said.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 5

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

TOP 10 ADS IN THE MALAYSIA MARKET What were the ads that Malaysians loved on YouTube in the first half of 2016? Read below to find out more.

Google Malaysia released its YouTube ads leaderboard for the months of January to June 2016 for Malaysia.

This list represents the 10 ads on YouTube that resonated most with audiences across the country over the first six months of this year.

The leaderboard also showcases the brands that performed best in Malaysia through a combination of popularity and promotion.

Coming in second was Watsons Malaysia which released an original song and star-studded music video as part of its Chinese New Year campaign. It featured the song Happy Beautiful Year and cameo appearances by more than 20 top Malaysian celebrities. #HappyBeautifulYear garnered around 774,000 views on YouTube, with 773 likes.

McDonald’s Malaysia

PETRONAS

Next up was Old Town White Coffee which launched a spot featuring a recent Malaysian animation film called BoBoiBoy, accompanied by promotions. It involved BoBoiBoy, the protagonist of the film, engaging in battle with his nemesis. He is losing initially, but gets “powered up” by one of Old Town’s set meals.

The spot garnered about 607,000 views on YouTube and 181 likes. The media agency was Mindshare.

BSN Malaysia

Coming on top of the leaderboard was Petronas’ Rubber Boy. The web film drew its inspiration from Malaysian values, especially the counting of blessings to inspire prosperity and happiness. It revolved around the relationship between a mother and her son and captured facets of their relationship. The spot garnered about 3.3 million views on YouTube, 9,500 likes and 832 comments. The media and creative agencies were Zenith Media and Leo Burnett respectively.

Watsons Malaysia

To promote its new Angry Birds meal series, McDonald’s Malaysia launched a spot introducing the new menu items as well as the promotions. It featured the titular characters of the popular game interacting with a McDonald’s Happy Meal box. The spot garnered 2.7 million views on YouTube and 2,100 likes.

Old Town White Coffee

16 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Bringing back the much-loved Pengacau Raya campaign, BSN Malaysia and Fishermen Integrated came up with a new video for the Chinese New Year festive season. A sequel to last year’s Raya viral hit, this year’s Pengacau Raya Cina tells the story of a young couple, Aloysius and Zaitun, along with their parents, experiencing their first Chinese New Year together as a multicultural family. The spot garnered 424,000 views on YouTube, with 1,776 likes and 287 comments.

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

LEGO

superior technical capabilities and ease of use in design. It also contains information about its new waterproof abilities. Since its inception in March, the video has garnered 251,000 views on YouTube with 518 likes. The media agency behind the campaign was Starcom.

Ju Xiang Joining the list was Gameview International with its trailer for its Romance of Heroes game. The spot introduced the different characters in the game and some of the game play. It has garnered 336,000 views on YouTube.

KFC Malaysia

Coming in fourth was Lego which released this short spot to promote its new fire collection.

The spot featured a new fire truck, helicopter and boat for “fire-fighting”. Since its launch in the January, the spot has garnered 1.1 million views on YouTube and 280 likes.

Samsung Malaysia

Making it onto the list was Ju Xiang’s Chinese New Year spot which took on an action thriller theme. It featured a confrontation between gangsters and a law enforcement entity. Both parties are not thrilled they have to work during the Chinese New Year period and a hilarious exchange ensues where they try to make the room and situation more festive – from bringing in mandarin oranges to having a lion dance troupe join in. The video has garnered 226,000 views on YouTube and 1,782 likes.

Gameview International

Another video which made it onto the shortlist was Samsung’s spot introducing its Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It touts the new phone’s WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Concluding the list was KFC Malaysia which released this spot featuring its KFC Bucket Sensasi with crispy tenders. It featured different members of the family enjoying the new meal option and the promotions that accompanied it. The spot has garnered 304,000 views on YouTube and 185 likes. The media and creative agencies were Universal McCann and Naga respectively.

“These ads show the amazing creativity alive today in the Malaysian ads industry – and it’s creativity that would not exist without digital’s ‘canvas’. Sometimes digital can seem to be all about technology, but the real promise of digital video ads is that it frees up brands and agencies to spend more time doing what they do best – getting creative – leaving computers to figure out the hard stuff like when and where to show an ad,” said a spokesperson from Google Malaysia.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 7

Lighthouse Events, the events management division of Lighthouse Independent Media, has been bringing Lighthouse’s conferences, awards shows and internal meetings to life since 2006 - over 40 events annually in multiple formats through numerous markets across Asia. Staffed by a team of experienced and dedicated event professionals, Lighthouse Events is commited to understanding and delivering its clients’ strategic objectives. Lighthouse Events has the expertise and experience to conceptualise and manage any customised event, making sure its clients’goals are met on every occasion.

Call us if you need a partner for:• Venue Sourcing • Destination Management • Event Conceptualisation • Supplier Management

• Registration Services • Branding & Graphic Design • Event Production/Logistics Support

Contact us with your event brief today.

NEWS ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

THE DEMISE OF THE CALIFORNIA FITNESS BRAND Is this the beginning of the end for mega gyms? Vivienne Tay investigates.

California Fitness closed all of its branches in Singapore, much to the ire of many members who signed up for its memberships and packages.

The brand made the announcement on its Facebook page on 16 July which led to an influx of its Raffles Club patrons to its remaining Bugis and Novena branches. Soon after, both clubs shut down because of inadequate financial resources to continue operations.

Since then, a petition has been created on Change.org to get the Singapore authorities to step in on the matter.

It was first created following the shutting down of California Fitness’ main Orchard Road branch earlier this year.

It urged action to be taken by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in getting California Fitness Singapore to give pro-rated refunds to its victims subject to branch closures.

Meanwhile, JV Fitness, which operates the fitness chain, made regional news when it shut down its Hong Kong branch operations due to millions of dollars in debt with investigations ongoing on two staff members.

When contacted by A+M, Seah Seng Choon, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), said: “Consumers should take note that purchasing membership packages may be cheaper in the long run, but they will face the risk of losing their pre-payment in the event that the company closes down.

“Before signing any contract, consumers should read the terms and conditions carefully, and clarify the refund policy of the company.

“For example, they should verify if they would be able to get a refund of the non-utilised sessions in their package if anything goes wrong or if a particular outlet closes down.”

When the Raffles outlet first closed, he advised consumers to approach the club to request for cancellation and a refund of their membership package and added that those who faced difficulty in resolving the issue may approach CASE for further assistance.

According to Nick Foley, president of the Southeast Asia and Pacific regions for Landor, the demise of the fitness brand was likely due to an increase in the opening of smaller independent gyms.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Getting fit just got tougher: Being a well-known fitness brand is no guarantee of success these days.

He said big was no longer beautiful when it came to fitness and gyms.

He added that in the early days the company did capitalise on the fitness movement, but consumer preferences for working have since evolved and gyms need to keep up with these trends or face extinction.

“This is classic disruption. Evolve or exit,” he said.

Agreeing with Foley on the demise, despite the ongoing “get fit” movement which has gained significant traction in recent years, is Lawrence Chong, CEO of Consulus. He attributed the brand’s downfall to stiff competition.

“The get fit movement will continue, but there are just too many gyms and it is time for the weak ones to close or to consolidate,” Chong said.

“The capital required to run a programmebased gym business model is intense. So I expect the industry to either see mergers or those that are not managed well to drop off.”

Is this a warning to similar mega gyms?

Foley added that every gym owner should be continually assessing what the latest trends are in the industry and continue to stay agile.

“Stand for something and never stay still is a useful mindset to have when future-proofing a brand’s success,” he said.

He added a brand can be well-known, but if it is not relevant to its core audience and it’s not distinguished from its competition then its sway with consumers will drop quickly.

“Being well-known is one thing, but all brands have to regularly review and transform their business model to make sure they have the resources to meet the growing challenges of competition. So being well-known is not insurance,” Chong said.

Street talk A+M also spoke to several California Fitness members who told us they were not notified about the Raffles club’s closure.

They admitted they did not know their rights as consumers or the regulations when it came to signing up for the memberships because of the hard-selling involved during the sign-ups.

Shoaib Ahmed, 28: “Initially, I saw the notice in Raffles Place asking members to go to their Bugis or Novena branches, but to be honest, I signed up based on the location of Raffles. So I would like to be reimbursed the pro-rated lump sum I paid when joining.”

Carlo Reston, 31: “I signed up for another two years, which starts in December this year.

I didn’t foresee this happening.”

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 1 9

PROFILE

DREAM

2 0 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

I

R E

H VIVIENN E T WIT AY .

FO

AR H S

T

MARKETERS ARE EX PER TS BUT WH IN Y HA SE N D A S V R ’ LL COR B E A N’T I R IN R E EO TH T E N O

NALLY, N EXTER O I S VI ND OF SELLING A R HE ART A VI T B D E SIO A R E NI T EWS ON T I S V NG R N AL E H E MA NT TE Y ES

LA EL

’T

A L JOB L E S ,S LY? ION AL T RN EN

DO N

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

WWW. MARK E TING-INTE TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

PROFILE ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

We all know that finding truly great marketing talent is hard. While many might say it is ultimately about cultivating and investing in the employees you already have, the job-hopping itch many Millennials feel doesn’t make it any easier on management.

But Corine Ooi, group general manager of global maternal – paediatrics, for Fonterra Brands, thinks otherwise. Rather than throw up your hands in despair, she says companies and managers need to start finding a way to sell employees a vision.

She adds that marketers need to take the time to find someone who lives and breathes the brand. This is essential in keeping them in the company for the long haul. But to do so, a vision needs to be sold.

Marketers, she explains, are often great at crafting a narrative and selling a vision to their consumers, but they still haven’t mastered the art of doing so for their employees.

“If an employee is able to genuinely live and breathe the brand and believe in the company’s or the brand’s vision, not only will he or she internalise brand values, he or she will stay because of passion,” she says.

Proudly donning lilac – the signature colour for one of Fonterra’s leading brands Anmum, she says what is harder than finding good talent is retaining it. Ooi, who has been with Fonterra for more than nine years, is very much aware of the increasing job-hopping trend present in the mind of younger marketers, who often leave after a two to three-year stint.

hands of consumers, targeting mothers has also evolved for the brand.

In the past, Ooi says, convincing mothers about products was far less daunting a task than it is today. Parents in the past were more trusting, and as such, grabbing their share of wallets was also easier.

Modern mothers are very much research-oriented and better informed because of the proliferation of content sites online. As such, brands have to work that much harder to gain their trust. Millennial mums, she explains, weigh all the different outcomes and possibilities before making purchasing decisions. They are also more likely to engage in a discourse before their purchase.

“Due to the proliferation of the media, especially digital platforms, mothers today have the option of not listening to the company, but instead to other mothers,” she says. As such, the brand needs to find a way to weave itself into being part of the conversation.

She adds that how Anmum is adapting to this new breed of mothers is by trying to provide a platform for conversations to happen across the region. On top of executing tactical ad activations, the brand also has a forum where mothers can communicate.

“It is really about the way you speak and your tone. Don’t push your brand messaging. Instead allow for Millennial mothers to talk to their peers and express their views. Be the conduit for conversations.”

She adds that Southeast Asia being a diverse region has mothers from all walks of life. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it

“THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN HAVING MULTIPLE AGENCIES

INVOLVED THAT ARE MISMATCHED IN THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE

BRAND AND INDUSTRY.” Before her stint at Fonterra, she worked with Johnson & Johnson for more than four years. She has also spent years building her career with the likes of Beiersdorf, Abbott and Mead Johnson Nutrition. All in all, she has about 28 years in sales and marketing experience.

As such, she believes an individual needs to be at the one company for at least five years to see the fruits of their labour.

“If you have passion for the brand and the business then why would you want to leave? And that too so quickly,” she said.

This is where good training comes in. She urges that company heads move away from standard run-of-the-mill training to something that is innovative and cannot be found elsewhere.

“Take measures to imbue a sense of ownership of the brand and the business. At the end of the day, it is about selling the vision.”

When asked about what skills would make a good marketer, she says a strong background in sales is necessary. This will enable marketers to familiarise themselves with the customer journey and essentially know the nooks and crannies of the purchase process.

In a sales role, an individual gets first-hand experience on the challenges and drawbacks of marketing plans and this enables them to later have a clearer implementation plan. Their marketing theories will be more practice-driven rather than constructed based on theory.

The new age consumer With the marketing industry seeing a colossal shift of power being in the WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

comes to communicating with them.

For example, she finds that consumers in Malaysia and Indonesia tend not to be as vocal as their counterparts in China.

“SEA mothers are more likely to sit back and watch the action unfold. You don’t have consumers making a stand against topical causes especially in the paediatric products segment.”

But, ultimately, to navigate the fragmented media landscape today, you need to put trust in your agency partners. She says leveraging on agency relationships is crucial in creating successful brand campaigns with consistent messaging.

“Be open and receptive to what the agency has to offer and their ideas and proposals. Don’t be myopic,” she says.

Much like her advice to Millennials job-hopping, she also advises against agency hopping. Especially if consistency is something a brand values in its campaign executions.

“There is nothing worse than having multiple agencies involved that are mismatched in the level of understanding of the brand and industry,” she says.

Hence, for long-term campaigns, it is advisable to stick to a single creative agency which understands the brand to ensure sustainability, she explains.

“Otherwise, you will be doing a lot of work as a marketer trying to explain, guide and hold their hands through understanding the brand and the industry. I don’t think anyone has the time to do that.”

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 1

2 2 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

MARKETING FEATURE: INFLUENCER MARKETING

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The brand-influencer relationship can be a win-win situation for both parties. But there are always dangers – especially when influencers go off script – and leave brands subject to a public backlash, particularly online and on social media.

However, influencers are becoming more of a necessity rather than an option when it comes to reaching out to consumers – especially in the fast-moving consumer goods sector.

According to Lee Lim Meng, marketing director at L’Oréal Malaysia, influencers help bring a sense of relevance to the target audience.

They allow customers or potential customers to get to know the product from a relatable source which is more natural and authentic.

“It can be similar to hearing about a product from a friend or someone you look up to, rather than a brand that wants to sell you something.

Influencers also have more credibility and provide a type of social validation,” Lee says.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Getting your message out: Speaking the right language through the right person is important.

“We don’t want someone who isn’t a fan of the brand to be promoting the brand – today consumers quickly see through a non-authentic endorsement.”

Lee Lim Meng – marketing director at L’Oréal Malaysia

Some influencers gain their fame through excelling in their craft such as beauty, cars or food. This allows their followers to look to them for advice when it comes to such categories.

Through this trust, brands can reach out to influencers to educate and inform the consumer about a product.

“This way, using influencers to provide more information about products and how to use

them will make fans and potential customers more likely to take note and follow suit,” Lee adds.

Influencers are also important during the point when purchase decisions are made as their reviews and product features will come in handy when fans and potential customers are deciding whether or not to buy the product.

It builds the adequate resources for AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 3

MARKETING FEATURE: INFLUENCER MARKETING

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

interested potential customers to make informed decisions.

A+M also spoke to Rachel Cheong, marketing director of HIC Juice, who has worked with influencers in Singapore ranging from local celebrities to social influencers in the lifestyle genre, such as Tay Kewei, Tan Kheng Hua, Jianhao Tan and Melissa Koh. Work with your agency and be on the lookout There are several factors when it comes to selecting the right influencer for your brand. According to Lee, aside from reach, engagement, quality of content and brand fit should come out on top.

“We don’t want someone who isn’t a fan of the brand to be promoting the brand – today consumers quickly see through a non-authentic endorsement,” Lee says.

She adds that L’Oréal’s agency Lion & Lion also helps with identifying and assessing potential influencers – avoiding myths such as following the “only ‘high reach’ influencer” trap – and connecting with influencers and managing relationships on behalf of the brand.

Similarly, for HIC Juice, content mix and synergy between the influencer’s lifestyle and what its brand stands for is important as an influencer’s content needs to sustain the interest of the target audience.

Lee adds her team always has its agency do its due diligence in advance of engaging a potential influencer. This includes looking over the influencer’s historical posts, news, and feedback from their audience and the wide social web.

“Normally, when we first work with influencers we look to review any paid work (such as a video) before engaging, as well as actively encouraging them to work closely with our digital agency,” Lee says.

Having a contingency plan For Cheong, it is important to adhere to the same high levels of customer service when working with influencers, as well as customers, when it comes to managing potential flak or a backlash.

“Customers are able to leverage on the reach and connectivity of social media to amplify any negative experience with the brand,” Cheong says, adding it would default to the crisis management strategy it has in place for all customers.

Similarly, L’Oréal’s Lee says the brand actively listens for unusually high mentions that would indicate a great success or something it

2 4 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

SIX STEPS TO EMPLOYING DIGITAL INFLUENCERS EFFECTIVELY Digital influencers are becoming a serious component of any marketing mix in the age of social media. Yet, brands have only begun to grapple with using them effectively as there are no established guidelines and sufficient best practices to using digital influencers.

Unlike professional spokespersons, most digital influencers are amateurs who are holding full-time jobs while only doing brand endorsements on a part-time basis. Hence, the level of professionalism expected by brands fluctuates drastically, and often result in mutual frustrations.

In some instances, the misuse of digital influencers results in very public and embarrassing situations for both parties.

There are better ways to using digital influencers effectively that meet the business objectives of any brand without the painful experiences. Here are some steps to follow: Step 1 – decide on micro or macro influencers There is a distinction (though not always so obvious) between awareness and preference.

Awareness is just mere knowledge of the existence of a subject (without needing understanding), while preference requires appreciation with selection bias in your favour. Hence, there exists two very broad categories of influencers – micro and macro influencers.

Macro influencers are celebrities that can generate massive awareness in short periods of time due to their large following. Micro influencers are usually within the first or second degree separation from individuals. While they are seldom celebrities, they are, however, trusted sources of information and recommendations that influence preference.

For example, famous food bloggers (macro influencers) can easily build awareness of new restaurants and eateries to try. However, it takes micro influencers to rebuild preference towards eateries who are generally perceived to have existing poor repute.

Thus bringing real customers back to the business.

Step 2 – use a release rather than a restrict strategy We recommend using a release rather than a restrict strategy when employing digital influencers. Release strategies state a specific end goal while offering free creative expression to digital influencers to achieve it. Influencers have more freedom to adapt their respective executions according to whatever is most relevant to their followers. This improves the overall messaging quality resulting in improved authenticity.

Restrict strategies issue orders with specific instructions that dictate every move regardless of whether they are suitable for brand personas of the respective digital influencers. Presumably more reassuring in terms of expected outputs, such executions are often presumptuous and mismatch the influencers’ true personas which reduces overall effectiveness of the campaigns.

Step 3 – recruit from existing customers Recruit digital influencers only from your existing pool of consumers as a matter of highest priority. Never choose anyone merely on abilities without ensuring the candidate is also an existing customer. This is both a defensive and effective approach.

While it is true you are free to recruit anyone from anywhere as digital influencers, not everyone is an ideal candidate.

Professional spokespersons are conditioned to be “on brand” for the duration of their employ. Even then, there have been many public and embarrassing cases of slip-ups where their habits override professional conditioning. How much more can we expect of amateur digital influencers who had no such professional training?

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

MARKETING FEATURE: INFLUENCER MARKETING

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Step 4 – conduct brand trainings and briefings Never use digital influencers before ensuring they are adequately equipped via brand training. Such sessions serve as critical brand references as well as opportunities to establish mutual expectations that includes trust.

It is also good practice to include a code of conduct to guide what is acceptable and what is not. Treat them with due courtesy as you would with traditional press and media.

Why discriminate? Meet your digital influencers you are about to employ in person and get to know them better. It is always prudent to ensure both online and actual personality are consistent and dependable.

As a result, aim to build real relationships (not transactional ones) that are critical for any digital influencer’s programme to be truly effective.

Step 5 – employ digital monitoring Employ digital monitoring to ensure you are able to track the results and performance of your digital influencer’s programme. Why invest in areas where you are not able to account for returns on efforts spent? A robust digital monitoring solution can facilitate tracking of digital influencers’ activities, and also quantify their respective performance.

As a result, brands can adjust the right combination of digital influencers to optimise the tactics employed to fulfil the overall digital influencer strategy. Not all digital influencers offer the same value and digital monitoring clarifies reality.

Step 6 – review to reuse or release Have a consistent cycle of reviewing the results of the employed digital influencers. We normally recommend reviewing the results ideally on a six-month basis or no shorter than three months between reviews.

Time is needed to allow digital influencers to show value to brands that utilise their services. The key benefit of using digital influencers is that brands can deploy their campaigns, observe, measure and optimise in real-time. Being effective means being able to decide who to recruit, reuse and release at any point of time in the campaign without allowing it to fail and become bad history.

Ryan Lim, founder of QED Consulting

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

needs to be aware of. Together with Lion & Lion, it has developed several contingency plans in an event that an influencer does something the brand does not want to be associated with.

How brands can measure the effectiveness of influencers Some short-term measures a brand can undertake, according to L’Oréal’s Lee, can be the use of social listening tools such as Talkwalker and Unmetric to track classic social metrics such as mentions, engagement and reach.

Using tracking codes in links are also useful in understanding any referral impact back to the brand’s web assets.

“This helps us to understand whether consumers later completed a goal we associate with the objective, such as visiting one of our own websites or signing up for one of our newsletters,” Lee says.

Over a longer perspective, L’Oréal also benchmarks its ROI on whether sponsored mentions drive buzz.

Although buzz is a less direct indication of success, Lee adds it helps the team learn and gain insights on what works and what doesn’t for the brand.

For brands such as HIC Juice, reach, inbound traffic, post-engagement as well as a lift in sales, helps determine whether or not an influencer is indeed “influential”.

Make brand ambassadorship a long-term goal While long-term brand ambassadorships are not in the pipeline for HIC Juice, building brand advocacy is a big deal for L’Oréal.

“Influencer outreach is not a one-off activity; it is a long-term commitment to building a relationship as well as nurturing a wider, brand community on the web,” Lee says.

Agreeing with Lee is Aldrina Thirunagaran, assistant vice-president of digital marketing at OCBC Bank, who shares the recent success the bank had with its influencer partnerships with local celebrities Pornsak and Michelle Chong.

“Being in the business of building relationships with consumers, it is equally important brands build relationships with influencers as well, as it is really a partnership,” she says.

She adds Chong and Pornsak have gone on to speak for the brand at various events and on social media.

That type of earned media to her is the most valuable because that is where OCBC Bank is getting advocates for its brand.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 5

MARKETING FEATURE: INFLUENCER MARKETING

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

AUDREY OOI A+M: What is your claim to fame?

My blog has always been pretty personal, hence, my blog topics covered whatever I experienced at that point in time. I went from a student to a working girl and eventually to a wife and mum. These days I blog about parenting and children more, but I still post about beauty, fashion and my personal opinions. Claims to fame can include our meme proposal which went viral, as well as the birth of our son Fighter who was born premature at 31 weeks. We received a lot of attention during then too.

A+M: How has the influencer landscape changed over the years?

I started blogging in 2004. I started monetising my blog in 2008. When I first started there were only blogs so the early influencers were only bloggers. Now with Instagram and other social media, there are many other types of “influencers”. I think the challenge currently is determining who has actual actionable influence and who is just known for having nice photos.

JIN LIM A+M: What is your claim to fame?

To be honest, I don’t think I’m that famous.

Yes, people do recognise me on the streets, but it’s nowhere compared with people like Elizabeth Tan or Siti Nurhaliza. Most of the time people just tell me they love my videos, which I am truly grateful for. How do people know me? YouTube, I guess.

A+M: How has the influencer landscape changed over the years?

I don’t know when I started becoming an influencer.

All of a sudden one day, I was suddenly labelled an “influencer” and to be honest I didn’t understand what the whole terminology was until they explained that an influencer is what brands use to help influence their followers to like their products, which I hardly do because I use my social media platforms mainly to promote my lifestyle and YouTube videos.

If a brand comes in and it fits and makes sense with my current lifestyle, I will accept the sponsorship.

A+M: What are some of the challenges of being an influencer in Malaysia?

I have worked with Estée Lauder, Unilever, Astro, McDonald’s, Volkswagen, Tourism Istria to name a few recent ones. Fake statistics. In the drive to get ahead, a lot of influencers are buying fake followers to fool clients. It’s unfair to genuine influencers who lose out on collaborations, and it’s cheating the clients of their money. It is also bad for the industry because clients who unknowingly work with fake influencers will start to think that influencers don’t work and they stop investing in it. Fragmentation is another challenge. There are too many influencers right now and every young girl with 10,000 followers on IG aspires to be a top influencer. But not all have real influence.

A+M: Tips for clients when it comes to working with influencers?

Clients need to know how to spot influencers with real influence who can drive action or whose word people trust. There’s no foolproof method, but looking at the level of engagement on their social media is one. Also keep your ear to the ground, chances are if you haven’t heard anyone around you talk about an influencer, chances are they’re probably not that popular.

Today, social media has made it a little bit more “personal” between the “influencer” and their followers. But, of course, all this goes out the window when a brand pays money and expects only good things to be said about their brand, which is the case these days isn’t it?

A+M: What are some of the challenges of being an influencer in Malaysia?

At this point of time, anyone can be an influencer. And for brands, there are just too many for them to choose from. Challenges for influencers? Not having a voice to say what they really want because if that is done, there will be no cash flow, but to eliminate that, an influencer should only be working with a brand that they truly are a fan of and believe in.

Secondly, influencers are also more than numbers. Relevance sometimes matters more than reach. Clients should engage an influencer relevant to the brand who will yield better results rather than someone who has tons of followers, but doesn’t fit the brand.

Storytelling packs a more powerful punch than a pretty picture. Someone who can tell a good story will always sell your product more effectively.

And third, influencers are more than just a megaphone for your brand. I think brands can move beyond just asking for a photo of the product. The good influencers can tell your story and collaborate more meaningfully if properly incorporated in your campaign. We can do much more than just act as a display ad.

not all Also, look out for their engagements, it’s easier to get a lot of followers these days by just buying them. Just make sure you pay attention to their engagement, not their numbers. Quality over quantity.

A+M: What are some of the clients you have worked with over the years?

Recently, I have worked with Samsung, adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Daniel Wellington, Tourism Australia, Netflix, Levi’s and Marvel/Disney.

A+M: Tips for clients when it comes to working with influencers?

Here’s something to take note. If you approach the influencer directly, you’re probably gonna get them a lot cheaper versus going through a “social media” agency.

I mean, yes, agencies are supposed to make their cut, but trust me when I say that some influencers don’t even get half of what these agencies charge clients. Some agencies,

Excerpt from Nielsen’s “Turning Silver into Retail Gold” survey

2 6 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

AD TEMPLATE.indd 1

10/8/2016 10:04:49 AM

Once again, DBS took home the coveted title of L&E 2016 Brand of the Year at the fourth edition of the Loyalty & Engagement Awards. This year the awards show was bigger and better with ground-breaking entries pouring in from across the Asia Pacific region.

Here’s a look at all that went on during the awards.

JUDGES

Kelvin Tan Director of marketing, international A&W Restaurants

Ernest Febrianto Head of marketing – Indonesia Aberdeen Asset Management

Ornella Lichon-Martin Director of loyalty – Asia Pacific AccorHotels Asia Pacific

Anna Bory General manager, marketing Audi Singapore

Nik Laming General manager – loyalty division Cebu Pacific Air

Phil Hawkins Head of loyalty operations – loyalty, CRM and flybuys Coles

Katharina Pohl Head of marketing – Asia Cotton On

Priyank Sharma Vice-president, strategy and planning, improvement team DBS Bank

Carolin Chan Director, marketing services Edenred Singapore

Rupa Rajamani General manager – global consumer brand engagement Fonterra Brands Singapore

Caroline Gazeley Regional connected product planning manager General Motors International

Joseph Teoh Head of regional marketing Grab

Stephanie Wong Vice-president, strategic partnerships & loyalty programme (group marketing & distribution) Great Eastern Life

Yet Pek Yeen Head of marketing Hong Leong Finance

Eugene Kwek Head of marketing HSBC Singapore

Khairul Nisa Ismail Head, enrich and loyalty Malaysia Airlines

Hun Liang Goh Head of consumer engagement – MY/SG/BN Mead Johnson Nutrition

Kittisak Eh Chuei Director, loyalty marketing Pan Pacific Hotels Group

Christine Loo Associate vicepresident and head of customer experience and loyalty Prudential Assurance Company Singapore

2 8 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Arniban Pegu CRM and loyalty marketing lead, media solutions centre, SEA and Oceania Samsung Asia

Joseph Sundar Business development executive IBM

Cherry Koay Director of digital marketing, Southeast Asia hub Shangri-La International Hotel Management

Fen Lim Assistant general manager, head of financial services & loyalty U Mobile

Gina Lorenzana Vice-president, personal care Unilever Philippines

Geraldine Dreiser Director of quality YTL Hotels & Properties Malaysia

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

DBS CROWNED LOYALTY & ENGAGEMENT 2016 BRAND OF THE YEAR

Reigning champion DBS scored top honours at the fourth edition of the Loyalty & Engagement Awards in front of more than 300 of Asia Pacific’s finest marketers at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore.

This year’s regional event was bigger than ever as we opened entries across Asia Pacific resulting in entries from new markets such as Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

This led to groundbreaking work being displayed amid cut-throat competition.

But ultimately, DBS made it over the line with a higher average score taking home four golds for Best Use of Employee Engagement Strategy, Best Card-Based Loyalty Programme, Best Use of Contests/Promotions and Best Use of Gamification. It also bagged two silvers in Best Use of Brand Advocacy/Influencers and Best Use of Employee Engagement Strategy and two bronzes in the Best Use of Gamification and Best Use of Mobile categories.

Coming in a close second was runner-up TANGS. TANGS clinched awards in the areas of loyalty and relationship marketing with four golds (Best CRM Strategy, Best Loyalty Programme – Retailer, Best Innovative Loyalty Programme, Best Use of Rewards & Incentives), two silvers (Best Card-Based Loyalty Programme, Best Use of Technology) and two bronzes (Best Customer Experience, Loyalty Programme of the Year).

In 2016, there were many high-scoring campaigns, including the “Hershey’s Happygrams” from The Hershey Company which received three golds, one silver and one bronze in the categories Best Engagement Strategy for a Female Audience, Best Use of Brand Advocacy/Influencers, Best Use of Mobile, Best Use of Social and Best Use of Direct Marketing categories respectively.

AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme also snagged four golds for Best Regional Loyalty Marketing Campaign, Best Use of Direct Marketing, Best Use of Social and Loyalty Programme of the Year and one silver in the category of Best Loyalty Programme – Travel/Hospitality.

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Campaigns from Unilever Malaysia, Maybank and McDonald’s Singapore were also very popular with the judges.

On the agency front there were many contenders across the 30 categories and three segments of loyalty, engagement and relationship marketing.

But MRM//McCANN trumped competitors with the Hershey’s Happygrams campaign retaining its position as Relationship Marketing Agency of the Year and adding more metal to its trophy haul and stepping up as Engagement Agency of the Year for 2016.

First time entrant, Meet Isaac had a night to remember and was named Loyalty Agency of the Year for its “TANGS Omni-Channel Experience” campaign.

This year the awards saw the edition of three new categories – Best Loyalty Programme – F&B; Best Loyalty Programme – Retailer; and Best Loyalty Programme – Travel/Hospitality.

A total of 94 trophies were awarded and participation was higher than ever with entries from brands and agencies in the loyalty, engagement and relationship marketing industry from across the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, India and the new markets of Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

This is a positive sign for the industry, said Rezwana Manjur, editor of A+M magazine.

“Client-side marketers are fast learning that having a human touch and truly knowing your customers is necessary in standing out in today’s competitive landscape,” she said.

“We have seen an astounding number of entries this year and the competition was stiff and this truly indicates a maturation in loyalty marketing in the region. Congratulations to all our winners tonight.”

The Loyalty and Engagement Awards 2016 was sponsored by Edenred, IBM and supported by partners Cellarmaster Wines, Graphiss and Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 2 9

ENGAGEMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR MRM//MCCANN SINGAPORE

LOYALTY AGENCY OF THE YEAR MEET ISAAC

RELATIONSHIP MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR MRM//MCCANN SINGAPORE

L&E 2016 BRAND OF THE YEAR DBS

3 0 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

BEST ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A FEMALE AUDIENCE

BEST ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A MALE AUDIENCE

Client: Watsons Malaysia Campaign: Watsons Shows How it is Like Being a Lady during Ramadan-Raya Agency: OMD Malaysia Client: The Hershey Company Campaign: Hershey’s Happygrams Agency: MRM// McCANN Singapore

Client: Unilever Malaysia Campaign: Sunsilk Biggest Selfie Movie in Malaysia Agency: Immerse

BEST LOYALTY PROGRAMME – TRAVEL/HOSPITALITY

Client: Singapore Sports Hub Campaign: Mediacorp Rotax Max Singapore Open 2015 Agency: Mediacorp OOH Media Client: Maybank Campaign: MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF GOES SOCIAL Agency: Zenith Malaysia

BEST CRM STRATEGY

Client: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Campaign: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Agency: NIL

Client: Hilton Worldwide Campaign: Hilton HHonors Agency: Leo Burnett

Client: Wyndham Hotel Group Campaign: Wyndham Rewards Agency: NIL

BEST USE OF BRAND ADVOCACY/INFLUENCERS

Client: McDonald’s Singapore Campaign: McDelivery CRM Pilot Agency: Tasseologic

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Client: Land Transport Authority of Singapore & Canon Singapore Campaign: Those Who Move Us Agency: Dentsu Singapore

Client: Mediacorp Campaign: MeClub Agency: NIL

BEST USE OF EXPERIENTIAL/LIVE MARKETING

Client: DBS Campaign: National School Savings Campaign (NSSC) Agency: NIL

Client: The Hershey Company Campaign: Hershey’s Happygrams Agency: MRM// McCANN Singapore

Client: Canon Campaign: Photo Face Off Agency: Dentsu Singapore

Client: Great Eastern Life Campaign: Great Eastern Women’s Run 2015 Agency: NIL

Client: National Youth Council, Singapore Campaign: SHINE Festival 2015 – “Build Your World” Agency: The Events Artery

Client: Watsons Malaysia Campaign: Watsons’ Massive Event Set a New Record Agency: OMD Malaysia

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 1

BEST PARTNERSHIP IN A LOYALTY PROGRAMME

BEST LOYALTY PROGRAMME – RETAILER

Client: NTUC Link Campaign: PLUS! VISA Agency: NIL

Client: Study Group Singapore (Bellerbys Educational Services) Campaign: Partners Connect Agency: NIL

Client: Malaysia Airlines Campaign: Bank Conversion, London 2x Miles, London 50% Redemption Agency: M&C Saatchi

BEST USE OF REWARDS & INCENTIVES

Client: IKEA FAMILY Australia Campaign: IKEA FAMILY uDecide™ Campaign Agency: Digital Alchemy

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

BEST USE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Client: MasterCard Singapore Campaign: Road To Milan Agency: Digital Arts Network Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

Client: HP Inc. Campaign: HP AchievePlus – Privileges Agency: Edenred Singapore

BEST USE OF CO-CREATION/CROWD SOURCING

Client: DBS Campaign: DBS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE Agency: 3radical

Client: DBS Campaign: Consumer Banking Operations Singapore, Employee Engagement Agency: NIL

3 2 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Client: Maybank Campaign: MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF GOES SOCIAL Agency: Zenith Malaysia

Client: FOREFRONT International Campaign: Forefronteers Engagement Initiative Agency: NIL

BEST USE OF INTEGRATED MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Client: Land Transport Authority of Singapore and Canon Singapore Campaign: Those Who Move Us Agency: Dentsu Singapore Client: Unilever Malaysia Campaign: Sunsilk Biggest Selfie Movie in Malaysia Agency: Immerse

Client: Suntec City Campaign: Suntec Rewards Agency: Quantum Interactive

Client: Telekom Malaysia Campaign: Unifi: For the Makers of Tomorrow Agency: MullenLowe Malaysia

Client: Procter & Gamble Campaign: Olay Wall Agency: Razorfish

Client: Citibank Singapore Campaign: Citi Progress Makers Agencies: MEC Global, Publicis Singapore, Splash Interactive

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

BEST CARD-BASED LOYALTY PROGRAMME

BEST USE OF DIRECT MARKETING

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

Client: DBS Campaign: POSB Everyday Card Dining and Grocery Campaign Agency: NIL

Client: TGV Cinemas Campaign: TGV Cinemas MovieClub Agency: NIL

BEST LOYALTY PROGRAMME – F&B

Client: Maybank Campaign: Maybank Treats Fair 2015 Agencies: Zenith Malaysia, Intigus

Client: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Campaign: AirAsia BIG Final Call Sale Agency: NIL

BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Client: Sari Coffee Indonesia Campaign: Starbucks Card Indonesia Agency: AIMIA Indonesia

Client: Nando’s Chickenland Malaysia Campaign: PERi-Vilege Loyalty Programme Agency: NIL

Client: Grand Hyatt Singapore Campaign: Club At The Hyatt Agency: NIL

BEST USE OF CONSUMER INSIGHTS/DATA ANALYTICS

Client: ZALORA Campaign: Product Delivery Communication Agency: NIL

Client: ZALORA Campaign: Self-Service Exchange Module Agency: NIL

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Client: TGV Cinemas Campaign: MovieMoney Bonanza Agency: NIL

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

BEST ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY BY A GOVERNMENT/COMMUNITY

Client: Bukalapak Campaign: Bukalapak re-engages idle app users Agency: Sociomantic Labs Client: McDonald’s Singapore Campaign: McDelivery Mass Personalisation Agency: Tasseologic

Client: The Hershey Company Campaign: Hershey’s Happygrams Agency: MRM// McCANN Singapore

Client: Land Transport Authority of Singapore and Canon Singapore Campaign: Those Who Move Us Agency: Dentsu Singapore Client: Health Promotion Board Campaign: National Steps Challenge™ Agency: DDB Group Singapore

Client: National Youth Council, Singapore Campaign: SHINE Festival 2015 – “Build Your World” Agency: The Events Artery

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 3

BEST ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY BY A MEDIA OWNER

BEST USE OF CONTESTS/PROMOTIONS

Client: Mediacorp Campaign: MeClub Agency: NIL

Client: Clozette Campaign: Clozette Style Party 2016 Agency: NIL

Client: CNN International Campaign: All-In-OneOf-A-Kind Singapore!

Agency: MEC

BEST USE OF SOCIAL

Client: Citibank Singapore Campaign: Citi Simply Irresistible GSS 2015 Agencies: Publicis Singapore, 360 Communications Client: DBS Campaign: DBS PayLah! SG$100,000 SGWave Agency: NIL

BEST USE OF GAMIFICATION

Client: The Hershey Company Campaign: Hershey’s Happygrams Agency: MRM// McCANN Singapore Client: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Campaign: AirAsia BIG Final Call Sale Agency: NIL

Client: Maybank Campaign: MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF GOES SOCIAL Agency: Zenith Malaysia

BEST USE OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETING – B2B

Client: Anytime Fitness Campaign: MyAnytime App Agency: 3radical

Client: DBS Campaign: DBS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE Agency: 3radical

3 4 a d verti s i ng + marketi ng | AU G U S T 2016

Client: HP Inc. Campaign: HP AchievePlus – Privileges Agency: Edenred Singapore

Client: DBS Campaign: DBS Lifestyle – Mobile Gamification Agency: 3radical

BEST USE OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETING – B2C

Client: ZALORA Campaign: Seller Relationship Management Agency: NIL

Client: Syngenta Asia Pacific Campaign: Syngenta PartnerGrow® Agency: Edenred Singapore

Client: BSN Campaign: Paris, Milan here I come Agency: MullenLowe Malaysia

Client: McDonald’s Singapore Campaign: McDelivery From Transactional to Personalisation Agency: Tasseologic

Client: United Overseas Bank Campaign: UOB #SavePaper the Smarter Way – an Earth Day Initiative Agency: Germs Singapore Client: Maybank Campaign: Maybank Treats Fair 2015 Agencies: Zenith Malaysia, Intigus

WWW. MARK E TING-IN TE RAC TI VE . C OM

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY

BEST USE OF CSR

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

Client: Unilever Malaysia Campaign: Vaseline Spray-Off! Agency: Immerse

Client: Procter & Gamble Campaign: Olay Wall Agency: Razorfish

BEST USE OF MOBILE

Client: Beiersdorf Indonesia Campaign: Inovasi Dalam Edukasi (IDE) – Aksi Siaga Hansaplast Agency: AIMIA Client: FOX Sports Campaign: Fix My Court Agency: Isobar Malaysia

Client: Telekom Malaysia Campaign: RE: Change that Inspires Change Agency: MullenLowe Malaysia

BEST REGIONAL LOYALTY MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Client: Bukalapak Campaign: Bukalapak re-engages idle app users Agency: Sociomantic Labs Client: The Hershey Company Campaign: Hershey’s Happygrams Agency: MRM// McCANN Singapore

Client: DBS Campaign: DBS Lifestyle – Mobile Gamification Agency: 3radical

LOYALTY PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR

Client: Epson Singapore Campaign: Epson Engage2WIN Agency: Edenred Singapore

Client: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Campaign: AirAsia BIG Final Call Sale Agency: NIL

BEST INNOVATIVE LOYALTY PROGRAMME

Client: Suntec City Campaign: Suntec Rewards Agency: Quantum Interactive

Client: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Campaign: AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme Agency: NIL

WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Client: InterContinental Hotels Group Campaign: Accelerate Multibrand Promotion 2015 Agency: OgilvyOne Worldwide

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

Client: Mediacorp Campaign: MeClub Agency: NIL

Client: TANGS Campaign: TANGS Omni-Channel Experience Agency: Meet Isaac

Client: Rabbit Campaign: Rabbit Rewards Agency: Digital Alchemy

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 5

Join the region’s ultimate conference on maximising digital ad spend and coming to terms with the evolving digital landscape covering emerging technologies, alternative attribution models, challenges of ad fraud and ad blocking and much more.

Ronnie Brown Head of digital DirectAsia

Thomas Wolf Digital conversion manager Google

Steve Feiner Co-founder and CEO A Better Florist

Charlie Baillie Regional director, SEA RadiumOne

Rates Client-side marketers: USD 739 Solutions providers: USD 1,399 www.marketing-interactive.com/performance-marketing/sg Contact: Attending the conference: Bernadine Reyla: +65 6423 0329 +65 9773 5523 bernadiner@marketing-interactive.com

Sponsors and Partners:

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities: Joven Barcenas: +65 6423 0329 jovenb@marketing-interactive.com

Benedict Hayes Managing director, SEA and India Sociomantic Labs

LAST WORD ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

IS ALL PUBLICITY REALLY GOOD PUBLICITY? With all this hate, can Taylor Swift win back the love? Vivienne Tay writes.

In an interview with Vogue for its 70 Questions series, Taylor Swift once mentioned that if she wasn’t an international pop sensation, she would have pursued a career in advertising. Seeing how she has a vicelike grip on her public image – it is not hard to see why.

From crooning over ex-lovers to speaking out against bullying of all scales and against tech giants, the songstress has proven herself a force to be reckoned with. According to Forbes she is now worth US$250 million, making her the youngest of America’s self-made richest young women. She has also clinched a total of 10 Grammy awards, five Guinness World records and an Emmy award.    

Female empowerment.

Financial success.

A legion of supermodels as her flock of best friends.

Charming Briton as a boyfriend.

Check, check, check, check. Needless to say, brand “Taylor Swift” has successfully embodied the #Goals movement the current generation is so enamoured with. For those of you who don’t know what the #Goals movement is, it plays on the show of perfection of one’s life on social media platforms.

Yet, despite her carefully curated image, the pop sensation has recently met with an exceedingly harsh amount of backlash on two fronts – one from former ex-boyfriend DJ Calvin Harris and one from the famed Kim Kardashian-Kanye West clan.

The attacks from Kardashian fans came after Kardashian posted a video detailing her husband West’s conversation with Swift and asking for her blessing in releasing his new controversial song Famous which attacks Swift. The song, which Swift later called “misogynistic”, also had her publicists claiming she was unaware that she would be portrayed in a negative light.

All this drama led to the rise of trending hashtags #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty and #KimExposedTaylorParty respectively.

Hilarious meme reactions from internet users soon flooded the Twitterverse.

Celebrities are also now taking sides proclaiming their love (or hate) over the blonde superstar. This then begs the question: is this the beginning of the end for Swift’s carefully curated public image?

Fast, real-time responses.

In an attempt to negate the drama following Kardashian’s video leak, Swift promptly posted a response on her Instagram and Twitter page.

She carefully discredited the video by pointing out loopholes.

Swift, always known to be vocal, made her voice heard even in this instance when a safer move would have been to go into hiding.

The art of storytelling Storytelling is something which Swift has definitely found success in, not only through her music where fans can take a good look into her life, but also outside her music.One recent example would be the release of WWW.M A R K ET I N G - I N T ER A C T I V E.C O M

Not feeling the love: Can the Taylor Swift brand swiftly recover?

information on her new relationship with British actor Tom Hiddleston, best known for playing Loki in the Thor and Avengers series.

Fans had the opportunity to see the couple’s relationship develop from dancing up a storm at the Met Gala’s after-party to their subsequent frolic on the rocks.

Coincidentally, the news of the happy couple broke on the same day as Kim Kardashian’s interview with GQ magazine where she addressed the tumultuous rift between her husband West and Swift.

According to Google trends, the topics “Tom Hiddleston” and “Taylor Swift” generated far more interest than “Kim Kardashian” on the same day where both articles were released. Twitter users were also quick to point out the coincidence.

So, we wonder, did Swift have any part to play in the coincidence of having The Sun article on her new beau being published on the same day as Kardashian’s GQ interview which addresses this?

Despite all the drama which has unfolded, Swift and her team have had great success until now in creating a narrative which brands and marketers definitely can learn from.

As a marketing journalist, despite the epic drama going on with Swift, I am floored by her commitment to her brand DNA and how she has successfully pandered to the younger generation’s #Goals movement.

As a Hiddleston fan, I am heartbroken.

AU G U S T 201 6 | a dvert i s i ng + m a r ke t i ng 3 7

MUST

REWARD

Have created innovative and groundbreaking campaigns over the past 12 months

Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies in each category The overall trophy for the best performer

Impress an elite panel of senior client marketers

Ultimate recognition among peers at the ceremony on 27 October at Aloft Kuala Lumpur

Enter any of the 33 categories covering the marketing and communications discipline

COULD THIS BE YOU? ENTER BY 26 AUGUST FOR YOUR SHOT AT GLORY www.marketing-interactive.com/mea-awards/my/

Entries: Bernadine Reyla +65 9773 5523 +65 6423 0329 bernadiner@marketing-interactive.com

Sponsorship and Advertising: Joven Barcenas +65 6423 0329 jovenb@marketing-interactive.com

Event Partner

Brought to you by