2023 Winners

Case Summary

As a sponsor of NBA JAPAN GAMES, Nissan faced with the objective of leveraging this opportunity to raise awareness of the ProPILOT 2.0 technology and strengthen their brand image of innovation. Nissan’s ambition was to go beyond simple technology introduction. Nissan hijacked halftime show with an out of box thinking and demonstrated ProPILOT 2.0 in a completely new way. The demo conveyed that Nissan is a brand that excites people with its technology.

Case Summary

MTHIS IS HOW SPRITE LAUNCHED ITS FIRST-EVER GLOBAL PLATFORM, DEVELOPED IN CHINA, BY EVOLVING ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ‘COOLING DOWN’ TO GROW RECRUITMENT AND REVENUE BEYOND SUMMER. For decades Sprite China positioned its lemon-lime edge as the ultimate way to beat summer heat creating a seasonal demand spike which tapered off, leading to seasonally skewed recruitment, and flattening revenues. Sprite reframed its benefit of ‘Cooling Down’ from physical heat to mental heat with its first-ever global platform, created in China - ‘Heat Happens’, to become relevant year-round, growing recruitment and revenues.

Case Summary

While JBL remains popular among old-school audio enthusiasts, younger generations do not see it as a brand for them. To change this perception, JBL turned to a seemingly outdated trend among young people: Japanese radio calisthenics, a form of gymnastic dance. By incorporating elements of breakdancing into the traditional moves, JBL introduced a whole new style called “Breaking Radio Calisthenics,” an instant hit that quickly engaged millions of young people. JBL transformed an outdated and dull dance style into a hip contemporary trend and in doing so modernized its brand.

Case Summary

For 30 years James Hardie attempted to disrupt the residential building and construction sector with ‘fibre cement’, an alternative product to traditional brick materials. All to no avail. It was only after we broke the unspoken rules of the category itself that we achieved our original purpose. Transforming a B2B brand that formerly addressed a male dominated builder audience, into a B2C brand that empowers female homeowners - the true visionaries and decision-drivers when it comes to building a home.

Case Summary

The AAMI Bargain Regret campaign helped to position AAMI for value in a market pushing people towards cheaper competitors. In the years preceding the campaign, new challenger brands had been closing the consideration gap on AAMI. At the other end of the funnel customer switching was increasing to these brands that deployed sharper pricing and aggressive tactics, challenging consumers to question, “Why am I paying so much?” Bargain Regret was AAMI’s response. A response that saw AAMI slow churn and increase prices, while growing high value customers and profit.

Case Summary

KFC Australia created a fine-dining degustation experience with 11 courses, using the food we sell in restaurant every single day. We knew that giving our food such a cheeky, fancy and over-the-top treatment - then targeting food critics, influencers and foodie-publications - would ensure the campaign amassed a huge amount of PR coverage, which successfully lifted KFC’s food quality perceptions.

Case Summary

Prior to New Zealand’s borders closing, Australia was our biggest tourism market. In 2022, it was crucial we enticed Australian holidaymakers back to New Zealand. But, why would you visit your next-door neighbour when the world world is accessible for the first time in two years? Enter ‘IF YOU SEEK’; a campaign that compelled Australians to see New Zealand in a new light and come visit for unique experiences. And so, they did. When borders re-opened, Australians returned in their droves and spent more on average than they had pre-pandemic.r

Case Summary

This is the story of why Telstra was able to deliver its best ever ROI and do so on a titanic scale. By revealing to the nation that they were the inspiration behind everything Telstra does, ‘Australia Is Why’ provided a platform to elevate practical improvements and gave purpose to brand acts like making all payphones free, for everyone, forever. With unwavering commitment to purpose-led growth, this idea unlocked multiple drivers of ROI – customer growth, ARPU and profitability, to delivering an ROI of $4.14 incremental profit per $1 invested.

Case Summary

THIS IS HOW SPRITE LAUNCHED ITS FIRST-EVER GLOBAL PLATFORM, DEVELOPED IN CHINA, BY EVOLVING ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ‘COOLING DOWN’ TO GROW RECRUITMENT AND REVENUE BEYOND SUMMER. For decades Sprite China positioned its lemon-lime edge as the ultimate way to beat summer heat creating a seasonal demand spike which tapered off, leading to seasonally skewed recruitment, and flattening revenues. Sprite reframed its benefit of ‘Cooling Down’ from physical heat to mental heat with its first-ever global platform, created in China - ‘Heat Happens’, to become relevant year-round, growing recruitment and revenues.

Case Summary

While JBL remains popular among old-school audio enthusiasts, younger generations do not see it as a brand for them. To change this perception, JBL turned to a seemingly outdated trend among young people: Japanese radio calisthenics, a form of gymnastic dance. By incorporating elements of breakdancing into the traditional moves, JBL introduced a whole new style called “Breaking Radio Calisthenics,” an instant hit that quickly engaged millions of young people. JBL transformed an outdated and dull dance style into a hip contemporary trend and in doing so modernized its brand.

Case Summary

This is the story of how Maya rose to become the fastest-growing digital bank in the Philippines, by taking a significant step towards bridging the banking gap. The key to its success lies in its bold approach to digital banking, which no other bank in the country would dare to do. It transformed Gen Z interests (music, arts, gaming) and turned it all into a cohesive campaign. For the first time ever, a bank topped the music charts, breaking away from the conventional ways of advertising for a bank.

Case Summary

When Filipinos were streaming oceans of online content from competing platforms, with people already catching blockbusters in cineplexes because of the easing COVID restrictions, how did Netflix promote its heist movie “Red Notice?” By heisting the 100-foot high, 50-ton MOA Globe. The stunt caught the nation’s imagination, becoming the No. 1 Twitter trending topic for 12 hours. Garnering 1.3M engagements in just 24. Making “Red Notice” No. 1 on Netflix in just a day, remaining there for 11 more, and staying in the Top 10 for 6 consecutive weeks.

Case Summary

As New Zealanders grapple with the cost-of-living crisis, The Wellington City Mission have experienced a fourfold increase in demand for services — spiking with the pressure of Christmas. To generate emergency fundraising we staged ‘The Silent Night’, a crowd-less event that channelled Wellingtonians’ goodwill into tangible contributions to their community. The event was a sell-out, selling more tickets than the stadium’s seating capacity, raising over $350k in ticket sales, and bringing in first time donors. And because no one attended, 100% of the sales were donated to those in need.

Case Summary

Vietnam is Southeast Asia’s fastest growing digital economy but even amidst an unprecedented e-commerce boom, 14 million rural farmers (representing 1 in 5 Vietnamese adults) are held back from prospering by a broken supply-chain where up to 45 percent of fresh fruit and vegetables harvested perish before reaching anyone’s table. GRABCONNECT helped to connect ‘digitally outcast’ farmers to Grab’s vast network of merchants and app users, helping to build a stronger supply ecosystem for online groceries in Vietnam, and saving more than 400 tons of fruit losses in the process.

Case Summary

A film, 8 minutes long, of Thailand long-established local chicken restaurant” sounds unsuccessful to win new generation’s engagement over global modern QSR brands. But Five Stars’ “A Movie that made from Us” exceeded baseline engagement by 59% with +74% key SKU sales growth, marking a reversal from historically slowing growth, especially among new generations. Under aggressive competition of Chicken QSRs in Thailand, Five Star’s first-ever user generated film succeeded in reconnecting to new generation, serving their dream of resolving ‘generation gap’ tension, and reaching its brand purpose of ‘Chicken that Connects Generations’.

Case Summary

Thailand’s two Big Boys of parcel logistics control 80% of the market, leaving the other 10+ players fighting for table scraps. Both Thai Post and Kerry Express are purpose-built parcel delivering machines with sophisticated hub, spoke, and mini-spoke models - with warehouses, sorting centers, distribution hubs, the works. Enter GrabExpress, a no-frills service piggybacking on the same bike delivery feet that Grab uses to deliver food and groceries. This case is how GrabExpress turned the tables on the giants of the industry, turning their hub-and-spoke infrastructure advantage against them.

Case Summary

“SmallBiz-washing” (yes, it’s a thing). Like “Greenwashing” deceives consumers that a firm’s products help green the planet, Smallbiz-washing campaigns are designed to bolster a firm’s reputation, without making any real difference to small-business owners. During COVID, brands spent millions on small business marketing but 40% of Thai small businesses were still at risk of closure. Since survival of these food vendors, bakeries, and shops were critical to Grab’s own prosperity, we went beyond usual surveys and listened to real SME heartaches to understand precisely what support they really needed.

Case Summary

To build the in-home drinking occasion and bring 2022’s FIFA World Cup to Chinese youth who are still under Covid restrictions, Harbin Beer developed The Harbin Beer Bench, a special multipack packaging solution that can help urban youth in China to invite friends to their small homes, gathering and watching games. The bench was launched with a social campaign to create a unique experience and engagement with consumers, and helped the brand to find a distinguish angle to increase its exposure during the FIFA season.

Case Summary

By championing local Filipino talent and underrepresented micro influencers on TikTok, DITO Telecommunity was able to double its market share from 3% to 6% in just three months. Up against dominant players Globe and Smart, DITO was unable to match their massive marketing budgets and their use of international celebrities. Instead, the one-year-old brand broke through with an Influencer Marketing strategy that put local talent centre stage and was rewarded with a 33% boost in their subscriber base from 9M to 12M, the fastest growth for a greenfield telco globally.

Case Summary

Skinny. A telco who believes in low prices, and happy customers. They want big attention, but won’t waste their customers money on big name celebrities. So in 2022, we open-sourced their brand campaign to the public. The entire country could record Skinny’s new campaign on their mobile…for free. 34 unique radio scripts, on buses and billboards and bar coasters, each one tailored to its location. A guerrilla OOH campaign, that evolved into a radio campaign, that delivered a 34% increase in new customers yoy. Our most effective recruitment campaign ever.

Case Summary

Due to the pandemic, 350+ buskers were banned from performing on the streets of Singapore as part of COVID-19 safety measures. This left our buskers, who already do not earn much, with no income from busking for over a year. Our buskers are an integral part of Singapore’s art scene, contributing to the vibrancy of Singapore’s art and culture. As a national media network and champion of local creativity, Mediacorp wanted to make a positive change in the lives of our street performers and help them earn a sustainable income.

Case Summary

When you’re seen as relatively default festival gift, it’s hard to stand out and increase sales. Raya 2022 Cadbury tapped into a cultural tradition and forged a new and distinctive consumption moment. Traditionally, Malaysians gift baked Kuihs at Raya. Whilst there’s pride in saying “baked it myself” most don’t because they believe it takes too much effort. To make baking simpler, we generously turned our packaging into baking sheets and regional recipes incorporating chocolate. And made Cadbury Dairy milk a key ingredient of Raya, helping Malaysians bake from the heart.

Case Summary

Singapore’s falling birth rates made armed forces recruitment more critical than ever. But recruitment campaigns in the category bear an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood action films, speaking to the “child” in teenage males who enjoys the action and adrenaline rush. So, here’s the truth bomb: The youths of today see these campaigns as pure government propaganda. This case documents how the Navy tapped into a powerful insight that created a highly successful campaign embracing the real, the everyday and the toughness of a Navy career at the centre of communication.

Case Summary

In the toughest Australian labour market in fifty years, McDonald’s Australia launched a textbook example of recruitment advertising for young Australians. Informed by staff research and employment psychology principles, the ‘Mates make it Maccas’ campaign smashed targets, beating the application objectives by 250%. This reversed the 2022 crew number downwards trend line and enabled the 1,032 restaurants to meet consumer demand.