I took a break from advertising after the birth of my son in 2009. But I found a fun and fulfilling hobby writing for an NGO (Liberal Banter) who runs the LoyarBurok blog, a platform for social activism and all those who want to write for the good of human kind.
For a year (2010-2011), I worked with a lawyer named Adrian Chew, one of the curators of the blog, on a series of educational but entertaining articles on laws and human rights for a column in August Man, Malaysia's premier magazine for men. The lawyers who started the blog always complained that the average Malaysian had trouble understanding the jargon and dry narrative on articles concerning laws important to every Malaysian. Through the August Man articles, I employed dry wit and conversational English to simplify the scenarios that would call for certain laws. The series of 12 articles were published under the Monkeysuit Protocol banner and can be found here. Just click on any article with the Monkeysuit Protocol prefix in the title.
As both contributor and part-time curator of the blog, I've also written a few articles on topics that concern the average human living in the modern world and/or are important to me. These can be found here, here, here and here.
Hopefully, you'll notice that my style of writing is versatile and shifts according to the target market I'm talking to.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sci-Fi and Chinese Drama on Channel 9
Campaign: "Subtitles"/"Missing" - TV
Product: Channel 9
Client: Channel 9
Problem: A new channel offering continuous hours of each popular program genre was being launched. We had the perfect medium for dramatisation. So what could we dramatise?
Solution: Offering genre belts meant a person could get more of what he/she likes in a sitting. So the idea of super-serving came up. Essentially you could have so much sci-fi that missing items and UFOs spill into your daily life. Or you could have so much Chinese drama that there's even drama surrounding the Chinese drama. Things like that.
Respect the Ford Ranger
Campaign: "Ran"/"Reverse"
Product: Ford Ranger 4X4 Automatic
Client: Ford
Problem: Pick-up trucks was a competitive category in the 2000's. Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton were doing well. Meanwhile, Ford as a badge was no longer the pedigree it had once been in the 80's and early 90's, although the brand had long established itself in the country as a formidable car-maker. As one of the earliest 4X4 pick-up entrants into the scene, it still had the advantage of reminding the target market of its built-tough quality, a promise it had made for almost a decade. The challenge then did not lie in creating a proposition that was unique as the hygiene factor for this category was always going to be 'toughness'. Instead, we had to up the ante in interpreting what 'toughness' meant.
Solution: We used TV to dramatise quiet strength. The sort of strength that wasn't brash or obvious or noisy, but that commanded respect. Hence, simple scenarios of everyday life where such respect would be offered were story-boarded and shot.
D6nce wih Kent
Campaign: Desi9n, D6nce, Fash1on (D6nce series)
Product: Kent cigarettes
Client: British American Tobacco
Problem: During the middle 90's to mid 2000's, cigarette brands in Malaysia hinged on a sponsorship platform to escape rules on direct advertising. Salem was big on sponsoring tennis. Dunhill dominated football which took a chunk out of its profits. Its sister brand, Kent, which though unique and came in 3 different strengths (1, 6 and 9 with 9 being the strongest), was left with a small budget and a challenge to create a positioning that would attract and stick.
Solution: The brand eventually zeroed in on the design, dance and fashion-loving crowd - a crowd conscious of aesthetics and who lived on the edge; a crowd unique enough to take up the product's unique charcoal-filtered flavour too. By sponsoring dance music which was exploding in the music scene, fashion and design shows and exhibitions, the brand soon gained a cult following among a niche but loyal group.
Product: Kent cigarettes
Client: British American Tobacco
Problem: During the middle 90's to mid 2000's, cigarette brands in Malaysia hinged on a sponsorship platform to escape rules on direct advertising. Salem was big on sponsoring tennis. Dunhill dominated football which took a chunk out of its profits. Its sister brand, Kent, which though unique and came in 3 different strengths (1, 6 and 9 with 9 being the strongest), was left with a small budget and a challenge to create a positioning that would attract and stick.
Solution: The brand eventually zeroed in on the design, dance and fashion-loving crowd - a crowd conscious of aesthetics and who lived on the edge; a crowd unique enough to take up the product's unique charcoal-filtered flavour too. By sponsoring dance music which was exploding in the music scene, fashion and design shows and exhibitions, the brand soon gained a cult following among a niche but loyal group.
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| Press #1 for the Osmosis event |
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| Press #2 for the Osmosis Event |
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| A promotional magazine advertisement for Dance Music hour on a local radio station |
The Second National Car that Cares
Campaign: Corporate Festive - Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya
Brand: Perodua
Client: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Negara
Problem: A lot of big multi-national corporations invest in corporate feel-good messages during the key festive seasons throughout the year. As a manufacturer of cars, we wanted to anchor the messages on something utilitarian and useful. Further, Perodua cars were not expensive cars but instead priced to be affordable to the middle-class Malaysian. These were cars for the working-class and it was important to represent the views of this class.
Solution: To give the campaigns an edge, we created stories that contained (and hopefully encouraged) social consciousness. For Chinese New Year, it was about bridging gaps and closing distances. For Deepavali, it was about beating down misperceptions borne out of our innate racist views. For Christmas, it was about responsible driving.
Here are some of the ads and TV commercials that have been done for this purpose.
Brand: Perodua
Client: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Negara
Problem: A lot of big multi-national corporations invest in corporate feel-good messages during the key festive seasons throughout the year. As a manufacturer of cars, we wanted to anchor the messages on something utilitarian and useful. Further, Perodua cars were not expensive cars but instead priced to be affordable to the middle-class Malaysian. These were cars for the working-class and it was important to represent the views of this class.
Solution: To give the campaigns an edge, we created stories that contained (and hopefully encouraged) social consciousness. For Chinese New Year, it was about bridging gaps and closing distances. For Deepavali, it was about beating down misperceptions borne out of our innate racist views. For Christmas, it was about responsible driving.
Here are some of the ads and TV commercials that have been done for this purpose.
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| Hari Raya: Asking for forgiveness isn't only the duty of one party |
The TV commercial below was created for Christmas and is a dramatisation of the devastating effects of alcohol. In the spot that mimics a typical product commercial promoting the safety features of a car, we are shown ultimately how such features cannot protect us from the dangers of driving under the influence.
To view the Deepavali commercial entitled 'Beyond Race', click here.
For the Chinese New Year 'Family Ties' commercial, click here.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Decorate a Christmas Tree, Win a Voucher
Campaign: "Christmas Tree" - In-store Installation
Brand: Kinokuniya Christmas Contest
Client: Kinokuniya Bookstore
Brand: Kinokuniya Christmas Contest
Client: Kinokuniya Bookstore
Problem: The client wanted a contest to run during Christmas. Participants would get a book voucher worth RM5 with every winning entry. But how do we come up with an engaging contest that would ignite the imagination of the book lover?
Solution: Give book lovers a chance to help decorate a Christmas tree even as they participated in the contest. A bare tree with bare branches was made and placed in the store. Posters inviting buyers and browsers to participate in the contest were placed throughout the store. They were asked to guess the Top 10 best-sellers of each week from the first week of November leading up to the Christmas week. Entries in the shape of Christmas robins were given out to shoppers in the store where they could list down the Top 10 and fill in their names and contact details. Accompanying posters were placed in their shopping bags too so they could find out more and participate the next time they were in the store. The tree filled up nicely in 7 weeks, and the top winners received vouchers amounting to RM15 in value.
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| Entry forms (or cards) in the form of robins |
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| The tree filling up with entries |
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| Tree with entries and instruction panel beside it |
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| Instruction panel: A close-up |
Leave the Sharks Alone
Campaign: "Cartoon strip" - Magazine advertisements
Brand: Save the Sharks campaign by Wild Aid
Brand: Save the Sharks campaign by Wild Aid
Client: Wild Aid
Problem: Ok, a couple of magazine ads is not going to overturn the shark-finning industry overnight. The continuous effort at targeting consumers of the product may, however. The idea is to reduce (if not stop) demand especially by sharks-fin soup eating diners. Anti-shark-finning campaigns have so far employed fear-mongering and shocking imagery of finless sharks bleeding to death on boat decks in their communications campaigns. But turning off the target market before they can get to the meat of the message or by invoking defensiveness couldn't possibly help in our cause.
Solution: For this campaign, we appealed to the softer side of the garget market by upping the cute factor of the victim. The idea was based on the insight that no one wants to eat a character they like and that preaching to (1) the young and unaware was a more effective long-term strategy than trying to convert those set in their ways and on their palate. As a result, cartoon-strip style magazine advertisements were created and placed in popular children's comic magazines as well as the RAGE pull-out in The Star (national daily) written by teenaged journalists for teenagers.
Body copy reads, Research shows that sharks are our friends. It also shows we've been eating our friends. So the next time you're at a restaurant, spread the word: Buddies don't put buddies into hot soup.
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| "Due to demand, fin implants limited to hammerhead sharks" |
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| Tortoise: "Think you'd better scoot, they look Chinese!" |
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| Turtle: "Look, no fins", Shark: "Not funny" |
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| Lobster: "Stop looking mean and scary. Try smiling." Shark: "I am!" |
Reserved for Nesvita Drinkers
Campaign: "Makeshift chairs" - Outdoor installations
Brand: Nesvita Non-Fat Milk
Client: Nestle Foods
Problem: The client wanted some out-of-the-box outdoor communications for their Nesvita low-fat milk which was targeted at female working professionals in the 25-33 age bracket. Their press ad and TV commercial were run-of-the-mill pieces that, while effective, did not reach out to the target who were fashion conscious and on the move.
Solution: To highlight the low-fat promise of the product, a series of low-weight chairs made of everyday lightweight materials were designed and place in selected clothing boutiques and cafes throughout the city - chairs made of aluminum foil, transparent plastic sheets and cardboard material, for instance. The idea was to create fashionable but delicate furniture that could support the equally delicate weight of Nesvita drinkers, thereby underscoring the weight-reducing role of the milk as part of a diet that is combined with exercise.
Brand: Nesvita Non-Fat Milk
Client: Nestle Foods
Problem: The client wanted some out-of-the-box outdoor communications for their Nesvita low-fat milk which was targeted at female working professionals in the 25-33 age bracket. Their press ad and TV commercial were run-of-the-mill pieces that, while effective, did not reach out to the target who were fashion conscious and on the move.
Solution: To highlight the low-fat promise of the product, a series of low-weight chairs made of everyday lightweight materials were designed and place in selected clothing boutiques and cafes throughout the city - chairs made of aluminum foil, transparent plastic sheets and cardboard material, for instance. The idea was to create fashionable but delicate furniture that could support the equally delicate weight of Nesvita drinkers, thereby underscoring the weight-reducing role of the milk as part of a diet that is combined with exercise.
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| Installation 1: Aluminum foil chair, reserved for drinkers of Nesvita non-fat milk |
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| Installation #2: Cardboard chair, reserved for drinkers of Nesvita non-fat milk |
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| Installation #3: Origami paper chair, reserved for drinkers of Nesvita non-fat milk |
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| Installation #4: Transparency paper chair, reserved for drinkers of Nesvita Non-Fat Milk |
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| Installation #5: Styrofoam chair, reserved for drinkers of Nesvita Non-Fat Milk |
Confidence, Powered by Nike
Campaign: "Ripped skin" - Posters/Press
Brand: Nike Football
Client: Nike S.E.A
Problem: Nike Football was sponsoring the Malaysian Tigers, the national soccer team. This was a team long on passion, short on confidence. Stigma attached to national soccer ("They'll never play at Champion's League standard") has not been very motivating for the team. So Nike wanted a campaign that would reflect the determination of the team and get local soccer fans to root for their "own".
Solution: A print and poster (retail shops and exhibitions) became part of a larger campaign that complemented an existing TV commercial and on-ground activation event. Using bold and inspiring copy, the print work features a visual twist - key players shown with ripped skin, underneath of which lies the national team uniform. The message? It takes skills to earn the right to play for the country so the uniform, which represents capability, is very much part of their DNA.
Brand: Nike Football
Client: Nike S.E.A
Problem: Nike Football was sponsoring the Malaysian Tigers, the national soccer team. This was a team long on passion, short on confidence. Stigma attached to national soccer ("They'll never play at Champion's League standard") has not been very motivating for the team. So Nike wanted a campaign that would reflect the determination of the team and get local soccer fans to root for their "own".
Solution: A print and poster (retail shops and exhibitions) became part of a larger campaign that complemented an existing TV commercial and on-ground activation event. Using bold and inspiring copy, the print work features a visual twist - key players shown with ripped skin, underneath of which lies the national team uniform. The message? It takes skills to earn the right to play for the country so the uniform, which represents capability, is very much part of their DNA.
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| Press/Poster #1 |
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| Press/Poster #2 |
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| Press/Poster #3 |
Friday, October 12, 2012
Cook for Life
Campaign: Product launch, print
Brand: Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Client: Sangla Foods
Problem: No one really advertises olive oil. But thanks to rising health consciousness in Malaysia, the world wide web as well as cook shows on cable TV, there was a rising awareness of olive oil as a healthier cooking alternative. Perceptions abound though. Costliness was understandable. That the taste of extra virgin olive oil made favourite foods taste different was more of a handed-down myth than fact. So, there was an opportunity to bring top-of-mind preference to Colavita by showing both serious and daily cooks the value of investing in top quality, extra virgin olive oil while encouraging them to cook their favourites with it.
Solution: The distributor, Sangla Foods, had little budget so they wanted as much reach as possible with what little money they had. We were already planning cooking demonstrations in the form of a travelling Chef (who takes cooking challenges on the spot depending on where he ends up). So two advertorials (recipes included) seemed adequate to introduce the brand.
Brand: Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Client: Sangla Foods
Problem: No one really advertises olive oil. But thanks to rising health consciousness in Malaysia, the world wide web as well as cook shows on cable TV, there was a rising awareness of olive oil as a healthier cooking alternative. Perceptions abound though. Costliness was understandable. That the taste of extra virgin olive oil made favourite foods taste different was more of a handed-down myth than fact. So, there was an opportunity to bring top-of-mind preference to Colavita by showing both serious and daily cooks the value of investing in top quality, extra virgin olive oil while encouraging them to cook their favourites with it.
Solution: The distributor, Sangla Foods, had little budget so they wanted as much reach as possible with what little money they had. We were already planning cooking demonstrations in the form of a travelling Chef (who takes cooking challenges on the spot depending on where he ends up). So two advertorials (recipes included) seemed adequate to introduce the brand.
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| Advertorial #1 |
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| Advertorial #2 |
Reality, Reproduced
Campaign: Outdoor
Brand: HP Advanced Photo Paper
Client: Hewlett-Packard
Problem: Everyone knows about HP printers but the brand's printing accessories are not in the consumer's mind. Who even wonders where to get good quality photo paper for photo-printouts?
Solution: To reach out to photography enthusiasts (which everyone is thanks to digital cameras) and photo shops, large print installations were created to capture the target audience's imagination, guerilla style. Phase 1 of the campaign was a series of murals placed on wall surfaces or other objects while Phase 2 comprised whole scenes recreated to punch home the concept of unbeatable photo-realism. They were thus placed strategically to demonstrate this proposition which is summarised in the tagline as "Reality, reproduced."
Brand: HP Advanced Photo Paper
Client: Hewlett-Packard
Problem: Everyone knows about HP printers but the brand's printing accessories are not in the consumer's mind. Who even wonders where to get good quality photo paper for photo-printouts?
Solution: To reach out to photography enthusiasts (which everyone is thanks to digital cameras) and photo shops, large print installations were created to capture the target audience's imagination, guerilla style. Phase 1 of the campaign was a series of murals placed on wall surfaces or other objects while Phase 2 comprised whole scenes recreated to punch home the concept of unbeatable photo-realism. They were thus placed strategically to demonstrate this proposition which is summarised in the tagline as "Reality, reproduced."
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| Phase 1: Almost a wall |
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| Phase 2: Almost a fish tank |
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| Phase 1: Almost those boring office cabinets |
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| Phase 2: A walkway, as some people thought |
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| A lovely pond for your thoughts, as someone thought |
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| A lovely hang-out for the days you need to skive, as someone thought |
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Home Sweet Homes
Campaign: "Corporate Re-launch"
Brand: Sime UEP
Client: Sime Darby
Problem: Sime Darby was long ago, renowned for its plantations, owning acres of rubber plantations that were later converted into palm oil plantations. Its property arm was doing well but things got quiet for two decades as the diversified conglomerate focused on its other investments. After a merger with two Guthrie and Golden Hope, and bolstered by the strength of the union, it wanted to come back to the property market with a bang. Many Malaysians had all but forgotten about the name, Sime Darby. They had forgotten about Subang Jaya, a successful, bustling self-sustained township by the developer that has become a landmark for those who reside in Petaling Jaya. And they had forgotten about the craftsmanship and finishings of a renowned player in the market. Now, other competitors like YTL and SP Setia had better ownership of house buyers' minds.
Solution: Prior to the re-launch, a corporate print campaign was run in The Star to put the name Sime Darby back into the minds of prospective house buyers. It was important to remind them of the success of Subang Jaya and the accolades it had won at significant property award shows.
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| This one talks about its legacy |
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| This one talks about its vision as a property developer |
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| This one talks about the kind of homes they now build |
Campaign: "Festive Ads"
Brand: Sime UEP
Client: Sime Darby
Festive ads are a way for large corporations to demonstrate their goodwill through publicised and oversized greeting cards in the form of full page advertisements in national dailies. We use this opportunity to put a human face to the conglomerate who otherwise makes billions of Ringgit selling homes.
Usually the budget is small and the usage of stock images are encouraged. No matter. The meat is in the message.
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| A Chinese New Year greeting |
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| What do you know - a sweet home |
Campaign: "Launch of Pilmoor"
Brand: Sime UEP
Client: Sime Darby
Problem: Here are large homes framed by greenery, and by nature and design, eco-friendly in many way. From harvesting rain to water the landscaping to building according to a North-South orientation for cooler living spaces. From its 50:50 ratio of homes to greenery to the winding arterial roads designed to hide homes for increased privacy. The trouble was, many other developers were using the same buzzwords for lesser 'creations'. Words that were simply thrown about that could depreciate interest in Pilmoor Estate.
Solution: We wanted to depict the green expanse of the offering. We wanted the reader to be assaulted by greenery and feel the promise via their senses. It's easy for anyone to do that, of course - just slap lots of green bushes and picturesque scenes of Angsana trees in a row, right? Copy-wise, however, we also chose to employ a languid, gentle and thoughtful tonality that would hint at the peaceful lifestyle one would get from these homes.
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| A teaser |
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| Another teaser |
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| About rainwater harvesting and other energy-saving features |
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| About the lovely large windows |
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| About the winding arterial roads leading up to each home |
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| About a broader and deeper drive-in |
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| Landing page |
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| Home Page |
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| Driving enquiries |
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| Poster #1 |
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| Poster #2 |
The Bank that Gets it Done
Campaign: "Arc"
Brand: Citibank Flexi Home Loan & Credit Card Deals
Client: Citibank
Problem: Generic offerings with benefits that are not much different from competitors. Citibank rides on the strength of its reputation and size.
Solution: When it comes to a big brand like Citibank, with its mnemonics and templates, the job is always about cleanliness and succinctness. If you get a chance to be creative in delivering a product benefit through words alone, you do it. It's not about satisfying the 'creative soul' or anything cliched but about catching attention with word-play. Yes, even in the most mundane of all circumstances, the consumer is at the forefront of the work.
Problem: Standard Chartered Bank's MortgageOne was gaining traction among house buyers for its unique selling proposition (though mainly through word-of-mouth: "Own your home at half the cost, in half the time." By acting as a checking, savings and home loan account, spare cash deposited into it would immediately offset the loan principal over time, reducing interest payments as a result. Since banks mostly subscribed to the traditional world of templated kitchen-sink print ads, point-of-sale beckoned for something punchier and attention-grabbing. After all, decisions are usually made at the show-room where scale models are displayed.
Solution: Prospective buyers are usually taken to view a small scale version of a particular development upon arriving at a show unit. They are told the features, given a run down of the built-up details and available units after which they can inspect models of the units in which they're interested. So a miniature billboard that played on the concept of "ratio" was placed in these models to advertise the MortgageOne advantage.
Brand: Citibank Flexi Home Loan & Credit Card Deals
Client: Citibank
Problem: Generic offerings with benefits that are not much different from competitors. Citibank rides on the strength of its reputation and size.
Solution: When it comes to a big brand like Citibank, with its mnemonics and templates, the job is always about cleanliness and succinctness. If you get a chance to be creative in delivering a product benefit through words alone, you do it. It's not about satisfying the 'creative soul' or anything cliched but about catching attention with word-play. Yes, even in the most mundane of all circumstances, the consumer is at the forefront of the work.
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| Basically the arc (hence the brand) acts as the enabler that gets you there |
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| Twist it and you may turn it around |
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It ain't rocket science but it does the trick
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Campaign: "Outdoor - Miniature Billboard"
Brand: Standard Chartered MortgageOne
Client: Citibank
Problem: Standard Chartered Bank's MortgageOne was gaining traction among house buyers for its unique selling proposition (though mainly through word-of-mouth: "Own your home at half the cost, in half the time." By acting as a checking, savings and home loan account, spare cash deposited into it would immediately offset the loan principal over time, reducing interest payments as a result. Since banks mostly subscribed to the traditional world of templated kitchen-sink print ads, point-of-sale beckoned for something punchier and attention-grabbing. After all, decisions are usually made at the show-room where scale models are displayed.
Solution: Prospective buyers are usually taken to view a small scale version of a particular development upon arriving at a show unit. They are told the features, given a run down of the built-up details and available units after which they can inspect models of the units in which they're interested. So a miniature billboard that played on the concept of "ratio" was placed in these models to advertise the MortgageOne advantage.
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| Just like in real life...a billboard outside your home |
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
"Please, It's Not Just Paper"
Campaign: "Please, it's not just paper."
Brand: Double A Double Quality PaperClient: Advance Agro
Problem: Office supplies are boring. Worse, they're generic. Therefore, the goal of the procurement officer in charge of stocking up on printing paper, pens and what-not, is to keep costs down. However, being efficient shouldn't be about being cheap. Because cheap has its consequences. For printing paper, poor quality means smudges, bleeding and paper jams.
Solution: To change the perspective of the target market that all printing paper are the same, this campaign educates them on the processes that go into making Double A paper. The campaign comprises posters (bookstores, stationery shops, school book shops) and light-boxes (located near book-stores).
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| Corporate Campaign: Poster #1 |
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| Corporate Campaign: Poster #2 |
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| Corporate Campaign: Poster #3 |
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| Bright paper means better contrast between paper and what's printed. Your words and ideas stand out better. |
For the light-box campaign, we highlighted another important attribute of the brand - "Thickness". The benefit of slightly thicker paper is you don't get bleeding from the flip-side so you can actually print on both sides of the paper. That you can have two opposing views existing harmoniously, became the idea. One that takes advantage of the light-box mechanism.
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| Light-box #1 |
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| Light-box #2 |
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| Light-box #3 |
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