The best social media campaigns in Asia Pacific in 2017
Which campaigns won 2017? Depends on who you ask. What is indisputable, however, is that budgets in the region are migrating so swiftly to social media that it now merits a list of its own.
Here are the best social media campaigns in Asia Pacific in 2017.
Each year, Hootsuite examines the most successful social campaigns based on campaign strategy, execution, understanding of social media users and business results. In our inaugural list for Asia Pacific, we have used those same high standards to pick the best work produced in 2017. Take a look:
Uber, Singapore
In November, Uber and creative agency BBH Singapore left giant tissue packets in several parking spots in Singapore, a parody on the uniquely Singaporean behaviour of using tissue packets to ‘chope’ – or reserve – seats.
The company then used bloggers and influencers to post pictures of the parking spaces on social media that promptly sent the island nation into a tizzy, sparking discussions on parking issues.
The ‘chope’ campaign from Uber is part of the company’s broader mission to reduce traffic in Asia’s most congested cities including Saigon, Jakarta and Bangkok.
Manulife, Philippines
It is not often that an ad from an insurance company goes viral. But that is exactly what Manulife Philippines achieved with a video of a real-life stand-up comedian practising jokes in front of his poker-faced dad.
The campaign’s success (some 8.2m views on Facebook) is also a nice reminder that insurance has a sense of humour, and that campaigns don’t have to be sad and sentimental to appeal to consumers.
Innisfree, Malaysia
The Korean cosmetics brand employed a hyper-focused strategy that solely leveraged Facebook Canvas to launch its skin serum in Malaysia. With Facebook’s ad format, consumers could swipe through carousel photos to see the brand’s full story -- and enjoy a free sample by filling in a redemption form at the end of the canvas.
Facebook quickly became the biggest source of traffic to the website, and demand for product sampling shot up, with a total of 2,800 trial kits sent out within the first 12 days of the campaign.
Blibli.com, Indonesia
This six-year old Indonesian ecommerce company is beating off bigger rivals simply by being strategic about its social media marketing. Earlier this year, the company used ads on Facebook and Instagram to drive awareness of its new brand message ‘Big choices, big deals’ that contributed to a 20 percent lift in overall brand metrics.
The ecommerce company was also one of the first brands to use Instagram ads in stories to advertise promotional offers and deals, which led to improved recall and higher conversions.
Jollibee, Philippines
The Filipino fast-food giant has managed to create not one, but two viral videos in 2017. On Valentine’s day, Jollibee released a heart-breaking campaign about unrequited love, and followed it up five months later with a refreshing and enjoyable sequel titled ‘Perfect Pair’.
The latest campaign, which notched up nearly five million views on Facebook, is innovative because it shows a nonlinear timeline where the lovelorn protagonist discovers that his perfect match was always right in front of him.
As we step into 2018, it is becoming increasingly apparent that short-term visual tricks do not contribute to building deeper and more meaningful relationships with consumers, in the way that a more strategic approach can.
In the new year, organisations will find success by broadening the value of social across the customer lifecycle to align with business goals. Are you aiming to drive footfall to your stores? Understand customers better? Or is it brand reputation you are after?
Start by identifying your core business priorities, then think of how your creative can speak to that -- and who knows, maybe you will make it on to next year’s list!
Upali Dasgupta is the regional marketing lead for Hootsuite in Asia Pacific, working to grow the brand's presence in the region. She oversees a team responsible for developing an integrated marketing program with social media and content at the core.