2016




2016 | |

Tricking the Google Algorithm in Real Time

Advertiser: PETRONAS Group
Brand: PETRONAS Group
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
PETRONAS needed to establish an association of its newly launched Euro4M RON97 fuel with performance car owners.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Euro4M produces lesser vehicle emissions with 90% reduction of sulphur content, better vapour pressure, and lower benzene content. Sounds technical? So it is to the mass. Only performance car owners would appreciate these. And would search for online information. To connect with them, PETRONAS had to outbid car advertisers (BMW, Lamborghini etc) to get its ads appear in prime ad space on search results page. PETRONAS also needed to have content relating to performance cars on its site, to ensure good Google relevance score that impacts search ad ranking. However PETRONAS wasn’t in auto industry, didn’t have relevant site content. STRATEGY: Sidestepping content relevance challenge, we used a little known Google Search feature to trick the conventional Google algorithm. IDEA: Using Dynamic Creative Copy Optimization tool, we built two keyword lists: one for performance cars and one for PETRONAS RON97. We automated the Google engine to marry the two sets DYNAMICALLY, ONLY based on what users searched for, NOT based on PETRONAS website content.

Media Execution
We inserted PETRONAS RON97 keywords using Dynamic Creative Copy tool. This automatically churned adcopy in real time as user searches: Ad: “PETRONAS RON97 built for your “Lamborghini” appears when user searches “Lamborghini”. We avoided conventional copywriter ad text which couldn’t trick Google’s algorithm. Two sets of keywords used: Set 1 (high end cars–Lamborghini, M6) created brand association. Set 2 (general performance cars–M2, GTI) drove greater search volumes. Optimization:

• Arbitrage: between Set 1 bids & Set 2, to optimize between clicks and quality.

• Scheduling: higher bid on weekends, when men searched most performance cars.

Results and Effectiveness
• 320,000 consumers reached with Dynamic ads in 6 weeks.

• RM0 creative production cost.

• Google Ad Ranking for entire campaign was #1.

• 42% lower cost per click than anticipated.

• Drove double digit sales growth for RON97 (NOTE : client’s confidentiality).

2016 | |

Haze, Haze You Can Stay, We’re Enjoying Pizza Today!

Advertiser: PHD Delivery Sdn. Bhd.
Brand: Pizza Hut Delivery
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
From June 2015 onwards, Pizza Hut experienced an increase in CPC for its search campaign. An influx of food delivery advertisers bidding on similar keywords drove up costs. How can Pizza Hut maintain dominance and stay relevant for consumers with a limited budget?

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
The haze from Indonesian forest fires was smothering Peninsula Malaysia. Schools were closed and outdoor events were cancelled over health concerns. People were advised to stay indoors, transforming weekend getaways into weekend homestays. This led to the influx of food retailers offering home delivery and inflated advertising costs in this category, making it challenging to get noticed in this category. We noticed that the nation’s focus at the time was around air pollution, respiratory health and family well being. With increase in search volumes around these areas, we saw the opportunity to be adaptive and contextually relevant to our consumers. It’s also more cost effective as our competitors were not actively bidding on keywords in these areas.

Media Execution
We selected popular keywords during this time, such as “Haze in Malaysia”, “Air Pollution Index Malaysia”, “Haze Indonesia”, “PSI Malaysia”, “Haze Reading” and so on. Then, we created multiple ad copy around enjoying pizza at home, strategically targeting searches around lunch and dinner time. We optimized this campaign by increasing or decreasing our bids based on the severity of the haze. Essentially, we created a first-in-category innovation where search was driven by weather triggers and bidding was triggered by haze severity.

Results and Effectiveness
With the change in strategy, results went through the roof. Conversion rates increased by 70% and Pizza Hut Delivery sales increased by 250% from Jul/Aug to Sept/Oct. This extraordinary result was achieved without any incremental search budget.

2016 | |

Maybank Setting a Record for SME segment

Advertiser: Maybank Group
Brand: Maybank SME
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
Banks find SmallMediumEnterprises (SMEs) one of the hardest segments to grow. Maybank wanted to grow its SME loans.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Small business community finds it hard to gain bank loan, due to its trifling business size. However, this community needs a bank that can offer good access; fast loan processing time; innovative yet hassle-free product, in order to help them grow. The economy downturn has added pressure to this community. STRATEGY & IDEA: Maybank reset its business strategy. Maybank expanded its business offering to now include Micro-financing. We therefore reset our media strategy. We devised a multi-pronged, hard-working campaign to capture conversion (leads), consumer flow (peak points vs drop-off points), Re-targeting (Cross-sell strategy of other SME products), and Media Attribution (winning events measuring website where our ad was first seen by user, before signing up from another website).

Media Execution
Targeted Media for business conversion:
• Gmail advertising: SMEs often use free business infrastructure as such. We target audiences who receive e-mails from business related websites, e-commerce websites, and those who deal with Maybank’s competitors.
• Facebook, Twitter: SMEs interest targeting, Entrepreneurship fans.
• Programmatic buy, with 3 layers of re-targeting strategy: first on same product but completely different messaging, second and third for cross-selling.

Optimization pillars:
• Cross screen arbitrage: Between desktop (higher conversion, high cost) and mobile (lower conversion, low media cost).
• Lead form: Because Maybank’s website does not have Chinese language, we built an external lead form for those signing up via Chinese ad copy. A majority of SME owners are Chinese.
• Shifting budget to “under-used” Gmail advertising, following high contribution of sign-up from the “Winning Events” Media Attribution report. This boosted optimization significantly.

Results and Effectiveness
• Amazing 60.3million eyeballs reached in 6 months.
• Contributed to 41% growth rate in RetailSMEs Loan, the record highest in Maybank’s history, exceeding RM20billion by end 2015.
• Re-targeting contributed to 14% growth in SME Deposit (cross-sell).
• A high 4% conversion rate for leads sign-up.

2016 | |

Mobile Moms First: improving on a global benchmark

Advertiser: SCA Hygiene
Brand: Drypers
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
Drypers needed to recruit Moms to join its online loyalty club, DrypersBabyClub (DBC). Agency had run campaigns to drive membership in previous year. However, as the consumer consumption pattern changed, we need to re-strategize.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Moms love taking baby photos and sharing them on online. 80% of them now accessing to their social media accounts through mobile phones. Realizing this behaviour change, Drypers launched a new website concept called “One Site” in 2015 – where the website funnel has been reserved. Its desktop version is taking lead from its 1st screen, the Mobile Site. STRATEGY & IDEA: We re-structured our media strategy, with mobile buy taking leads. Our new media funnel: Engage->Experience->Engulf.

Media Execution
(A) ENGAGE: media placement mirroring parenthood’s cycle.
• Pre planning: Search, for pregnancy tips, child’s motor development. Convert Active Consideration to membership.
• Pregnancy: laser-precise Gmail Ads, we used keywords and website-domain targeting Moms subscribing to parenting products, including competitors’.
• After birth: Facebook Link ads targeting baby fans on smartphones. Highest budget here, for media reach.

(B) ENGULF: conversion transforms here. The ease of navigation & registration on DBC One Site is a big step of landing page optimization, critical to online performance campaign.

(C) EXPERIENCE: the whole new DBC benefits. Point Shop gift redemption, constant eDM to keep Moms update, monthly Facebook contest for members only. Optimization pillars:
• Media buy: arbitrage between mobile (high conversion rate, low cost, high Malay users, lower purchasing power) vs desktop (lower conversion, high cost, high Chinese users, higher purchasing power).
• Media attribution: building Customer Lifetime Value for highest value cluster targeting.

Results and Effectiveness
• Amazing campaign, 90,000 sign-ups in 12 months, a global client record!
• 30% increase in brand loyalty.
• 80% sign-up from mobile phone, at 45% lower Cost per Acquisition than desktop.
• 95% members’ retention rate.
• Contributed to the #1 market share for diapers category, at 39%.

2016 | |

Breasts. Testicles. Touching oneself. How we got away by showing all three.

Advertiser: AIA
Brand: AIA
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
AIA wanted to grow demand for their cancer protection plans. Unfortunately, Malaysians dislike talking about the big-C in public, and ads on cancer awareness have become a blind spot.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Through insight we knew this: People tend to read articles on cancer online only after they or their loved ones have been diagnosed with it. But what if we could make available information on early cancer detection – could we peak people’s interest? After all, if someone you love is potentially at risk, wouldn’t you make sure he/ she was well protected especially if 95% of cancer is preventable if detected early.

Media Execution
We knew when it comes to a sensitive topic like cancer, online audiences are more susceptible when communications is placed in environment where real content is shared. We promoted two educational videos (one for him, one for her) through used programmatic targeting to find the right audiences – adults 25 – 50 years. The video showed users how to do a simple cancer self-check then directed them to the microsite. Here we could convey details about cancer prevention, driving leads.
1. Facebook: targeting lifestyle interest content for male and female audiences. Highest budget focused here. Through sponsored ads we promoted multiple post – one to engage the audience with a simple 3 step method to cancer self-check and two, to reward them if they signed up on the site
2. Programmatic audience targeting: We sought out look-a-like audiences based on online behavior. Optimization applied throughout the campaign based on two phases: i. Directed budgets towards post that performed the best (highest conversion rate, lower cost) ii. Refining the targeting from 25 – 50 to 25 – 40 to improve results

Results and Effectiveness
• A whopping 1,209% increase in sales
• 25,057 clicks to microsite, 32% higher than planned target
• Facebook posts exceeded industry CTR benchmarks with 3.20% (awareness post) and 8.08% (engagement post)