Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase

The Challenge
As a part of Axiata’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Axiata Young Talent Programme (AYTP) has been doing phenomenally well. It had two objectives: awareness & increase recruitment year on year. But the budget was minimal, whilst making most of being featured in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Supplement of NewStraitsTimes.

The Solution – Insight & Idea
People who read newspapers are of two types: The Explorers and The Hunters. Explorers read the newspapers without looking for any specific news. Hunters look for specific information. In this case, competitive parents who peruse through the education section, to sniff out opportunities for the best courses and development programmes for their children. For this supplement, there would be two types of readers. Explorers would go through different CSR initiatives without a specific objective. We had to make them aware of our programme. Hunters would look for specific initiatives which were of immediate importance to them. Our strategy was to target both: We wanted to attract Explorers and also decided to make our communication highly visible to Hunters who are looking for opportunities. Our idea was to tell our story through infographics. It was in line with the trend of fast growing fondness for visual communication. However, with all advertisers showcasing their CSR effort, we needed to find a clutter-cutting device to stand out from the rest in this supplement. We decided to utilize the ‘page numbers’ innovatively. And to ensure Hunters, our competitive parents see the opportunity, the CSR supplement was strategically wrapping the education section.

The Execution
We utilized the supplement page number 1 to 4 to showcase the programme’s key facts. The infographics which had the page numbers integral in them pointed towards the content and made the facts glaring to attract readers. Each page number highlighted a key point to the reader, simplifying what AYTP had to offer. Along with the creative usage of page numbers, the package also included a front page blurb to introduce the key facts in the page number. An advertisement and an interview were there to outline programme’s philosophy, aspiration, commitment and the offerings. The interview with the Chief Talent Officer of Axiata group gave it the much needed credibility. The series ended with an invite to apply for the programme. The whole communication architecture not just attracted Explorers effortlessly; it enabled Hunters to find us at ease. CSR Supplement of NewStraitsTimes wrapping the education section was also the right fit as the title and its section has highest affinity amongst competitive parents.

The Results
This was the first time page number domination as a media device was utilized in Malaysia and needless to say it brought a lot of good news for the programme. Enquiry poured in once the application opened, gaining a jump of 20% increase in applications. For a small budget campaign, the media ROI was at the multiply of 6.5 times. Finally, NewStraitsTimes enabled strong affinity reach towards the target audience.