Viu | Streaming Made Sensational For All
Over the years, a stereotype had crystallised about Viu as a "title-led K-romance" streaming service. This perception was resulting in stagnating viewership and premium subscriptions. Here's how we kicked off a nimble, sensurround advertising strategy that got laid back Singaporean viewers to lean in the brand's sensational Asian entertainment, all done in 2.5 months.
Team (Tribal)
Benson Toh (ECD)
Boston Ho (Creative Lead)
Yeo Tze Hern (Copy)
Sebastian Chew (Art)
Client
Year
Awards
Viu
2021
Marketing Excellence Awards 2021
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GOLD: Excellence in Consumer Insights/Market Research
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GOLD: Excellence in eCommerce Marketing
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GOLD: Excellence in Launch/Re-launching Marketing
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BRONZE: Excellence in Pivot Marketing
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BRONZE: Excellence in Media Strategy
My Role
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As the creative lead for the project, I guided a creative team of two.
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Steered the creative direction strategically, while ensuring that it met the campaign objectives.
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Co-created campaign deliverables.
A campaign that quenched Singaporeans'
thirst for sensationalism.
There was no better time
for some drama.
COVID sucks. On top of its dangers, it forever changed the way we live. With this new sense of restriction, we realised that online drama and sensationalism became even more entertaining to Singaporeans and spread like wildfire.
What Viu had, was sensationalism too – tons of Asian programme offerings across multiple genres. There was no better time to show Singapore what Viu was made of.
(L) Top results on Google Trends reveal that Singaporeans are hungry for more when it comes to personalities caught in drama. (R) 'Mr Umbrage' and 'Badge Lady', two personalities who were trending at the time.
But first, we dressed up for the occasion.
With all the drama we had up our sleeves, we had to make sure to leave a lasting impression. A sleeker and consistent brand look was created. The brand colours stood out more. Even a new audio stinger was created. (These were done by another agency)
Then struck Singaporeans right in the heartlands.
Looking exactly like the viral videos caught on various cameras, our series of on-ground 'real-life' drama activations only reveals the brand at the end. Each of the three videos are based on genres found on Viu (romance/anime/action). With the end message enticing viewers to head to Viu for more of the drama they love, the series draws the link to Viu's sensational offerings.
We then took to
the streets.
Singapore was thrown in a paparazzi frenzy, with a different kind of chase where popular Chinese Drama, Crime & Thriller, and Variety show stars were found on public buses all over the island.
The drama? We split the iconic star couples and groups up ... and had fans reunite them by snapping photos and sharing them to win a mega prize, inadvertently spreading the word about Viu and the range of content we had to offer.
Even homes weren't safe from the drama.
To boost premium subscriptions, we rode on the sensationalism of K-fan culture and offered fans a chance to take their favourite stars home (as plushies). All they had to do was subscribe to Viu to get a plushie.
With all the ingredients of a K-star fan-meet frenzy – a star-studded line-up, teaser, reveal, and limited numbers – the fans went gaga, and all plushies were redeemed.
Sealing the deal with a brand new tagline.