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Creating Malaysia Fest 2016

The Challenge

Red Agency was given the daunting task by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) of conceiving, planning and executing the staging and promotion of Malaysia Fest 2016, a two-day celebration of all things Malaysia to take place on 4-5 December 2016. We needed to get at least 25 booth-holders and 15,000 visitors, despite having a restricted budget, no venue and just five weeks during the pre-Christmas rush to pull it off.

MALAYSIA FEST 2016

The Solution

We secured Pyrmont Bay Park, mapped out a multi-layered, sensory experience to promote Malaysia as a perfect holiday destination, Malaysian cuisine, the fashion and lifestyle scene, and the country’s unique culture, and activated our contacts as well as MATRADE’s own database to quickly fill the booths.

At the centre of the action was a bright, branded stage, the focal point for an ongoing entertainment program including cultural displays, music, dancing, cooking demonstrations and destination films, curated by Red. We staged an opening ceremony and hosted Honourable Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry on a walk-around.

A website was created as the promotional hub, while Facebook and paid digital advertising campaigns, earned media outreach and flyer distribution drove awareness, buzz and key message penetration.

The Results

Despite the enormous timing, cultural and budget challenges, the event was a huge success and delivered beyond the KPIs set.

18,300 Malaysia-lovers attended – 3,300 over target
35 booth-holders secured – 10 over target, with takings ~$100K
60+ positive stories including major metro newspaper pieces
Facebook event attracted 6,300 interested in attending, 1,200 definitely attending and 2,200 shares
Digital event ads drew 5,535 responses – $2.92 per response
Engagement ads drew 419 responses – 64c per response

Categories

Trade development
Travel and tourism
Food and hospitality
Consumer marketing
Integrated campaigns
Experiential events
Event management
Social media
Digital advertising
Stakeholder management

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Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines

The Challenge

After the 2014 tragedies of MH370 and MH17, we had the massive challenge of rebuilding trust in Malaysia Airlines. The airline couldn’t be seen to be engaging in costly marketing campaigns at the expense of consideration for the victims and their families, and a company restructure meant the impending loss of thousands of jobs.

The Solution

The communications strategy was encapsulated in one word: advocacy. We filled an information void with constant updates, strategic interviews, behind-the-scenes tours and a stream of positive news, and encouraged respected experts, travel trade and Government officials and media outlets to champion the brand. We secured Malaysia-connected celebrities as airline partners – TV cook/presenter, Poh Ling Yeow, and tennis star, Nick Kyrgios, whose mother is proudly Malaysian, and leveraged their involvement through creative, integrated campaigns spanning multiple touch points.

At the same time, issues were managed in a proactive fashion to limit their effect on our positive outreach.

The Results

Passenger numbers 7.8% ahead of what they were immediately prior to MH370’s disappearance
700 positive pieces of TV, print and digital coverage reaching 70M pairs of eyes
800K + video views on YouTube and social
150+ positive social posts by media and ambassadors

Categories

Aviation, travel and tourism
Issues and crisis management
Consumer marketing
Trade relations
Stakeholder management
Content creation and marketing
Ambassadors
Advocacy
Media relations
Influencer relations
Integrated campaigns

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