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5 social trendjacks that piqued readers' interest in 2021

5 social trendjacks that piqued readers' interest in 2021

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Brands were relentless in their trendjacking stunts this year, tickling consumers while at the same time seizing the opportunity to subtly promote their offerings. From Squid Game-related social media posts to poking fun at fashion outfits from a celebrity awards show, marketers and their social media teams and agencies came together to churn out some memorable stunts that caught our readers' attention. 

Here's a look at the five hijacks that made it to our readers' list of favourites.

1. Brands trendjack SPH CEO's 'umbrage' lashing to CNA reporter

Brands jumped at the chance to use the word "umbrage" earlier this year after it was used by Singapore Press Holdings CEO, Ng Yat Chung, during a press conference. SPH said during a press conference that the revenue from the company limited by guarantee will now be channelled into the new constitution of the company with new goals.

In response to this, a Mediacorp-owned Channel NewsAsia journalist asked what the goals might be, adding: "Does this mean that the media business will now pivot to emphasise editorial integrity, for example, ahead of advertiser interest?"

The journalist then followed up with a second question, asking if it was safe to say that the move came after various corporate initiatives to improve the sustainability of the business failed. In response, Ng said he "took umbrage" at the journalist's first question.

TODAY then reposted a snippet of the video on its Facebook page and TikTok account. The video garnered more than 2k reactions, 1.3k comments and 1.5k shares on Facebook, and more than 1k likes, 293 comments and 727 shares on TikTok at the time of writing previously. Most of the comments were negative, with some criticising Ng's tone when responding to the reporter and that his behaviour was "ungentlemanly" and "unbecoming of a CEO". Brands also had a field day with the word "umbrage", seizing the opportunity to promote its offerings. 

2. Nando's MY stirs up online chatter with 'leaked' internal email about customer complaints

In August, Nando's Malaysia had consumers doing a double-take at their emails when they received an email titled "RE:FW:FW:RE:FW:[URGENT]RE:RE:RE: Customer Complaint". At that time, users thought that they were accidentally copied in an internal email involving Nando's customer experience and marketing teams.

"Hi CX team, Kindly find attached and the link below to the thigh complaints for your action. Don't worry guys, we're finally creating a new boneless chicken meal made from thigh. Sabar ye," a social media executive named Farah Alina said. Confused customers took to Twitter asking if it was a marketing stunt by Nando's and some praised the brand for its creative marketing. Others also took to Twitter to verify if Nando's had accidentally sent the email thread to its customer database.

3. Netflix's 'Squid Game' gets brands in a frenzy with their own marketing games

Created and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Netflix's Squid Game has taken the world by storm, earning a rank on Netflix's global top 10 charts. As the series continued to gain popularity, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE also saw brands across Asia joining in the fun to trendjack the series with localised #Squidgames promotions. 

The brands that were quick to incorporate the Netflix hit into its marketing strategies included Domino's Malaysia, FamilyMart Malaysia, Nandos Singapore, and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), among others. Domino's Malaysia enticed its customers to purchase its pizza with a Squid Game inspired invitation card. Similarly, FamilyMart Malaysia also released an "invitation card", indicating that slots to enter its stores were now available to the public. UniKL took a stab at the series as well, releasing a Facebook post and said "why bother yourself in #Squidgame", addressing the public's worry about funding when continuing studies to higher levels. 

4. FairPrice compares Mediacorp Star Awards' red carpet outfits to desserts and donuts

NTUC Fairprice put a hilarious spin on outfits worn by local celebrities' fashion at April's Star Awards, an award ceremony hosted by Mediacorp for its Chinese TV and radio programmes. In a Facebook and Instagram post, FairPrice compared the outfits of three celebrities (Elvin Ng, Chantelle Ng, and Joel Choo) to similar food and beverages such as a raspberry dessert, donuts and, and local drink iced teh (or tea). The post is also accompanied with the text: "If only there’s a category for most deliciously dressed. Here are our top few picks; who do you think would win?"

FairPrice tongue-in-cheek post, which was done in collaboration with Socialyse, had netizens reeling in laughter with many expressing their amusement with laugh-cry emojis. One netizen on Instagram said among all of the social media posts that were discussing the Star Awards, FairPrice did it best. At the time of writing, Fairprice's post managed to garner more than 800 likes on Instagram and more than 100 positive reactions on Facebook. 

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from FairPrice said the food items featured were inspired by the typical dessert recipe content that it publishes on its social media channels, and the ingredients to make them are available in its stores. "Our iced teh take on Choo is a hat tip to our sister business unit Kopitiam and Foodfare," the spokesperson added. 

5. Brands hijack Shang-Chi actor's past stock images on social media

Following the release of the movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, several brands in Singapore were quick to trendjack Simu Liu's past stock images in a witty attempt to showcase its offerings. This came after Liu was reported to have previously modelled for stock images in 2014. Since then, stock images of Liu from the past flooded the Internet. Liu being a great sport also took to tweet one of his stock images as a response to individuals who thought the Shang-Chi movie would flop. 

The brands that were quick to trendjack included Burger King Singapore, Gilette and Viu Singapore, among others. The fast-food chain jumped on the stock image hype, showcasing the power of its "rings" by posting a meme on Facebook of 10 onion rings along with the caption, "The best ten rings you can ever have." Whereas for Gilette, the brand used two stock photos of Liu in a discussion with his colleagues to advertise its "Heated Razor by GiletteLabs". Finally for Viu Singapore, the streaming platform used a stock image of Liu in a dance routine to promote the Korean variety show Street Woman Fighter currently streaming on its platform. 

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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