Auntea Jenny picks creative agency in Malaysia

Auntea Jenny has appointed Kingdom Digital as its creative agency partner in Malaysia, as the halal-certified tea chain pushes to reach 80 stores nationwide by the end of the year.

The brand, which says it operates more than 10,000 stores globally, including in the UK, South Korea and Malaysia, is aiming to build a foothold in Malaysia’s competitive mid-priced tea segment. 

Kingdom Digital will drive an integrated digital strategy across social content creation, targeted media buying and end-to-end KOL management on TikTok and REDnote (also known as Xiaohongshu).

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The first assignment is the launch of a collaboration with Tai Zi by Shiba Says, a feline character IP, and a gift-with-purchase blind box. Four limited-edition Tai Zi plushies come free with the signature watermelon mango grapefruit sago from its watermelon series.

The campaign began with a teaser. Fans logged on to find Auntea Jenny’s social channels taken over by raw, five-second cat-POV clips and keyboard-mashed captions, prompting chatter over whether the brand had been hacked. 

Auntea Jenny then released a statement naming its resident office cat, Mao Mao, as the culprit, using the viral moment as the launchpad for the partnership.

Kingdom Digital built the core idea, “Show them who’s boss”, on the insight that Malaysian cat owners willingly bow down to their furry “bosses”. The partnership turns a beverage purchase into an expression of self-confidence and belonging, the agency said.

“Using IP as an entry point allows us to play actively in the fandom space to build genuine community,” said Sook Yan, senior digital art director at Kingdom Digital. “By grounding global characters like Tai Zi in everyday ‘cat moments’, we turned tea runs into an empowering identity that consumers proudly share on social media.”

Ng Ching Wai, general manager of Auntea Jenny Malaysia, said the collaboration lets the brand engage the local community “in a fun, fresh way”.

The brand’s focus this year is scaling its presence, introducing product innovations and building a richer experience through its mobile app and membership ecosystem. “The Tai Zi collaboration is just the beginning,” he said, adding that customers can expect more seasonal flavours, exclusive member perks and unexpected brand partnerships.

The partnership adds to Kingdom Digital's portfolio. This year, the agency has teamed up with brands such as Spritzer Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines.

This campaign with Auntea Jenny joins a wave of Malaysian brands using plushies and cute characters to win attention. This build on A+M’s observations last year, which saw at least 35 plush-anchored brand campaigns between April and December 2025. 

This year also saw a number of plush-centric campaigns. Just recently, KFC Malaysia hopped on the plushie train with Kepcibara, and more recently got “geram” over Mofusand, using the Malay word for the urge to squeeze something cute for a keychain and plush collection. CHAGEE’s “Bes-tea” plushies tied collectibles to a loyalty programme. 

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