Case study: Panasonic’s ‘Anti-Virus Mobility’ campaign

This post is sponsored by GrabAds.

Across Southeast Asia, countries are at varying stages of navigating the pandemic. With reduced footfall to malls and physical retail outlets hindering the ability of brands to connect with their consumers, marketers are now looking for innovative ways to reach their target consumers and provide a positive brand experience that engages and moves them to action.

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula, super app platforms such as Grab may just hold the key to help brands reach consumers in the moments that matter.

As a one-stop platform that provides everyday essential services ranging from transport, to delivery to finance, Grab gives consumers plenty of reasons to use the app at different parts of the day, presenting omni-channel opportunities for brands to target the right consumers at the right moments, and via the right touch-point, to drive tangible impact.

These were the reasons why Panasonic and HAKUHODO (its brand agency) came to GrabAds to execute Panasonic’s nanoe™ X campaign across Southeast Asia.

With the understanding that Panasonic’s new technology will enhance the in-car experience for Grab’s driver-partners as well as passengers, Panasonic, HAKUHODO, and GrabAds launched an “Anti-Virus Mobility” campaign – an integrated marketing campaign that sought to drive awareness for Panasonic’s nanoe™ X technology which has the ability to inhibit the activity of bacteria and viruses in small confined spaces such as cars.

To drive awareness of the nanoe™ X technology, display ads were placed within the Grab app, and 5,500 GrabCar premium vehicles across Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta were converted into mini showrooms and mobile out-of-home billboards for the brand, spreading the word on the product rapidly across the cities.

Being compact enough to fit in an in-vehicle cup holder, Panasonic’s nanoe™ X generator air purifiers were installed within GrabCar premium vehicles to purify the air and enhance indoor air quality within the vehicles.

By offering an offline product experiential session supported by in-app ads, interested consumers could easily get hold of information on Panasonic’s nanoe™ X generator air purifiers to drive conversions.       

During the campaign period, more than one million GrabCar premium passengers across Southeast Asia got to experience Panasonic’s nanoe™ X generator air purifiers during their commute.

Not only did this elevate the customer experience for GrabCar passengers, it also enhanced the working environment for Grab’s driver-partners. Moreover, the campaign provided additional income opportunities for Grab driver-partners who were able to earn a monthly product placement fee throughout the two-month campaign period.

The “Anti-Virus Mobility” campaign received positive feedback from Grab’s driver-partners across Southeast Asia who shared they felt safer seeing how they mostly drive with the windows closed. Driver-partners further shared the improved in-car experience also allowed consumers to feel safe during their rides, ultimately leading to better ratings for Grab’s driver-partners.

This integrated campaign was not only contextually relevant to consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also showcased how both brands continued to stay empathetic to consumers’ needs and safety.

The “Anti-Virus Mobility” campaign was also a prime example of moments-based marketing where Panasonic leveraged GrabAds’ branding and advertising solutions, and insights from the Grab super app’s first-party data, to reach a single consumer through an individualised interaction, and at the right moment.