#MARKiesAwards MY 2021 highlight: F&N feeds on nostalgia with 'Teh Tarik' campaign

 Beverage company, Fraser and Neave (F&N) has been one of the longest running beverage companies in the Southeast Asia region. When comparing the impacts of the pandemic, the beverage company has yet to receive a hit as harsh as those in the tourism and hospitality scene. However, this has not stopped F&N with coming up on its "Teh Tarik Ori" campaign, which features a smart play on the nostalgia that Malaysians face during the lockdown. Collaborating with Invictus Blue, both the company and agency managed to impress the judges, clinching the gold award for Most Creative - Experiential at A+M's MARKies Awards Malaysia 2021. 

Challenges

When the Malaysian government released its plan for the MCO, Malaysian witnessed a change in the locals' everyday activities. Once taken for granted, activities such as a quick catch up, a day with the family at the mall or a relaxing day over a cup of tea were no longer available to the public.

As the country headed into an unprecedented nationwide lockdown, the state of this new reality was constantly at the back of Invictus Blue's minds when it was tasked to launch F&N’s bottled "Teh Tarik Ori", a brand new entry to the ready-to-drink milk tea market. F&N and Invictus Blue noticed a huge void of opportunity left by brands that has cut spending to conserve its market position. With competitors scaling down, the company and agency decided that a Malaysian-style pick-me-up could lift up the public’s spirits and create positive equity for the brand.

Drawing on the locals love for "teh tarik" and the "mamak" experience, F&N decided to integrate this idea with technology. Hosting Malaysia’s first-ever mass virtual "mamak" gathering, the company and agency attempted to create an experience as a vehicle to launch F&N’s "Teh Tarik Ori". This was done by creating an avenue for Malaysians to indulge in a much-desired activity that was relevant, in-trend, and SOP-friendly.

Using Zoom, F&N and Invictus Blue brought together Malaysians from all walks of life in a virtual "mamak" setting that was facilitated by Zoom’s
virtual background feature . To make the launch easily accessible to as many Malaysians as possible, the company and agency ensured a low barrier for entry. That meant that all the public needed to do was grab a bottle of F&N "Teh Tarik Ori" , which allowed them to hang out with celebrities and other Malaysians.

Strategy

To make a real impact, F&N and Invictus Blue literally made “Malaysia’s Biggest Virtual Mamak Gathering” by inviting the "Malaysia Book of Records" to witness the event, which also served as an extra carrot for consumers to join. The drive to achieve “The Most Number of
Participants in a virtual "Teh Tarik’ Mamak Session” was one of the key elements for engagement, on top of activities driven by selected influencers.

Because of the short turn-around time of two weeks to get everything off the ground, influencers with a strong and passionate following were key in brand communication. The company also recruited popular radio DJs and TV hosts to amplify the entertainment factor during the event. The strong chemistry between these hand-picked celebrities, who essentially hosted the event, helped F&N follow through with the hype, and allowed for a deeper interaction with the audience.

Additionally, in order to put the F&N brand, and its new product out in the public, a "drinking ritual" was created. This ritual revolves around the actions of “shake, foam, enjoy”. Participants were encouraged to perform the three step ritual during the virtual "mamak" session. Images and videos of participants performing the action were also recorded and used on F&N’s social media platforms to drum up awareness of the event.

All budgets, including those originally planned for on-ground events and OOH, were channeled to digital and social. Conversion was also driven through Lazada and Shopee promotions.

Execution

To make the launch unforgettable, F&N and Invictus Blue designed a virtual background of a "mamak" shop, which was later used for a “count the bottles” contest. The "shake, foam and enjoy" ritual was also emphasised on on eCommerce promotions and social content to keep the buzz of the event going. Aside from that, F&N and Invictus Blue also came with a safe space for participants to talk about topics such as their favourite food, their likes and dislikes, their fears and hopes. All of which, was to re-create the camaraderie of an actual "mamak" session.

Everything that was planned for the campaign took full advantage of the functionalities and advanced user experience and user interface (UI/UX) features of the Zoom platform, making every experience a fresh and optimised one.

Results

The virtual "mamak" session launch event drew participation from over 1500 participants, from which more than 600 participants stayed throughout the Zoom event, with an engaged duration of more than two hours. This has also helped the event earn a place in the Malaysia Book of Records as “Malaysia’s Biggest Virtual Mamak Gathering” with “The Most Number of Participants in a Virtual Teh Tarik Session”. As a welcome bonus, F&N "Teh Tarik Ori" was completely sold out within the first week of launch.