Kantar reveals the most creatively effective digital ads in Southeast Asia

More than 70% of advertisers plan to grow their investment in digital in 2022

SINGAPORE,June 29,2022 -- Kantar today reveals the most creatively effective digital ads in Southeast Asia from 2021 as part of their Digital Creative Awards. Chosen from almost 300 digital ads tested using Kantar's validated ad testing solutions,Link,Context Lab and Brand Lift Insights; the Top 10 finalists and Grand Winners each:

told compelling stories resonating with Asians through pandemic lockdowns

built their brands to drive sales and increase long-term brand equity

employed a range of different tactics to guarantee viewer connection.

Grand Winners: the top 3 most creative and effective digital advertising in Southeast Asia

Diageo,Johnnie Walker '"JW,Love for the street",YouTube,Thailand

Winner - Global Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards & Grand Winner - Digital Creative Awards SEA

Agency: VIRTUE (Creative Lead) STORY TELLER (Production Lead)

Connecting cultures– recognising,appreciating and embracing local nuances while adhering to brand DNA. At a time when global brands struggle with landing content effectively in Asian markets,this digital ad brings strong roots in the Keep Walking theme,but in an explicitly Thai context while retaining the story arc and campaign proposition. It ends with a Keep Walking bar sign,albeit with sneakers instead of old-school cowboy boots. It is a great example of how brands can connect across borders and cultures.

Heinz '"KV Motion",Instagram,Indonesia

Grand Winner - Digital Creative Awards SEA

Agency: BBH India & Publicis Groupe Indonesia

Ad length advantage– communicating the brand and message in a clever,effective and succinct way using ad length to their advantage. Digital ads are often much faster,tighter editing than is used for TV ads. 'Heinz,Perfect Match' ad from Indonesia,tightly but overtly conveys its new variant message by simply sliding the new variant bottles into view in time with lively music.

Tide '"#FlexYOKCK",TikTok,The Philippines

Grand Winner - Digital Creative Awards SEA

Agency: FUSE Omnicom Media Group

Reframing perspectives– cleverly usingbehaviour to break category tropes and connect with empathy – all at the same time. While using the song-dance format of TikTok,the ad does it to recast a category code of cuff,collar,sleeve cleaning in a new light. It is different in execution and an engaging jig from an unlikely and inclusive cast.

Watch the top 10 digital advertising SEA finalists

Kantar Singapore's Head of Creative and Media Solutions Pablo Gomez says that there were five 'digital sparks' that set apart the winning ads in 2021:

Fluid content signatures – creating unique brand content that transcends screens and can be used across platforms.

Demo 2.0– using inventive ways to make the demo fun and real at the same time because there is more than one way to deliver product news and not follow the prevalent trend on the platform.

Reframing perspectives – cleverly usingbehaviour to break category tropes and connect with empathy – all at the same time.

Connecting cultures– recognising,appreciating and embracing local nuances while adhering to brand DNA.

Ad length advantage – communicating the brand and message in a clever,effective and succinct way using ad length to their advantage.

"A big outtake from our winners is that brands can earn attention by entertaining and making people feel with and for the brand. Achieving this does not require full fat measurements. All you need to get right is measuring the capacity of your creative to hold attention and land the brand message."

More than 70% of advertisers plan to grow their investment in digital in 2022

The Kantar Media Reactions 2021 survey of global marketersreveals that over 70% of advertisers are growing their investment in digital platforms in 2022.

Spend on online video,social media ads and influencer content to increase throughout 2022

Spend on online video,social media ads and influencer content to increase throughout 2022

Marketers across Southeast Asia increased advertising and media investment last year as more media channels became digitised with spend in the sector,globally growing by 31% compared with 19% overall.

"This is no surprise with all thenew platforms and formats in digital to explore such as Metaverse. Some brands are already blazing a trail to find the role that they can play in these new virtual worlds."

Channel fragmentation requires a greater need to understand ad effectiveness and the integration of advanced analytics and automation into the creative effectiveness process. "And it brings a new level of speed and more granular insights to the development cycle," adds Gomez.

"Regardless of the sheer breadth and scale of the multitude of different ways to reach and connect with consumers again,brands must step back and ensure there is a cumulative connection and consistency in the message and brand in every format. From establishing your strategy and kicking off ideation through to executing your campaign and optimising in-flight; getting creative right is a journey. Testing and learning must be involved at every stage. The fundamentals of great advertising still hold true; and whatever the journey,technique or device,all our winning ads engage and entertain."

Kantar data also shows that creative quality is the second most important factor in profitable advertising,whereas marketers rank that fourth. Great creative drives both brand equity and sales; balancing the right creative approach with getting the executional details right ensures the memorable X-factor of winning campaigns.

"Great creative is more than just connection. It transcends ROI too. Creative quality is the single largest driver of advertising profitability that a marketer can influence. Our global CrossMediastudies find creative quality and consistency of use across channel accounts for 50 per cent of campaign effectiveness. These winning ads all boast very strong and consistent creative across all touchpoints."

For more insights into the winning traits of the most creatively effective digital ads across Southeast Asia,register to watch the Kantar Digital Creative Awards.These unique awards are part of the global Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards.

About Kantar

Kantar is the world's leading marketing data and analytics company. We have a complete,unique and rounded understanding of how people think,feel and act; globally and locally in over 90 markets. By combining the deep expertise of our people,our data resources and benchmarks and our innovative analytics and technology,we help our clients understand people and inspire growth. www.kantar.com