MANILA, PHILIPPINES – As the global food and beverage industry vie for innovative approaches to experiential activations, Asahi Beverages recently partnered with Entropia Philippines to launch the all-new Goodday Cultured Milk to the Philippine market.
Touted as Southeast Asia’s first-ever beverage brand to launch virtually via MootUp for Zoom, an immersive virtual events platform. The event created elaborately decorated virtual worlds that connected the press, dealers, and the brand teams all over from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
“After more than two years spent on research and development to perfect the formulation for Goodday, we are elated to introduce a cultured milk drink that we believe every Filipino would enjoy every day,” said Hemalatha Ravagan, Asahi Beverages Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer and Head of International Business Development & Exports. “This is our very first foray into the Philippine beverage market.”
“Since Covid-19 has placed restrictions on face-to-face launches, we had to adapt and tap into consumers’ changing habits as well as their curiosity to connect in the digital space,” added Ragavan.
Also a first-of-its-kind in the Philippines, the Goodday launch event kicked off with over 200 participants transported to virtual worlds such as a Japanese-inspired Airport Terminal, an outdoor-themed conference hall where the main presentations were held, intimate Zen garden, and a mini Japan town. By utilizing Moot, the event did not only engage participants; it also unified them, mimicking a physical gathering with people moving around and interacting with one another.
“Goodday is a proud product of Japanese innovation, and we want to launch it here in a big way,” said Karl Bustos, Asahi Beverages Incorporated’s Head of Operations. “The challenge for this launch is to get people from Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines together for a fun and different experience. Thankfully, our partners in Entropia Philippines knew what to do!”
The immersive event also marked the first virtual music performances for a brand launch by Up Darma Down (UDD) and Autotelic. The delegates were even able to dance along the performances with a variety of moves made available to them via their personalized avatars designed for them.
The press also participated in a live Q&A session with Asahi Beverages executives. All these activities without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes.
“Most people miss traveling and bonding with other people. To them, doing those equate to a good day,” said Kaye Enriquez, Partner and Chief Analytics Officer of Entropia Philippines. “Through the use of available technology, we wanted to create that experience – one that is immersive where they could actually feel like they are traveling and having a good day, while learning about the new Goodday brand.”
Entropia Philippines’ Principal for Creative Services Hans Malang added, “While the platform is readily available via the use of Moot, we had to add new 3D layers to complement the immersive experience of this created new virtual world”
Entropia Philippines is the first international expansion office of Entropia Global, the new age marketing consultancy- meet-agency based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The young company was ranked among the top 5 fastest-growing independent agencies in the world by Adweek in 2020. Digital maverick Ed Mapa Jr, heads the Philippine office as its Country Head and Senior Partner.
