SINGAPORE — Gushcloud’s major client, Sinarmas Sekuritas, recently named Korean actor Hyun Bin as its brand ambassador, the first-of-its-kind cross-border representation involving Korea and Indonesia.
Hyun Bin, a senior Korean actor most recently praised for his role as Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok in ‘Crash Landing On You’, became the brand ambassador of SimInvest,
Sinarmas Sekuritas’ investment platform for retail customers. Hyun Bin’s collaboration with Sinarmas Sekuritas will carry the theme “I am an Investor”, which represents the spirit of the Indonesian millennial generation to learn to invest as a way of preparing for the future.
“Sinarmas Sekuritas chose Hyun Bin as the brand ambassador because he has a character that matches the brand image of Sinarmas Sekuritas, which is mature, calm and reliable,” said Ferita Tanudjaja, Director of Sinarmas Sekuritas. “His figure as a senior artist who has been consistent for a long time at the top level and coupled with his humble, friendly personality, and commitment to always give the best makes him able to represent our service excellence values at Sinarmas Sekuritas.”
The ambassadorship comes with the rapid rise in popularity of Korean stars among the younger generation across the Southeast Asia region. Brands have now become partial to the social media savvy and multi-hyphenate K-Pop stars and actors to develop connections with their audience. According to iPrice’s recent study, companies who have partnered with K-Pop group BTS have seen searches on the brand surge more than 80% after a collaboration with the artists, while an e-commerce platform saw significantly increased sales in Indonesia after naming a Korean girl group as the brand ambassador, a ResearchGate study cited.
Similarly, in the Philippines, Filipinos came in second with the most K-Pop related tweets from June 2020 to June 2021 according to recent Twitter data. With this rise of the Korean Wave in the country, Korean stars are in demand as ambassadors for local Filipino brands. Among the stars are ‘Boys Over Flowers’ actor Lee Min-Ho for local clothing brand Bench and recently as Lazada’s 11.11 ambassador with Filipina actress Kathryn Bernardo, 2NE1 member and former Filipina actress Sandara Park as Penshoppe’s endorser, Itaewon Class’ Park Seo-Joon for Smart Communications and cosmetics brand BYS, Hyun Bin for Smart Communications and Bench, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa for Penshoppe.
Duplicating this kind of success with amplified awareness and engagement of the SimInvest brand as goals, Gushcloud worked closely with Sinarmas Sekuritas and South Korean actor Hyun Bin to push cross-border celebrity ambassadorship in the region.
Gushcloud has specialized in cross-border engagement services since its expansion into 11 different countries, including Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, the United States and Australia. From cross-border marketing of Korean beauty brand Pyunkang Yul to executing Korean idol celebrity bookings for Marina Bay Sands, the agency is making its name in this niche vertical of the entertainment industry. Gushcloud’s latest efforts, for instance, focused on cross-border live commerce with Shinsegae Duty Free to launch the first-ever “Asean Live Commerce Festival”, during which cross-culture influencers broadcast to 5 countries real-time and sold a record 100K USD Korean lifestyle products.
“Cross-border brand engagement requires a deep understanding of the business practices as well as cultural background of all parties involved,” said Andrew Lim, Chief Financial Officer of Gushcloud. “This partnership with Hyun Bin and Sinarmas Sekuritas leverages Gushcloud’s truly unique multi-cultural teams working seamlessly as one. We are committed to professionally bridge cultural gaps while achieving optimal commercial outcomes.”
“There are tremendous opportunities for cross-cultural collaborations in the Philippines, and this partnership with Sinarmas Sekuritas and South Korean actor Hyun Bin is just the start. With Gushcloud’s unique positioning in the region, I am confident that we will open exciting new opportunities for our local brands, clients, creators, and talents,” said Jamie Paraso, Country Director of Gushcloud Philippines.
Sinarmas Sekuritas is the leading Indonesian investment banking and stock brokerage company owned by Sinarmas Group, one of the largest conglomerate groups in Indonesia. Founded in 1988, it is one of the largest and most trusted investment management companies in Indonesia. With SimInvest, Sinarmas Sekuritas welcomed both new and experienced individual investors, introducing competitive transaction fees and a simple yet secure interface for its users.
