KUALA LUMPUR – Leading full-service digital agency, Isobar Malaysia, has once again proved its mettle by being the only Malaysian agency to pick up, not one but two Gold Effies, at the recently concluded APAC Effie Awards 2018.
This continues Isobar’s winning streak for their much-acclaimed Ho Ee Ki campaign for Mudah.my, Malaysia largest online marketplace. The campaign picked up Gold in the ‘Branded Content’ and ‘Seasonal Marketing’ categories, while another campaign for Mudah.my, Goodbye, Good Buy was named a Finalist in the ‘Youth Marketing’ category.
Commenting on the work, Kartik Khare, Global Brand Director of Smile Unilever Asia, who was an Effie APAC 2018 Judge, said: “It’s a great example of a beautiful sweet spot between a consumer insight, a brand insight and then finding a business context within all of that. And all the while (the execution) was done so beautifully.”
The Effie Awards has long been regarded by advertisers and agencies as the gold standard of marketing effectiveness globally, and the preeminent award that recognizes ideas that work.
“Winning all the creative awards that we did last year was an awesome acknowledgement but winning the Effies this year is incredibly meaningful as it signifies that the work we did was not just creative, but effective in helping our clients solve a real business challenge,’ said Sanyen Liew, Executive Creative Director of Isobar Malaysia.
Ho Ee Ki had also won Gold at the Malaysian Kancil Awards, Malaysian Effie Awards and Spikes Asia in 2017, and the recent d Awards earlier this year. Their metal tally also netted them the coveted Golden Kancil at the Kancil Awards, as well as the Malaysia Agency of the Year at Spikes Asia.
“Isobar Malaysia narrowly missed out on the Agency of the Year accolade at the Malaysia Effie Awards, but this win certainly makes up for it, being the only Malaysian agency to win metal at the APAC Effies, and I’m immensely proud of the team,” Liew added.
The Ho Ee Ki campaign was curated based on the brief that Mudah.my needed a way to shake off its perception of a second-hand marketplace of old and used items, which is something the Chinese tend to avoid during Chinese New Year as well as break through the clutter to reach its Chinese audience during this festive period.
In a season of buying, Mudah.my focused on selling, and “Ho Ee Ki” was turned into a mnemonic phrase, delivered through a catchy, original song and video that reminded people to “let it go” and receive greater blessings in return.
The campaign exceeded expectation and propelled Mudah.my like never before – seeing a 213% increase in “value for money” evaluation, with listings going up by 7% versus 1.7% average monthly rate.
