CHROME EXPERIMENT: RAMAKIEN

TitleCHROME EXPERIMENT: RAMAKIEN
BrandGOOGLE
Product / ServiceCHROME BROWSER LAUNCH IN THAILAND
CategoryA08. Broadcast Design and Graphics & Digital Design
EntrantOGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Entrant Company OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Advertising Agency OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Eshan Ponnadurai Google Consumer Marketing
Fantasy Interactive Fantasy Interactive Design/Development
Pawan Bahuguna Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Business Director
Jeremy Ng Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Senior Account Manager
Lu Shulin Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Senior Account Manager
Zayed Talib Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Project Manager
Esther Tan Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Senior Copywriter
Xander Lee Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Senior Art Director
Melvyn Lim Ogilvy/Mather Singapore Executive Creative Director

Brief Explanation

Even for a giant like Google, it's not easy to introduce its Chrome browser to a market as diverse and unique as Asia. We needed to embrace the culture and we figured, what better way to do this than with a story they love. Specifically, the story of Ramakien, an ancient tale full of twists and turns, depicting the victory of good over evil. To launch the Chrome browser in Thailand, we brought the story of Ramakien to life in the browser window through an interactive Chrome Experiment, and showcased the capabilities of Chrome in the experience.

The Brief

To launch the Chrome browser in Thailand, and demonstrate that Chrome is way better than your traditional browser. Google didn't want to tell people, they wanted to SHOW people that Chrome is not your traditional browser, it's better. They wanted to tell stories THROUGH technology, not ABOUT technology. Google has previously launched Chrome in other markets with campaigns like Wilderness Downtown which was wildly popular. But we can't just take that campaign, re-launch it in Asia and expect people to relate to it. For a market as diverse and unique as Asia, a different approach is needed.

How the final design was conceived

In getting users to experience a traditional story through an interactive online experience on the Chrome browser, they are able to fully grasp the capabilities of the browser without feeling preached to. As they see an ancient tale come to life in the digital realm and experience different in-story games along the journey, they are also able to appreciate how seamlessly backend technology like HTML5 and Web GL was incorporated in the browser to entertain and entrall them.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

When the Ramakien interactive experience was launched in Thailand as part of the country's Children's Day celebration, the Thai people – Prime Minister included – loved it. There was a whooping 53% increase in the number of Chrome users during the campaign period, helping make Chrome the no. 1 browser in Thailand. The experience went on the make waves in the rest of Asia when we adapted the story for the Indonesian market, winning a FWA People's Choice Award through public voting. Google also experienced an increase of 3.5 points in its share since the campaign's launch.