The Campaign

The state of branded content in Malaysia is well received amongst consumers because they receive compelling content, no matter who sponsors it. Due to budget constraints, Eveready viewed such a medium as an alternative and more personal point to engage consumers. Before creating anything, however, we looked at how people were once entertained in the olden days in Malaysia, with Wayang Kulit, the Malaysian traditional art of storytelling using shadow play, and once was used to pass stories from generation to generation. Tapping in to our Malaysian parents with their own nostalgia and childhood was most important, and so we were inspired by a traditional Malaysian character that parents grew up with as well, the Sang Kancil, a cunning mouse-deer that outsmarts those larger and tougher than him. By using Eveready torchlights to light up each page and bring the Sang Kancil to life with shadow play, we would grab the attention of parents, as they wish to tell the stories of their childhood favourite character to their own children.

Results

We began with a problem: in today’s digital world, Eveready's obsolete torchlights and batteries were becoming less and less relevant. In the few occasions that one actually requires batteries, most consumers would simply buy the "that's good enough" option. And since families are very busy, parents give children cheap, non-interactive gadgets, without actually spending quality time together to bond. We sought to increase relevancy and sales by targeting Malaysian families in a positive light, and creating a new reason to buy batteries. To entertain and inspire these families, we created a nostalgic bedtime storybook more in line with a familial mentality. For execution, we were inspired by Wayang Kulit, the traditional art of storytelling using shadowplay, as well as the nostalgic stories of Sang Kancil, that all Malaysians know and love. We illustrated each page with delicate care, including questions for parents to ask children, and created characters and a background for children to create their own brand new stories with. This ensured that with each time they experience the story, there would be something new for them to learn or play with.

Eveready was most interested in creating quality bonding time for families, where Malaysian parents can relive their own nostalgia and childhood, and introduce their children to characters and stories they grew up with. For one, Wayang Kulit, the Malaysian traditional art of shadow play that tells stories that were once passed down from generation to generation. And the other source of nostalgia? A traditional Malaysian character, the Sang Kancil. By bringing these to life with shadow play, we would grab the attention of parents, as they wish to tell the stories of their childhood to their own children.

With 30,000 books produced, printed, and released in 1,000 major shopping chains across Malaysia, the Eveready Book of Play's first edition: Sang Kancil Cari Cahaya made waves with families throughout the nation. We had a pick up rate of 60% in one month with all books in Toys R Us outlets being sold out. 20,450 Social Media Impressions were gained and talks have begun for a future collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, to help Eveready light up even more children's imaginations across the country.

Devices such as torchlights and batteries can't be sold with traditional advertising, because they need to be experienced. Any form of traditional advertising wouldn't influence our consumers, Malaysian families, in the same way that content close to their heart would. In any case, these same young families buy the cheapest or brandless batteries, since they have a "as long as it works" mentality for such goods. In order to entertain and inspire these families, and also because of budget constraints, creating compelling and nostalgic content such as a bedtime storybook is more in line with a personal and familial mentality. In fact, the interactive element of our book allows children to create new stories with their parents, rather than just watch a TVC, thus allowing them to use their creativity to play and learn.