Why is this work relevant for Media?

In Indonesia, Ramadan is a time for many brands to compete for attention and a share of our audiences’ 13th month bonus. This campaign demonstrated how a unique insight, combined with smart use of media, can help a brand stand out from its competition and deliver multiple messages across different media that together, create a story and an argument for users to use a product.

Background

Ramadan is one of the largest shopping events in the retail calendar – think of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the US with all e-commerce merchants offering special Ramadan deals. Ramadan is also a time when consumers have extra disposable income thanks to the seasonal Ramadan bonus from employers. It’s a perfect momentum for Google Search to re-introduce its Shopping feature which answers consumers’ needs to compare different prices for the same item across various e-commerce sites on one single platform. The challenge was to break through from the cluttered media environment of Ramadan in which many eCommerce sites themselves are competitively promoting their deals to consumers. The objective of communication is to increase search queries relating to Ramadan shopping, particularly in the three strategic categories of Fashion, Beauty and Consumer Electronics.

Describe the creative idea/insights (30% of vote)

THE MEME-TERVENTION Engaging with Ramadan shoppers with a format that Indonesians are used to share with each other during this time period - Memes. Memes have become a shortcut for our audience to convey even the most complex messages in an instant with a simple picture. And during Ramadan, the usage of memes is heightened as they also use this platform to greet friends and family. So we decided to hop on the pop culture wagon and used meme-inspired imagery and language to deliver our message and differentiate ourselves with other brands that uses too much sentimentality that has become a cliche in Ramadan season.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Though Indonesians have extra spending power from their 13th-month salary - thriftiness and general Indonesian shopping behaviour as ‘value maximizers’ still applies. They go back and forth between e-commerce platforms to find the best price from trusted sellers and ensure they are not missing out on a better deal. Google Search through its shopping feature plays the voice of reason, so users are well-informed and make wise decisions with their Ramadan purchase.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Multiple 15-second videos were created and shown across YouTube and Social Media. The videos took cues from the language of memes that the audience was already familiar with. This was inspired by our finding that our audience spends a third of their online time on social media (source: GWI, 2019). Furthermore, memes have increasingly become top choice for consumers to convey information. Therefore, they are well versed in the tropes and imagery of internet memes. We used popular meme aesthetics and vernacular to convey what happens when someone stumbles upon an irresistible shopping item, whether offline or online. This campaign also utilized contextual banner ads which was paired with a relevant meme with relevant shopping category. Last but not least, we also used geofencing technology to intervene shoppers around shopping malls with disruptive banners to check on Google first before they shop.

List the results (30% of vote)

This campaign garnered an engagement level of more than 4.4 million on social media, and indicated that it was successful in creating a conversation around the work, and also around the product. It helped increase relevant Search queries during that period by a whopping 9.9%, which is 98% higher than the intended query uplift. This is a large number considering that Indonesians are already using Search for many other purposes. Google’s mission has always been to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Before, Indonesians turned to Search to find general information and learn about topics of interest. As technology evolves, Search has the opportunity to provide information beyond what is expected by our audience. This campaign helped change a deep-rooted perception. More importantly, it has changed the behaviour of Indonesians: getting them to use Search to make better decisions in their daily lives.

Please tell us how you designed/adapted your campaign for the single country / region / market where it aired.

This campaign was launched to capture a local market opportunity whereby Google Search Shopping has a role to play to help Ramadan shoppers make more informed decision making. The insight that was the centre of this campaign was also true to Indonesian digital habit where people tend to share memes, especially for special occasions including the holiest month of the year. This contrast makes this campaign more relevant to our audience and was the reason that the campaign was received positively by consumers.