How To Respectfully Participate In Thailand’s Songkran As A Western Brand

Thailand’s Songkran Festival, or Water Festival, is considered Thai New Year and is a highly anticipated event symbolizing purification, renewal, and celebration. During Songkran, families unite for traditional customs like pouring scented water on Buddha statues and seeking blessings from elders, while vibrant street parties and water fights highlight the festival’s community spirit and often draw participation from travelers.

The joyful atmosphere of Songkran presents a golden opportunity for Western brands to engage with Thai consumers and stand out in the market. Here are some tips and insights for Western brands on how they can launch resonant Songkran campaigns.

Planning your Songkran campaign

When Western brands seek to associate with Songkran, they may face several pitfalls and challenges, primarily related to cultural understanding and sensitivity. Here are some things you should carefully research, study, and plan before starting your PR campaigns.

By being aware of these pitfalls and challenges, Western brands can take proactive steps to ensure that their Songkran campaigns are respectful, culturally sensitive, and ultimately successful in engaging with Thai consumers.

Cultural Awareness: Brands risk alienating Thai consumers and missing their messaging if they lack cultural understanding.

Stereotypes and Generalizations: Presenting Songkran solely as a party or water fight can be seen as disrespectful to Thai cultural heritage and display a superficial understanding of Thailand.

Localization: Brands must tailor their approaches to suit Thai preferences, rather than utilizing existing campaigns.

3 steps to crafting an effective Songkran campaign

Once you’ve done your due diligence, these are the three steps for creating successful strategic communications and campaigns during Songkran.

First step: Select an optimal location

You must meticulously assess which atmosphere aligns best with your campaign objectives and target audience.

In Bangkok, Siam Square stands out as the quintessential choice for brands hosting events, pop-ups, or other physical campaigns during Songkran, transforming into a dynamic playground for various groups of people each year, offering a diverse and bustling vibe. Western brands  seeking to connect with party lovers can look to Khao San Road and Silom Road as prime destinations. 

Thailand also boasts several other popular destinations that attract international travelers, including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, and Khon Kaen. Each location offers a unique theme and highlight of the year, so brands need to ensure they are aware of these and plan accordingly.

Second step: Partner with local stakeholders for maximum impact

This year’s Songkran festival is particularly significant, as the festival has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage event by UNESCO. The Thai government is promoting nationwide celebrations known as the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024, aimed at highlighting and preserving Thai traditions across the nation, especially in Bangkok.

Given the special nature of this year’s Songkran, Western brands have a unique opportunity to collaborate with the Thai government bodies or important public sectors of Thai tourism like Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to launch impactful PR campaigns during the 21-day celebration period.

Third step: Highlight experiential marketing, community engagement, and CSR efforts

Building a strong relationship with potential customers is an extremely valuable tool for brands hoping to make a splash in Thailand and differentiate themselves from competitors. Here are some examples of Western brands’ 2023 Songkran campaigns that were effective and delivered in the Thai market. 

Photo credit: Amarin TV

During last year’s Songkran festival, Dyson, a renowned home appliance brand, set up ‘Dyson Supersonic’ hair dryer booths in Siam Square. Positioned as an ‘emergency rescue’ for those wanting to quickly dry and style their hair after enjoying the water fights, this buzzy campaign received a very positive response and praise from not just on-site participants, but across social media platforms and throughout the media.

Photo credit: GoPro

Another great campaign comes from GoPro, who worked with TAT to encourage both local and international influencers to create and share memorable videos from their participation in Chiang Mai’s Songkran festival. Championing the waterproof capabilities of GoPro cameras, the campaign effectively showcased the product’s capacity while highlighting Chiang Mai’s vibrant Songkran festival to an international audience.

The success of these campaigns lies in the way brands adeptly tapped into the true pain points of Thai consumers. While Dyson capitalised on the need for people to dry off quickly  after experiencing a Songkran water fight, GoPro embraced the allure of capturing Songkran memories without worrying about water damage. Importantly, these campaigns avoided being overly sales-driven, ensuring participants felt genuinely engaged rather than pressured to make purchases. This went a long way in fostering positive consumer sentiment, local touch points, and brand love.

Western brands can develop impactful Songkran campaigns by ensuring they fully understand the importance and nuances of Songkran and finding ways to engage with consumers in an authentic way. By doing this, Western brands can foster respectful and culturally sensitive engagement, ultimately leading to successful campaigns.

If you need a strong communications strategy to navigate festive seasons all year round, reach out to us at hello@mutant.co.id, and we’ll take your brand to the next level, together!

Nurturing Media Relations During Ramadhan Month: A Guide to Culturally Effective Media Engagement

Ramadan, which began this month, is one of the most significant religious events in Indonesia – and is often considered a great time to reach consumers who are on the lookout for great deals during this period. Less tangibly, it is also a great time for businesses to strengthen their media relations by embracing the values and spirit of this sacred time. 

In this piece, we delve into the strategies and approaches that can help businesses effectively build media relations during Ramadan, fostering trust, understanding, and meaningful connections, bringing it to life with actual case studies. 

Tailor themes and content 

One of the key aspects of building media relations during Ramadan is tailoring content to resonate with the themes and values of this holy month. During this time, brands must consider incorporating themes of compassion, community, and reflection into their media pitches and content. 

Highlight how your organisation’s values align with those of Ramadan, whether it’s through seasonal campaign initiatives, community projects, or promoting unity and togetherness. By weaving these themes into your messaging, you can create content that not only captures the spirit of Ramadan but also resonates deeply with your audience and the media.

Build genuine relationships

Building authentic relationships with journalists and editors is essential for effective engagement all year long, but especially during Ramadan.  

To achieve this, brands and businesses must take the opportunity to learn more about our media friends and be more relevant. Rather than having a generic media list, create one that’s targeted and relevant to your business – and then reach out to them with thoughtful Ramadan-related hampers, and meaningful story ideas. 

For example, JobStreet, a leading career platform in Indonesia, seized the opportunity to connect with the media through an intimate media gathering during Ramadan. By having the company’s CEO and top executives share important news updates while breaking their fast with the media, the company was able to greater camaraderie and open new doors. To build on those relationships, JobStreet also curated special PR hampers as a token of the company’s appreciation. 

COO of Jobstreet by SEEK, Indonesia, in conversation with Indonesian media friends

Businesses and organisations have a unique opportunity to build media relations while embracing the values and spirit of this sacred time. By tailoring content to resonate with Ramadan themes and building meaningful relationships, businesses can effectively strengthen their media relationships. As we embark on this journey together, let us embrace the spirit of Ramadan and nurture meaningful connections that endure beyond the holy month.

Need a helping hand for future Ramadan campaigns? Drop us a note at hello@mutant.co.id

You Cannot ‘Inspire Inclusion’ Without Intersectionality

Another year, another International Women’s Day. I love this day and believe it to be extremely important, but I won’t lie—I grimaced while writing this because I knew I would struggle to put my meandering thoughts on a page coherently.

Why? Truthfully, I think it’s hard to write about what inclusion means to me when it seems that the world has taken so many steps backwards for women. Like what, you ask?

Off the top of my head, things like the wage gap haven’t shifted much in the past couple of decades in many countries. (Plus, it’s shown to be getting worse for women in their 30s and 40s.) There is also increasing pressure for people to return to the office full-time, arguably putting additional pressure on mothers who are still primary caregivers.

Fashion brands too are constantly being called out for not keeping to their inclusivity pledges. For instance, in my home country of New Zealand, there has been a lot of online chatter about influencer events or trips being made up of solely white, young, cisgender women promoting products at extravagant, expensive brand events during a cost-of-living crisis.

And then, of course, there are things like ongoing gender-based violence; the roll-back of women’s rights to choose since the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US (including the latest IVF legislation in Alabama); the rising threat to trans women; and the specific and unimaginable dangers facing women and girls in Palestine as the conflict and displacement continues.   

Why does this all matter? Because if inclusion is the goal, intersectionality is the football field we’re all playing on. There may be multiple facets of our lives that subject us to discrimination but the effects of this discrimination compound and multiply based on a variety of other factors. For example, a woman may face gender prejudice—but an Indian woman in Singapore may face racial and gender prejudice. And the truth is, we can’t claim inclusion until all women are equal—not just the women we know and are friends with or work with.

It’s easy sometimes to turn away from what’s happening elsewhere—in itself a privilege—and shout about inclusion in IWD social media posts. Still, without addressing the intersectionality of the inequity plaguing women, we’ll never get there.

Brands can say that many of the issues listed above don’t necessarily affect their direct consumers in Singapore or across the SEA region, but I don’t see it this way. I don’t think a single woman out there doesn’t think about at least one of these issues daily. So, it can sting even more when we don’t see brands even attempt to navigate them or purposefully shift away from tough conversations. 

When young consumers and the all-important Gen Z target audience say they want inclusion, diversity, and authenticity from brands, intersectionality is what they’re talking about. And I get it—it’s hard to address. It goes against the grain of how our society has been set up for ‘success’ and challenging it can have negative consequences for brands entering these conversations.

For many, it’s not worth the effort, and the risk of being ‘cancelled’ is too high. One study by Savanta found that only 22% of Gen Z consumers say their perception of a brand would be negatively affected if they noticed they remained silent during a crucial social moment. So why bother? However, 29% said they would not buy from a brand not committed to DEI.

Ultimately, while silence may not harm brands too much, it would equally not be able to win a brand more business and improve loyalty. There’s an opportunity to understand intersectionality and recognise the unique values, lived experiences, and causes of the communities that brands engage with.

Brands can hit the right balance between addressing more significant social issues and respecting their audiences’ diverse beliefs—and it will only happen if they stretch beyond performative gestures. That’s what ‘Inspire Inclusion’ means to me at this moment. No individual or brand will get it 100% right, but when the world feels like it’s taking a step in the wrong direction for women, don’t you want to be the one helping turn us back around?

This article first appeared on Campaign Asia.

Keep the conversation going – drop us a note at hello@mutant.co.id

PR vs Content Marketing: Maximising Your Budget

Most marketers are struggling under pressure to outperform, even as they navigate budget cuts. They’re unable to hire more people, but are expected to produce more content and media coverage than ever before. From conversations with clients, it’s clear that allocating budgets strategically is crucial, and that one wrong move can prove costly. One marketer, for example, was forced to ditch their SEO budget in favour of a splashy, one-off event, that we’re not sure generated the expected results. 

Public relations (PR) and content marketing offer distinct value propositions – but work best when brands take an integrated approach. While PR focuses on earned media and reputation, content marketing revolves around creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain your target audience. However, neither can be done in a silo. But understanding the strengths and limitations of each approach will help you better allocate resources for your specific goals. 

If you’re torn about how to spend your budget, consider doing these four things:

Get a clear understanding of the market

Before diving headfirst into a full blown marketing strategy, take the time to conduct thorough research. Many brands skip this crucial step, because of historic bias or assumptions they’re making about their target audience. 

By understanding your potential customers’ needs, interests, and preferences, you can tailor your messaging and positioning to resonate more effectively. Research can also uncover data that validates your communication plans and identifies new opportunities for growth. Ultimately, investing time in research can lead to more informed decision-making and a stronger, more impactful marketing strategy.

Match your objectives with anticipated outcomes

Many businesses are tempted to be all things to everyone. Often, this means being everywhere, churning out content that most people aren’t even going to see. While there’s no magical number to content and coverage cadence, the key is to ensure you’re creating high-value content on a regular basis across key distribution channels. 

To get started, identify your primary goal and allocate budgets and efforts accordingly. For example, if your goal is to gain greater visibility and reach a broader audience, consider a well thought-out public relations campaign, and use coverage to create pieces of content on your LinkedIn and website. 

But if it is leads you are after, then focus your efforts on creating more blog content, email marketing, case studies, ebooks, and so on. Regardless of how you’re splitting your efforts, we recommend repurposing content and tailoring it to fit the channels of your choice. 

Evaluating performance and ROI

It’s crucial to set clear goals and track how your PR and content marketing efforts are doing. This means deciding what success looks like for you, whether it’s getting mentioned in the media, driving more people to your website, or generating leads.

By regularly checking your performance data, like how many times your brand is mentioned in articles or how many visitors your website gets, you can see what’s working and what’s not. For instance, if you’re running a content marketing campaign, you might measure success by tracking how many leads it generates through downloads of a gated ebook. This helps you understand where to focus your resources and proves the value of your marketing efforts.

Welcoming technological solutions

When used well, generative AI can help businesses preserve budgets. For instance, with the right prompts, it can quickly assist in pulling together a first draft of a press release or the structure of a blog. Marketers, however, still need to do the heavy lifting when it comes to campaign ideation and original storytelling. 

The arrival of transformative technology can be challenging and confusing. Overall, human connection remains important for communications professionals as no AI solution can conceive stories, liaise, pitch, and land coverage with the media in quite the same way. 

If you’re looking for an agency that can support your PR and content marketing goals while making the most of your budget, send us an email: hello@mutant.com.id

The Enduring Relatability Of Taylor Swift: What Brands Can Learn From The Superstar

No matter where you look, it’s hard to avoid Taylor Swift. Whether it’s a new album announcement, her romance with a professional athlete, or the economic impact of The Eras Tour, there’s no denying that the singer-songwriter dominated headlines in 2023 – and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change anytime soon.

But what is perhaps most impressive about this is the fact that Swift is doing it nearly two decades into her career. Her first album was released in 2006, and since then she’s put out 13 more albums, won 14 Grammys, and successfully changed genres, going from a country chanteuse to an international pop star. This continuing success is in large part due to Swift’s talent and hard work. But crucially, she has remained relatable to people the world over, even as her fame has risen to incredible heights.

Swift’s boundless appeal

Despite the fact that she’s a superstar with wealth, accolades, and access to a lifestyle that most of us can barely fathom, Swift doesn’t often feel untouchable. She is endearing, but not cool; she’s sharp, but not intimidating; she’s witty, but not uproarious; she’s poised, but not graceful. And that means she’s someone many people can relate to – the kind-of awkward friend who sometimes tries a little too hard and is more than a little self-deprecating.

And on top of all that, there’s her songwriting. Album after album, her work captures the minutiae and nuances of life and love in a way that makes listeners feel as if she perhaps looked into their brains and watched memories about a first kiss or a toxic friendship or a slow heartbreak or a particularly wonderful weekend play out.

But beyond penning songs that successfully communicate nostalgia and angst and rage and joy in ways that are universally understood, Swift and her team have pinpointed ways to keep her fans engaged and not just hungry, but ravenous for more.

In examining her career, there are several lessons brands can learn from the enduringly relatable Swift.

Don’t be afraid to evolve

It’s called The Eras Tour for a reason: Swift has very effectively changed genres, styles, sounds, and attitudes from album to album, creating different “eras” throughout her career that reflect how she – and her audience – have grown and changed over the years.

Take the temperature of your vertical and audience regularly and consider whether you are still relevant. If the answer is no, then identify what you need to change, be it a complete rebrand, new messaging pillars, a shift in strategy, or tweaking your brand voice – because it’s time to enter a new era.

Allow your failures to make you stronger

Several of Swift’s public embarrassments loom large in pop culture. “I’mma let you finish” became a catchphrase after Kanye West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech during a live awards show; her unrestrained reactions when winning awards turned her into a punchline (and a lot of gifs); photos of a boyfriend wearing an “I ♥ TS” shirt at her Fourth of July party made both of them internet punching bags; and her statement about the rights to her masters being sold (which was the catalyst for the “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings of her first six albums) led many people to question the veracity of her claims.

Rather than pretending these moments never happened, Swift usually confronts them head-on after a period of reflection. Whether it be through songwriting or even merch, she often works these moments into her narrative, owning them, and making them part of her brand.

It’s an interesting consideration for brands. Though not every crisis scenario or company failure is something that businesses will want to shine a light on or remind people of, addressing public missteps can be beneficial. It could bring a sense of humility, humour, or levity if done correctly, and even go to show how much a company has reflected and grown.

Inject fun into your strategy

Something that Swift has become synonymous with is her use of clever hints and Easter eggs, which keep her fanbase puzzling over what might be coming next. Most recently, Swift performed a mash-up of three songs during one of her Eras Tour concerts in Melbourne that has many fans speculating on social media that she was hinting “reputation (Taylor’s Version)” will be released in August.

Incorporating playful ideas that tease new products, services, or offers, or that simply engage customers between campaigns, is a great way to strengthen your marketing strategy, and keep you top of mind.

Proclaim your values

For years, Swift stayed out of politics. But in 2018, she publicly endorsed a Democratic politician in her home state. Since then, she has continued to be vocal about her political opinions, beliefs, and values, supporting the LGBTQ+ communitydefining her stance on abortionreleasing a political anthem, and encouraging voter registration.

As value-based marketing becomes more crucial for businesses, it’s important for brands to define their values, and incorporate them into their key messages and mission statement. From there, brands can then determine how to create marketing campaigns, communications strategies, and crisis plans that consistently and seamlessly reinforce their values.

Surprise your audience from time to time

Despite Swift’s penchant for hints, she often still manages to surprise fans. During her Eras Tour shows, she reserves time to play two “surprise songs” that change from show to show, and in years past, she’s referenced memes of herself, hosted intimate, in-home listening parties for fans, and sent fans gifts during Christmas, which was quickly dubbed “Swiftmas.”

By finding ways to delight fans – either as a collective or individually – Swift forges a deeper bond with them. Brands, too, can do this, creating opportunities to foster a sense of community and genuinely bring joy to their audiences, while also boosting engagement and brand loyalty.

Taking a page out of Swift’s playbook can help your brand find ways to remain self-aware, connect with your audience, create community, and grow, when needed. And if it doesn’t go exactly as planned?

Then just shake it off and move on to the next era.

This article first appeared in Marketing Interactive.

Eager to continue the conversation about global pop stars? Or need advice on how to create a strong brand? Either way, we’ve got your back — hello@mutant.co.id

Captivate Your Audience with Compelling B2B Brand Narratives

Brand stories are everywhere. Whether you’re on social media or a company website, watching a makeup tutorial or inquiring into landscaping services, you’ll encounter businesses telling you their story. But when it comes to B2B efforts, many brands suddenly stop telling their story. Instead, they dig deep into technicalities, numbers, and the nitty-gritty, producing the types of reports, whitepapers, and case studies that make you feel like you’d rather watch paint dry than read another word.

While demonstrating expertise and the ability to drive results are critical components of B2B strategies, that doesn’t mean that the way expertise is demonstrated and results are qualified should be so dull. People want to work with people they know, trust, and like – and they can’t truly get to know you or your business if you give them jargon and numbers.

When it comes to B2B marketing, compelling storytelling is vital – but often, it’s the piece that’s missing. Here’s how to ensure your brand narrative shines, even when (especially when) talking to other businesses.

 Synchronise brand messages with client journeys

If you’re new to B2B storytelling, an excellent exercise is to map out the typical journey of your clients. Identify the types of clients you already work with as well as those you aspire to work with, and then pinpoint the challenges they usually face when looking to achieve business goals.

You can hone into these issues, and then determine how to use brand storytelling to directly address key client challenges and how you can solve them.

Prove your expertise through storytelling

“Show, don’t tell” is an enduring piece of writing advice for very good reason. Rather than insisting that You Know What You’re Doing, it’s more effective to prove your knowledge and capabilities by demonstrating them.

When creating case studies, reflect on how you helped a client achieve their goals – and use that information to build your narrative. Follow classic story structure to ensure the reader understands the client, their challenges, how you helped solve them, and the results they achieved with your assistance.

By showing how you solved a problem and (always!) including a strong call to action, potential clients will have a better understanding of how your team approaches things, and will be able to envision how the two of you can work together. No bold claims or heavy selling needed! 

 Always include brand values and key messages

No matter the format of the content you create, ensure that your company’s values and key messages are always included. These principles should guide every piece of content you create, creating a seamless, consistent, and effective brand narrative.

Be authentic

People today are extremely savvy – they can sniff out an imposter very easily. Because of this, it’s better to develop a brand narrative that is authentic to your company, reflecting the values, mission, and culture, rather than try to be more corporate or more casual than you truly are. In B2B marketing, setting the tone is extremely important, and if it’s clear you’re trying to be something you’re not, it’ll likely be hard to retain clients.

Let your brand voice shine across all narratives

Be it an annual report, social media video, sales deck, or LinkedIn article, every piece of content your company pushes should use the same brand voice. Though you can – and should – tailor content to different channels and the audiences they attract, that doesn’t mean that your brand voice or story changes. Rather, let your brand voice guide the way you tell stories. In doing so, you can ensure that your narrative and identity are consistent. This will help set you apart from the competition and give potential clients a great idea of who you are, what you’re about, and what they can expect from you.

Ultimately, your B2B marketing strategy should reflect who you are as a business – and the stories you tell should, too. By injecting compelling brand narratives, consistent messaging, and genuine personality into your content, you may learn that you’re not for everyone, but you’ll also find exactly the people you are for. They’ll like what they see, know what they’re in for, and trust that you’re the best possible partner. All you have to do is tell them your story.

Need help establishing key messages or creating consistent content? Drop us a line – our team of expert storytellers can helphello@mutant.com.id

Is AI The End Of Human Creativity?

As a creative, I’m not a fan of AI.

Sure, I’m in awe of the technology. The fact that it can spawn an infinite amount of possibilities generated by prompts within seconds is an incredible feat – yet no matter how lifelike the results get, they almost certainly appear uncanny to me. AI-generated art always feel like an imitation, and upon a closer look, you’ll notice it’s riddled with errors (hint: look at the hands, and the eyes); to put it simply, AI can do good art (even likely to surpass us technically), but it lacks emotional depth. 

This is something inherently human – a result that can only come from a genuine connection to the work.

That being said, instead of perceiving AI as the end of human creativity, let’s discuss how these tools can work with brand identity agencies to help us all thrive in our roles and enhance your design practice:

Use AI to kickstart your creativity

While AI-generated images can be wacky, this is also exactly why it can be helpful in catalysing your creative process. Oftentimes, a creative breakthrough can come with the most random and unexpected ideas – ask any brand identity agency this, you’ll realise why brainstorming is still an effective way to generate ideas.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different prompts to spit out variations of your ideation. It’s a fast and easy method that visually combines different concepts altogether, providing you with more dots to join – boosting your creative power to greater heights.

Visualise your ideas with a mood board

Mood boards are essential when beginning any branding project with a brand identity agency – they are how we communicate our ideas and ensure everyone in the team is aligned to the creative vision. But sourcing relevant visual references for your abstract ideas can be tricky and time-consuming – and this is where the integration of AI comes in handy.

With its speed in data-processing, you can easily curate the right images with prompts in an instant, reducing manual design work so creatives have more time to develop their craft. Say goodbye to scouring the internet endlessly; now you have an alternative that will cut your search time in half, and even create images that do not yet exist.

Automate the admin tasks

You know what I’m talking about; extending backgrounds, isolating subjects, retouching images… the list goes on. The good news is with AI’s steep rise in various domains, it is now possible to automate mundane tasks to free up time for more creative pursuits, or higher-level design thinking.

For example, AI can come in handy with wire-framing and debugging when creating effective user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX). By quickly analysing large amounts of data, it can suggest the optimum colour palette generation, font selection, and even layout.

Of course, the end result will still require manual tinkering for it to be perfect, but by automating these tasks right from the beginning, AI provides a scalable solution that saves time and improves efficiency.

It’s clear that AI is here to stay, and is in the process of redefining the creative landscape with its integration. Brand identity agencies should embrace co-creation and explore its potential in shaping an inspiring future for all creatives, figuring out the best ways to save time and allow the focus to be on innovating and creating.  

At the end of the day, unless machines can replicate the nuances of feelings, AI will never fully replace human intervention – but a person or brand identity agency using AI tools will.

Want to learn how to make AI a part of your design practice? Drop us a note at hello@mutant.com.id

B2C PR vs B2B PR: How To Be a Pro In Managing Both

Since starting my career in public relations (PR), I’ve had the opportunity to work with different clients across various industries including technology, consumer, corporate and even healthcare. This also allowed me to learn the tips and tricks to manage clients with very different strategies, target audiences, as well as goals. 

Namely, there are two main types of PR strategies: business-to-consumer (B2C) and businesses-to-business (B2B). 

While the core principles of PR apply to both B2C and B2B strategies, the two approaches differ in several ways. To give you a better sense, here’s a quick primer:

An intro to B2C PR

B2C PR generally targets the masses, or everyday consumers with buying power. The goal of B2C PR is to build brand awareness, which leads to higher brand recall and, ultimately, sales. The approach here is simple: shape a positive image of the brand to appeal to the emotions and values of shoppers. After all, people prefer to shop at brands with values that align with their own

With B2C PR, we cannot solely rely on traditional PR tactics like distributing a press release or hosting a press conference. There needs to be an integrated campaign with both traditional and digital PR strategies. Some of the digital PR tactics include social media campaigns and influencer partnerships that directly reach customers – both your target and the general public. 

For instance, one of our B2C clients, Bumble, worked closely with us to launch their annual Bumble Dating Trends report to show how single Singaporeans prefer to date today. The goal of this report was to showcase the interesting data and insights Bumble has about dating trends to secure media interest, get the word out about Bumble, and attract more users. 

To make this happen, we deployed a multi-pronged B2C PR approach that included distributing a press release highlighting local Singapore dating trends, hosting an interactive launch event for the media, and working with key influencers. For the launch event, the team brought in an expert dating coach to discuss the findings and her professional opinion. This generated  positive media buzz and resulted in coverage in tier 1 media, ranging from The Straits Times to a Channel 8 video feature.

In a nutshell, B2C PR needs to deploy tactics that engage the brand’s target audience and build a positive association.

Meanwhile, B2B PR is a whole different ball game. 

An intro to B2B PR

Generally, B2B PR targets other businesses, with the aim of establishing relationships that are mutually beneficial. The key here is to help the brand solidify its position as an industry thought leader. As the target audience is typically more niche and specialised, the messaging and content needs to be tailored to this very specific  audience. 

B2B PR strategies typically involve trade shows, networking events, and industry publications. The content developed specifically for B2B PR is often more technical, informative, and educational, and aimed at establishing the company as an industry expert. However, it is essential that B2B PR practitioners ensure the content strikes a balance between being informative and easy-to-read — which often means it cannot be bogged down by heavy industry jargon. If it is, it can alienate the reader, even if they are in the same field. 

B2B PR is also a great way to spotlight existing customers to help build credibility and trust with potential clients. For instance, one of our clients, Zendesk, has been working closely with their customers, securing joint interview opportunities that showcase how CX can truly enhance business operations. 

While the core principles of PR apply to both B2B and B2C strategies, it is important for businesses to understand their specific audience and goals, and then tailor their PR efforts accordingly. Being able to differentiate B2B and B2C PR can help businesses to develop more effective PR strategies that generate real results and build a positive reputation for their brand.

Talk to us – we’re pros at managing both types of PR! Drop us a note at hello@mutant.com.id.

The Importance Of Consistency In Brand Design

The saying “consistency is key” might feel like a cliche – but it’s a cliche because, quite simply, it’s true. We commit to consistent behaviours every day in order to build a pattern in our personal habits (i.e. brushing our teeth twice a day for dental hygiene), or in the workplace (meeting deadlines to build trust with clients) – and it’s no different with design and brand identity. 

Being consistent is the key that unlocks familiarity and loyalty among your customers. Without consistency across all touchpoints of a brand, it’s difficult for consumers to create a memorable impression of your brand, and thus strong recognition, With recognition, comes brand loyalty – and loyalty is what helps a brand to stand apart from its competitors. It works like dominoes – once a consumer recognises a brand, they will subconsciously gravitate towards it over one that is unfamiliar, or that constantly switches up its look and messaging.

As a brand identity agency, let us take you through how other brands create and maintain consistency — and why you might need help to settle on a consistent design approach. 

Have a consistent tone of voice

When we say Apple, which apple did you think of first – the brand and its products, or the fruit? Apple has established itself as one of the most prominent global tech brands, and a huge part of this is excellent branding consistency. Its sleek and minimalist design translates across the brand’s website, packaging, UI/UX and other collateral. Even the copywriting is recognisable anywhere; Apple’s tone of voice matches its minimalist product design with concise sentences with a hint of smugness. 

Tone of voice is important in design as well as copywriting, as it helps directly communicate a brand’s message to their target audience.

Source: Apple

Adapt and evolve over time

Source: Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola has been around for over 100 years and is easily one of the most recognisable drink brands globally. Everyone is familiar with its red and white colours, iconic script and glass bottle shape – and even though the logo has gone through multiple changes throughout its existence, it has been gradual and without significantly altering the overall look and feel. 

The brand spends a lot of budget on advertising and marketing, ensuring consistent exposure towards consumers to maintain recognition. Alongside this, Coca-Cola uses emotive language and taglines to attract consumers like, “Taste the feeling” and, “Open happiness”. Its ads often feature people smiling and enjoying their time drinking Coke.

What we can learn from this is that Coca-Cola knows its core values, and doesn’t ever deviate from them. They leverage on that by aligning the messaging in their ads to these values, and translate the message across multiple channels, ensuring memorability. Because of this, the changes in design over the years have not affected this brand affinity, as the branding elements are consistent, and the changes done subtly and slowly.

Be consistent with your branding elements

We are all familiar with the Nike swoosh and popular slogan, “Just Do It”. Like Coca-Cola, Nike has maintained its branding identity over the years, setting them apart from newer brands and positioning themselves as a trustworthy leader in the field. Nike’s mission statement is to “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.” When you look at the brand in its entirety, we can see this has translated across all of their content and advertising.

Source: Nike

What Nike does best is creating balanced content that promotes their products and enriches their audience. The brand often pairs their products with influential athletic figures to maintain its mission statement and translate its values, encouraging their audiences to be active and do their best. 

The Nike swoosh holds everything together, but its messaging and highly relatable slogan is a huge part of what makes their marketing work. By using these brand elements consistently – even across very different campaigns focusing on various sports or messages – you can train your audience to immediately identify a Nike ad amongst all the other noise in the sporting apparel space. 

While not every brand can be Apple, Coca-Cola or Nike, looking to these giants will help you to formulate your own consistent branding with the help of a brand identity agency. Using a branding or corporate identity agency to audit where you’re currently at, and then build a long-term strategy to convey your messaging and design, is key to ensuring that loyalty you crave.

Without consistency in your approach, you simply can’t unlock a strong brand identity that truly aligns with your values.

Need help building consistency across your branding? Talk to us at hello@mutant.com.id

5 Tips To Create A Successful Ramadan Campaign

Ramadan is a significant religious observance for Muslims worldwide, including in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population. The month of Ramadan is marked by people fasting from dawn to dusk, and is a time for prayer, reflection, and community building. 

During this time, people are proactively seeking out and responding to compassionate content as they seek to understand the needs of others beyond their immediate circle, and provide help. It is for this reason that Ramadan serves as a great opportunity for businesses and brands to engage with the Muslim community and create goodwill. 

To earn exceptional business results, brands need a well-rounded marketing strategy that resonates with the values and principles of  charity, family, community, and spirituality. 

Here are some tips for creating successful Ramadan PR campaigns that boost awareness and increase conversions:

Work with Eid-specific stories

Use the art of storytelling to build engaging Ramadan and Hari Raya-specific narratives  that connect with people. For instance, we helped launch Subway Malaysia’s Satu Kaki Lebih Mesra campaign, which celebrated family and togetherness by showcasing video stories of people from different walks of life practicing forgiveness despite daily personal conflicts. As a result, we earned over 1.3 million impressions across multiple international digital media outlets.

Tweak your messaging for different regions

Brands need to display a keen understanding of their audience as  the Muslim population in each country is diverse. To create a campaign that resonates with the Muslim community in your region, highlight the traditions and cultural heritage specific to the country. Incorporating a country or community’s local traditions in your PR campaign positions you as a brand that’s authentic and relevant. 

Photo Credit: Subway

Work with Muslim organisations

Partnering with Muslim organisations is a great way to show support for the community and  build trust with your audience. Consider sponsoring community events, donating to charitable causes, or developing marketing campaigns that showcase the culture and values of Ramadan.

Rely on social media to amplify your message

Research shows that in Indonesia, social media usage typically increases by 20% during the month of Ramadan, with people staying connected with friends and family as well as to be informed about Ramadan-related events and offers. As such, social media is a great way to reach Muslim consumers during the period. Brands must ensure they use relevant hashtags and create shareable content to connect with their audience. 

Work with influencers

Collaborating with the right influencer is an effective way to reach a wider audience during Ramadan. Consider partnering with people who are considered hugely influential in the Muslim community.. Ensure that their values align with your campaign, and that they can effectively communicate your brand’s message.

In recent years, successful Ramadan campaigns in Indonesia have focused on promoting social cohesion, charitable giving, and community involvement. Some campaigns have encouraged people to donate to charitable causes, while others talk about celebrating family or community cultures, and even promoting unity among people of different faiths.

The success of a country-specific Ramadan campaign depends on various factors, including the relevance of the message to your audience, the authenticity of the campaign, and the effectiveness of the PR strategy. 

Ramadan provides a unique opportunity for brands to connect with their target audience and create a positive brand image via campaigns and content that resonate with the values of the community, and leverage  the power of storytelling. 

Need help with your Ramadan campaign? Speak to us at hello@mutant.com.id.

Why PR Teams Need To Be Prepared To Fight Fake News And Weaponised Misinformation

For the past decade, global organisations have emphasised building brand reputation, heavily investing both time and money into building this endeavour. However, the threat of misinformation and disinformation can dismantle all of this work in a matter of days. 

Misinformation and disinformation are amongst the biggest threats facing organisations today. In fact, 87% of business leaders agree that the spread of disinformation is one of the greatest reputational risks to businesses and is costing the global economy billions of dollars every year

With disinformation and misinformation a significant problem – or at least worry – for many brands, PR and communication professionals need to be aware of how fake news and weaponised misinformation campaigns spread, and develop a strategy to safeguard decades of goodwill.

Social media as fertile ground for amplifying fake news

The old Churchill aphorism, “a lie can spread halfway around the world before the truth has got its boots on” holds true in today’s digital landscape. Misinformation is not a novel occurrence nor is it new. The difference now is the massive amplifier known as social media. In 2018, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology received access to a full historical archive of tweets to track the diffusion of true and false news stories on Twitter between 2006 and 2017.

It found that falsehoods spread “significantly farther, faster, deeper and more broadly” than true claims in all categories of information. False news stories were 70% more likely to be retweeted than true ones. On average, it took the truth six times as long as false stories to reach 1,500 people. 

In today’s media landscape, what is viral on social media tends to rear its ugly head every now and then, and can potentially make its round in mainstream media more than once. Earlier this year, accusations were levelled against NTUC Fairprice for Muslim insensitivities after a picture of the grocer’s arabiki pork sausages circulated across social media.

Although the word arabiki is Japanese for ‘coarsely ground’, netizens took to infer it as an attack on the Arab community. Notably, this complaint first surfaced in 2020 but came back once more in 2023. As fresh complaints surfaced, the communications team behind NTUC FairPrice proactively clarified the origin and meaning of the word, debunking the idea that it was racially insensitive. 

Another local brand, Toast Box Singapore, grappled with a boycott campaign after a viral photo circulated on Whatsapp, accusing the chain of significantly increasing its food prices to take advantage of the GST hike. According to Toast Box, the side-by-side picture of their food prices was not a recent comparison of before and after GST, as the photo alleges, but a comparison with prices from years before.

These recent examples go to show that brands are one Whatsapp away from a crisis. This points to a real need for marketing, PR and communication professionals to pay attention to how their brand is being talked about outside the realm of mainstream media and proactively monitor social media conversations – especially since sometimes these seemingly innocent misunderstanding are actually weaponised campaigns.

Disinformation-for-hire is a booming industry

Recent trends also revealed that disinformation is not conducted by a sole actor. In fact, disinformation-for-hire is a booming shadow industry where firms are paid to sow discord by spreading false information and manipulating content online. Much like how businesses can hire PR agencies and marketing firms to build up reputation, so too can threat actors hire disinformation agencies to spread fake news, half-truths and everything in-between.

Their tactics include creating batches of fake social media accounts to spread falsified information, or even setting up fake news and fact-checking websites that promote these ‘key messages’. Since 2018, more than 65 private companies in 48 different countries have emerged offering these services. One firm even promised to “use every tool and take every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client’s wishes.”

Such disinformation typically originates in the seedy underbelly of the dark web. Often it’ll move from towards social media platforms, jumping from one to another before it spreads via mainstream news. In this case, there is a greater need for media monitoring and social listening. Communications teams should tap on dark web crawlers or engage fake news monitoring services which provide real-time alerts if targeted disinformation is gaining traction and momentum. 

The era of AI-enabled disinformation is upon us

Looking towards the near future, the threat of disinformation is rising as AI goes mainstream. Just like any technological tool, the human user determines whether AI tools are put to beneficial or malicious use. While social media content creators cheered ChatGPT since it can aid in automating content ideation, so too did threat actors. With generative AI, these bad actors can tap onto these open-source AI platforms to produce an infinite amount of low-effort and low-cost content designed to misinform or deceive readers. For instance, the GPT-2 software can generate convincing versions of fake news articles from just a summary sentence.

Deepfakes are another example of how AI can be used to create realistic but fake videos or images. While Kendrick Lamar famously used deepfakes to superimpose celebrity faces onto his body for his music video, the use of deepfakes have vast potential for harm to discredit known figures and influence public opinion. As social media is loosely regulated when it comes to this form of content, communication professionals need to be aware of this trend and have strategies in place to identify and address any deepfakes that may circulate. 

However, the antidote for weaponised AI is AI. Cybersecurity and threat intelligence experts have been building AI-powered solutions to combat the threat of disinformation. For instance, Blackbird.AI’s solutions use artificial intelligence and deep contextual insights to help brands identify emerging risks within narratives through toxic language, hate speech and bot behaviours. Communication teams should consider investing in risk intelligence to shore up their defences.

With these recent developments, it is unsurprising that the 2022 Asia-Pacific Communications Index found that crisis and issues management edged past corporate reputation as the top PR agency service being called on by clients this year. 

It is crucial for companies to be prepared for a communications crisis rooted in misinformation and disinformation, including who may target the company and their motivations, and have a strategy in their crisis toolkit for addressing misinformation. Brands need messaging, responses and safeguards in place so that when an attack happens, it can be swiftly nipped in the bud before negative stories get out of hand.

This information warfare demands a rise of a new generation of PR practitioners, armed with technological tools themselves, who are not only tasked with raising brand awareness and strengthening reputation – but also monitoring and fighting misinformation.

Keen to continue the conversation? Talk to us at hello@mutant.com.id

Using Our Mutant Superpowers For Good

Here at Mutant, we all have superpowers — be it PR, content, branding or design. And if you’re familiar with superhero movies, you’ll know that superheroes are the strongest when they join forces to use their powers for good. 

With Mutant for Good (MFG), our first ever CSR initiative, we’re doing exactly that. MFG’s first campaign is titled ‘Peering into our Future’, and all the Mutants involved are all driven by one common purpose – to make ocean conservation personal enough for people to care. 

By bringing together some of Singapore’s most talented writers to craft dystopian futures, we hope to inspire and remind people to protect our oceans. Through the added elements of experiential storytelling and events, we hope to replicate what is happening to our oceans here on land and inspire a personal connection to these happenings. And finally, by harnessing the power of PR and storytelling, we aim to amplify this important message to as many people as we can and get them involved.

While we drive many integrated campaigns on a day-to-day basis, Mutant for Good provides a rare opportunity for all Mutants to showcase their cross-functional team capabilities and work closely together for an aligned cause.

How do we do it? Allow me to shine a spotlight on the amazing teams that are championing this epic campaign.

Building an eye-catching brand from scratch

For our first CSR initiative, we built  a whole new brand from scratch. This meant creating an entirely new identity for ‘Peering Into Our Future’ that resonates with a wider audience. Under the magic touch of our senior designer, Jeremy Yap, our branding team has created a series of digital and print visual assets, including brand logos, posters and a stunning webpage. 

Importantly, the branding team conceptualised and directed a campaign trailer that reflects the eerie, mysterious, and yet slightly hopeful tone of the brand.

“I want to see how people would respond to the various touch points of our project,” Jeremy says. “Will they be so deeply moved that they start to make sustainable lifelong changes for the sake of our future? I’m looking forward to that.”

Creating first-class content

We believe in the power of words, and wanted our campaign to leverage heavily on storytelling.

Mutant has always prided itself on a strong content team that comprises former editors and publishers. Formerly from a publishing background in New York, Bethany Bloch, Mutant’s senior editor, collaborated with five local writers on short stories about ocean conservation. She’s done a phenomenal job, working with each writer to develop their initial ideas into data-backed stories that are bound to send chills down your spine.

“Being able to work with authors directly again and edit fiction has been really fun for me!” Bethany shares. “The fact that this whole project is based on creating more awareness for ocean conservation brings an extra layer of excitement — it’s always nice to know that what you’re doing truly means something and will have a positive impact.”

Besides the short stories, Bethany’s leading the project’s content efforts, including developing a website, blogs and thought leadership articles.

Putting ourselves out there with solid PR

With more than a decade in PR, we obviously pulled out all the stops! Senior consultant Shannen Tan and team have been quietly working in the background to bring this project to life in the best, most meaningful way possible.

Beyond traditional media pitches, Shannen is working on amplifying the impact of the project through key partnerships with local organisations that we’re thrilled to work with. “I hope that the stories compel readers to not just reflect on the world beneath the waters, but also embolden them towards demanding change in their own communities,” she explains.

Influencing on social 

It’s not a 2022 project if we’re missing a social media presence. Senior Manager Abraham Christopher, who has a depth of experience in consumer communications and social media, leads the social media team’s content and influencer management, making sure that we tap on the right advocates to amplify our message.

As part of the social strategy, Mutant will be carefully curating posts on Peering Into Our Future’s social media pages and collaborating with key opinion leaders to create awareness and drive action.

Delivering exciting events 

On the events side, we have two major events lined up: an exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, as well as a Singapore Pavilion representative at the upcoming UN Climate Change conference in Egypt. These events are opportunities for us to share meaningful messages and highlight ocean conservation needs with our network. 

A huge shoutout to our Manager Jaclyn Phan, who juggled multiple moving pieces to make this happen! On her role in Peering Into Our Future, Jaclyn says: “Being able to work with Coastal Natives on an exhibition for the ArtScience Museum is really cool. I hope more people will be aware of the terrible things happening to our ocean, and will hop on board to protect it.”

As you can tell, we’ve had our hands full in the last couple of months, and I’m beyond excited to see it all come to life this September.

To learn about Mutant for Good and stay updated with our efforts, please watch this space for more, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.