The series, consisting of 10 webisodes, launched weekly from July 19, follows local actress Julie Woon and Harvinder Singh as they travel throughout Malaysia, exploring hidden travel gems by car.
The company engaged Kuala Lumpur’s Driven Communications to produce and distribute the 10-15 minute videos and Pixel Media was brought in to secure sales and work on marketing for the series. Zenith Media Malaysia’s digital arm, Zed Digital, was responsible for developing the series’ Facebook application and monitoring the Facebook campaign behind it.
Ir Izzudin Husaini Mohd Yusof, senior general manager of Petronas’ retail business division, says the company sees the series as an innovative way to capitalise on the popularity of digital content. “This new approach of reaching out to our ‘digital audience’ is part of our efforts to further push the frontiers in customer engagement and interaction,” he said.
In the episodes currently online, the launch of Petronas’ new fuel offering, with claims of better efficiency and engine performance, is woven into a narrative of road safety and travel. Subtitled fuel performance statistics are highlighted but take a back seat to themes such as tyre maintenance and tips on driving safely.
As well as Petronas, other industry heavyweights are also engaged with the campaign. They include Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai and Goodyear Tyres, all of which have their products featured in the videos.
Shelly Ng, general manager of Pixel Media Malaysia, says the campaign developed in response to a desire from the involved brands to cut through the clutter of online advertising. “This is best achieved through branded and highly engaging content. With this, advertisers and sponsors will get the most mileage out of their campaigns,” she said.