Nippon launches Child Wellness paint range

When Nippon Paint discovered last year that 88% of mothers are unaware that the wall is a medium that is capable of transmitting viruses and bacteria to young ones, they launched the Child Wellness Range, Malaysia’s first paint range formulated to promote indoor safety and wellness for all children.

We spoke to Datin Wong Meng Lee Assistant General Manager (Marketing) of Nippon Paint Malaysia Group to find out more about the initiatives.

With over 15 years in the Marketing industry, she specialises in the strategizing and implementation of campaigns through effective brand-building efforts and communication with key stakeholders. 

What’s the inspiration behind Nippon Paint’s Child Wellness Range campaign?

We realised there was an untapped opportunity within the paint industry. That motivated us to develop a child-friendly range of coatings that allows us to create a safer and healthier indoor environment for young children. Through the programme, children are able to grow in an environment of Safe Touch and Clean Air while they explore their Creativity through play.

So we conceptualised the Child Wellness Programme which aims to empower today’s discerning parents towards creating uplifting environments for children, by providing them with expert advice, as well as implementing various awareness and educational initiatives relating to children’s health and children’s development.

Who were your agency partners on this?

The award-winning Child Wellness Programme was conceptualised by our Public Relations agency, Perspective Strategies, with collaborative effort by our Creative agency, Ensemble and Media & Digital agency, Entropia Global.

How did Nippon Paint identify this ‘blue ocean’ market?

Over the years, we have spearheaded a series of industry-first products such as Nippon Paint Odour-less (2006), Nippon Paint Spot-less (2008), Nippon Paint Weatherbond Solareflect (2009), Nippon Paint Odour-less AirCare (2010) and in recent years – the Nippon Paint Momento Special Effect series, which adds texture and 3D special effects over existing wall colours.

Nippon Paint had also introduced Malaysia’s first anti-viral coating, Nippon Paint VirusGuard, developed with Silver Ion Technology to persistently inhibit the growth of viruses and bacteria on the coated surface, decreasing the spread of contagious illnesses such as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) and H1N1.

We identified parents as the biggest group of our target audience for the Child Wellness Range. This resulted in the partnering with four national associations including Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA), Malaysian Society of Allergy & Immunology (MSAI), Persatuan Pengasuh Berdaftar Malaysia (PPBM) and Persatuan Tadika Malaysia (PTM).

Together with MSAI, Nippon Paint provided key information to raise awareness on indoor allergens in health-related issues via a web series on Nippon Paint’s Facebook platform, as well as other engagements such as Facebook Live clinics, expert speaker series and expert roundtable sessions.

Nippon Paint’s partnership with MPA saw collaborative efforts in public outreach through seeding of expert and educational content, engagements with medical experts as well as roundtable sessions as provision of first line of advice to parents. As part of the Child Wellness Programme, Nippon Paint also played a vital role by setting up the Chid Wellness Advisory Panel for both PPBM and PTM, which provides advisory services on the selection of colours and kids-safe coatings from its Child Wellness Range in an effort to facilitate an uplifting indoor environment for the little ones.

Were there any challenges in executing the campaign?

It was no easy feat to bring together 4 national associations with different interests and focus – but eventually, we all aligned to achieve the greater objective, that is to provide credible and reliable information with regards to the health and wellness of young children.

I believe that the biggest challenge with any campaign lies in connecting with the consumers. The rise of digital evolution has ultimately shifted the consumption habits. As such, we had to ensure that we tailor our communications and marketing approach for the Child Wellness Range so that it stays relevant, as well as meets the needs of consumers and respective stakeholders. 

How did Nippon Paint create awareness and hype for the campaign?

 By strategically partnering with MPA, MSAI, PTM and PPBM, we were able to directly engage with the discerning parents, caregivers, and owners of child-focused institutions – all of whom place top priority in the health and wellbeing of young children.

To create that extra hype and excitement surrounding the campaign, we worked with a broadcast media to develop a series of kid-friendly videos to incorporate colours to a fun activity. The series of videos, titled Calit, Si Cilik Calit!, followed the journey of three Nippon Rangers as they visited different families every week to help them with room makeovers, with the help of local designer Ben Firdaus.

 Nippon Paint also collaborated with Positive Parenting, a monthly newsletter by MPS, to curate a series of articles focused on the key messages of the Child Wellness Programme and educate parents on the importance of providing children with a conducive environment to grow in. Through this partnership, we were able to reach a much wider audience in both English and Malay and over 25,000 copies are distributed to hospitals, clinics, education institutions and retail outlets.

 In addition to that, Nippon Paint also partnered with Parenthood Media Network to organise a “Beginners Guide to Parenthood 2.0 Workshop” for new parents and parents-to-be to educate them on their children’s physical and mental well-being. Participants found the workshop insightful and the event was subsequently covered on digital and traditional platforms.

You utilised TV3’s Buletin Utama as part of the campaign, please tell us more…

 To most consumers, paint is a low involvement product that is not on their top-of-mind. As such, we knew that we had to do something different and innovative to set ourselves apart from the rest. To give the campaign a creative twist, we partnered with Malaysia’s largest news program to educate the public on how clean air, safe touch and creativity are also important aspect of a child’s development.

The execution was innovatively conceptualised, where young children were casted as the newsreader, and they were seen reporting on news regarding the dangers of unhealthy indoor air. That segment was at the highest viewership point, and allows us to have a far-reaching audience.

How did the doctors and other medical industry professionals collaborate with Nippon Paint in producing the live Facebook Q&A sessions?

A live Facebook Q&A session was conducted with Dr Amir Hamzah Dato’ Abd Latiff, President of MSAI, where he covered the top health issues found in children, the prevalence of allergy cases, the triggers as well as the types of allergy medications available, among other topics.

A series of YouTube edumercials by Dr Shazril Shaharuddin was also released in an effort to educate parents on the importance of clean air, safe touch and creativity for their children. There was also a different series of YouTube videos about indoor and outdoor health hazards, showcasing conversations between concerned parents with Amir. Another initiative included digital posters, videos, and social media postings to create awareness among consumers.

In MARKETING’s earlier report, the Child Wellness Range campaign achieved 4.7 million views on Facebook, over 2.7 million views on YouTube and 2 million programmatic views, which was quite an extraordinary feat.

Through our engagement on our social platforms, we saw that there had been an increase in social engagement, leading to a total of 3,000 new followers across our Facebook and Instagram pages. The campaign also achieved 137% of sales forecasted.

Besides winning Gold in APPIES Malaysia 2018, what other marketing, PR and advertising accolades has Nippon Paint won for this campaign?

Campaign of the Year for The Nippon Paint Child Wellness Programme

Gold Award for The Nippon Paint Child Wellness Programme (Product Brand Development Award)

Silver Award for The Nippon Paint Child Wellness Programme (Consumer Launch Award)

Best Paint for Families by the Parents’ Choice Awards 2019

Could you tell us about your campaign with Dato’ Joey Yap and the feng shui videos for CNY 2019?

The series of 60-second video episodes leveraged on Dato’ Joey’s mastery in Chinese metaphysics to inspire homeowners to fill their homes with positive energy. We believe the home is a place of sanctuary and provides us with an escape from the chaotic pace of everyday life. It is where we spend time with our loved ones and we feel that it is important for homeowners to learn how to direct positive Qi into their space and keep the positive vibes flowing at home. In the first episode we also released the Prosperity and Success Guide for 2019.

Please go to https://www.nipponpaint.com.my/fengshui2019 to view the series of 60-second video episodes.