Powerful marketing magic driven by a social cause

How the right strategic platforms make good content great!

This is a classic case of when creative content marketing partners up with media, unleashing the power of story telling beyond the conventional.

Pantene Malaysia’s iconic #WanitaBesi campaign is all about empowering women. While Wanita Besi (iron lady) is a local slur to defeminise Malaysian women, Pantene decided to turn the insult on its head and redefine it as a clarion call for women’s excellence in sports.

Astro partnered with agency and client using this cultural issue to paint a bleak future for Malaysia’s sports with a risk of losing  potential Olympic gold medalists, if women kept dropping out of sports.

Launched on International Women’s Day, the movement encouraged women in Malaysia to take up and stay in sports. Any girl wearing the ‘golden ribbon’ was given free access to any Fitness First outlets for one month during the campaign.

The campaign engaged the nation in a controversial, but positive conversation about sexual inequality in sports. From celebrities, public figures, school girls and the government, it drove a national conversation on TV, print media, retail, mobile and on digital platforms.

…. The campaign engaged the nation in a controversial, but positive conversation about sexual inequality in sports…

By the end of the campaign, they turned the insult into a symbol of strength and empowerment to encourage girls to stay in sports. We let the figures do the talking now…

o  Wanita Besi was trending #1 on Twitter

o  16 million social reach

o 268 million digital impressions

o Over 7 million views on YouTube

The campaign became so viral, even Malaysia’s then Minister of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, officially endorsed the campaign on Astro Awani.

Contact the AMS team today and see how your brand can also spark a national conversation.

✭ GOLD EFFIE for Best Influencer

✭ GOLD PR Award for Best Use of Advocates

✭ SILVER PR Award for Best PR-led Integrated Communications

✭ SILVER EFFIE for Best Media Idea

✭  Bronze EFFIE for Best Engaged Community

The 14th Malaysian Media Conference (MMC) is happening on 25 September at the Sime Darby Convention Center and is proud to announce its list of speakers compromising the most influential leaders in Malaysia’s media landscape. Have you registered to join MMC 2020?