Pantene Malaysia’s Branded Content Subverts Stereotypes

The Pantene film by Grey Malaysia and producer Think Tank showcases three strong Malaysia female celebs—singer Yuna, fitness trainer Linora Low and diver Adeline Chin—endure a barrage of insults, valiantly overcoming societal and social pressure to achieve their dreams.

For example, Low is seen adding a hashtag to the term after some small-minded bullies scratch it into her locker door. The campaign, which launched over the weekend in cinemas, also marks the first time Pantene Malaysia has shown a woman wearing a hijab (Yuna).

According to the ASN Index, Pantene is the second largest sponsor for its category (~US$24.8m, 20.7% share) in Asia’s non-sport sponsorship landscape since Q315, however, only 4.7% of its spend has been in Southeast Asia markets (Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines).

The American haircare brand tends to spend on its tried and tested platforms, namely celebrity endorsements and Branded Content: TV across all Asian markets…however, spends have taken a nosedive from a high of slightly over US$12m in the first half of 2017 to a quarterly average of a mere US$514k since Q317 and with parent company P&G tightening its belt on global marketing expenses, deals are going to be harder to come by.