PROTECT YOUR SKIN, PROTECT THE CORALS
A Raya campaign for KOSÉ Malaysia designed to overcome a cultural perception barrier, build trust in its Japanese heritage, and introduce consumers to reef-safe UV protection.
150%
Engagement & Leads
from campaign ROI targets
57%
Improve in CPM
(Cost-per-1000-impression)
40%
Improve in CPC
(Cost-per-click)
2
Languages, Eng & Malay
across all digital touchpoints
ROLE
Art direction and experience design lead, reporting to the Creative Lead
CLIENT
KOSÉ Malaysia · Sekkisei
CHANNELS
Microsite, AR filter, paid, social
THE CHALLENGE
The moment the consumers laid eyes onthe product, they had already formed an impression of the brand.
Sekkisei's packaging leads with Japanese kanji. Client research found some Malaysian shoppers read it as Chinese, which brought doubts about origin, quality and, for some Muslim consumers, halal suitability. The brief: build trust during Raya and introduce reef-safe UV protection.
Build Brand Trust
Reduce the barrier created by a misread origin.
Make Reef-safe Simple
Turn a technical claim into something to engage with.
Own the Raya moment
Reach a multilingual, multicultural audience at peak season.
WHAT WE FOUND
The research pointed to a problem that happened before the product story even began.
01
Recognition came first.
The packaging could shape perceptions of the brand before consumers have any information about the product.
03
Malaysia needed a broader cultural entry point.
The audience wasn't one cultural group, so relevance couldn't depend on a single language or cultural reference.
02
The perception carried existing associations
The Chinese interpretation brought assumptions that KOSÉ had no control over, including concerns around origin, quality and, for some Muslim consumers, halal suitability.
04
Timing heightened the opportunity
The campaign ran through Ramadan and Raya, a significant seasonal shopping period for Muslim consumers. Cultural relevance mattered alongside the product proposition.
KEY INSIGHTS
Consumers already distrusted KOSÉ based on assumptions, making their first interaction crucial. We needed to introduce the brand in a relatable way, rather than emphasize its Japanese heritage.
STRATEGY
01
Consistent and recognisable motif across all platforms
Coral rendered in a batik-inspired motif, framed under a mosque-style arch with a moon overhead. This single visual carries both cultural relevance and UV/reef-safe product education. One visual language, not two competing ones.
03
Bilingual language to reach different audiences
The campaign was also developed in Bahasa Malaysia and English across social and web touchpoints to make the experience more accessible to Malaysia's multilingual audience.
02
Used Raya season as a way to connect with the target audience
The creative brought together coral, batik-inspired patterns, an arch and the moon to create a visual world that felt familiar to Malaysian audiences while naturally connecting back to reef conservation.
04
Brand familiarity as priority, Japanese heritage comes second
Japanese heritage came through later in the product and brand story, rather than asking consumers to understand it from the outset.
MARKETING FUNNEL
Four Channels Leading To The Same Path
Each channel had one job, and all of them led the audience to the next funnel. Every route ended on the microsite, where discount codes were spent and draw entries made.
01. REACH
KOL + paid social
Bilingual Raya content from KOLs puts the coral world in feeds and points to the AR filter.
57% CPM improvement
2 · ENGAGE
AR filter game
Players catch reef-safe ingredients and dodge harmful ones. Finish the game, unlock a discount code.
.
3 · CONVERT
Microsite hub
Coral story first, then products. The code is redeemed here, so play becomes a visit with intent.
40% CPC improvement
4 · REWARD
Buy & win lucky draw
Every purchase is a draw entry. Wins and AR scores get shared, which fuels the next round of players.
150% ROI vs target
CREATIVE APPROACH & ART DIRECTION
One cohesive visual language across the campaign
The coral, batik-inspired pattern, arch and moon became the recurring visual device across the key visual, microsite, AR experience and social content.
ARCH + MOON
Placed the campaign within the Ramadan and Raya context.
BATIK + JAPANESE PATTERNS
Added a Malaysian and Japanese visual reference to the coral world.
CORAL
Connected the campaign to reef conservation and the reef-safe UV proposition.
Together, they gave the campaign a single recognisable visual language, rather than separate cultural and product messages competing for attention.
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCE
KOL & SOCIAL CONTENT
AR FILTER GAME & GIVEAWAY ACTIVATION
Instagram activity peaks during Raya, so the AR filter was designed for that moment. It turned reef-safe education into a simple, shareable game when audiences were already highly active on the platform.
Play
Catch reef-safe ingredients, dodge harmful chemicals. The product lesson is the game rule.
Cultural Experience Unlocked
Added a Malaysian and Japanese visual reference to the coral world.
Share
Scores and filter selfies posted to Stories, at the peak of Raya Instagram use and 2023's AR hype.
Enter
Spend the code on the site; each purchase enters the lucky draw.
CAMPAIGN MICROSITE
The microsite brought visitors into the coral world first, with reef-inspired motion, batik textures and mosque-inspired arches, before introducing product benefits. Familiarity came before education. Based on engagement data, the contest and AR filter were moved higher up the page during the campaign.
Visual Direction
Coral motifs, batik textures and arch design, with Japanese motifs in the background.
Mobile-First & Bilingual
Every section was designed for mobile, with Bahasa Malaysia and English presented side by side.
Interactive Storytelling
The contest and AR filter were built into the user journey, not treated as separate add-ons.
MY ROLE
I led:
-
The cultural sequencing of the creative approach
-
Coral, batik, arch and moon system
-
Art direction across all Campaign assets
-
Microsite experience design
-
AR game mechanic: play → code → site
-
KOL and paid creative
-
Creative optimisation based on campaign performance
Reporting to a Creative Lead, I translated the campaign strategy into visual direction and the digital experience.
CAMPAIGN RESULTS
Achieved performance marketing efficiency, maximized ROI, and optimized audience engagement.
40%
Improve in CPC
(Cost-per-click)
57%
Improve in CPM
(Cost-per-1000-impression)
150%
Engagement & Leads
from campaign ROI targets
Learnings
In trust-sensitive markets, relevance beats technical detail. I now sequence culture before claims. The AR game worked because it rode 2023’s filter hype and had a reward at the end. The format will date; the mechanic won’t. Give people a game, a reason to leave the platform, and a reward that needs a purchase.
CREDITS
Creative Lead Izzy Yong | Creative Direction & Quality Management Carmen Tan | Experience Design Lead Carmen Tan | AR Concept & Visual Design Carmen Tan (Design), Krystyn Chew (AR Development), Nik Nayly (Content), | Social Content Design Carmen Tan (Lead), Izzy Yong (Creative & Design Support), Farhana (Design), Irfan (Video)
