U Mobile's campaign garners over 100,000 subscriptions

Malaysia - U Mobile's "Call the Shots!" campaign, launched in July, has seen more than 100,000 subscriptions to date.

The campaign by Cheil Singapore reflects U Mobile's belief that consumers should do things on their own terms, thus recognising the consumer as an individual instead of a part of a faceless mass.

"Call the Shots!" is comprised of TVCs, digital media, radio, print, outdoor ads and below-the-line activities. The tagline reflects the spirit of adventure, self-expression, spontaneity and infectious excitement.

The campaign's "Breakout" 40-second TVC introduced the brand tagline and the notion of "pay for only what you need" as the camera captures sights across a city where various items are packed by the dozen.

"In the city where the norm is block purchases without options, our hero in the commercial breaks out and takes only what he needs," says Ngoh Ai Min, who is senior manager for branding and corporate communications at U Mobile.

Three 30-second TVCs - "Grapes", "Teh Tarik" and "Henna", all infused with local witticism - also contain three anecdotes of U Mobile users who are used to paying for only what they need.

"Drawing inspiration from personal frustrations, the scenarios question the convention imposed on consumers: ‘Why pay for the bunch of grapes when you really just need some'; ‘why get the standard henna hand painting when you want something more individual'; ‘why pay for the teh tarik you can't finish?'

"The TV spots have injected a new form of thinking in as much as it has injected humour into the everyday lives of Malaysians," Ngoh said.