P&G Malaysia goes on LINE to grow online following

P&G Malaysia (P&G) has launched its official LINE account, "Confidence Squad", to boost its online presence and promote one-on-one engagement with consumers. It also aims to have 300,000 "Confidence Squad" followers by the end of 2017. A+M has reached out to P&G Malaysia for additional comment.When asked why it partnered with LINE, P&G's spokesperson said in a statement to A+M that the company wanted to leverage on LINE's access to a large online consumer base and build one-on-one relationships with them. "It serves as a great platform to reward our consumers and the Confidence Square will share tips in helping them to look and feel good 24/7," the spokesperson said. P&G declined to disclose the amount it will spend to promote the new LINE account.The "Confidence Squad" comprises four brand personalities which were created by P&G to represent its various well-known brands - Phoebe for Pantene, Gaven for Gillette, Daisy for Downy and Hansen for Head & Shoulders. Through the LINE account, the characters will share beauty, grooming and lifestyle tips as well as rewards and promotions that can be redeemed at Watsons Malaysia.P&G has engaged a few local talents as friends of the P&G Confidence Squad to introduce the new LINE account to their followers across all social media platforms. They are Dior Yaw for Team Phoebe; May Ho and Elecher for Team Daisy; Fiqrie Dahari and Andre Amir for Team Gaven; and Lucas Lau and Kit Mah for Team Hanson.Utkarsh Mohan, brand operations head & shavecare category leader, P&G Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei said "Confidence Squad" allows the company to target new and current consumers by offering them relevant information and adding value to their lives."Through this account we will also be able to engage and grow our very own online community so P&G can remain relevant in their lives," he added.P&G is also running a "Lucky Chance" contest from 26 June 2017 to 30 June 2017 to celebrate the launch. One follower of the new LINE account will be chosen at random daily to win an iPhone 7 and vouchers to purchase P&G products. Users will also be able to download special edition stickers of the four brand personalities."This is a key example of how businesses can utilize digital platforms like LINE for strategic innovation. This ties in with LINE’s Smart Portal vision, which is at the core of our business model. Our localized strategies, combined with the rich feature set of the LINE platform, ensure that we are a Smart Portal that fits into the daily lives of our users," Dale Kim, head of business development team 1 at LINE Plus Corporation, said.