AEON Malaysia's MRT fashion show garners social reach and PR value

AEON Malaysia's efforts in hosting a fashion show on board an MRT train have paid off, garnering great PR value from media outlets including TV3, The Star, Sin Chew Daily, and Nanyang Siang Pau, the brand told A+M. The event also amassed 10.9 million in social media reach from the media outlets and 402,500 in social media reach from the blog publishers that were present.

AEON's fashion show featured 36 models strutting down the MRT stations and trains along the Kajang MRT Line late last month and was held as part of the AEON Fashion Preview 2022 to promote its upcoming fashion line. Commuters taking the MRT trains between Surian and Maluri station were able to witness AEON’s latest design and offerings. Jason Foo, GM, marketing strategy and communications at AEON, told A+M that the company has always planned to make fashion accessible to all walks of life. Hence, instead of hosting a fashion show in malls, the team decided to bring the show to where the rakyat are.

"We don't need to go to an extravagant fashion show to witness true fashion. The idea came about when I noticed commuters on the MRT have plenty of attention span so why not help them appreciate fashion while they are commuting?" Foo added. The collaboration with MRT Corp was based on a barter trade at no cost to AEON, he said.

When asked how AEON plans to leverage the chatter around the fashion show in its marketing, Foo explained that it will focus on pivoting from one-way communications to creating conversations around AEON and its brands. "Watch out for more exciting stuff such as NFTs, loyalty campaigns, and mega launches in line with Disney's 100 years, among others," Foo said.

AEON's new line focuses on innercasual and is touted to be size and age inclusive, while staying accessibly priced and budget friendly. The brand will introduce three distinct styles - ActiveWear, PeaceFit, and Sustainable - and these are done in collaboration with British designer and activist, Katherine Hamnett.

"SAVING THE PLANET" is the mssage on many innercasual tees print, embodying Hamnett's will and passion to protect the earth and the environment that nurtures it. AEON's deputy MD, Naoya Okada, said innercasual is all about being comfortable while opting to be versatile and flexible in one's way of life. Hence, the decision to ensure that the brand is brought to Malaysia is definitely a good fit with AEON's lifestyle strategy," she said.

The brand entered the NFT scene in April by partnering with Malaysian food artist Afi Sulaiman for a limited Kuih Raya Kita NFT series featuring nostalgic renditions of iconic kuih. Over 16 unique designs were available for collection at the launch and Ngai Yuen, AEON's chief commercial and marketing officer, told A+M then that NFTs are a great extension of the physicality of execution in the digital sphere. She added that it is creating awareness of the NFT series in-store through the most popular and must-have Kuih Raya for the season.

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