How M1 is now in Singapore’s top 10 for brand recall because of AiChat’s bespoke chatbot solution

This post is sponsored by AiChat.

Technology has been disrupting all aspects of business for the past decade, but in the past two years, amid forced lockdowns because of the pandemic, there’s been a dramatic shift and need for digital adoption in business. A McKinsey survey found that many companies accelerated the digitisation of their customer and supply-chain interactions, and of their internal operations, by three to four years.

Today, consumers are interacting with businesses across different digital touch-points and making decisions based on those interactions. As such, brands are already seeking fresh ways to engage consumers by using new and different channels, different forms of storytelling, and innovative services.

In Asia, social media is emerging as an increasingly important touch-point. As per GWI, social shoppers in Southeast Asia alone constitute about 64.2 million people in the region.

One such brand that’s leveraging social commerce to engage consumers through innovative user-centric campaigns enabled by AI-powered chatbots is telecommunications leader M1.

Before we dig deep into how M1, in partnership with AiChat, tapped into Messenger Marketing to engage thousands of users, let’s first explore some of the key emerging trends.

Personalisation is the key: Content meets commerce

As consumer behaviour evolves, brands need to go the extra mile to engage existing customers and attract new ones. According to a survey by OpenText with 1,000 Singaporean respondents, around 71% of consumers are more likely to buy again from brands which treat them like an individual, rather than the same as any other customers; in short, personalisation is key.

Furthermore, research shows 86% are ready to pay extra money for a good purchasing experience. Conversely, a bad experience will frustrate consumers, making them feel lost and confused. It is clear that one of the key emerging trends that’s here to stay is personalisation.

As a result, even those marketers who were sceptics before are starting to realise the significance of personalisation. Salesforce data suggests that by 2020 (which was pre-pandemic), more than 60% of marketers had improved personalisation across channels, and 78% said their customer engagement was data-driven. These numbers are only expected to surge in the aftermath of the pandemic where online has become the main business channel.

One such brand that’s leveraging hyper-personalisation to stand out and stay ahead of the competition is Singaporean telecommunications company M1. Staying true to the company’s promise of “Made-to-Measure”, and in line with the brand’s recent revamp, M1 developed a create-your-own-video engagement experience in Facebook Messenger leveraging an AI-powered chatbot. The custom chatbot design allowed users to create a dynamic and personalised video for their loved ones, transforming a mobile UGC campaign into a personal ode of unique content.

Leveraging partnerships to harness the power of UGC and chat marketing

Forums and reports have been advocating that partnerships and collaborations will be key in the post-pandemic recovery, and for a resilient future beyond that. In today’s tied-together digital ecosystems, finding the right partner to implement marketing strategies and get the best results is indeed crucial.

As such, M1 strategically partnered with one of Singapore’s leading chatbot companies AiChat to leverage its award-winning suite of AI-powered software for marketing, sales, and customer service.

Now, marketers are not unaware of the power of user-generated content (UGC) campaigns in today’s climate. Studies have found that consumers find UGC 9.8x more impactful than influencer content when making a purchasing decision.

M1 launched the “Be” campaign which was an ode to unique Singaporeans who dared to embrace their individuality by following their passions and beliefs to be the best in their own paths. To drive awareness of its new brand initiative, and lead generation among its target audience, M1 needed to create a custom messaging experience that reflected its bright, friendly, and innovative ethos.

With AiChat’s solutions, M1 was able to adopt chat marketing via Facebook Messenger to run this wildly successful UGC where the customised chatbot solution by AiChat utilised personalised video message technology to enable user engagement. The campaign resulted in 4.1x new user acquisitions, generating more than 132,000 messages and 1,700 unique videos.

Kim Jieun, a spokesperson from M1, said: “Conversational marketing will be an important touch-point in the near future. Being able to communicate and promote our brand through Messenger has proven to be effective in driving awareness and customer engagement.”

A customised chatbot solution for a simple, fun, and super engaging campaign

To ensure the campaign reached the right audience, it was amplified through organic Facebook and Instagram posts, emails and click-to-messenger (CTM) ads. When users clicked on the CTM ads or used keywords on the wall post comments, they were taken directly to the Messenger experience.

In Messenger, the user was guided by the chatbot to create their own video by using the templates available and crafting personalised messages for their loved ones. Here, they also had the option to upload photos of their choice.

While the bot prepared the video, which would be shared with the user in the same chat session, users could explore other relevant brand content. This entire journey was powered by an AiChat chatbot and Shakr Video Technology – an AiChat partner and a leading creative automation solution for video.

Once the video was ready, users could download and share the files privately via messages or publicly on social media by tagging their loved ones. Recipients would be delighted at receiving the video, and in turn, encouraged to create new videos and pay the experience forward.

To make the campaign more engaging and fun for customers, it also had a rewards element where customers stood a chance to win vouchers and a grand prize by simply sharing videos on Facebook and Instagram, and by tagging more friends to raise awareness of the campaign. Wining participants were notified by the chatbot when the grand draw results came out, and vouchers were issued automatically in their private chat which they could redeem right away, adding a layer of convenience for customers.

The wins

The two-month “Be” campaign was a massive hit. It not only helped M1 gain new users and create engagement, but it also won both AiChat and M1 multiple awards at Hashtag Asia Awards 2021 by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, including gold in Best User-Generated Content, bronze in Best Social Amplification Campaign, and bronze in Best Social Engagement Tools or Programmes: Chatbots.

M1 saw a 51% brand uplift, and is now in Singapore’s top 10 of brands when it comes to brand recall. Plus, with all the customer data and insights gathered, M1 is continuing to explore how it can expand its conversational experience and create future data-driven messaging campaigns, as it looks to reinforce its commitment to being a customer-centric company.

Want to learn how a chatbot drives marketing automation and creates more business impact? Get in touch with AiChat today!