50 YEARS OF ASEAN-JAPAN RELATIONS
- This case study demonstrates our ability to design and deliver integrated campaigns that reflect international policy priorities, communicate across platforms and cultures, and produce measurable outcomes for institutional clients.
The Brief
CROSS-PLATFORM STRATEGY TO CELEBRATE AND ENGAGE
To commemorate 50 year of ASEAN-Japan collaboration, we were commissioned to develop a multi-platform digital engagement strategy to:
- Promote sustainability and cross-cultural understanding
- Bridge digital and physical experiences
- Increase participation and visibility across ASEAN and Japan
- Support public diplomacy aligned with Japan’s AOIP commitments
THE CHALLENGE:
DIVERSE AUDIENCES AND REGIONAL COMPLEXITY
We were tasked with creating engagement across all 10 ASEAN member states and Japan, overcoming linguistic and cultural diversity, ensuring inclusive participation, and translating diplomatic and policy goals into public-facing communications.
Our digital strategy needed to:
- REACH AND ENGAGE AUDIENCES across all ASEAN countries and Japan, overcoming linguistic and cultural differences.
- LEVERAGE DIGITAL PLATFORMS to build excitement and awareness across social media and the websi
- ENSURE INCLUSIVE DIGITAL PARTICIPATION
- EMPHASIZE the shared goals of Japan-ASEAN
Our Approach:
`MULTI-LAYERED CAMPAIGN EXECUTION
Our team led the strategic development and execution of storytelling campaign across owned and paid channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, the Google Display Network, websites, and interactive content platforms.
CROSS-PLATFORM DIGITAL STORYTELLING: Comprehensive social media campaign across Instagram, Facebook, and Google Display Network and YouTube, delivering content tailored to ASEAN and Japanese audiences.
BILINGUAL CONTENT STRATEGIES: Creating a bilingual (English and Japanese) digital environment for the website, platforms and social media content.
CONNECTING PEOPLE, INSPIRING CHANGE: The campaign focused on sustainability, cultural exchange, and ASEAN-Japan cooperation, aligning with the principles of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) — promoting inclusivity, regional connectivity, and shared sustainable development goals.
ENGAGING: Our campaign incorporated gamification, environmental awareness, and community-building.
FROM DIGITAL CAMPAIGN TO OFFLINE PARTICIPATION: Our digital campaigns and offline events were carefully integrated, ensuring participants could engage seamlessly across both online platforms and in-person activities
PUBLIC RELATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PLATFORM EXPERTISE
Rather than rely on earned media or influencers, we built high-quality, branded content experiences designed for direct audience engagement. This included:
- Narrative architecture rooted in soft-power diplomacy
- Region-wide paid campaigns across Meta, YouTube, and Google
- Digital-physical integration, such as the ASEAN-Japan Fair and Golden Friendship Fun Walk & Run
- Real-time optimization and targeting supported by data analytics
B2B ENGAGEMENT & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS
A key component of the campaign was the ASEAN-Japan Fair, which elevated the contributions of Japanese companies such as JICA, Otsuka, and Glico. We collaborated with the Mission of Japan to ASEAN and JAIF to:
- Identify and engage relevant private sector participants
- Design public-facing programs and thematic activities
- Develop booths, materials, and visual content reflecting AOIP and SDG themes
Our team demonstrated a clear understanding of B2B communication within a diplomatic and development context, generating high levels of stakeholder visibility and participation.
CROSS-PLATFORM REACH AND MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
The campaign’s success in reaching both institutional and general public audiences was supported by:
- Seamless coordination across ASEAN and Japan
- Campaign execution in collaboration with key media platforms
- Robust knowledge of Meta, YouTube, Google, and programmatic channels
- The ability to translate policy objectives into accessible, engaging content
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE & MULTILINGUAL DELIVERY
Our campaign was developed and delivered bilingually (English and Japanese), tailored to cultural nuances, and adapted to regional communication norms. We aligned our implementation with global development norms, including a strong commitment to gender and social inclusion. Content was developed to be not only culturally relevant but also representative—in particular promoting visibility and participation of women. We executed:
- Bilingual digital environments across website and social media
- Digital content for embassies, ministries, and development institutions
- Inclusive campaign activities that resonated across time zones and cultural boundaries
TEAM CAPABILITIES AND COMMUNICATION FLUENCY
Our team operates fluently in Indonesian and English, and has deep experience delivering strategic communications for institutional and government clients. We are skilled in:
- Developing multi-language, culturally grounded campaigns
- Managing complex regional projects with public-private partners
- Supporting public diplomacy and regional integration through digital communications
Online to Offline Participation:
ASEAN-JAPAN FAIR
TOTEM DISPLAYS WITH QR CODES WERE PLACED THROUGHOUT THE EVENT SPACE, ALLOWING OFFLINE PARTICIPANTS TO SEAMLESSLY JOIN THE GOLDEN MISSION ONLINE CAMPAIGN, WHERE EACH GAME HIGHLIGHTED THEMES OF ASEAN-JAPAN COOPERATION AND AOIP’S KEY GOALS.
Online to Offline Participation:
GOLDEN FRIENDSHIP FUN WALK & RUN
Online to Offline Participation:
GOLDEN FRIENDSHIP FUN WALK & RUN
DIGITAL CONTENT—QUIZZES, CULTURAL GAMES, AND LEARNING MATERIALS—CONNECTED THE ASEAN-JAPAN RELATIONSHIP TO MODERN SUSTAINABILITY AND COOPERATION THEMES.
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS PROMOTED THE GAMES, DRIVING WEBSITE VISITS AND BOOSTING AWARENESS OF ASEANJAPAN50.ORG.
