#BestOfTweets 2021 Southeast Asia: The best brands on Twitter have been crowned!

It’s one thing to be trending — another to leave a lasting impression.

Amidst all the ups and downs of 2021, we present to you the champions that fought off many challenges and Tweeted all the way to the crown. From groundbreaking launches to the most creative use of Twitter, these winning brands made us laugh, cry, reply and Retweet.

These are the standout brands and campaigns that got crowned #BestOfTweets Southeast Asia this year.

Best Campaign for Driving Positive Change in Society

OUR PICK: @GrabID with #BersatuUntukIndonesia (United for Indonesia)

Grab Indonesia wanted to give back, and the brand initiated the #BersatuUntukIndonesia (United for Indonesia) campaign to raise IDR 1 billion for frontline workers and those affected by the pandemic. Partnering with Danone, Aqua and Bukalapak, amongst others, @GrabID  went big on Twitter with a 2-day Takeover in the days leading up to Indonesia’s Independence Day. And in the spirit of "Unity in diversity", the brands pledged the Twitter community to donate and give back to those in need.

The campaign raised an astounding IDR 20 billion (close to USD 2 million).

A wonderful, collective approach, and a HUGE impact.

Agency: M&C Saatchi

Best Brand Voice

OUR PICK: @SpotifyKDaebak with SEVENTEEN’s Attacca the Enhanced Album on Spotify

To connect with the passionate K-pop fandom community, Spotify created a Twitter account dedicated to everything K-pop: @SpotifyKDaebak 

For the Filipino launch of K-pop group SEVENTEEN’s ninth mini-album, SEVENTEEN’s Attacca the Enhanced Album on Spotify, @SpotifyKDaebak  worked closely with SEVENTEEN to create a next-level listening experience for fans.

Throughout, Spotify maintained a consistent brand voice. Be it in promoted campaigns like this launch or in everyday conversation, @SpotifyKDaebak could always be counted on to speak authentically, like a K-pop stan who eats, sleeps and breathes K-Pop. All-Kill!

Agency: UM Singapore

Best Use of Video

OUR PICK: @LiveSmart with #SmartBTS

Filipinos were feeling weighed down by uncertainties and pandemic anxiety, so Philippines’ telco giant Smart Communications decided to spread positivity by encouraging people to pursue their passions and purpose. To do this, @LiveSmart sought the help of K-pop megastars BTS.

The center of the campaign was a video series that features a catchy, upbeat remix of lyrics from BTS hit tracks, mashed with Smart's core values and messages of passion and purpose. Fans were also granted exclusive behind-the-scenes content, delivered through a clever combination of Twitter ad solutions. In the end, the campaign generated massive conversations on Twitter, with a 98% positive sentiment. Encore!

Agencies: Wavemaker Philippines and Dentsu Jayme Syfu

Best Virtual Event

OUR PICK: @pepsiphl with #PepsiHitSaSarap (Pepsi Meals)

Pepsi Philippines wanted to create a live event that would also serve a great cause, so they rolled out #PepsiHitSaSarap (Pepsi Meals) on Twitter.

@pepsiphl staged a virtual event to remember, where Filipinos could participate in fun games and win prizes and do it alongside top celebrities and influencers including Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padillar and SB19.

While enjoying the show, the audiences also contributed 10,000 meals to families affected by the pandemic, simply by Tweeting, commenting or sharing the live event using the campaign hashtag.

The live stream was a huge success, with over 860k views.

Incredible results for a great cause!

Agencies: Mindshare Philippines and BBDO Guerrero

Best Campaign from a Newcomer

OUR PICK: @HeinzAsean with #อร่อยได้เมื่อมีไฮนซ์ (#MakeAnythingBetterwithHeinz)

@HeinzAsean went all in with their first Twitter campaign in Thailand to promote their iconic Heinz Ketchup in Thailand.

Heinz partnered with Twitter’s Arthouse creators to produce four appealing videos around the custom emoji of the iconic ketchup bottle. The campaign also creatively used emojis in polls that featured the four recipe videos - all with Heinz Ketchup in the ingredients list. @HeinzAsean also took some bold choices to experiment with different Twitter ad formats, from Trend Takeover+ to Branded Hashtags and Amplified Pre-rolls.

The creativity certainly paid off: conversations shot sky-high by an astounding 645% and positive sentiment rose by 71%.

The Twitter crowd favors the bold! And so does the crown.

Agency: Carat

Best “Launch” on Twitter

OUR PICK: @EskinolPH with #SanaAllWithEskinol

Philippines skincare brand Eskinol masterfully leveraged Twitter's launch formula, Tease-Reveal-Reinforce, but two things really set this launch apart from the rest: authenticity and creativity.

In this highly creative campaign featuring actress, singer-songwriter, host and vlogger Maris Racal, @EskinolPH leaned into the beauty conversation on Twitter to authentically connect with its audiences.

And to generate more participation and interest, @EskinolPH got really creative with Twitter formats. Eskinol combined the country’s love for soap operas with the unique feature of Twitter threads, to come up with the innovative Twitter Serye (series) format, which generated massive engagement for the brand.

A masterclass in creative, multifold story-telling!

Agency: Mindshare Philippines and Ogilvy Philippines

Best Connection to Culture

OUR PICK: @gopayindonesia with #GoPaydiNetflix (GoPay on Netflix)

In this clever campaign, GoPay Indonesia tapped into Indonesians’ needs for lockdown entertainment - and the popularity of hit Netflix show “Money Heist”.

@gopayindonesia embraced the opportunity that few Indonesians use credit cards, and launched a partnership with Netflix which enabled Netflix subscriptions even without a credit card.

The two big brands came together in an intriguing campaign in which GoPay’s Twitter account was hijacked by Netflix Indonesia’s account - Money Heist-style. The resulting conversations between the two brands got people talking on Twitter, and the campaign went viral on Twitter, and was even picked up by the media.

GoPay then led the launch with a big bang by combining Takeover products with a suite of Twitter’s innovative solutions.

How’s that for stealing the show?

Best #OnlyOnTwitter

OUR PICK: @sehatAQUA with #RamadanBersamaAQUA 2021 (Ramadan with Aqua)

AQUA Indonesia is known for starting many positive conversations and movements on Twitter. This past Ramadan, @sehatAQUA  invited Twitter audiences to share their most memorable Ramadan moments, and for every Tweet, AQUA made a donation to support those in need. @sehatAQUA then partnered with Twitter to bring those heartwarming Tweets to giant digital billboards across Jakarta’s busiest intersections.

The full-funnel campaign was brought to life through a suite of Twitter ad solutions. Through Allowlisting, AQUA tapped into influencers such as superstar Raisa to help spread the messages and encourage Indonesians to #TweetYourMagic and bring hope and positivity to the timeline.

A truly meaningful and magical campaign.

Agencies: Wavemaker Indonesia and Isobar Indonesia

Check out #BestOfTweets 2021 winners in other markets:

Indonesia Awards Winners
Malaysia Awards Winners
Philippines Awards Winners
Thailand Awards Winners

Trang Hoang is the head of business marketing for Southeast Asia at Twitter.