Forty-three per cent of the Malaysian population is under 19, which makes attracting teenage consumers vital for all sorts of brands.

SunSilk’s challenge was that its TV commercials weren’t doing so. The solution was to return to an earlier success Impian Illyana and take it further in 2006.

Impian Illyana features the dreams and trials of 17-year-old Illyana. The first time it was used in 2005 it was merely an integrated campaign, the aim in 2006 was to make it a brand activation property that utilised all the possibilities of modern communication.

The show was broadcast twice a day in 10-minute episodes across two of the largest TV channels in the country. There were also press activity, a blog, an interactive WAP diary, SMS diaries and MMS downloads available.

For the first time in 2006 members of the cast were also chosen via nationwide auditions held in partnership with a local hypermarket. Activity was also extensive in store and other firsts for Illyana included the MMS downloads and the WAP diary.

Although traditionally such advertiser-funded content will contain less than subtle messages, the skill of Impian Illyana was that the medium for promotion would be the cast and the characters.

They appeared in product commercials, which also acted as programme promos running on the TV stations away from the show itself.

The activity extended SunSilk’s position in the retail sales chart, gaining an extra 2.5 points of market share.

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