Panos Enters the Squid Game

Agency

Good People Network Sdn Bhd

Client

Netflix

Product/Service

Squid Game 3

Brief

Squid Game 2 was a huge hit in Malaysia, with fans loving all the new games and characters that the season introduced. One character stood out above the rest, though: Thanos, played by Choi Seung-hyun a.k.a. T.O.P. Fans cosplayed as him, quoted him, made parody videos of him, and all-in-all fell in love with the bad boy villain of the season.

To bridge the short gap between the seasons, our mission was to keep the hype alive for Season 3. The question? How do we celebrate Malaysia’s love for the ultimate bad boy in a way that’s fresh, fun, and tailored for our audience?

Solution

To get fans excited about Season 3, we decided to make Thanos the poster boy and celebrate the country’s love for the ultimate bad boy. Slight problem. Cho Seung-hyun wasn’t available. Enter: Amir Ahnaf, known for his bad boy heartthrob role in Projek High Council.

Cheeky conversation-starting bad boy? We found our match. Amir brought his Malaysian charm (and Terengganu slang) in a narrative hero video, showcasing Panos making his way through the games of Seasons 1 and 2. The hero video itself racked up a staggering 24.4M impressions and 599.3k engagements. Fans loved seeing the casting choice which just worked.

We also worked with Amir to create a whole suite of social-native collab content, including BTS content, trying out the games himself, and inviting fans to the activation at LaLaport (where he even made an informal appearance).

Adding them all up, our Panos beats netted 33.9M impressions, 962.5k engagements, and 37 press clippings.