The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023–2024
Lazada sold the joy of 'useless' purchases with a love story
Lazada's Thai film made a couple argue over pointless buys and forgive each other, winning One Show's Best of Brand-Side/In-House.
Lazada
the move
Southeast Asian e-commerce leader Lazada wanted to stand apart from the tactical, promotional messages that fill social feeds. Its brand purpose, 'Add to Cart. Add to Life', framed shopping as enrichment, and the in-house team opened a brief to film students: tell us what you want to add to life.
The result from Thailand was 'An Unnecessary Love Story': a couple who accuse each other of buying useless things, the small 'beautiful junk' everyone owns, and then forgive each other, because those objects brought them joy. The film spoke in the universal language of love, with Thai humour, and needed no translation.
Released on YouTube and Instagram, the short showed Lazada's range and its emotional stake in everyday purchases. At The One Show 2024 it won Best of Discipline for Brand-Side/In-House and a Gold Pencil for Branded Content.
why it works
- Validating 'pointless' purchases removed the guilt that keeps people from admitting what they buy.
- An emotional film gave a marketplace a personality no product feed can convey.
- Commissioning film students made the idea feel cultural rather than corporate.
what transfers
When a category is drowning in promotional noise, an ad that validates the buyer's feelings, even the irrational ones, stands out and builds brand love.
what came after
The film became the flagship of Lazada's 'Add to Life' campaign, won Best of Brand-Side/In-House and a Gold Pencil at The One Show 2024, and demonstrated that a marketplace's in-house team could out-create agencies.
references
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