SOTA, an online travel portal has awarded M&C Saatchi to develop their first-ever consumer campaign, following a competitive pitch. SOTA is a smart technology-based global travel hub that connects consumers with tourism and travel operators around the world. Not only do they provide the largest collection of travel packages in a single site, it is also a place where holiday-goers can gain inspiring ideas while planning their travels.

Based on the creative ideas presented at the pitch, M&C Saatchi plans to rebrand, reposition and relaunch SOTA as the smart travel source for smart travellers, and thus the Smart Online Travel Assistant or SOTA Man was born. Adopting a friendly and slight tongue-in-cheek personality, the SOTA Man appears in various online and radio advertisements, offering ‘Smart Travel Tips’ as a teaser to the website. This is part of the campaign’s initial phase which aims to raise the profile of SOTA in Malaysia, before extending it to international audiences.

“To reintroduce SOTA as a consumer-centric brand, we wanted to create a personal connection with the consumers, so we gave the brand a friendly face anyone can relate to,” explained Executive Creative Director, Henry Yap. “The Smart Travel Tips are an indication of how well-travelled the SOTA Man is, and because of his witty character, he always shares them in a funny and smart way. For example, he’ll tell you that the best place to buy souvenirs from England, USA and France, is China,” he adds.

“In this new venture, we have entrusted M&C Saatchi to execute a line of communication strategies across various media channels,” said SOTA CEO, Rohizam Md Yusoff. “By targeting both end consumers as well as travel agents in our communications, we can grow and reinforce our current position as the preferred travel solutions provider,” he elaborated.

Under the company name Creative Advances Sdn Bhd, the SOTA account will widen the diversity of clients in M&C Saatchi’s business portfolio, a further expansion of its expertise spanning across various industries.