Meet the Winners of the WIPO-ASEAN TikTok Competition
IP and Tourism: My Land is My Ultimate Flex
In June, we launched a challenge that resonated with the vibrant energy of Southeast Asia. We invited young TikTokers from ASEAN member states to showcase their homeland under the theme “IP and Tourism: My Land is My Ultimate Flex.” The response was phenomenal, with over 200 entries and 20 million views coming in from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
These young creators took us on a virtual tour, flaunting their nation's unique flavors, mesmerizing architecture, historical marvels, verdant landscapes, and cultural elegance through their 1-minute TikTok videos. Their creativity and passion turned our feed into a captivating digital mosaic of ASEAN's diversity and beauty.
Now, we're thrilled to announce the 7 winners, one from each participating country, selected by an esteemed panel of 7 independent ASEAN judges. These lucky creators have earned their ticket to an exclusive IP branding and content creation bootcamp at TikTok Headquarters in Singapore!
Before we reveal the winners, we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the competition. Through their diverse lenses, they shared a piece of their home and opened a window to the world, highlighting the rich, exportable treasures each country possesses.
And now, meet the winners!
Cambodia - Sarat Say (Zarathh)
This young entrepreneur owns Mini Fern Café, a coffee and tea restaurant in Siem Reap, the charming resort town she calls home. Yet still, she finds time to pursue her other passions, like traveling, modelling, photography and videography.
Say’s aesthetically filmed videos in which she explores breath-taking natural and cultural attractions around Cambodia, are like romantic scenes out of a travel K drama, and she is the main character.
Her TikTok content also includes beauty, fashion, and videos promoting products, hotels, and most passionately, the centuries-old temples of her hometown Siem Reap, her favourite being the iconic Angkor Wat Temples.
I’m proud of the financial success, fans, and brand partnerships I’ve secured as a social influencer and businesswoman. I believe the professional IP and content creation guidance from WIPO and TikTok, along with this bootcamp’s networking opportunities, will take my creative career to the next level.
Indonesia – Jaya Setiawan Gulö
Jaya is that cousin your parents tell you to be more like.
He is a government officer at Indonesia's Ministry of Finance. He founded Jadi PNS, a global platform for young trendsetters to share their stories. This platform, which is inspired by the Oprah Winfrey Show, is an official communication partner of UNESCO. With over 480 global interviews under its belt, his platform’s award-winning YouTube channel has 106k subscribers. Like his winning TikTok video schooling us about Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple globally, Gulö's TikTok account makes wide-ranging “fun facts” content, from why our blood is red, to climate change, and more.
This opportunity will help me leverage IP rights to protect my creative work as a storyteller, as well as build a strong brand identity, to pave the way for collaborations and licensing opportunities.
Laos PDR – Vatthana Soynava
Vatthana works at Maruhan Japan Bank Laos, but that doesn’t stop him from being a passionate freelance photographer and travel content creator on TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Opulent temples, lively markets, majestic waterfalls at sunset—Vatthana's cinematic travel content has everything to fuel your wanderlust. Do you wonder how life expects you to figure out how to plan your travel itinerary to the scenic places he has visited? He has your back with
insightful advice about the best places to visit, the culture of your travel destination, money-saving tips and more, to make your trip as smooth and fulfilling as possible.
I aim to upgrade how I digitally market my personal brand as a freelance travel content creator, in order to reach more viewers. Hopefully the skills acquired during the bootcamp will opens doors for collaboration opportunities that allow me to travel the world!
Malaysia – Umi Hasheida
Umi is currently pursuing her PhD in Law at the National University of Malaysia. She aims to post simplified TikTok videos breaking down complex IP topics, to ensure no one relives the trauma of boring classes in lecture halls. Her goal is to build an authentic community where everyone can share their ups and downs and motivate each other.
In her spare time, you can find her hiking, reading books, listening to music, and cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
My biggest passion is educating the youth about intellectual property rights, to build a community of empowered young people. Not everyone had the opportunity to study intellectual property law like I did. I want to give them access to IP knowledge through my simplified TikTok videos.
Philippines – Haney Shane Henson
Haney is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the Don Honorio Ventura State University.
Her TikTok account is a virtual diary through which she spills the tea on the good, the bad, and the hilarious parts of her life. Her content revolves around her daily adventures, relatable moments, student life, and beauty.
Her engineering student memes leave viewers wondering whether she is finishing her degree, or her degree is finishing her, because she wants her fellow engineering students to realize that engineering may be challenging, but they are not alone.
Since my TikTok videos are virtual diary entries, the branding, storytelling, and content creation guidance from the bootcamp would be invaluable in making my voice and personality stand out. This will empower me to create high-quality videos that keep my viewers entertained and engaged.
Thailand – Fernando Jonathan
Fernando is the marketing communications director at the ASEAN Youth Organisation, but his playful side dominates his upbeat TikTok videos with his colleagues, showing their office life.
This passionate marketer has been moving around ASEAN countries since 2018, sharing his travel adventures, food experiences, and everyday life on TikTok and other social media while at it.
I didn’t realise how integral IP rights are to marketing, so I want to gain a deeper understanding of how they relate to my work as a marketer and content creator, and how I can leverage them for financial success.
Vietnam - Nguyễn Hoàng Phúc (Gio)
A pharmacy student who raps… sometimes about being a pharmacist? Yes, that’s Gio, who believes music can be as healing as medicine. It’s no surprise then, that he spun the competition theme, “IP and Tourism: my land is my ultimate flex” into a visually stunning rap music video that seamlessly flows between English and Vietnamese to flaunt the wonders of his country.
He chose his stage name "Gio,” which means “wind” in Vietnamese, because he wants to be a flowing wind, spreading his energy and messages everywhere. As a survivor of hardship, his greatest wish is to relieve others from difficulties, which he believes he can do through both his pharmacy major and his music.
Through my music and content, I want to brand myself as a future pharmacist who makes “music potions” filled with meaningful lyrics and catchy melodies. I want to revise my digital brand to reflect that, which I look forward to learning during the IP branding bootcamp in Singapore.
Here's a sneak peek into the upcoming adventure
The winners are set to embark on an immersive and intensive learning experience. Merging an interactive IP and Tourism video challenge with a deep dive into personal and business branding, these young talents will explore how to leverage the intellectual property system to amplify their presence on social media. To do this, they will learn from industry players from TikTok HQ Singapore, Meta (formerly Facebook), and some of the sharpest minds in IP content creation and social media branding. This multi-stakeholder engagement offers a rare glimpse into the heart of the digital content world.
Watch this space for more details on the Branding Bootcamp.
For the digital enthusiast, aspiring content creator, or anyone intrigued by the intersection of culture, technology, and innovation, this experience will be a goldmine. The lessons, experiences, and insights gained from this bootcamp will be shared in our upcoming Virtual IP Branding and TikTok Content Creation Bootcamp, open to all.
It will be your chance to learn from the best, to understand the intricacies of digital branding, and to see how young creators are using their heritage and creativity to make a mark on the world stage.
To be part of the online version of the Branding Bootcamp journey, express your interest to participate by emailing youth@wipo.int. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this unique digital exploration.
Congratulations to all the winners! Get ready for an enriching journey at the Branding Bootcamp in Singapore, and to everyone else, see you at the virtual bootcamp where we'll share the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained from this incredible in-person event. Let's continue to celebrate the rich culture and tourism of ASEAN together!