Behind the Campaign: How Geezerbuild Amplified MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN Across Southeast Asia

Asian music is reaching new audiences around the world, with artists, genres, and sounds from across the region gaining unprecedented global attention. From chart-topping hits and viral sensations to the growing influence of regional music scenes, audiences are increasingly embracing the diversity of Asia’s musical landscape alongside the Western music they already know and love.

For the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), this momentum presented an opportunity to deepen connections across Asia while celebrating the artists and music shaping the region today.

Established through the collaboration of five major Japanese music industry organizations, CEIPA works to strengthen Japan’s music industry and connect Japanese music with audiences worldwide. One of its flagship initiatives is MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ), an international music awards platform built around the concept of connecting with the world and illuminating the future of music. Bringing together artists, creators, and industry professionals, MAJ recognizes achievements across a wide range of musical genres while creating opportunities for Japanese and international music markets to connect.

Since its inaugural edition in 2025, MAJ has brought together prominent Japanese artists and performers from across the international music scene. The first edition featured performances from artists including Creepy Nuts, YOASOBI, Fujii Kaze, Awich, and Mrs. GREEN APPLE. In 2026, the awards further highlighted these cross-border connections, welcoming Southeast Asian acts such as Cup of Joe from the Philippines and Indonesia’s Hindia, alongside Japanese artists including HANA, Fujii Kaze, and Kenshi Yonezu, as well as international guest Sam Smith. The evolving lineup reflected an ambition that extended beyond celebrating music in Japan: to create a platform where artists, industries, and audiences from different markets could connect through music.

But building those connections requires more than bringing artists together on one stage. For MAJ’s international vision to resonate beyond Japan, audiences and media in other markets needed a reason to see themselves in the story. This meant translating the awards’ broader significance into narratives that reflected local music interests, celebrated regional talent, and demonstrated how Asian music scenes are increasingly connected.

This was where CEIPA partnered with Geezerbuild. Across three targeted campaign rollouts, the team developed a localized PR approach to amplify MAJ in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Rather than treating Southeast Asia as a single audience, Geezerbuild considered the distinct media landscapes, cultural contexts, and artist connections in each market to identify the stories most likely to resonate locally.

The objective was to position MAJ as more than a single awards night: as a platform for amplifying Asian talent, connecting music markets, and strengthening industry relationships across borders. By aligning a shared regional narrative with market-specific storytelling, the campaign aimed to make MAJ relevant to local media while contributing to a wider conversation about the growing influence of Asian music.

Here’s a closer look at the key moments, numbers, and strategies behind Geezerbuild’s PR campaign for MAJ, delivered in collaboration with CEIPA.

The Results at a Glance

The response across the priority markets exceeded expectations, demonstrating the power of cross-border cultural storytelling when paired with strong local relevance.

• 887.71 Million Total Reach: Across all three campaign phases, the team secured 237 earned media clippings, bringing MAJ’s story to hundreds of millions of music fans and industry stakeholders across the region.
• Tier-1 Market Coverage: The campaign earned coverage from leading media outlets across Southeast Asia, including The Philippine Star and Billboard Philippines in the Philippines; Kompas and Detik in Indonesia; and TH Headline and HITZ in Thailand.
• Organic Momentum: Campaign 2 emerged as the campaign’s most impactful phase. The campaign generated an impressive 110 organic coverage pieces without direct outreach. With a strong hook: local rising artists receiving international recognition, the campaign sparked strong genuine interest from the audience and media. Key Tier 1 media published the story swiftly, followed by a wave of smaller media who found the story newsworthy. Timely distribution of the story also contributed to the success of campaign 2.

What Worked

One strategy critical to the campaign’s success is highlighting local artists. These stories naturally resonate more strongly with audiences and are therefore more likely to attract media interest. This also aligns with MAJ’s commitment to providing a platform for regional artists to gain recognition.

‍

To spark momentum, the team sought collaborations with top-tier media like Kompas in Indonesia and Inquirer.net from the Philippines to create exclusive, in-depth interviews with key MAJ figures. These publications sparked widespread awareness and media interest. The momentum generated from this lasted across two campaign periods.

‍

‍

Last but not least, the team consistently positioned MAJ as the premier international awards event in Japan and broader Asia, reinforcing its prominence with stories across the pre-awards, awards, and post-awards phases.

Looking Ahead

The success of the MAJ campaign reflects a broader shift in Asia’s music landscape as the region’s markets become increasingly interconnected and music from across Asia continues to find new audiences around the world.

As MAJ continues to spotlight regional talent and foster connections across borders, its impact extends beyond awards and recognition. It creates opportunities for artists, industry leaders, and music communities to discover one another, exchange ideas, and contribute to a more connected Asian music ecosystem.

For Geezerbuild, working alongside CEIPA on the campaign demonstrated the power of culturally relevant PR in helping regional stories travel. When local voices are connected to a larger regional narrative, and given the right platforms to reach audiences, they can spark conversations that extend well beyond borders.

###

‍