Malaysian brands get #Merdeka fever

Come tomorrow, Malaysians will be celebrating its 59th Independence Day. We spot some of our favourites Merdeka ads for you this year.PETRONASThe oil giant's Merdeka ad shows how our lives can be connected despite our diversity in background. Directed by Ismail Kamarul of Reservoir Production, the 2 minutes and 40 seconds #TakeCare spot has received over 52,000 views on Facebook and more than 272,000 views on You Tube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1204Uz9XBwDigiWith the hashtag #BukaLaHati, which literally translates to "please open your heart", the Malaysian telco wants to send messages on the importance of patience and tolerance. The 4 minutes and 30 seconds film surrounds a grumpy, unhappy and short-tempered man, who one day gets a visit from his younger self. Posted on 25 August, the video has since collected more than 2.6 million views, almost 94,900 shares and over 45,000 likes on Facebook. On You Tube, it gathered more than 206,000 views.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCh7ukpOpwI MaxisMalaysia's telco has worked with five local filmmakers to create 360° videos Merdeka series in capturing their view of Malaysia. The first three videos from their Rojak 360° campaign was launched last Thursday. The most popular one, which is the 6-minute Lost and Found film shot by the You Tube's The Ming Thing has gained 175,000 views on YouTube. It showcases the You Tube duo as they get lost and are found in a thick rain forest in East Malaysia.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtAEoiDkSEc&feature=youtu.be BSNIn conjunction with Merdeka, the bank has brought back its popular Kuching Happy character with hashtag #KucingHappyPindah. BSN is posting a series of similar videos on its Facebook featuring the cute and funny cat, asking for suggestions on which country he should migrate to. Its most popular one so far, the episode 2 has more than 125,000 clicks.UMWIndustrial enterprise UMW's national day ad this year is about re-discovering the spirit of Merdeka through the eyes of a person who grew up thinking that the celebration is exclusively his. The film brings back an old man's memories of his confusing younger days celebrating Merdeka which also happened to fall on the same day as his birthday. The You Tube film has garnered more than 115,800 views since it was put up on 26 August.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_ft3UD7wQESpotted anymore? Email us at venush@marketing-interactive.com or rezwanam@marketing-interactive.com