Brandlah 'nags' at citizens to stay at home with Klang Valley activation

Digital out-of-home (OOH) advertising provider Brandlah has launched multiple OOH ads in Klang Valley, urging Malaysians to stay home during the Movement Control Order (MCO). Collaborating with media partners such as Laguna, SkyBlue Media and Labelz, each outdoor billboard is accompanied with the caption "Dear Malaysians, if you can see this, please #StayHome #DudukRumah (sit at home) #KitaJagaKita (let's take care of each other)". According to Brandlah, the ads ran across 200 digital screens along Klang Valley roads. Unlike any ordinary ad, the ads are meant to be "naggy" and "annoying", and will be changed frequently.

In a statement to A+M, Alex Goh, managing director of Brandlah, said the main objective of the ads is to not have anyone to see it. So the lesser impressions the ads get, the closer Brandlah is to its objective. "However, those who have seen the ads have reached out to us directly to share their appreciation and thank us for the efforts," he said.

For consumers who have seen the ads, Goh added that the team hopes the message was loud and clear enough, leaving them a lasting impression that if it is not for essential travel needs or a medical emergency, to stay home and be safe. Brandlah chose to roll out this OOH activation in Klang Valley as it recorded the highest amount of positive COVID-19 cases, Goh said. The company is also currently studying the data and moving the campaign beyond Klang Valley, and getting more partners to join in the campaign as well.

"There was no transaction or exchange in monetary form [for this campaign], merely the investment of commitment, pure conscience, responsibility and goodwill. We all knew that these were times where we all knew that our priorities were bigger than monetary or profit gains," Goh explained. 

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected many companies in Malaysia, and Brandlah is no exception. Goh told A+M that when the outbreak hit, the company mutually agreed with its clients to pause their campaigns.

"Advertisers need to consider carefully whether they should advertise, and how. Pushing to sell is a no-no at this time as agreed. Where brands can do something beneficial or purposeful, they may choose to publicise what they are doing in an appropriate way," he said.

The company is now assuming the role of a stakeholder in its client's business, being more of a business partner to help SMEs through this time. Brandlah is also engaging with SMEs to see things through their lens to ascertain how the company can add value and deliver the right solutions. He added that it has been getting good response from clients and brands, which allow Brandlah to re-engineer some of its offerings to match their needs.

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