Regional CNY 2022 roundup: Brands offer hopeful start to Year of the Tiger

With the Year of the Tiger just around the corner, brands are hopeful for the new year and aim to project positivity, resilience, and reinforce the importance of familial ties during these challenging times. While some brands chose to present themes that included the joys of a reunion, others decided to feature a social message such as sustainability or a woman's place in society.

The ads feature a mix of heartwarming and hilarious storylines, all in a bid to capture consumers' attention and create mindshare. If you are looking to binge watch a list of festive ads this holiday, we've got you covered. Here's a roundup of the Chinese New Year ads brands have produced this year.

AIA Malaysia 

In collaboration with Reprise Digital, AIA Malaysia released its Chinese New Year film, titled "Journey to the WoW". The film sees a father narrating a bedtime story to his son on the eve of Chinese New Year. In the story, it centres around three travelers, each character representing a specific value that is integral to the World of Wealth. The three characters in the story had their own special ability, that enabled them to overcome the challenges in their journey to the World of Wealth. According to AIA Malaysia, the film was its latest take on its on-going communications to inspire and encourage people to live not just healthier and longer, but to have a better life as well.

"Wealth in its simplest form is an abundance of anything we find valuable. Yes, this could mean money, but we wanted to show that more than anything else, wealth is a way of life. The modern way of life is sometimes misinterpreted as being hedonistic. By showing these ideas of wealth through classic folklore, it links to values most people hold dear to them that allow them to live their best life," explained Reprise Digital's creative director, Amir Faiz. 

Alipay 

To celebrate the Year of the Tiger, Alipay launched its annual “Five Fortune Card Collection” campaign, also known as Wufu. The campaign leverages AR to enable Alipay app users to “collect” the auspicious Chinese character “Fu” (福), which represents good fortune and blessings for the new year.

Alipay users are able to receive a virtual Fortune Card when they use the app to scan anything akin to the Chinese character Fu (福), which is often found in traditional new year decorations. Users who successfully collect a complete set of five Fortune Cards are eligible to win cash prizes via virtual red packets, known as “hongbaos”. Built on AR technologies, the campaign also introduced another new feature this year to allow Alipay users to handwrite a Fu character on the mobile screen, which will be captured by the app and turned into a Fu character in 3D. 

Celcom

To usher in the Year of The Tiger, Celcom released its first festive film, "Hope". The film was focused around a meaningful Mandarin phrase "有希望，有展‘旺'" which translates to, "where there is hope, there is prosperity". The film focuses on the predicaments of three Malaysians - Ah Wah, Alex and Li Yen. In the film, Ah Wah runs a small workshop that was on the verge of closing. Meanwhile, Alex was a final year college student whose future had been thrown in doubt as his parents struggled to find the means to pay for his upcoming fees. Finally, there was Li Yen who was recently retrenched from her job. While the film captured the misfortunes the three Malaysians experienced, it also told a story of their separate turning points to which they were able to overcome and ultimately thrive.

Digi 

This Chinese New Year, Digi released its festive film, titled, "The Undivided Heart" or "齐心圆" which delved into the importance of family. It also aims to encourage Malaysians to reminisce about relationships, deeper connections, and the power and strength found in familial love. The film mirrors a family's struggle during the pandemic and how each member of the family reacts to change. According to Digi, it is a story about embracing change and persevering during trying times through strong family bonds.

"This festive season, we hope to inspire Malaysians to remain hopeful and optimistic during these new beginnings that bring us closer together as one," said Digi's chief sales officer, Cheng Weng Hong. Cheng added that the spirit of love and resilience is able to help Malaysians draw the much-needed strength to move forward together and make this season of celebration a meaningful one. 
 
Ministry of Communications and Information

In collaboration with Grey Singapore, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) launched a warm and light-hearted film, titled "The Visitor List" for this Chinese New Year. Shot by director Royston Tan, the film highlighted how Singaporeans have adapted to the uncertainties and challenges arising from the pandemic. In the film, it showed the conundrum faced by many families who were planning the Chinese New Year visits during the pandemic. With visitation limits, most families had to navigate “social landmines” when prioritising who to invite. By bringing viewers into the perspective of a family planning their visitor list, the story shows the resilience of families and how they have adapted to changes as one.

While a visitor list may sound like an unimaginable narrative pre-pandemic, Grey Singapore's executive creative director, Aaron Phua said it is now something that families would have to consider. "It’s a heartening script that allows us to highlight the value of smaller but meaningful gatherings through an inviting and insightful storyline," Phua added.

RHB Bank

RHB Bank sparked hope for sustainable progress this Chinese New Year with its "A Spark For a Change" film. The film told the true story of 10 children hailing from a small fishing village in Teluk Intan, and how they inspired the villagers to be mindful of their waste. Conceived by FCB Malaysia, the film humanises a crucial environmental issue and brings a pivotal lesson to life via a heartfelt story of a young boy and his father, who both have different views of what a small spark of action can do. 

RHB Group's CMO, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad said, while the subject of the film is the environment and in line with the bank's new ESG initiatives, the lesson in itself is universal. In fact, progress is often sparked by those who are bold enough to take the first step to bring change to the world, inspiring others with their actions to do the same. This film is more than just an environment story, it is an origin story of progress, added Abdul. 

Singtel

This Chinese New Year, Singtel released a short film, titled "The Hunt For The Lucky Tiger". The film was the third installment in Singtel's festive film series featuring two rival families that have endeared themselves to Singaporeans after their madcap but meaningful altercations in previous films, "His Grandfather’s Road” and “My Grandmother’s House". 

Conceptualised by the Singtel brand team, the film applied creative use of local humour and relatable scenarios around the festive season. The film also served as a showcase for 5G use cases, such as Garuda Robotics’ autonomous drone systems which are currently undergoing trials at the 5G@Sentosa testbed, a public-private sector collaboration led by the Government Technology Agency, the Sentosa Development Corporation, and Singtel.

"As a leader in 5G innovation, we are offering audiences a glimpse of tomorrow, from augmented reality enhanced entertainment to drone applications powered by hyper-connectivity. 5G has the unbridled potential to redefine experiences and operations across multiple verticals and we hope to empower the broader community by harnessing the benefits of this next-generation technology," Singtel's VP for group strategic communications and brand, Lian Pek explained. 

Spitzer Malaysia

Food, especially ones that have auspicious meanings behind them, has been a beloved mainstay on the dining table during the Chinese New Year celebrations. This year, Spritzer Malaysia launched its Chinese New Year film, titled, "Auspicious Dishes, Spritzer Wishes", featuring popular festive dishes. Created by FCB Malaysia, the film featured familiar sights of a Chinese restaurant, a reunion dinner, and happy family members. In the film, the dishes were delivered by the head chef of the restaurant and showcases the benefits of the silica in Spritzer's natural mineral water. 

"We wanted to continue introducing the benefits of Spritzer silica-rich natural mineral water at a time when Malaysians would be consuming a lot of beverages during house visits and family meals," said Spritzer Malaysia's group marketing manager, Shiao Chan. Chan added that at the same time, the brand knew it had to be done in a way that’s contextual to the occasion and entertaining to the consumer.

"Not only did this film achieve all of that, but it also gave us an opportunity to carve out a new purpose for the product by encouraging celebrants to prepare their festive dishes with Spritzer. As a result, everyone can enjoy all the benefits of our natural mineral water," Chan explained. 

(Read also: Spritzer Malaysia quenches thirst for creative strategy with FCB)

Taylor's University 

Taylor's University Chinese New Year film, titled "心福" which translates to "Her Prosperity" focuses on conversations surrounding women’s place in society and the relevance of societal expectations when it comes to determining their own prosperity. According to the university, the plot explores the tempestuous storyline of an ambitious Chinese girl named Jo, portrayed by Malaysian actress Ruby Faye, and her conservative mother as the family navigates rough patches in Jo’s ambitious vision to become a successful female head-chef. 

Similar to its other festive videos, Taylor University's group chief marketing officer, Ben Foo said that the university believes in advocating for changes centered around the values that will help thrive the nation forward. "As an educational institution, we recognise the responsibility we play in cultivating a mindset that’s open to success no matter what that success looks like," Foo explained. Foo also added that it is important for education institutions such as Taylor University to nurture these principles and philosophies, especially with the younger generation.

The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group released its festive film, titled, "Abundant Joy", which spotlighted some of the traditions behind the celebrations that have been passed on from generation to generation. Done in collaboration with TV show host and YouTube creator, Danny Ah Boy, the film aimed to celebrate and keep the cultural heritage behind the festive occasion alive, while reminding viewers the importance of spending quality time with loved ones. Through the eyes of the film's protagonist, Danny, the film takes viewers through a nostalgic journey as he reflects on his father's quest to continue the legacy of Chinese culture through his calligraphy work. 

"As families near and dear celebrate the festive season, we hope this video will inspire people to relook at the heritage practices that bind us together, give the gift of play to each other, and rise to new heights in this new chapter in their lives," said LEGO's marketing director for Southeast Asia, Rohan Mathur. 

Watsons Malaysia 

In a collaboration with Naga DDB Tribal, Watsons Malaysia ushered in the Chinese New Year by releasing a short film, titled "大阵仗过靓年”, which translates to “Celebrate The Grandest #HappyBeautifulYear”. The film was inspired by the Mandarin word, "功夫" (gong fu), which could either mean "kung fu" or "effort". Aside from the film, Watsons Malaysia also produced a series of short video assets for various digital platforms to highlight deals that are currently available in-store and online. The campaign was further amped with appearances from content creators, Han Xiiao Aii, Phei Yong, Jinnyboy and actress Amber Chia, among others.

According to Watsons Malaysia's customer director, Danny Hoh, consumers are able to catch the film's cast striking poses with fierce, playful martial arts flair such as "Iron Palm", "Tiger Roar", "Tai Chi" and "Wing Chu, among others. "Together, we are bringing forth an important message of togetherness by embracing each other’s strength,” added Hoh. 

Yoodo Malaysia

Adding a bold and cheeky twist, Yoodo takes Malaysians behind the scenes of creating a Chinese New Year video with its film, titled, "Chinese New Year Pitch".  In the film, it shows the story of a man from an advertising agency pitching a festive commercial to his client, only to have his family unexpectedly dropping by his office for a meal. With this film, Yoodo aimed to culminate the value of celebrating Chinese New Year with the people that are nearest and dearest. 

“Yoodo’s core belief lies in empowering people to do things their own way and how they want it, and the Chinese New Year Pitch video reflects our commitment to doing just that,” said head of Yoodo, Chow Tuck Mun. 

Zenyum

To usher in the new year, smile cosmetics company Zenyum released its film titled, "The Lion Who Couldn't Smile". The film is about Jun Jie, a lion who is unable to open its mouth wide to seize his red packets. He is only able to do this after he gets help from his friends, Julie and Doctor Gigi. According to Zenyum, as it endeavours to help people "Smile More" with its invisible braces and rapidly growing consumer products range, the brand is equally eager to create stories and experiences that deliver on the same promise. The film was created in collaboration with Fisherman Integrated and Mighty Humble Productions. 

“Having recently launched a Smile Gym in Singapore and a Smile Land theme park in Hong Kong, this festive film is a positive start to a year that promises plenty more playful pop-ups, unconventional collaborations, and meaningful creative endeavours,” said Zenyum's global VP of creative, Eddie Azadi. 

Have you seen any other films that caught your attention? Reach out to us at liping@marketing-interactive.com.

Photo courtesy: 123RF 

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