Ikano Centres brings perpetual sunlight to MY in Midsummer campaign

Ikano Centres is paying tribute to its Swedish roots with a campaign celebrating Midsummer Festival, a cultural event.

“With Malaysia being right on the Equator, our daylight hours are pretty consistent. So, we introduced a concept that would be completely alien to Malaysians and therefore a real attention-grabber: perpetual sunlight," said Yow Kuan Wai, executive creative director of The Clan which worked with Ikano Centres on the campaign. 

In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden that are high up in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a natural phenomenon called the Midnight Sun. At the height of summer, the sun remains visible in the sky practically round the clock, explained Yow. 

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"We found it so fascinating, we made it the seed of our campaign idea, the Midsummer Sunsation,” he said. 

“We are thrilled with this year’s Midsummer celebration and can’t wait for locals to discover the many exciting activities that we have lined up. And for the shoppers, there are loads of hot deals in store. Community-centric experiences like these are very much a part of Ikano Centres’ identity,” said Karina Kamaruzaman, marketing manager, Ikano Centres.

First out of the gate is an animated film that illustrates how the Midnight Sun enables Midsummer celebrations. This will be complemented by a spread of comms like on-ground activations, in-store collaterals, and social posts.

In the animated campaign video, the Ikano Centres explains the concept to viewers. "We're bringing a Swedish summer to Malaysia," it said. 

It then goes on to add that just like the Midsummer Festival, fun will happen round the clock with experiences and deals. 

The campaign is being rolled out in stages for all Ikano Centres nationwide, which are comprised of IPC, MyTOWN, Toppen, and Klippa shopping centres.

“Inspired by the popularity of Bon Odori and other foreign celebrations that are widely embraced here, we realised that Swedish culture is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. We aim for Midsummer to resonate similarly with
Malaysians. Our campaign tagline, 'The sun never sets on your fun,' is about capturing the endless enjoyment awaiting shoppers,” said the head of copy at The Clan, Teh Sue May.

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