IKEA unites Johoreans with rap anthem for Toppen Shopping Centre

IKEA Southeast Asia is getting consumers bobbing their heads to a catchy beat with a new rap/hip-hop music video titled #JelesEk, written for the grand opening of its Toppen Shopping Centre in Johor. Toppen Shopping Centre is Malaysia’s first southern region shopping centre anchored by the first IKEA store outside of the Klang Valley.

Done in collaboration with UM and Ensemble Worldwide, the latest campaign revolves around the theme of "Jeles Ek" and song is written and performed by native Johoreans - rapper Joe Flizzow and singer Joyce Chu, with music composed by Alif of Magic Potions.

The campaign also features a branded TikTok AR filter. The #JelesEk TikTok Challenge urges youth to record their best "JelesEk" moves which involves a dance routine while lip-syncing to the #JelesEk rap song. To date, the #JelesEk challenge has more than 10 million views, 250,000 likes and shares and 20,000 user generated entries, the press statement said. It ends on 27 November.

Andrew Yeoh, IKEA Southeast Asia's head of marketing (shopping centre) said with Toppen, it is taking the next step in transforming from transactional shopping centres to fantastic meeting places. He added that IKEA takes great pride in co-creating its centres with the local communities in mind.

"For instance, ‘The Topp’, our rooftop leisure, sporting and entertainment zone, helps position Toppen as the heart and hub of Johor Bahru. In the same vein, this launch campaign has been a conscious effort to celebrate all that makes Johor unique, and the team at Ensemble and UM truly understood this ambition. They have brought our launch to life via locally relevant branded entertainment content that resonates strongly with our core target audience," he added.

GM of Ensemble Worldwide, Phang Mei Jeng, said the team used the colloquial term "ek", tagged typically by Johoreans at the end of a sentence.

"The idea here was to use it as a positive call out urging others to not get ‘jeles’ (jealous), but to join in the fun at Toppen. Our insights demonstrate that Johoreans are incredibly state proud, hence the fun messaging seemed on point with Toppen’s brand to connect closer to the Johorean customer base," she said.

She added that the team felt the music video would speak to a wider audience in Johor and help make it an anthem for Toppen. "The rap serves as an invitation to Johoreans and beyond to gather their family and friends together to enjoy their time at Toppen," she said.

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