Interview: RHB's Raya ad takes Malaysia by storm

A week before Eid-al-Fitr, RHB Group released a heartwarming ad that has quickly gained traction in Malaysia, Titled "Lembaran Baharu" (Forgiveness), RHB Bank’s latest film is a true story with a dramatic reenactment of the most unforgettable case of Malaysian lawyer Ahmad Zaharil Muhaiyar’s long and illustrious career. 

In 1998, Zaharil found himself helping a woman who had stolen a pencil case as a gift to her son who had ranked number one in class. Zaharil went on to represent her in court pro bono and was able to reduce her sentence to a "Good Behaviour Bond" rather than serving seven years of jail time.

About two decades after the fateful encounter, he was then approached by a young man who revealed that he was the son of the woman whom he defended back in 1998, and who is now following Zaharil’s footsteps by becoming a lawyer.

A beautifully shot ad, and a tear-jerker for many, has accumulated over 6,000,000 views, over 100,000 likes and 23,000 shares across all of RHB’s digital platforms at the time of writing. On YouTube alone, it has 14,000 likes since its launch on 30 March 2024.

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With its success, A+M decided to sit down with the minds behind the campaign, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, group CMO of RHB Group and Wang Ie Tjer, FCB SHOUT’s head of creative to find out how they came up with it. 

According to Sani, the bank's approach isn't just about broadcasting its message of "Making progress happen for everyone", it's about fostering engagement and interaction.

"We want our audience to be active participants in the conversation surrounding our Raya film. By encouraging feedback and dialogue, we gain valuable insights on how our content resonates across diverse communities," he said, adding that ultimately, its goal is not only to reach its audience but to also truly connect with them on a meaningful level, leveraging the power of social media to facilitate genuine engagement and understanding.

He added that when it comes to creativity,

RHB doesn't believe in creativity just for the sake of it.

"We aim for practical creativity that is authentic, believable, and humble. Our creativity isn't just about flashy campaigns; it's about being a trusted ally to our customers, providing creative solutions to their financial needs," he said. 

No stranger to using real-life stories as part of its campaigning strategy, when asked why this particular story was chosen for the RHB Bank campaign, Wang told A+M that it was because it perfectly demonstrates the power of second chances and forgiveness, both of which are values intrinsic to Hari Raya.

"With the world becoming even more and more divided these days, we hope that by spotlighting this amazing story of Zaharil, we can inspire people to be more compassionate and open in giving others a chance at a new start," he said. Given RHB's brand purpose is "Making progress happen for everyone", Wang added that championing the inspiring stories of real, everyday Malaysians who have made an impact on the lives of others was a great way to show that.

"By doing so, we can resonate deeply with Malaysians and empower them to believe that they too can carve out their own progress stories," he said. He added that amazing stories about the great things that Malaysians do can be found anywhere and everywhere.

"We usually discover these stories from news sites and social media. However, finding these stories is only the easy first step, figuring out a way to do them justice is the difficult second step," he said.

The real challenge for the team is in re-telling these stories in a manner that is engaging to the viewer, and that means anchoring these stories on strong, humanistic insights that audiences can resonate with. "We could've taken the easy way out by just producing documentary-style films for these stories... but where's the fun in that?" he said. 

The amplification strategy

As the saying goes, while content is king, dissemination is queen. According to Sani, the team strategically focused ad placement on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

"With internet and mobile penetration soaring to 97.4% and 129.1% respectively, and social media penetration reaching 83.1%, it's evident that Malaysians are deeply immersed in the digital realm," said Sani.

"On average, Malaysians are also spending a staggering eight hours a day online, with nearly three hours dedicated to social media alone. Given this landscape, these platforms offer unparalleled accessibility to our target audience," he said.

He added that building on the virality of this film, RHB Bank plans to leverage its success to further amplify its message and initiatives.

"We're inspired to double down on our efforts by offering sustainable product solutions and services that align with our brand ethos. Our goal is to serve our customers with exceptional empathy, providing them with the right tools and support to achieve progress in their lives. In essence, this film catalyses for us to continue embodying our brand values and actively contributing to the advancement and betterment of the communities that we serve," he said.

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