Local brands hit on Malaysian graduate student following viral video

A Malaysian university graduate student has caught the romantic attention of local brands after posting a video on TikTok. 

Student and model Fahd Mohd Fauzi recently uploaded a TikTok of himself in his graduation robes at his convocation ceremony. Not long after, numerous Malaysian brands began putting up relationship offers, stating their 'name', 'age', and 'special skills' in the comments section of the video. 

Public transport operator RapidKL, for example, commented 'Rapid KL, 25, good at driving trains'. Meanwhile, Selangor PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) left a cheeky comment claiming that they were 'single, 22' and not to be forgotten. 

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Other brands that have left comments include convenience store Family Mart, wastewater company Indah Water Konsortium, waste management company Alam Flora and shopping platform ShopBack. Fahd has also taken the time to heart react the comments and post cheeky responses where possible. 

For example, in response to Rapid KL for example, Fahd clapped back at the company by saying that he does not like trains. To Selangor PTPTN, he jokingly said that he would not forget them during his 10-year loan repayment period. 

The video, at the point of writing, has amassed 5.8 million views and over 16 thousand comments. 

Fahd later revealed in an interview with Harian Metro that he was surprised to have attracted so much attention. 

The student shared with the publication that while he's accustomed to receiving compliments for his appearance, this is the first time he has received relationship proposals. 

Some of proposals, according to the model, came from brands he had previously modelled for. 

As of late, brands have been engaging with user generated content (UGC) as means to remain relevant amongst younger audience and to take the opportunity to interact with audiences by leaving funny comments. Some even jump onto trends themselves. 

These interactions do more than make viewers laugh, they are also part of a wider social media strategy to emphasise the human quality of brands.

This October, Sharpie engaged with TikTok user @welovemarkers who created a video series featuring the brand's popular markers. The series sees markers being given unique personalities and is set in a high school with the lavender sharpie being portrayed as a homewrecker as it encourages the other Sharpies to cheat on their respective partners.

Marketers who MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke with agree that engaging with UGC may increase brand visibility, but boundaries must be set. 

"It is essential to embrace the ever-changing social media landscape, while setting boundaries by avoiding sensitive topics such as politics and religion," said Ken Cheung, co-founder and digital director at KREW DIGITAL. 

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