Ramadan-Raya roundup: Brand campaigns we loved this season

Muslims worldwide celebrated Hari Raya this past weekend, marking one filled with joy as families came together post pandemic. With festive seasons being ripe for brands to demonstrate creativity with their Raya films, this year, we saw heart-warming films that not only sought to move viewers but to educate as well.

From musicals to charity campaigns, here are some of the most creative campaigns that stood out to the team at A+M across Malaysia and Singapore.

1. Bulan Bintang Malaysia

Local clothing line Bulan Bintang released a maiden brand film in collaboration with Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the creative content practice within the IPG Mediabrands network.

The film, titled “Raya Macam Star” (translated: celebrate Raya like a star), is a tale that aims to make everyone feel like a star when wearing the Bulan Bintang collection this Raya.

The film tells the tale of Zul who intends to attract an abundance of visitors to his Raya open house, specifically a young lady who has caught his eye. He sets out to don Bulan Bintang’s Baju Melayu on the first day of celebrations. However, unbeknownst to himself, he turns into renowned actor Shukri Yahaya.

2. Cuckoo Malaysia

CUCKOO Malaysia, an online marketplace for home appliances, has launched a new campaign with creative agency Naga DDB Tribal.

To strengthen CUCKOO’s position as a healthy home creator, it launched a 360-degree campaign that encourages Malaysians to fight lethargy during the upcoming Raya festival. A film was released as part of the campaign, with cameos by stars including Malaysia’s Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza and renowned Korean actor, Lee Minho. The latter was appointed the brand’s ambassador in 2022 while the former was appointed in 2020.

Suryadipura Salleh, creative director of Naga DDB Tribal said that the team was particularly excited to create a campaign that was bolder and more relevant to the local market. “That’s why for this campaign, we used a lot of local humour and pop culture references as a source of inspiration.”

3. Deliveroo Singapore

Deliveroo Singapore celebrated the first Ramadan since majority of social restrictions were lifted by partnering with Darul Makmur Mosque. Together, they prepared and distributed meals alongside the mosque’s staff and volunteers, to over 250 mosque-goers every Friday across the month of Ramadan.

Named #ComingBackTogether, the initiative underlined Deliveroo’s continued commitment to giving back to the community and welcomed back the holy month of fasting in full swing.

Deliveroo riders are also invited to join in with their families and friends for prayers and the breaking of fast onsite with fellow mosque-goers. Not limited to just Muslims, Darul Makmur also hopes that such an initiative will draw non-Muslims to partake in the month of reflection moving forward.

Recognising how important this Ramadan is to Muslims, especially as communities are once again able to come together in person, we are grateful to have the opportunity to observe this season together,” said Jason Parke, General Manager, Deliveroo Singapore.

4. Fresh & White Malaysia

Toothpaste brand Fresh & White has returned with its iconic polar bear with creative agency Muma Malaysia giving the mascot a modern-day treatment with a 3D animated film featuring a family of polar bears celebrating the upcoming festive season.

The mascot has long been associated with the brand since its debut back in the 90s. Despite taking a break for a few years, consumer research has shown that there is strong recall of the polar bear image and its association with the brand's selling points. 

The storyline of the film itself revolves around a family's typical day at home ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations with a humorous twist wherein daddy bear’s minty fresh breath saves the day from junior’s playful antics.

5. Guardian Malaysia

Guardian Malaysia has launched its latest campaign for Hari Raya entitled ‘#GuardianRaya2023 – Guardian kingdom for all, part of which is a music video called ‘Gaurdian Raya Untuk Semua’ (Guardian Raya For all).

The music video premiered on 27 March 2023 in conjunction with the health and beauty retailer’s promotional offers for the festive season.

 The video reinforces the importance of strong family values and ties that bloom during festive occasions such as Hari Raya. Guardian’s head of marketing, Angela Teo, concurred that this was the aim of the campaign video. Hence, the overarching theme was titled – ‘a family that plays together, stays together’.

6. Julie’s Singapore

Julie’s continues its tradition of creating provocative festive campaigns by launching their latest short film called Kisah Raya P.E.R.I.T. (A Raya Story of P.E.R.I.T).

This short film was part of Julie’s annual Hari Raya campaign and ongoing efforts to break down stereotypes that people often face during the festive season as well as promoting unity and understanding between family members and in the community.

This year’s short film featured Timah and her daughter Farah, bringing the audience on a journey through their ‘balik kampung’ drive to attend Hari Raya celebrations throughout the years. The film brings to attention the challenges that Timah faced by being a single parent. In multiple scenes, viewers are brought through the typical, yet critical judgements usually dished out to single parents especially during the festive season.

7. Mamee Chef Malaysia

Mamee Chef has released its Hari Raya film of the season starring brand ambassador Sheila Majid and guest star Kugiran Masdo.

In the film, Mamee Chef focuses on its two new special flavours for the year, lontong and rendang, and shows how it can fuel an fun and exciting Raya this year. ‘Sinaran Syawal’ by Mamee Cheff also bestows blessings to Malaysians this Raya, as the self-titled song implies a bright Syawal celebration.The title of the song also plays on the popularity of Sheila Majid’s ‘Sinaran’, known as one of her signature songs since the 80’s.

The film also stars Kugiran Masdo, a groovy Malaysia indie-rock band with popular songs on social platforms including TikTok.

8. Pepsi Malaysia

Pepsi has joined hands with FCB SHOUT to encourage Malaysians to disconnect from the online world this Raya, and that too, while doing good. The campaign, titled ‘Build a real connection with Pepsi’ calls for Malaysians to reconnect with their loved ones without getting distracted by their gadgets. To incentivise Malaysians to go offline, a challenge was incorporated into the campaign that incorporates the motion-sensing technology in-built with every smartphone, revealing a timer that tracks the offline hours as users begin their challenge.

Whenever users move their phones, the timer stops when motion is detected and they’ll be prompted to go offline again, as users accrue their offline hours to rank up for a chance to win rewards from a paid trip to Japan to various other prizes worth up to RM 100,000.

9. RHB Bank Malaysia

RHB Bank has released its Raya film, titled ‘Pengembaran Sempurna’ with creative agency FCB SHOUT.

Translated to ‘a perfect journey’, the film tells the true tale of Ramli Aziz, a retired police officer who builds disabled-friendly tricycles using scrap items that are 100% recyclable.  

The endeavour that has inspired many in the disabled community to enjoy the freedom of movement again, has also raised awareness for the repurposing and recycling of everyday items as well.

The festive film demonstrates the power of purpose, following a heart-warming story about a bicycle-loving boy who feels like he had lost his purpose in life due to his disability, that is until he met his kind-hearted neighbour, Pak Cik Ramli.

10. Sime Darby Auto Connexion Malaysia

Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), the sole distributor of Ford in Malaysia, has launched its a music video in commemoration of Raya in collaboration with Initiative, a media agency under IPG Mediabrands.

With the theme 'More than you expect', the music video was done in partnership with KOL Chubb-E, to send Raya wishes to consumers as they make their way back home for the festive season, highlighting the safety and product features of the car.

CEO of Initiative, Darren Yuen said that amidst the Raya videos that fall on comedy and the majority that pull on heartstrings, this one sets itself apart by being culturally relevant. 

11. Taylor’s University

Titled ‘Rendang Tok’, which is a play on the words Atuk and TikTok, the story follows a young protagonist named Zaki who discovers that his grandfather was a popular television chef in the 90s.

In a bid to revive his career, Zaki hopes to film a TikTok reboot but is faced with the sobering reality that his grandfather was suffering from Alzheimer’s. However, that does not waver Zaki’s commitment to capturing his Atuk’s legacy.

At its core, the ‘Rendang Tok’ video reflects Taylor University’s dedication to equipping communities with knowledge and skills to aid in promoting independent, safe, and meaningful lives for senior citizens.

Through emphasising the importance and advantages of lifelong learning as a tool of specialised care for individuals with Alzheimer's, the video serves as an impactful resource in raising awareness and offering support to families and caregivers impacted by the disease.

12. Ministry of Health of Singapore

Tribal Worldwide Singapore’s latest TVC is leading the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) fight against excessive salt use among Singaporeans. Under the Healthier SG banner, the agency is urging locals to make healthier choices and opt for salt and sodium alternatives during Hari Raya meal preparations.

“My macik friends always say it’s like a musical every time they cook,” said director Royston Tan. “So that’s what we set out to achieve - using music to get the message across,” added the award-winning filmmaker.

13. Zurich Malaysia

Swiss insurance company, Zurich Malaysia has partnered with Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS) to release a heart-warming film in light of Raya that is just around the corner.

Titled ‘Kepulangan’, which means ‘The Return’, centres around Zurich’s Raya theme of embracing togetherness.

The film tells the story of Zyra and her in-laws as they navigate the emotions surrounding them with the passing of her husband, their son. Through these emotional upheavals, she understands that the bond of family supersedes any other.

Associate creative director of MBCS, Christopher Chong said that when the story is meant to show that while there may be uncertainties in life, one can still rely on one’s peace of mind brought about by the underlying love of family.

13. Khazanah Nasional 

The titular ‘Mak’ is a lively older woman and the beating heart of her community. When she had a fall, her daughter, Putri, decides that her mother should live with her in the city so she can be well taken care of. However, Mak finds it difficult to adjust to a dormant and idle life so she retreats into a shell of her former self. It is only when they go back to Mak’s home to celebrate Hari Raya that Putri sees how important the community is to her mother, and realises that she has to make a difficult decision for the happiness of the person she loves most.

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