RHB Bank tells Deepavali story of Seremban hero with a charitable spirit

RHB Banking Group's latest Deepavali campaign features the true story of P. Raveendran, a Seremban-based taxi driver who was inspired by Bollywood superstar Rajinikanth’s film "Baasha" to become a real Malaysian hero by providing free rides to pregnant ladies and mothers with babies. 

Raveendran’s selfless act started in 2019 and carried on even during the pandemic, despite him barely making ends meet himself. His charitable spirit never faltered and, until this day, he still refuses to accept payment from those passengers. Done in collaboration with FCB SHOUT, the new ad is titled "Hero" and is part of the bank's long-running brand campaign featuring real inspirational stories of everyday Malaysians who have delivered real progress to local communities.

Ie Tjer Wang, FCB SHOUT's head of creative, explained that this film proved to be one of the toughest yet most fun experiences for everyone that is involved. "It’s not often you get to see the production crew dancing along with the cast on set! The real challenge, however, is striking the balance, having just the right amount of Bollywood-style entertainment without losing the essence of what is truly a remarkable story of progress," Wang added.

According to Wang, the team knew right off the bat that this spot has to be a homage not only to Raveendran as a Malaysian hero but also to the complex nuances that make Indian cinema so beloved around the world. At the same time, it was also fun, because it was such a significant departure from the other RHB festive films in terms of tonality and mood, Wang said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, the group CMO of RHB Bank said that oftentimes, it is these simplest of acts that inspire a wave of positivity and from that, real sustainable progress. "We hope that our telling of Raveendran’s story will lift hearts and put a smile on everyone’s faces this Deepavali,” Sani added.

Sani said RHB believes in "Making Progress Happen for Everyone" and it is the driving inspiration behind all that the bank does. "Times might have changed, but being the people’s ally who believes that progress is for everyone will always be RHB’s North Star. And if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that progress in our society happens every day and is often unheralded," Sani explained.

Ong Shi-Ping, co-owner and chief creative officer of FCB SHOUT added that it was Raveendran’s fondness for Bollywood movies that granted the agency the licence to adopt a unique but relevant tonality for the film. "For ‘Hero’, it was fitting to make it a Bollywood-style piece, as that’s the inspiration behind Raveendran’s acts of charity – which he and our talents definitely pulled off, thanks to their natural flair,” Ong added.

“Authenticity is important in how we tell RHB’s stories. The tone that we set has to fit the narrative and fundamentally, has to be appropriate for the brand. Thoughtlessly doing random things merely to lure viewers into watching is just cheap tricks," Ong esaid.

In February, RHB Banking Group took home the prized title of “Marketer of the Year” at A+M's Marketing Excellence Awards 2021 with eight gold, 10 silver and three bronze trophies.The bank impressed judges with several of its innovative marketing campaigns across several categories, such as Excellence in Advertising, Excellence in Brand Strategy, Excellence in Content Marketing, and Excellence in Loyalty Marketing, among others.Meanwhile, FCB SHOUT also took first place for both “Overall Agency of the Year” and “Overall Local Hero of the Year” at A+M’s Agency of the Year and MARkies 2022.

Separately, starting last year, FCB SHOUT’s brand campaigns for RHB have featured narratives that are aligned with the bank’s ESG initiatives. This series, dubbed  ‘People, Purpose & Progress’,  features ‘The Inner Light’, RHB’s 2021 Deepavali story about Dr. Nisha Thayananthan, a medical doctor on the frontlines of Covid-19 whose dedication and kindness led her to become Miss Earth Malaysia.

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