TamJai SamGor leverages wordplay to promote new dining concept

TamJai SamGor is spicing things up with its wordplay-driver teaser campaign to promote its latest venture Mala Tang by SamGor (三哥燙). Designed to appeal to young, adventurous foodies, the new concept offers a casual, social, and highly customisable dining experience.  

Diners can pick their own ingredients directly from a self-serve food fridge—choosing any quantity and variety of vegetables, meats, seafood, and noodles. They can even choose to cook their noodles themselves or let a TamJai SamGor “JeiJei” (chef) do it for them, making every meal a personalised, hands-on experience. 

The product Mala Tang by SamGor, refers to the combination of soup base of TamJai SamGor (三哥湯) and spiciness (麻辣燙). To build anticipation, the quirky campaign leverages the word 'Tang' (燙), which means 'hot' but also refers to 'perm'. The campaign kicked off with a logo update, featuring TamJai SamGor’s iconic character with permed hair. 

Adding to the mystery, diners in full perming gear were spotted enjoying their meals at Tamjai SamGor, sparking curiosity with the teaser message, "What the ‘perm / tang’ is happening at TamJai SamGor?". 

As speculation grew, TamJai SamGor tapped into the social conversation, adding another clever twist with “Tang” which sounds like "ironing" (熨)—further fueling buzz. The campaign’s humour, creativity, and cultural relevance made it a viral sensation even before the official reveal. 

The campaign was conceptualised by DeGöose, the advertising agency behind TamJai SamGor’s latest launch. The campaign also comes with a new SamGor restaurant at Yoho Plus Yuen Long. The new restaurant elevates Mala Tang concept by combining its signature soup bases, bringing a fresh, interactive dining experience to food lovers. 

“SamGor is all about bold flavours and fun experiences. With our new Mala Tang concept, we open the boundaries of mixian enjoyment and invite diners to customise their bowls to suit their needs and moods, truly catering to our customers while still celebrating the originality of our unique SamGor soup bases.,” said Maggie Sze, marketing director of TamJai SamGor. 

“TamJai SamGor is a brand that dares to have fun. This campaign was all about sparking curiosity, and it worked—we saw incredible engagement even before the reveal,” said Danny Yiu, co-founder of DeGöose.

Don't miss: TamJai SamGor drops single-serve hotpot to celebrate solo dining

TamJai SamGor has long been known for producing quirky and playful campaigns. Most recently, the brand partnered with creative agency Noah Workshop to take Hong Kong’s dining scene by storm with the launch of its single-serve hotpot.  

As part of the campaign, the brand delivered a fresh and personalised take on this all-time local culinary favourite. Customers can choose any of the brand’s eight signature broths for their hotpot to pair with fresh ingredients drawn from the toppings of their beloved mixian noodles.  

Dubbed the Me-“Tam” Hotpot, it celebrated the joy of solo dining with a creative “lone-flame” narrative (其實獨燃一個更開心). This playful approach underscores the brand's hallmark creativity while putting a spotlight on individuality and enjoyment. 

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