Time opens up its heart to criticism in satirical Raya film

This Raya, internet provider Time has opened up its ears and heart to haters. In its festive film "Rumah terbuka kabel besar" ('Big cable's open house'), Time flipped the traditional open house on its head by turning it into a platform for customers to air their honest thoughts. 

Fronted by a character named Dato KB, the face of Syarikat Kabel Besar (Big cable company), the film mixes satire with sincerity, showcasing a bold commitment to raising industry standards while keeping it all authentically Malaysian. It also makes critiques the centerpiece of its story, with each comment met with accountability and real promises of change. Behind the laughs and festive cheer, the brand's message is crystal clear: feedback fuels progress. 

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In the spot, customers of the cable company proudly share positive reviews in hopes of impressing KB. However, KB doesn't want to shy away from criticisms and asks customers to share honest thoughts. One by one, customers share reviews of slow installations, weak routers and poor coverage. KB tackles these concerns head-on and thanks them for sharing their honest reviews, saying that Hari Raya is not about having the biggest open house, but it's about having an open heart to listen reflect and improve. The spot ends with KB dancing down the pink carpet. 

“This isn’t just a Raya ad. It’s a real-time response to what Malaysians are telling us," said Adeline Chong, head of B2C segment, activations and partnerships at Time.

“We’ve always listened, but this year, we’re showing how we’re acting on it, from faster installations to stronger WiFi with WiFi 7. The big open house is symbolic, but our open heart is real. To everyone who’s ever left a comment, good or bad, ti-me kasih ('Thank you')," added Chong. 

The campaign was created in partnership with Fishermen Integrated, Graph Studio and Two AM Music. 

“We knew we had to break the Raya ad mould. The telco industry catches a lot of heat, some fair, some not, but Time had the guts to turn all that into the heart of the campaign. It’s not easy to laugh at yourself during a festive season, but it’s even harder to own up and improve," said Andrew Perera, creative director at Fishermen Integrated. 

Meanwhile, in August last year, Time released two brand films to showcase the benefits of WiFi 7 by comparing it to resolving everyday Internet dramas.

The first film, titled "Jurang antara dua darjat" ('Two degrees of separation'), sees a young lady informing her father that she wishes to marry her partner. Her father who first disapproves of the marriage, changed his mind when he's moved by stable internet connectivity. 

The second film, "Cinta Paranormal" ('Paranormal Love'), sees a man seeking help from a shaman, played by actor Chew Kin Wah. The man says he gets glimpses of his ghost lover but is unable to fully see her. He later reveals a WiFi 7 router that is able to sharpen the ghost lover from a mere glitch to 8k quality. 

Join us this coming 21 May for #Content360, an extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging the norm; Conquering Media Fragmentation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!   

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