Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — KFC Malaysia has unveiled its new Parents’ Day campaign, ‘Love in Translation,’ celebrating the unique ways Malaysian parents express their love through food, thoughtful gestures and everyday acts of care rather than words.
Created in partnership with VML Malaysia, the integrated campaign draws on a familiar cultural insight that many Malaysian parents rarely say “I love you” directly. Instead, their affection is often shown through simple questions about whether their children have eaten, preparing favourite meals or quietly looking after the family.
The campaign brings this idea to life through separate experiences for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, combining emotional storytelling with physical brand activations, social content and digital engagement to create a more meaningful celebration of parents.
For Mother’s Day, KFC introduced the limited-edition ‘Beg Mak-Na Sayang,’ a collection of canvas bags featuring some of the country’s most recognisable expressions of parental care, including “Dah Makan Ke Belum?” (Have you eaten yet?) and other familiar phrases that many Malaysians grew up hearing.
The activation was supported by digital films featuring local personalities Elaine Ying, Kirthanah Devi and Yana Azlee alongside their mothers, sharing real stories behind the meals that became expressions of love.
The campaign then shifts its focus to Father’s Day through the ‘Papa Approved’ initiative, which celebrates the quiet ways fathers care for their families, featuring app-exclusive family bundles inspired by different father personalities alongside the ‘Papa Approved Giveaway’ that encourages Malaysians to share messages of appreciation for a chance to win dining vouchers to celebrate together.
Rather than centring the campaign on products alone, KFC uses relatable family behaviours to build stronger emotional connections with consumers across both physical and digital touchpoints, reflecting the brand’s continued investment in culturally relevant storytelling while encouraging greater engagement through its mobile platform and social channels.
“KFC has always been at the heart of Malaysian family gatherings, but we wanted to celebrate Parents’ Day in a way that truly understands the unspoken dynamics of a Malaysian home,” said Hanim Mazam, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC Malaysia.
“By translating the silent love languages of Mums and Dads into tangible keepsakes like our custom canvas bags and tailored app offers, we are proud to give our customers a meaningful, flavor-filled way to say ‘thank you’ to their parents,” added Mazam.
Karen Koay, Head of Digital Experience & CX at VML Malaysia, explained, “With ‘Love in Translation,’ we set out to build a connected experience that translates a beautiful cultural truth into immediate commercial action.”
“By using a ‘Human-First’ approach and leveraging AI-enabled planning through WPP Open to understand localized behavioral cues, we’ve created a campaign that celebrates parents while driving meaningful commerce,” added Koay.
With the ‘Love in Translation’ campaign,’ KFC Malaysia aims to remind consumers that while parents may not always say the words, love is often found in the meals they prepare, the questions they ask and the small everyday moments that bring families together.
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