Malaysia — It is the time of the year again with a heightened interest for IklanRaya and brands and agencies are tinkering to create entertaining videos to capture the attention of audiences. Due to this, Astro embarked on a grand plan to launch a Hari Raya movie instead.
The movie was done in collaboration with Naga DDB Tribal and is entitled ‘Tujuh Hari Di Bawah Matahari’. Directed by acclaimed film director Razaisyam Rashid, the film will be premiering nationwide exclusively on Astro GO on the evening of Hari Raya at 8.30 pm and then on the 3rd day of Raya at 8 pm on Astro RIA, PRIMA, WARNA, CITRA, CERIA. The film will be released on the 6th of May on YouTube as well.
Having a runtime of 21 minutes, the movie is breaking away from the usual formula of Raya TVCs. The movie chronicles the Ramadan journey of the protagonist through hardships; a mirror to the production of the movie which was fraught with hurdles due to the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, like a famous adage once says; most things that are worth doing are hardly ever achieved easily. The arduous journey depicted in ‘Tujuh Hari Di Bawah Matahari’ is a story of perseverance, a celebration of human will, and coming of age.
Erman Basiron, creative group head of Naga DDB Tribal, points out that a story that communicates good values is a story worth telling and that has always been the guiding principle when we work on our festive communication for Astro and any other clients for that matter.
“These days, it is common for the younger generation to gauge success simply through material success and seek validation of their self-worth from peers and society via social media. Caught up in material-world pursuits, it is all too easy to forget the true spirit of Ramadan and Hari Raya,” Basiron said.
Shiraz Faruqi, creative director of Naga DDB Tribal, commented, “This coming-of-age road trip story of a young guy who Balik kampung by cycling 500km with a cat while fasting during Ramadan and learns that “the most important things in life are not things” presents a rich storytelling opportunity that deserves more screen time on a much bigger platform. It simply makes sense for Astro, as the premier Malaysian entertainment content provider, to entertain its audience with a Hari Raya film.”
According to Tammy Toh, director of group marketing and communications of Astro, “Astro has a tradition of harnessing its multiple platforms to open minds for a brighter future. This mission to do good and contribute to the social engineering of the country is an ongoing effort. And the approach is to entertain, enlighten and empower.
Toh adds, “While insightfully tapping into the zeitgeist to entertain our audience, Astro also enlightens and empowers viewers with nuggets of wisdom to shed light on issues and remedy ignorance that currently affect society at large.”
According to an intelligence website platform, there was a marked increase in consumption of content during the period of Ramadan-Raya from April to May 2021. Users also tend to spend longer durations on those sites during each visit. Therefore, it made for a strong case to create content rather than a commercial for the benefit of Astro’s brand equity and business objectives.
Another driving factor behind the decision to ‘upsize’ a Raya TV commercial to a short movie is to appeal to a younger audience. Youth-oriented content is well received on Astro and this gave Naga DDB Tribal the confidence that a coming-of-age story would strike a chord and resonate well with a younger audience. So, instead of running the usual Raya greetings on TV and social media, this year those spots will be filled with trailers to promote the movie.
