Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In commemoration of the upcoming Kebangsaan (Independence Day) and Hari Malaysia (Malaysia Day) celebrations, banking company RHB has launched a Merdeka celebration-themed campaign to showcase the message of unity and love for the country, despite different beliefs and cultures.

The campaign, conceptualised alongside FCB SHOUT, shows a charming story about a group of school children who found themselves at odds with one another after being tasked to work together to paint a mural for their school.

Further into ad, the students find themselves in a debacle of one-upmanship, verbal disagreements and even physical altercations. However, when a catastrophic force threatened to derail and destroy the entire project, what divided the students quickly became what united them in the end.

Speaking about the campaign launch, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, chief marketing officer of RHB Group, said, “This film is an incredible reflection of the Malaysian spirit and RHB’s brand belief of ‘Together We Progress’. Living in this multi-racial, multi-cultural and democratic country, it’s inevitable that we find ourselves disagreeing with one another time after time. But, at the end of the day, we all want what’s best for Malaysia because it is a home that we share.” 

He added, “And like true siblings, we always put aside our differences, come together and stand up for one another whenever adversity strikes. That’s just who we are as Malaysians, and often, it’s this quality we possess that has helped us weather many storms since our independence 65 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Wang Ie Tjer, head of creative at FCB SHOUT, commented, “Malaysia, being such a diverse nation, has an inevitably complex social fabric. Hence, we are delighted to be able to capture the essence of what national celebrations mean to us with such a simple, meaningful and uplifting spot. Huge appreciation to our production partners at PRS Films and GT Records for helping us bring this beautiful story to life.”

Lastly, Ong Shi Ping, co-owner and chief creative officer at FCB SHOUT, said, “The past 2.5 years of challenging times have proven that Malaysians will always rise to the occasion together when it matters most, and we hope this film serves as a timely reminder for us to continue upholding our unique brand of unity.”

The ad was launched on 8 August 2022 and is currently playing across all RHB Bank’s social and digital channels.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia As Malaysians celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan last 13 May, brands of various industries have launched each of their unique campaigns to come in solidarity with Muslims in Malaysia, and commemorate Hari Raya.

YouTube in Malaysia has just launched the year’s top 10 Ramadan-Raya ads that have touched the hearts of many viewers, where the list was based on factors such as organic and paid views, watch time, and audience retention.

1. Tenaga Nasional Berhad: TNB Raya 2021: Hikmah Raya Aida

For this year’s Raya, Malaysia’s electric utility giant Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) released a quirky short film, featuring the brand’s well-loved character, Aida, who came to realize that ‘family time’ is the most important treasure in life.

2. Etiqa: Etiqa 2021 Raya – Balik Tanjung Mana?

Through a married couple-themed ad, insurance and takaful business firm Etiqa in the country reminded its viewers of the value of ‘togetherness’ this Raya.

3. Watsons Malaysia: Watsons Raya 2021 #RayaUnikRayaIkonik

In a musical short film, health and beauty retailer Watsons in Malaysia introduced the unique family of Ayda Jebat and Nabil, embracing each other’s differences to have an iconic, unforgettable Aidilfitri.

4. MR DIY: Iklan Raya MR.DIY 2021: Kerana Azman

Household products retailer MR DIY inspired viewers with a heart-warming campaign that highlights ‘self-worth’.

5. Lazada Malaysia: Lazada Ada Sentuhan Raya 5.5

In line with e-commerce platform Lazada’s 5.5 Sale, the app released some amazing deals and ‘lowest price guaranteed’ promise for its customers.

6. Petronas: PETRONAS RAYA 2021: Syukur Raya

Narrated by a singing dove, the short animated film by the country’s oil and gas company Petronas Malaysia presented a fun and cheeky story of compassion.

7. RHB Group: RHB Group Raya 2021: Sempurna

Malaysian financial service company RHB Group showed its support to the deaf community through a Raya ad that tells the true story of a girl, who shares videos of herself performing sign language song covers, despite suffering from a hearing disability.

8. Saji Malaysia: Iklan Raya SAJI 2021: Mangkuk Tingkat Mak Teh

Cooking oil brand Saji celebrated Ramadan through a heart-rending campaign, highlighting a wife’s longingness for her husband.

9. Julie’s Biscuits: Ini Iklan Raya, tau?!

Through a comic yet meaningful campaign, biscuit brand Julie’s Biscuits made use of typical Raya ad scenarios to encourage its consumers to show more appreciation towards women.

10. Shopee Malaysia: 2021 5.5 Raya TVC

In a 15-second sing and dance video, Shopee in Malaysia introduced its Ramadan and 5.5 Sale which offered shoppers free shipping with no minimum spend.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the Chinese New Year draws near, Malaysia-based RHB Bank has released its Chinese New Year-themed film ad titled ‘Love Carries On’, a tear-jerker story centered on the importance of parental love.

Based on the true story of a father and daughter from Sibu, Sarawak, the film focuses on the graduation speech of Ngu Nyok Ping, the daughter, as she reflects on the past memories she had with her father carrying her in his back. Due to her disability, rendering her unable to walk, her father has been constantly carrying her to school so that she can continue receiving education. The film also showed the father-daughter tandem enjoying the passing of Chinese New Year festivities each year.

Despite the threat of the disability to Nyok Ping’s future, the film showed how her father’s incredible actions of love paid off, helping her obtain her master’s degree. Today, Nyok Ping dedicates her life to helping fellow disabled members of her community. 

The real life version of the characters in the film, (left) Ngu Ee Kiong, the father and (center) Ngu Nyok Ping, the daughter, seen here after her 2016 graduation of her master’s degree from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

“There may be times we find ourselves faced with an obstacle too big to overcome on our own or a dream too far for us to reach, but with the unconditional support and love from those around us, we will realize that we’re never truly alone in our journeys. It’s in them that we will find the strength to progress and succeed,” said Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, group chief marketing officer of RHB Group.

“That message is the bedrock of this film, and it’s especially relevant now because even as we are preparing to usher in the Chinese New Year, many of us are still faced with the waves of challenges brought upon by the pandemic. This spot aims to remind Malaysians that they’re never alone during these times, and it encapsulates what RHB’s brand promise of ‘Together We Progress’ means amazingly well,” added Murad.

The film, created by advertising agency FCB Malaysia, has been shared across RHB Bank’s social media pages. To date, the film has raked in more than six million views, 15,000 likes, and 1,500 shares across RHB’s social media platforms.

For FCB Malaysia creative director Tjer Wang, the story is described to be “unbelievably out of this world and profound.” The agency made sure that as the story is being adapted, the core message remains. 

“We spent a good amount of time on fact-checking just to ensure that it was real and not fiction. It was retold and reimagined just as beautifully in the most effortless manner, despite the tremendous amount of depth that it carries,” Wang stated.

Meanwhile, Ong Shi Ping, co-owner and chief creative officer of FCB Malaysia commented that the film speaks to a deeper meaning of parental love, stating that the film showed a parent’s determination to lead his child in the right direction despite the given circumstances.

“Not only did this amazing dad keep his belief in his daughter’s capabilities, he also did what not many people could or would do to guide her in finding her own place in the world. And because of that, Ms. Ngu managed to achieve the kind of success that most of us can only dream of. It’s a truly remarkable story about progress,” Ping stated.