Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As Malaysia basked in the joyous celebration of Hari Raya, Apple has launched its latest campaign focusing on the innovative Face ID technology of the iPhone 15. Set against the backdrop of familial gatherings during this joyous occasion, the campaign humorously addresses the age-old dynamics of family privacy intrusion, particularly among the younger generation.
For this campaign, Apple tapped its bespoke advertising agency, TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore, to create a campaign film that will run across TV, TVO, cinema, digital, and social.
MARKETECH APAC spoke exclusively with the team at TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore to learn more about the agency’s creative strategy for this campaign and how it effectively leverages the cultural significance of Hari Raya to resonate with Malaysian audiences.
Unlocking the campaign
In the heart of the campaign lies the scenario titled “Nice Try!” where a bustling Hari Raya dinner becomes the stage for familial antics.
As an abandoned pink iPhone flickers to life with message notifications, a nosy aunt seizes the opportunity to peek into her niece’s private affairs in an attempt to investigate the romantic texts the niece is getting from her secret boyfriend.
However, she is immediately stopped by the phone’s Face ID security feature. What follows is a comedic, yet futile attempt by other family members to crack into the device.
The campaign pokes fun at overprotective elders who are eager to know what’s going on in their young ones’ lives. It also aligns with Apple’s broader campaign titled ‘Relax, It’s iPhone’ that highlights the benefits of owning the latest phone device.
TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore’s creative strategy is to put a spotlight on teenagers, the generation who arguably place the most value on their privacy today. The team wanted to show that, in a family gathering as big as Hari Raya, while sharing, caring, love, and respect are important, privacy is as well.
“Remember how we used to put padlocks on our diaries so our overprotective parents couldn’t get into them? These days, the phone isn’t just a teenager’s diary; it’s their social life, their identity, and much, much more. You can imagine how badly a concerned parent in 2024 would want to get into their teenage child’s phone,” the agency explained.
Connecting through humour and charm
Central to the campaign’s narrative is the cultural backdrop of Hari Raya, one of Malaysia’s most significant religious festivals. Leveraging the idea of typical familial gatherings and the inevitable barrage of inquiries that accompany them, TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore ensured that the campaign would resonate with Malaysian audiences on a deeply relatable level.
Employing meticulous casting to ensure authentic portrayals of the characters in the film, the campaign worked to capture the essence of the quintessential ‘aunty’ figure that every Malaysian knows and relates to.
The agency shared, “There is always that one aunty you’d see only once a year at Hari Raya. She’d corner you and won’t stop interrogating you until she knows everything. We knew every Malaysian would recognise that character, and our most important task was to get the casting and performance right.”
Another important note is that while the campaign addresses the universal theme of privacy invasion, it does so with a touch of humour and charm.
TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore made sure that the aunties or any of the relatives weren’t portrayed as villains. Rather, the campaign portrays them as well-intentioned individuals expressing concern for their loved ones—a subtle nod to the cultural norms of familial care prevalent during Hari Raya.
By striking this delicate balance, the campaign succeeds in eliciting laughter while fostering a sense of familiarity and connection with the audience.
