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TNB’s latest CNY campaign shows fresh perspective on fortune

Jean Cabico - January 31, 2022

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Malaysia – Electricity giant Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), who is known for its memorable festive advertisements, has just launched a new campaign for the Chinese New Year celebration, aimed at highlighting great fortune and even greater misfortunes.

In collaboration with marketing consulting-meets-agency Entropia, part of Accenture Interactive, the new campaign has the golden touch of Quek Shio Chuan, the veteran Malaysian filmmaker from Reservoir Productions in Kuala Lumpur. It utilises the allure of comedy to draw viewers in and give a light-hearted feel. 

Titled ‘WonderFu Fortune’, the story follows the main character, Aunty Choi, as she becomes the target of a troop of scammers while shopping for her family’s annual Lunar New Year celebrations. Through an elaborate plan involving a series of unfortunate events, these scammers, led by a bogus fortune-teller, convince Aunty Choi her luck for the year is dire. But in a surprising twist of events, revealing the film’s deeper message that ‘true fortune and prosperity lie in the bonds we have with our family’, Aunty Choi’s relatives rally together to overturn her luck in epic proportions.

Cherry Lee, Entropia’s creative director, shared that they tried seeing this festive campaign from a fresh perspective, questioning if it was truly necessary for people to go out of their way to seek fortune, or if fortune can be found much closer to home. 

“Centered around the core thought of good energy, the film aims to inspire Malaysians to share their positivity with those around them,” said Lee. 

Meanwhile, April Toh, Entropia’s principal, noted that brands usually pull out all the stops at this time of the year, tapping on the rich customs and traditions that attract good fortune to the household or protect the family during the Lunar Year.

“And with so many remarkable festive campaigns already in their repertoire, TNB turned to the Entropia team to bring to life their latest vision for the festive period – highlighting the dichotomy of fortune and misfortune in an experience many of us can relate to,” said Toh.

The new film is now available on TNB’s YouTube channel and several major TV channels.