KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — It is the time of the year again with a heightened interest for #IklanRaya and as brands and agencies dish out all types of entertaining videos on social media to capture the audience’s attention on social media, Astro in partnership with Naga DDB Tribal has embarked on a grand plan to launch a Hari Raya movie instead.
Titled “Tujuh Hari Di Bawah Matahari”, the 21-minute short film directed by acclaimed film director Razaisyam Rashid will be premiering nationwide exclusively on Astro GO on the eve of Hari Raya at 8.30pm and then on the 3 rd day of Raya at 8pm on Astro RIA, PRIMA, WARNA, CITRA, CERIA. The film will be released on the 6th of May on YouTube as well.
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.”
According to SimilarWeb, there is a marked increase in consumption of content during the period of Ramadan-Raya from April to May 2021 – a notable 23% on desktop and 13.82% on mobile. 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.
“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” adds Shiraz Faruqi, Creative Director, Naga DDB Tribal.
“It simply makes sense for Astro, as the premier Malaysian entertainment content provider, to entertain its audience with a Hari Raya film.”
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.
Breaking away from the tested and proven format of Raya TVC’s was no easy task and fraught with numerous challenges made more difficult due to the ever-present consequences of Covid-19. This rings true to the adage that most things that are worth doing are hardly ever achieved easily.
In a classic case of life imitating art, the arduous journey depicted in “Tujuh Hari Di Bawah Matahari” also turned out to be a monumental task to shoot that tested the mettle of the cast and crew. But just like in the story, they persevered. Though spirits were battered, they were never broken, thanks to the team sticking together through thick and thin. And at the end of it all, spirits were rekindled and the team came back with a renewed sense of hope.
According to Tammy Toh, Director of Group Marketing and Communications, “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. 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.”
After 2 years of not being able to properly celebrate Hari Raya, Astro seeks to rekindle the spirit of Aidilfitri by restoring faith and hope in ourselves with this heartwarming tale.
