To build awareness amongst Malaysia's Muslim community, Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad (HLISB) took a YouTube-first approach and produced a video in centered around the Malay culture of giving dowry. The first campaign they created was a six-minute video called “Amin eh Mano”, published in November last year.
GOALS
Create awareness among Malays, who represent half of Malaysia's population
Educate consumers on the HLISM mobile banking app (Hong Leong Connect) capabilities, which include simple peer to peer money transfers
APPROACH
Speak to YouTube’s video community, which has 90% reach amongst Malaysians aged 18-351
Create an engaging video that tells a uniquely Malaysian story that viewers could relate to
Placement targeting on top Malay YouTube channels in Malaysia
RESULTS
Over 890,000 views
Reached 33% view through rate
Only MYR0.16 cost per view
Garnered 1.7M Impressions
Outperformed peer benchmark for view rate by 2X
Long form content that speaks to your audience
Relatable content isn't just speaking the language of your target audience; it's also about speaking to them – what tugs at their heartstrings, what makes them laugh, what engages them. ”We set out to first understand the psyche, the likes and dislikes of the typical Malay - from what they eat, what they do, what they listen to, to what they watch,” shares Sairana Mohd Saad, Head of Branding, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility at HLISB. “To hit the majority of the Malay audience, especially when a message is coming from an unknown Chinese brand like Hong Leong, I reckoned that we had to add in some exaggeration to accentuate the message and be seen as a company that understands the core of the Malay culture.”
Thus the Negeri Sembilan dialect was strategically chosen for a localised tone. Weddings, which are a huge part of the Malay culture which emphasizes on kinship, became the subject of the video. The mini drama unfolds in the setting of a Malay kampung (village) - one which the target demographic can easily relate to. “I wanted it to be not just tearjerker ad. It had to have a different touch - one which no other brand ad had,” shares Saad. The success of “Amin eh Mano” is evidence that good long-form digital content is effective in creating viewer engagement.
YouTube Analytics viewer engagement chart shows that after the natural drop-off in the first 5 seconds, most viewers stayed on to watch the video almost to completion. Based on the success of this first video, HLISB is planning a series of YouTube videos as part of their online campaign. “HLISB will continue its series of unique storytelling in the hopes of winning the hearts and minds of our target audience. The stories are all based on teachings of the Qur'an and Hadiths, but most importantly, they are inherently connected with a strong story to the bank's digital technology capabilities,” concludes Saad.
