Chope: Commercial Independence

The Americans have Superbowl, we have Merdeka. Though the biggest game of the American football season has little in common with our annual flag-waving ceremony, the two national events do share something similar—advertising agencies seem to work overtime for both occasions.

The annual feel-good extravaganza that are Merdeka television commercials have become, in the past decade, very much a part of modern Malaysian life, like whining about the state of our football (but keeping the same incompetents in charge) and breaking records involving obscene amounts of food (longest lemang, anyone?).

The popularity of Merdeka TV ads can be traced back to the Petronas ones, which made Yasmin Ahmad a household name even before Sepet. In fact, it could be said that the director set a certain standard with her works, not to mention a template of sorts.

There are certain elements essential to most Merdeka ads. Patriotism, of course, is key. How far the country's come since 1957 is also very important. And of course, there must be emphasis on the multi-racial nature of our country. Merdeka is probably the only time minority characters get to appear on television.

It's ironic how the Internet has made people watch actively seek advertisements, something they used to regard as annoying on television. Thanks to video-sharing sites, television commercials are now enjoyed at any time, without having to deal with the annoyance of actual programming. So while both Merdeka and Malaysia Day are long over, you can still catch many of the ads like it was still August 30. Unless otherwise stated, they can be found on YouTube via a quick search:

Unity Band (ub50.com.my/video.htm)
The wristband craze might have died down years ago, but thanks to Malaysian time, it's never too late for a little rubber love. A politically correct assortment of Malaysians help promote this glorified red rubber band by telling us what they think of when they think of Malaysia. "Durian," "Tunku Abdul Rahman," and, uh, "Sempoi," among others. Awkwardly produced, with pronunciations all over the place, and some of the most annoying caricatures of Malaysians I've seen in awhile, it's enough to make me want to emigrate.

CIMB
Simple, classy and introspective. The CIMB spot is probably not going to be the most talked about, but it works to point. It's just a wonder if the bank is aware that, "Ahh, such a fulfilling life" might not be the most appropriate for the newest local bank brand name.

TV3
Kids playing soldiers ridicule a girl when she tries to join. Why she wants to be part of what looks like a terribly dull game is hard to figure out. At least we have the option of not watching this overlong commercial. Surprise, surprise, she turns out to be in the army when all grown up while the boy who made fun of her is now a street sweeper. The message, I assume, is a combination of many: soldiers are good, don't let others stop you from living out your dreams, and maybe, that stupid boys will end up street sweepers. All of which could have been delivered in 30 seconds or less, really.

Petronas (petronasmerdeka50.com)
Commercials, especially Merdeka ones, sometimes think of themselves as short films. Which might explain how ambitious and complicated some of them have become. The boatman ad, more than three minutes in length, is a perfect example of why ads should never forget their purpose—the message should be immediate. The other series of Petronas ads featuring candid conversations with school children, however, were succinct, and as judged from the hype, massive hits. Of course, letting children be children, cute and devoid of any cynicism, is guaranteed to win marks with any audience.

Maybank
As mentioned before, minorities are only in high demand during Merdeka. This Maybank commercial shows a young Iban girl who grows up in the remote part of Sarawak and ends up in university in London. There's little mention of Merdeka, but presumably it is trying to say that if Maybank can have a branch in the former colonial masters' capital city, Malaysia can achieve anything. The most interesting part of the commercial is its predominant use of the Iban dialect. The fact that seeing a minority Malaysian on TV is a big deal. But what about the rest of the year?

DiGi
DiGi chooses a simpler route by featuring a selection of talking heads saying what "merdeka" means to them. Nothing really exciting, except for the one line at the end: "time for change." But, Merdeka commercials aren't about change, they're about making us feel all proud of our accomplishments and the fact that the different races haven't killed each other yet. Which begs the question, is DiGi advocating a vote for the opposition this Merdeka? Or just a switch from Maxis?

TEXT Brian Yap