By The Malketeer
It’s 8:00pm.
The golden hour ruled by prime-time TVCs.
But is your Gen Z customer still watching Buletin Utama?
Surprisingly, yes.
According to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (1 Jan-23 May 2025), Buletin Utama saw a 17% spike in Gen Z viewers – over 680,000 of them. Total viewership? A solid 3.1 million.
Meanwhile, Buletin TV3’s YouTube channel averaged 2.6 million views (Jan–June 2025), much of it from Gen Z.
But even as they’re tuning in, they’re also diving into TikTok rabbit holes.
Laughing at a cat that sounds like it’s ordering teh tarik.
Watching someone flip roti canai like they’re auditioning for a Marvel film.
And if your million-ringgit ad doesn’t stop the scroll in the first 3 seconds? It’s already lost.
From Astro Prime Time to TikTok Snack Time
For decades, the Malaysian marketing playbook was predictable:
But Gen Z has gotten fickle.
They’re watching, sure but on the LRT, in the toilet, in bed at 3:00am.
With the sound off.
While multitasking.
You think they’ll wait for a full storyline to unfold?
If you don’t grab them by the second beat, they’re already swiping to someone making nasi lemak using a hairdryer!
In short: TV is still around, but TikTok owns time and attention.
What’s a Legacy Brand to Do?
The shift isn’t just about platform — it’s about culture.
TikTok isn’t a media channel.
It’s a full-blown ecosystem of inside jokes, hyper-niche subcultures, chaotic edits, and algorithmic sorcery.
A place where authenticity trumps polish.
Where lo-fi is the new luxe.
So yes, your ayam goreng ad can — and should — live there.
But you need to stop thinking like a traditional marketer, and start thinking like a creator.
Here’s how:
1. Forget Control — Embrace the Chaos
Gen Z doesn’t want perfect.
They want real. That means:
Take myBurgerLab, for example.
Their TikToks show messy cheese pulls, kitchen chaos, and customers doing taste tests — all raw, funny, and relatable.
No million-dollar budget, but millions of impressions.
2. From Message to Meme
A classic TVC wants to convey a clear message.
TikTok?
It wants to become a moment.
Don’t sell sambal.
Start a sambal dance challenge.
Don’t tell us your drink is refreshing — get a makcik to sip it and break into a TikTok remix of “Feeling Good.”
The goal isn’t comprehension.
It’s conversation.
Make your brand a meme, not a monologue.
3. Collab, Don’t Command
TikTok thrives on creators.
Not influencers with curated feeds but creators who speak the native language of virality.
The funny uncle, the Gen Z girl ranting about traffic, the guy who reviews mamak stalls in full suit.
Let them take the mic.
Give them your product, not your script.
Watch what magic happens.
The moment brands loosen the grip and hand the reins to creators, the content flies.
And more importantly, it connects.
4. Be Local, Be Now
TikTok is Malaysia’s real-time barometer.
From floods to political satire to durian drama, it pulses with the rakyat’s mood.
Legacy brands love evergreen messages.
But TikTok thrives on timeliness.
Jump on trends.
React to cultural moments.
Localise content with Manglish, dialects, slang.
Be the brand that laughs with Malaysians not just at boardroom jokes.
Remember: a Hari Raya ad on TikTok doesn’t need to be a tearjerker.
It just needs to get it.
5. Your Metrics Need a Makeover
Still obsessing over GRPs and reach?
Time to add these KPIs to your dashboard:
In the TikTok economy, a 15-second video with RM300 in boosted spend can outperform a six-figure TVC if it hits the right nerve.
The metric isn’t how many people saw it.
It’s how many people felt it.
But Is TV Really Dead?
Not quite.
Traditional TV still holds value — especially for mass-reach campaigns, older demographics, or prestige positioning.
But it’s no longer the main dish.
It’s the side order.
Think of it this way: TV tells.
TikTok talks back.
And in a world of audience participation, talkability beats tradition.
Mamak Tables Are Digital Now
Malaysians used to discuss ads over teh tarik.
Now, they share them on TikTok before the glass even lands.
The mamak table has gone digital and if your brand isn’t sitting at it, you’re being left out of the conversation.
So go ahead, marketers.
Swap your storyboard for a scroll board.
Let your ayam goreng ad dance, laugh, and spill a little sambal.
Because in 2025, it’s not the loudest ad that wins.
It’s the one that belongs on your For You Page.
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