CIMB and Ogilvy’s message of gratefulness this Hari Raya

Hari Raya is a time of reflection and celebration; a time when children make special effort to seek forgiveness from their parents and elders; and everyone welcomes the new year afresh. 

But does that mean children have cornered the act of seeking forgiveness? CIMB and Ogilvy Malaysia looked at this practice and understand the reality is that at some point, everyone, may feel the need to seek forgiveness for something they did or did not do.

This is the foundation of the film ‘Seribu Erti Kesyukuran’ (The True Meaning of Gratitude) which depicts the journey of a family’s struggle, where mother and daughter emerge stronger because they both seek forgiveness and are grateful for each other. 

Released in conjunction with Hari Raya, the film follows the simple and heartwarming world of a baker and her ambitious daughter. The mother tries hard to keep her promises, and ultimately seeks forgiveness when she is unable to do so. The daughter is nevertheless understanding and grateful for her mother’s hard work and love.

Together, they vow to always keep trying and hope for a better future together. Through this film, CIMB shines a spotlight on the act of ‘forgiveness’ – making it a virtue of everyone, young and old. Beyond the film, the campaign aims to nudge Malaysians to think about the special people in their lives who have given them their all, even when they didn’t have much to give.

To encourage Malaysians to do just that, the campaign uses #ErtiKesyukuran, a platform for Malaysians to express their gratitude to someone through social dedications. 60 entries with the most compelling stories will be rewarded with grand prizes to be shared with the person for which they are grateful. 

 Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah, CIMB Group Chief Marketing Officer, CIMB said, “Beyond the celebrations and togetherness, the spirit of Hari Raya is strongly rooted in forgiveness and gratitude. The insight that age has nothing to do with seeking forgiveness gave us the impetus to explore this story of a mother and daughter.

Inspired by real life stories, any parent or child can relate to this story full of beautiful little moments. Every parent carries the weight of their children’s expectations in wanting to provide the best for them.

“If we are grateful for who is in our lives and never give up on them, there’s always hope for tomorrow. In that spirit of gratefulness, CIMB wishes Salam Aidilfitri to all Malaysians.” 

Kurt Novack, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Malaysia, said, “We believe that the future is always full of hope. Although the present may be a struggle at times, the flame of hope must always be kept alive for a better tomorrow. It takes strong bonds to help us see the many reasons we should be grateful. This is our story.” 

This campaign marks the second festive campaign collaboration between CIMB and Ogilvy following the Chinese New Year campaign earlier this year which told a story on the beauty of imperfections with “You-Sang, We-Sang”. 

Nizwani Shahar, Co-Chief Executive at Ogilvy Malaysia, added “We are proud to work with CIMB on their festive campaigns. For Hari Raya, we wanted to share a simple story of the true meaning of progress through gratitude and forgiveness.

“We hope to inspire all Malaysians to move forward with what we have achieved, no matter how big or small.”

CREDITS: ECD: Kurt Novack Creative Director: Pashyn SethnaArt Directors: Michele Wong, Sara Chong Copywriters: Raina Rahman, Naomi Hon, Sheena SidhuCo-CEO: Nizwani ShaharAccount Management:  Melanie Mei, Denise Lee, Helena Siew Head of CE & C: Tanner Nagib Program Director: Julie SawAV: Eric Yan, Loo Seng Tuck Film Director: Maurice Noone Executive Producer: Patminder Singh Director of Photography: Zainudin Mohamed Producer: Heng Deshen Audio Production: Two AM Post Production: APV *