Purple makes a difference, and it only took smiles

“Purple makes a difference and it only took smiles” was first published in MARKETING WEEKENDER Issue 340

By Raihan Hadi

#MySenyum – the happiest campaign of Malaysia by MCIS Life, recently closed its curtains with an ocean full of smiles.

Launched as a public engagement contest with an expected 2,000 entries earlier this year, the campaign was received so well by Malaysians wanting to help their fellow citizens that the deadline was not only extended twice, but the overall participation also increased nearly threefold.

What was the contest about?

Bearing the phrase ‘#MySenyum Detik Keriangan Bersama’ and a website address, the bright purple billboards were part of a niche marketing campaign by MCIS Life with a powerful underlying message – a reminder for all Malaysians to smile.

The innovative campaign, an expression of MCIS Life’s brand ethos of #PeopleHelpingPeople, was the result of a collaboration with several media owners.

The promise was simple: submit a smile, and for the first 2,000 submissions MCIS Life pledged RM5 each to be donated to two charities – KitaJaga.co and Lighthouse Children Welfare Home Association. This meant that the two charities were to receive RM 5,000 each. 

Based on the response – a whopping 5,715 entries – the deadline was extended from the original 6 weeks to 8 weeks in order to allow more people to send in their submissions. 

Furthermore, based on the final number of entries received, MCIS Life doubled its initial pledge and handed over RM10,000 to each of the charities in late July 2022.

On the contest’s purpose and choice of charities, Ragunath Murthy, Chief Distribution and Marketing Officer of MCIS Life says, “For the past two years, almost everyone missed out on watching each other smile, so we took this opportunity to change that.”

“Kitajaga.co has been providing humanitarian aid to Malaysians for some time now, and Lighthouse Children Welfare Home Association relentlessly works on building a better future for kids. These causes are aligned with our values; hence we chose to assist them through our campaign.”

Encik Reza Razali, Custodian, kitajaga.co: “In running kitajaga.co, we have seen people from all walks of life offering help with whatever they have and making a positive impact on Malaysians. This includes a small act of kindness like a smile. It is the small acts that add up and make a big difference.”

Michelle Tan, Co-founder, INFLUASIA SDN BHD: “A smile actually is a very important tool to connect you with strangers. Usually when you smile at someone, 99% of the time they will smile back.”

Jacinta Steven, Vice Chairperson, Lighthouse Children Welfare Home Association: “A smile can say a lot of things that you can’t express in words.”

Top 20 #MySenyum Winners

I love my house. A smile from sea gypsy’s young boy in Semporna, Sabah – by Nazri Sulaiman

Smile and lift up your spirit – by Intan Binti Mat

Mulakan hari anda dengan senyuman – by Mohammad Faris Bin Mohd Noor Azmi

Every smile that you give to others is an act of love. – by Aida Syakirah Wahab

A smile on your face portrays how happy your heart is! – by Nik Zulshahira Binti Nik Li

Happiness is to have a clear and healthy mind and be HAPPY. – by Mohamed Nazri Bin Mohamed Tahir

Pengembala. Mungkin hidupmu bukan suatu alasan untuk membuat kamu tersenyum. Namun, mungkin juga senyum mu adalah suatu alasan untuk orang lain terus hidup. – by Mohamad Naqiuddin bin Zakaria

They need our help to achieve their ambitions, keep smiling until they succeed. – by Faradilla Binti Eamy Jaar

A SMILE from a child is packaged sunshine & rainbow – by Kong Chen Tau

Senyuman berbangga menjadi anak malaysia. – by Mohd Naim Bin Tastik

I senyum U senyum. A simple smile is start from Me & U – by Huang Wei Zhang

“Our friendship started with a smile and through a smile we created wonderful memories together.” – by Mohd Muhiyadim Bin Mohamad Yusoff (Contestant has removed the post at the time of publishing this article)

“It is so beautiful when the whole family always keeps smiling and supporting each other”  – by Mandy Lee Lee Yoke Chin (Contestant has removed the post at the time of publishing this article)

Loyalty, selflessness and kindness brings joy and smiles in our 50 years of life together. – by Lim Goh Chit

Super Senyum datang menyelamat!! – by Farissa Azreen Fauzi

Nikmati hidupmu dengan senyuman, kerana itu akan membuat setiap hariMu menjadi sangat indah dan bahagia. – by Muhammad Faris Bin Md Rashid @ Yusoff

Smile. All people smile in the same language. Count your age by friends, not years. – by Nurazryn Arysha binti Muhammad Zaidi

Smile more to create a happier Malaysian community – by Goh Yong Hooi

Let’s start the beautiful circle of happiness by giving a smile to the world. – by Lee Mei Mei

Senyum seindah suria, yg membawa cahaya… Senyumlah dari hati.. Duniamu berseri… This song keeps playing on my mind.. Do something that makes you or others smile today – by Angeline Ng Geok Kee

Where to from here?

MySenyum has proven to be a great success for MCIS Life this year. A company that aims to help people by uniting them is something every country needs in this post-pandemic grey world – and what a colourful way this has been with happy faces everywhere, providing courage we could all use.

After such an impactful campaign that has brought Malaysians from all over the country together for a great cause, MCIS Life is now considering a number of other marketing strategies to grow the brand in the coming years.