The hunt for happiness during challenging times – FCB’s first campaign for Berjaya Sompo

FCB Malaysia’s first campaign for Berjaya Sompo Insurance, ‘Talitha’s Hunt for Happiness’, made its debut on YouTube today.

The campaign features singer-songwriter Talitha Tan in a 3-part web series alongside guest appearances by 2017 SEA Games football hero Thanabalan, F&B entrepreneur Michelle Pong of Mei by Fat Spoon, and Adian Yein, Founder & Principal of MSF Racing. 

“With the pandemic dictating that we spend more time indoors with reduced interaction with the external environment, there will be an effect on our mental health,” said Head of Brand, Marketing Communications & CX for Berjaya Sompo Insurance, Mawarni Adam. “According to a recent study too, 88% of Malaysians have developed high levels of anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.” 

In light of this, Mawarni said finding new ways to be happy restricted movement during this crisis will require some resilience and creativity, which is the premise of their campaign.

From dabbling in Japanese-inspired cookery, practicing living room dribbling drills to driving a virtual race car, Talitha discovers new ways of enjoying life whilst adhering to the social practices of the new normal in each episode. To produce the web-series, FCB teamed up with Jin Lim and JinnyboyTV.

“From the get-go, we knew we didn’t want to roll out just another influencer marketing campaign that was void of any substance and heavily dependent on the popularity of the talents,” said Creative Director of FCB Malaysia, Tjer. “So, our game plan was to put content above everything else – and it has to be as authentic, unscripted and relatable as possible.” 

Tjer also said that the universal truths and insights that stemmed from their own personal experience of searching for happiness during the new normal is what made the campaign interesting. 

The campaign is one of two major campaigns won by FCB Malaysia in separate pitches. According to Mawarni, the team at Berjaya Sompo Insurance went on a search for an integrated agency that could create campaigns that focused on the element of happiness during these tough times. 

“We selected FCB because of their content-centric approach that goes beyond just a film with influencers, their deep understanding of the nature of our business, and their flexibility in adjusting to our demands in response to the crisis while always keeping our brand promise as the focal point in their creative strategy,” Mawarni said.