Family comes first in fast-paced comic Raya ad

TNB chief corporate officer says aim of festive commercial is to show that relationships with family members are sacred and time spent with them should be valued.

VIDEO INSIDE

PETALING JAYA: With the fast pace of life in the city, juggling work and family commitments can be a feat few manage to pull off without losing all semblance of sanity in the process.

In a Hari Raya commercial by Tenaga Nasional Berhad this year, the utility company conveys the message that even without all the festive trimmings usually associated with Hari Raya, the celebrations can be made memorable if family is together.

The humorous commercial titled “Dugaan Raya Aida” (Aida’s Raya Woes), tells the story of professional Aida, bogged down with piles of work at the office, and baking Raya cookies for sale in her spare time to earn extra money to buy her family gifts for Raya.

Having accomplished all she set out to do, we see a rather pleased Aida, about to board the bus back to her hometown, when to her horror she realises that her ticket’s not with her. Distraught, she runs helter-skelter trying to purchase another but being late in the day, all ticket counters are closed.

Just when she bursts into tears at the prospect of not making it home for Raya this year, a friend pulls up in a car and offers to give her a ride home. Stunned but relieved, Aida accepts and while dreaming of the happy reunion with her family on the ride home, suddenly remembers, to her horror once again, that she left all the Raya presents by the roadside…

What will her family say? Will they be upset with her? Alas, they are forgiving, brushing aside their disappointment and reminding a somewhat disheartened Aida that Raya is about family and being together, not presents.

“Aidilftri is about strengthening relationships between family and friends. For this year’s Hari Raya, we seek to convey the message that relationships with family members are sacred and we should always value our time spent with them,” Roslan Ab Rahman, TNB chief corporate officer was quoted by news portal The Drum as saying.

“Tenaga Nasional has always been about brightening people’s lives, and more so during the festive season. And we believe that this humorous take on what many Malaysians can relate to will put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Iska Hashim, group creative director, Leo Burnett Malaysia. -FMT