Ikano Centres is paying tribute to its Swedish roots with an occasion most Malaysians have never heard of: the Midsummer Festival. This campaign marks the brand’s first collaboration with independent creative agency The Clan.
The Clan’s Executive Creative Director, Yow Kuan Wai, said: “With Malaysia being right on the Equator, our daylight hours are pretty consistent. So we introduced a concept that would be completely alien to Malaysians and therefore a real attention-grabber: perpetual sunlight. In Scandinavian countries like Sweden that are high up in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a remarkable natural phenomenon called the Midnight Sun. At the height of summer, the sun remains visible in the sky practically round the clock. We found it so fascinating, we made it the seed of our campaign idea, the Midsummer Sunsation.”
Head of Copy at The Clan, Teh Sue May, added: “Inspired by the popularity of Bon Odori and other foreign celebrations that are widely embraced here, we realised that Swedish culture is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. We aim for Midsummer to resonate similarly with Malaysians. Our campaign tagline, ‘The sun never sets on your fun,’ is about capturing the endless enjoyment awaiting shoppers.”
The campaign is being rolled out in stages for all Ikano Centres nationwide, which are comprised of IPC, MyTOWN, Toppen, and Klippa shopping centres. First out of the gate is an animated film that illustrates how the Midnight Sun enables Midsummer celebrations. This will be complemented by a spread of comms like on-ground activations, in-store collaterals, and social posts.
Ikano Centres Marketing Manager Karina Kamaruzaman, said: “We are thrilled with this year’s Midsummer celebration and can’t wait for locals to discover the many exciting activities that we have lined up. And for the shoppers, there are loads of hot deals in store. Community-centric experiences like these are very much a part of Ikano Centres’ identity.”
The Midsummer Sunsation campaign will run until July.
