Merdeka Unseen

Cadbury, together with creative partner Ogilvy, has released a touching tribute to the founding of Malaysia with the launch of the Merdeka campaign - “Merdeka Unseen”- that uses technology to take audiences on a sentimental journey through history.

Merdeka, or Malaysia Independence Day, is increasingly being viewed as just another public holiday especially by younger Malaysians despite its significance. This year, Cadbury and Ogilvy joined forces to create a film that would encourage Malaysians to look at Merdeka differently and in turn, change the way they celebrate this significant day in the history of Malaysia.

For 65 years, the topic of Merdeka has centered around the iconic speech of Tunku Abdul Rahman. It's been studied in schools and plastered across advertising campaigns nationwide. But Merdeka is more than just that speech. Through the use of technology, the film brought to life the many symbolic moments that happened that same day, defining the spirit of what it means to be Malaysian.

Rather than produce a film with a fictional story, the film features Johan, a gentleman that was present during that iconic Merdeka Day in 1957 and brought him back to the stadium to relive that experience. Poignant moments were recreated from his memories from that very day. In real-time, as he walked through the stadium, memories were projected onto the seats where those moments happened. Through Johan’s memories of Merdeka, the film serves as a reminder that generosity has always been at the heart of the Malaysian spirit and when we all take the time to look, we can find goodness everywhere around us.