How a festive series strengthened Air Selangor’s connection with Malaysians

This post is sponsored by Air Selangor.

In 2024, Pengurusan Air Selangor (Air Selangor) introduced a fresh, people-centred approach, to its communications. Instead of focusing on corporate milestones or operational updates, the water utility chose to highlight the moments that bring Malaysians together – stories of family, culture, and the festive rituals that anchor daily life.

The shift came through “Sayang” (which translates to love or affection) where a festive short film series was released throughout 2024. The idea was simple, but intentional, to speak to Malaysians not as utility users, but as people with traditions, routines, and moments that shape their everyday lives.

Air Selangor, which supplies treated water to 9.62 million people across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, operates at a scale comparable to some of the region’s major urban water utilities such as PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, and the Sydney Water Corporation in Australia. Both of which serve dense and diverse urban populations.

The creative direction for Sayang was guided by Air Selangor’s target audience – digitally engaged Malaysians aged 20 to 55 who value family, culture and festive traditions. These insights shaped the decision to build the campaign around culturally familiar themes that align with how this audience connects and communicates online.

Rather than releasing a standard festive greeting, Air Selangor developed a suite of cinematic shorts built around the AIDA model: awareness, interest, desire and action. Each film aligned with a major Malaysian celebration such as Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, National Day and Deepavali. The narratives leaned into familiar themes of reunion, forgiveness, unity and family bonds – emotions that cut across communities.

Influencer partnerships were curated to fit the tone of each festival. Lifestyle creators supported the Lunar New Year releases, family and fashion personalities amplified Eid content, patriotic voices carried National Day messages, and Indian cultural influencers anchored the Deepavali storytelling. This approach allowed the films to reach audiences beyond the utility’s existing follower base.

Throughout the campaign, water was kept intentionally subtle. It appeared only in the way Malaysians naturally interact with it – preparing meals, hosting guests or cleansing before prayers. The creative decision helped humanise the brand, presenting Air Selangor as a quiet companion to the rhythms of daily life rather than the focal point of the story.

Distribution was executed with similar care. The films were launched across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with programmatic placements extending the reach via the Air Selangor mobile app.

Around 200,000 customers received the content via email and WhatsApp broadcasts, while internal platforms such as SharePoint and Viva Engage enabled staff to amplify visibility organically. A tiered group of influencers, from national creators to smaller community voices, provided additional momentum.

During National Day month, Air Selangor partnered with Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), Malaysia’s largest cinema operator, to screen the Sayang film throughout the Independence month period. The collaboration coincided with the launch of GSC’s nasi lemak popcorn, placing the film directly in front of festive crowds. A short-form adaptation also appeared on SAYS.com, tapping into the platform’s youth-driven audience.

The numbers underscored the strategy’s effectiveness. Across all platforms, Sayang garnered 23.5 million views, a 157% increase from 2023. Engagement climbed to 2.66%, surpassing internal benchmarks, while impressions rose by 76%.

These achievements came alongside a 14.5% optimisation in advertising spend. More importantly, online conversations surrounding the brand took on a noticeably warmer tone, as Air Selangor’s overall net sentiment improved by 18 points year-on-year, reflecting a clear uplift in brand affection across its digital channels.

What Sayang illustrated is that essential service providers can build emotional resonance when they speak to shared values. By leaning into cultural narratives and human moments, Air Selangor strengthened its connection with the communities it serves every day.

While conceived as a festive content series, Sayang ultimately became something more. It showed how insight-driven storytelling, grounded in culture and everyday experiences, can cultivate genuine brand warmth, allowing a public utility to be seen not just as a provider, but as a familiar presence woven into the moments that matter most.