Malaysians prefer influencer-led short videos, in-game ads grab attention

Malaysians are increasingly discovering brands through influencer-led short videos, with in-game advertising capturing attention in a crowded mobile landscape, according to AnyMind Group’s Malaysia Digital Landscape 2025 Report. The findings signal a shift away from traditional linear marketing funnels toward a more non-linear, networked approach to digital engagement.

The study was conducted based on a live panel of 1,355 consumers across six Southeast Asian markets were surveyed, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam, as a part of AnyMind's wider Southeast Asia Digital Landscape Report. 

The Malaysia-specific report highlighted that 54% of local consumers find short videos featuring influencers most engaging for brand discovery, while 36% cite in-game ads as the most attention-grabbing mobile format. TikTok has emerged as a dominant discovery platform, with 62.2% of consumers citing it as their top channel for encountering new brands, underscoring the rise of short-form, scrollable content as the engine of awareness in Malaysia.

“For marketers in Malaysia today, guesswork is no longer an option,” said Lee Chin Chuan, country manager, Malaysia, AnyMind Group. “With a fragmented and non-linear consumer journey, relying on the old funnel model is inefficient. Our report provides granular data and local intelligence to help marketers make faster, data-backed decisions, and craft content that is both creative and effective across all platforms.”

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The report emphasised that the traditional marketing funnel, linear and sequential, is obsolete in Malaysia’s hyper-fragmented digital economy, which spans social media, D2C, and marketplaces such as Shopee and Lazada. Awareness, consideration, and conversion now occur across distinct channels that require strategic orchestration. Top-of-funnel spend must prioritise short-form, influencer-driven campaigns on TikTok, while static display and legacy channels no longer reliably drive initial visibility.

Once consumers enter the consideration stage, content utility becomes crucial. YouTube and TikTok are key platforms for product evaluation, with consumers actively seeking reviews, unboxings, and comparative videos. This signals a need for content that balances entertainment with practical information, ensuring campaigns not only capture attention but also nurture purchase intent.

For final conversion, the report underscored the importance of high-intent channels. Google Search and e-commerce marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada are where purchase decisions are cemented, making robust search marketing and sponsored product strategies critical. Simply generating demand on TikTok or other social platforms is insufficient if brands fail to capture consumers at the point of purchase.

The AnyMind report also issued a clear mandate for marketing leadership: organizational silos must be dismantled. Social, search, and e-commerce teams need to operate in a coordinated, data-driven manner to track consumer movement across Malaysia’s non-linear digital landscape. Agility, alignment, and strategic orchestration across channels are now the keys to success.

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