Why brands are scrambling for a seat at the mahjong table this festive season

This Lunar New Year, the familiar clatter of mahjong tiles isn’t just confined to family dining tables, it’s spilling into brand campaigns.

From Love, Bonito’s chic limited-edition set to 1664 and Carlsberg’s playful mahjong merch, brands are finding ways to turn a centuries-old ritual into a marketing moment. What used to be a game for grandparents and cousins is now a bridge for brands to connect emotionally, spark social conversation, and capture attention across generations.

In a year where festive campaigns risk blending into the background, mahjong seems to be giving brands a cultural hook that’s impossible to ignore. 

Don't miss: Huat’s the deal? Brands stack the table with CNY mahjong sets

For marketers, the key to success lies in respectful participation. Jayss Rajoo, director of marketing at Pizza Hut Singapore, said, “Rituals work when brands participate respectfully, not when they insert themselves as the hero. Mahjong is about patience, hierarchy, humor, and togetherness. Brands that succeed don’t try to ‘own’ the ritual; they design experiences that support it quietly.”

She added that Spotify, for example, has curated mahjong-friendly playlists that soundtrack family games and late-night sessions. The tiles remain untouched, but the brand becomes part of the moment, quietly facilitating the experience without being intrusive.

Carlsberg’s approach echoes this sentiment. Fang Qing Yao, marketing director at Carlsberg Group, said the goal is to enhance the environment where memories are made.

"Our 一起發 mini mahjong set serves as a reminder of the joy of gathering, but it is just one part of a long-term effort to build emotional warmth. When a brand respects the essence of a gathering, the emotional connection happens naturally.”

Modernising the moment, not the ritual

For most, the challenge for brands is updating the context without rewriting the ritual. “Brands get into trouble when they remix or ‘re-invent’ the ritual itself for novelty. Modernity should sit around the ritual, not rewrite it," said Rajoo.

Huiwen Tow, head of strategy at VIRTUE Asia, added that modern activations should extend the ritual, not interrupt it. She said, “Mahjong is slow, conversational, repetitive. If a brand activation is loud, fast, or transactional, it will feel dissonant no matter how beautifully designed it is.”

Carlsberg has taken that route by making its mahjong set portable, adapting the tradition to Singapore’s fast-paced visiting culture. Fang added: 

When a brand focuses on making traditions relevant to how we live now, the campaign feels like a natural, purposeful part of the celebration.

This balancing act between preservation and evolution ultimately determines whether a campaign can resonate across generations. For those behind such campaigns, cross-generational appeal does not come from splitting the message into “Gen Z” and “boomers”. It comes from designing shared moments.

Tow explained that nostalgia operates differently across age groups. For older audiences, rituals evoke comfort and continuity. For younger audiences, the same rituals can become templates for remix culture, memes, social formats, and reinterpretation. Rajoo echoed this, noting that while older audiences value authenticity, younger ones gravitate towards identity, vibe, and shareability. She added: 

Brands that win don’t talk to each generation separately; they design moments where generations interact naturally.

The campaigns that land, then, are those that protect the integrity of the ritual while allowing it to be expressed in ways that feel contemporary. Modernity should frame the ritual, not rewrite it.

Earning a seat at the table

This careful balance between tradition and modernity determines whether a brand feels welcome at the table. Tow emphasised that rituals are living cultural systems. “Mahjong tables and reunion dinners are intimate spaces where gossip, humor, and family dynamics unfold. If a brand inserts itself too aggressively, it feels like an intrusion.”

Rajoo similarly warned against surface-level borrowing, noting that reducing rituals to tiles, slang, or festive visuals without understanding their social meaning can make campaigns feel transactional or exploitative.

That line between participation and intrusion comes down to cultural depth for Carlsberg. Fang said the brand centres its efforts on honouring reunions and creating shared moments, ensuring its presence enhances, rather than dominates, the gathering.

Taken together, the examples reflect a broader recalibration in festive marketing. The mahjong table becomes less a branding surface and more a cultural touchpoint, one that brands are learning to join, not dominate. The ones that resonate most move from observing culture to participating in it, creating spaces people can step into rather than stories they simply consume. When the ritual remains the hero, relevance follows.

In that sense, the smartest move this festive season may be the simplest: respect the rhythm of the game, and let it play.

Showcase your most innovative content and gain recognition from a panel of industry leaders by entering the inaugural Content360 Awards. Submit your work today and be part of the celebration that honours the campaigns defining the future of content marketing.

Related articles: 
Why marketers might be missing out banking only on big festive moments      
1664 brings tradition and modernity to the table with CNY mahjong set   
Love, Bonito turns Lunar New Year into a stylish game of mahjong