Fresh & White pays tribute to Bornean culture through song and dance

Oral care brand Fresh & White is shining a spotlight on East Malaysia with its latest campaign, "Tradisi dikekalkan, kesegaran berpanjangan" ("Long lasting radition maintained, long lasting freshness"), a vibrant tribute to the region’s people, culture, and creativity.

Deenie Ong, head of the oral care division at Southern Lion, said the campaign reflects the brand’s strong roots in the region. “Fresh & White has strong support in East Malaysia, and this is our way of giving back, with a culturally relevant campaign that feels personal. The decision to launch it outside the typical Gawai and Kaamatan periods was deliberate. We wanted to show that celebrating culture doesn’t have to be seasonal.”

Ong added that it also builds upon the success of last year’s "Long lasting tradition, long lasting freshness" initiative, but takes the celebration of heritage a step further. “As the world moves forward, it is more important than ever to preserve the traditions that shape our cultural identity. We wanted to honour East Malaysia’s rich heritage in a way that feels fresh, relevant and inspiring to a new generation,” Ong explained.

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Led by a musical-style video featuring Bornean singer Hairee Francis, the campaign captures the infectious energy of a community proud of its roots. The film opens with Francis leading a lively flash mob in Chinatown, Kuching, as they sing and dance to an original tune that celebrates the uniqueness of East Malaysians.

Shot entirely in East Malaysia, the campaign is anchored in authenticity. From the film crew and director to the cast and musicians, every aspect of production was handled by local talent. The score itself pays homage to the region’s musical heritage, weaving in traditional instruments such as the lapin, sape, kulintangan, and sompoton — all of which help blend tradition with modern rhythm.

To complement the campaign, Fresh & White also rolled out a special Borneo edition of its toothpaste packs featuring ethnic-inspired motifs, available exclusively in East Malaysia. The limited-edition packaging ties into a social media contest inviting consumers to sing a line from the campaign song with enthusiasm and confidence for a chance to win cash prizes.

Created in collaboration with creative agency Muma Malaysia, the campaign veers away from familiar cultural symbols such as longhouses and harvest festivals, painting a more contemporary picture of East Malaysian identity, and how culture continues to thrive in everyday life. The singing and dancing also scenes serve as a joyful nod to the community’s deep creative spirit and shared sense of pride, the agency and brand shared in a statement.

Muma Malaysia’s creative director, Kong Wei Wen, who led the creative direction for the campaign, said the team’s focus was to tell a story that reflects East Malaysia’s evolving identity while staying true to its roots. “With this campaign, we wanted to move past the usual stereotypes and present a more genuine reflection of East Malaysia — its people, creativity, and evolving culture. From the start, it was important to us that the storytelling felt authentic, which is why we worked closely with local talent at every level,” he said.

Kong added that the latest spot is an example of how brands can foster stronger emotional connections with consumers by celebrating culture in a way that’s both respectful and "creatively fresh".

Fresh & White’s decision to move beyond the usual stereotypes of East Malaysia marks a refreshing shift in tone. Earlier this year, A+M spoke with Bornean film directors Nadira Ilana and Sarah Lois Dorai, alongside creatives Juvita Tatan Wan and Koh Poh Leong, about how Malaysian advertising continues to fall short in its portrayal of Borneo. Beyond highlighting the persistent misrepresentation of East Malaysia in national media and advertising, all four agreed that meaningful course correction is still long overdue.

According to Tatan Wan, many industry peers struggled to commit time to genuinely experience East Malaysian contexts. “A relationship needs to be formed, especially with the people and their surroundings in order for some kind of real understanding, so the stories can be better told.” The problem, she added, goes beyond logistics. "There’s still a preconceived notion, and expectation of what East Malaysians or Indigenous people should be or do. And because that exists, it’s hard when we, as Indigenous people ourselves, verbalise something else. It sometimes feels like justifying who we are and where we’re at in this current century."

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