How MAGGI is joining millennials on their cooking journeys this CNY

This Chinese New Year, MAGGI is taking a fresh approach to festive storytelling, moving beyond the traditional single hero film to a recipe-forward content series that blends cooking with entertainment.

The series centers on newlyweds stepping into the kitchen for the first time to prepare a reunion dinner for their extended family, reflecting a cultural shift as younger Malaysians increasingly take on hosting responsibilities, while feeling daunted by the expectations of recreating the "right" traditional flavours. 

“Rather than presenting an idealised festive moment, we wanted to show the real pressures of CNY cooking,” a MAGGI spokesperson told A+M. “Through storytelling, we demonstrate how modern cooking solutions can empower the next generation to confidently recreate heritage dishes while preserving tradition.”

From a marketing standpoint, the recipe-led series allowed the brand to showcase its products organically. Rather than highlighting each item in isolation, the series integrates MAGGI staples such as its oyster sauce, chicken stock cube, and concentrated chicken stock across multiple dishes. “This approach builds stronger mental availability. Linking MAGGI directly to reunion cooking, while driving repeat engagement across several episodes rather than a single awareness burst,” the spokesperson explained.

Ultimately, the brand had set out to position itself as a supportive partner, helping families navigate festive cooking in a way that feels achievable, not intimidating, through narrative-led entertainment with practical recipes. 

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The recipe videos are available on MAGGI’s key digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and XiaoHongShu (XHS), reaching both mainstream and Chinese-speaking audiences. The campaign extends to television with placements on Astro AEC and 8TV and ties in with Astro Taste of Home Season 2, aligning content with programming centred around family and food.

Notably, one of its recipes for "Yee sang cili ala kampung goreng", featuring a prosperity toss salad recipe with MAGGI's instant noodle bowl thrown in the mix, has garnered over 6.3 million views since it was posted on 13 January. Possibly, the idea has caught on with the target audience, as they prepare for CNY festivities. Over on Instagram, where millennials reside, its coconut water chicken soup recipe video raked in about 5.4 million views. 

Beyond digital and broadcast, MAGGI’s CNY campaign creates multiple touchpoints for engagement. Influencers and content creators interpret the recipes in their own style, making festive cooking feel approachable and relatable. The campaign also complements MAGGI’s ongoing consumer promotions, reinforcing trial and participation during the festive period.

KOLs and creators were also engaged to interpret the recipes in their own style, making festive cooking feel approachable and relatable. The campaign also ties into MAGGI’s ongoing consumer promotions, reinforcing trial and participation during the festive period. “Together, these initiatives create multiple touchpoints that strengthen brand association between MAGGI and confident festive cooking,” the spokesperson noted.

At the heart of the campaign is the "MAGGI wheel of flavours", an interactive tool offering recipe inspiration across four themes: Prosperity, Health, Abundance, and Happiness. From the 'Prosperity reunion pot' to 'Eternal joy yee sang', each dish is designed to guide home cooks in creating meaningful meals while balancing tradition with their own personal touch.

The CNY campaign is further enhanced with the “Riang Raya Bersama MAGGI” (celebrate Raya with MAGGI) contest, offering prizes worth over RM500,000, including two Proton X50 cars, gold pieces inspired by MAGGI products, and eWallet rewards. Running from 1 January to 19 April 2026, the promotion rewards consumers for their festive preparations while reinforcing MAGGI’s role in supporting the cooks behind every reunion table.

MAGGI had partnered up with integrated agency partners across creative development (Digitas), content production and media (OpenMind), as well as public relations (Commas PR), to bring its CNY campaign to life. The recipe series was brought to screens in collaboration with PRS Productions, while MAGGI also worked with Pelita Lim on recipe co-creation to ensure the dishes were aligned with the brand’s flavour expertise while remaining practical and achievable for home cooks. 

Some other brands which are banking on content series this CNY, include Mister Potato, which has tapped into kungfu movie nostalgia this Chinese New Year with a social-first campaign that blends humour, pop culture and festive snacking. Playing on a colloquial Hokkien expression meaning “really awesome”, and tying into the Year of the Horse, “HORSE-H LIAO DRAMA” draws from the nostalgic ritual of Chinese families rewatching iconic kungfu films together during the festive period.

The campaign unfolds through a series of three short films released across Mister Potato’s social platforms. Inspired by legendary kungfu titles such as Drunken Master, Ip Man and Enter The Dragon, the films parody well-known fight scenes with a local twist, featuring Malaysian KOLs Sai, SongBill and Jobroseph.

Meanwhile, Emborg Asia is leaning into the technology this Chinese New Year with a social-first campaign, marking Emborg’s first GenAI-led social content series in Malaysia and Singapore. The festive push reimagines traditional Chinese New Year dishes through both animated and realistic AI visuals, positioning Emborg’s dairy products as playful yet meaningful additions to familiar rituals.

Each video begins with an animated scene of olden day China — an emperor being served a golden buttery dish, warriors in the wilderness eating chicken bak kwa sandwiches  — before switching back to the modern-day kitchen where Emborg's dairy products are used in these Chinese-inspired dishes. This includes tossing grated cheese into the yee sang, and slathering cream cheese into the bak kwa sandwich. 

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