Proton Saga drifts into Egypt with bold, offbeat brand film

Proton International has unveiled a new brand film for the Proton Saga, created specifically for the Egyptian market. Departing from the brand’s traditionally sleek and serious product showcases in Malaysia, the new campaign takes a bold, humorous turn.

It is also anchored by beloved Egyptian actor Ahmed El Sakka and produced in collaboration with local agency LEGACY Entertainment Egypt.

The commercial, part of the broader campaign launched in May 2025, supports the rollout of the locally assembled left-hand-drive Proton Saga, which officially became available in Egypt in April. The brand film has since been broadcast across OOH, TV commercials, and digital platforms across Egypt.

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The film has been gaining traction on TikTok, racking up over 430,000 views and more than 47,000 likes. Among the flood of comments from Malaysian netizens, local hypermarket brand Mydin Malaysia chimed in with, “Malaysian proud. We love you Proton Saga!”

Many users were also surprised to learn that the Saga is now available abroad. One netizen jokingly asked, “Salah setting ads ke ni?”("Is this ad on the wrong setting?"), a cheeky nod to the Arabic-language ad appearing on their feed.

"You are brave"

The one-minute film stars renowned Egyptian actor Ahmed El Sakka, known for films like Short, Fanelah & Cap and the TV series Al Atawla. It opens with a dramatic scene: a Proton Saga deftly swerves to avoid an oncoming car and a distracted schoolboy, narrowly preventing an accident. Ahmed approaches to check on the boy and praises the Saga, calling it “brave.”

In the next scene, the Saga drifts in once more, this time to shield two girls from a catcaller. Ahmed steps in again, exchanging a few humorous lines with the bystanders before repeating, “You are brave.” The final act shows the car heroically stopping a robbery, prompting Ahmed to ask with a smirk, “Still brave?”

The film ends on a punchy note with Ahmed declaring: “Proton Saga, brave at its price, brave with its maintenance, brave with its options, brave with its value. The bravest car in Egypt.”

Speaking to A+M, a Proton International spokesperson explained that the campaign's lighthearted and entertaining approach was carefully crafted to resonate with the Egyptian media landscape and cultural preferences.

“Media consumption in Egypt is different from Malaysia, in terms of cultural nuance and technology adoption,” the spokesperson said. “The strategy to use a prolific figure such as actor Ahmed El Sakka, was the move needed to hit the market with significant impact."

"While the decision was led by Proton Egypt, the international team guided the process to ensure brand consistency across the Arabic-speaking region," they added. 

Although the campaign marks a tonal departure from what Malaysian audiences might expect from the carmaker, Proton remains consistent with its overarching brand values. They said:

'Inspiring Connections', Proton’s main tagline, is the core of our brand voice.

The values of reliability and international presence are also central to the campaign. "Ahmed’s character and the depiction of the Proton Saga's heroic gesture reflects that,” the brand team added.

Proton International also shared that the creative approach of the film was also guided by the challenge to highlight the Proton Saga, which is an existing model and not a new product launch. 

Glocalisation in action

The Egypt campaign is part of a broader ambition by Proton International to lean into “glocalisation” — a hybrid of global brand identity and local cultural relevance.

“At Proton International, our key focus moving forward is to collaborate more closely with international partners to develop culturally attuned, innovative marketing,” the brand spokesperson said. “That includes exploring diverse strategies, including the integration of new media platforms, to enhance our brand presence across global markets. Ensuring our messaging resonates locally, while maintaining a consistent global identity."

Proton’s local partner, Ezz Elarab, is also playing a key role in driving the brand’s visibility and performance in Egypt. Since the left-hand drive Saga launched in April, over 450 units have already been registered, with further efforts underway to grow market share.

In December last year, Proton announced plans to begin local assembly of its Proton Saga model in Egypt starting December 2024, as part of its international expansion strategy. Just last week, the Malaysian embassy in Cairo confirmed the official rollout of the Proton Saga in the country.

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