SJPP makes being 'kepoh' a Malaysian love language

Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan Berhad (SJPP) is tapping into Malaysians' famously 'kepoh' ('busybody') nature for Merdeka and Malaysia Day, reframing nosiness as a form of support for the country's entrepreneurs.

Titled "Kisah 'kepoh bisnes'" ("The business busybody story"), the campaign was developed with creative agency The Shout Group and centres on the idea that the people asking the most questions about a business can also be among the first to rally behind it.

The campaign film stars actress Aishah Azman as a young entrepreneur navigating the uncertainties of building a business while being surrounded by family, friends and members of the community who are constantly asking about her progress.

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Their questions, from how the business is doing to whether she has enough customers, initially come across as typically "kepoh". As the film progresses, however, the same characters emerge as part of the entrepreneur's support system, stepping in when she needs help and showing that their curiosity comes from a desire to see her succeed.

Through the film, SJPP and The Shout Group are putting a Malaysian spin on the wider challenges of entrepreneurship, using a familiar cultural behaviour to spotlight the role family members, friends, neighbours, customers and communities can play in supporting small businesses.

The campaign also ties the cultural insight back to SJPP's role in Malaysia's SME ecosystem. The Ministry of Finance-owned company supports small and medium-sized businesses through government guarantee schemes aimed at facilitating their access to financing.

"Kisah 'kepoh bisnes'" will run across the Merdeka and Malaysia Day period, beginning with a teaser phase followed by the release of the full film. The campaign also includes a special screening collaboration with TV3.

On social media, Malaysians will be invited to share their own stories of receiving support, with contests and prizes running throughout the campaign period.

"From the moment we saw the idea, it connected deeply with our team because, beneath the humour, it reflects the fundamental responsibility of SJPP. Entrepreneurship can be an incredibly rewarding journey, but there are also moments when businesses need someone to believe in them, stand behind them and help open the next door. That is where we want SJPP to be - a beacon of care and a bridge for Malaysian businesses when they need it most," said Juanita Rusmini Abdul Jalil, principal officer of SJPP. 

She added, "‘Kepoh’, in this story, is really about taking an interest in someone else’s dream and wanting to see it become a reality and succeed. In many ways, that is what we do every day. By helping businesses gain access to financing through government guarantees, we stand alongside the financial institutions and entrepreneurs to give viable Malaysian businesses the opportunity to move forward."

In tandem, Syahriza Badron, managing director of THE SHOUT GROUP, said, “When we started thinking about Hari Kebangsaan and Hari Malaysia, we were very conscious of not falling back on the familiar narratives we see every year. We wanted to find a fresh way into what it means to be Malaysian by looking at the little behaviours that make us who we are. ‘Kepoh’ immediately stood out because it is so culturally familiar, yet hardly something we would think of celebrating."

"There was something creatively interesting about taking a word with such negative connotations and asking whether we had been looking at it the wrong way all along. More importantly, it gave us the opportunity to tell a Malaysian story that feels less like a grand statement about who we are, and more like an honest observation of who we actually are," she added. 

The campaign comes as brands increasingly turn to distinctly Malaysian experiences and stories to mark this year's Merdeka celebrations. Recently, FedEx looked back at how Malaysia has moved forward over the decades with a Merdeka campaign tracing the country's changing modes of connection through the journey of a parcel from a 1960s kampung to present-day Kuala Lumpur.

At the heart of the campaign is a short film following a single package as it moves through different eras of Malaysia's development. Beginning with an elderly couple wrapping a parcel and handing it to a deliveryman on a bicycle, its journey progresses from hand-to-hand deliveries and bicycles to trains, motorbikes, road transport and eventually air freight.

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