These are the best Raya 2024 ads to Cry, Laugh, or Feel Good to

Whether you’d want to admit it or not, Raya ads aren’t just a Hari Raya staple… they help flip the festive mode switch. However, each ad sets about it in a different way – some make you happy, some make you cry, some make you feel bad for not calling your ibu or abah more.

Arguably, the worst feeling is not feeling anything at all. 

So this year, we sat down to watch 73 Raya ads that our intern painstakingly found on YouTube. We stopped the ad collection on April 5th, but you can view all 73 of them in this playlist.

We QC’d these ads down to the 11 ads that will garenti put you in a Raya mood. But because different people need different triggers, we’re categorizing them by ads will either make you Cry, Laugh, or Feel Good.

Feel free to skip to your preferred category 😉

These are the ads that made us Cry

1. Lembaran Baharu – RHB Bank

When it comes to pulling on heart strings, RHB took it to the bank with this one. The video quality blurs as the story progresses, until you realize it’s not the video. It’s your tears. And the best part is that you don’t know if you’re crying for the mother, the lawyer, the son, or all three.

Our colleague happened to watch this with us and said “Raya ads should make you cry, and this made me cry”.

We also want to point out that the courtroom scene is one of the most realistic we’ve seen in an ad. And finding out it’s based on a true story just opens the floodgates 😭

2. Janji Amir – Agrobank

Don’t let the first 2 minutes fool you. This ad starts off cookie-cutter but it gets so much butter better because… well, we’re not going to spoil it for you.

All we’ll say is you need to watch it, because this is the first time a phone made us tear up.

3. Sayang Ibu – Lembaga Zakat Selangor

After two very strong tearjerkers, this one is more of a slow burn. With it’s slower pacing, you get to connect with Aiman; to understand his circumstances, choices, and his journey of filial piety and sacrifice.

At the point of conflict, we felt his anger and the injustice he felt. We didn’t cry at the end, but we had to pause watching the next ad because we needed time for our heavy heart to move on.

We support you, Aiman.

These are the ads that made us laugh

1. Minyak Maaf – Saji

From the first 3 seconds when you see an Oyen being launched into space, you know you’re in for a ride. Minyak Maaf has an old-school 90’s comedy feel to it, where the plot totally tak masuk akal but masuks akal at the same time.

If you’re a fan of Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu or Scenario, you’ll have a blast (off) with this one.

Also, the oil puns are amazing. If you think Minyak Maaf was good, wait till you get to the main punchline. That’s oil you need to know.

2. A Raya A.I.dilfitri Ad – Julie’s Biscuits

If old-school Malaysian comedy isn’t your vibe, Julie’s ad is modern, current, and equally as funny if you’ve ever tried to generate an essay or script using ChatGPT. Essentially, you’re watching the same ad in different forms as the production crew make changes to the prompts. Keeping in line with the current look and feel, it also contains a bigger, non-Raya related message that grounds the chaos of the premise.

However, a part of us kinda wishes they actually generated a script using ChatGPT and made an ad out of it.

3. Aku Sebuah Beg Pesanan – Grab

This ad brings two very relatable premises together – the ubiquitous Grab delivery bags we see on the road, and the countless “Aku Sebatang Pensel” karangans we wrote in school. It actually hits all the right (standard) story points: bag works hard, bag feels underappreciated, bag don’t know what it’s got til it’s gone, bag paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Couple that with really dramatic acting from the actors and bags, and you got a premise that really…. delivers.

These are the ads that made us Sing

1. Penyala Harapan 2024 – AIA

This is super subjective, but we kinda prefer traditional sounds if Raya ads go the musical route. With this in mind, AIA’s ad hit the right…uh…notes for us.

Song aside, the video itself was kinda weird at first because all the extras look super uncomfortable, but that explains itself with the bonus behind-the-scenes storyline. Essentially, we think it’s inspired by Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition, because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

2. Guardian Raya Untuk Semua – Guardian

We like Guardian’s music video for the straightforward Raya feels it gives both in the song and the video. It’s well-produced, catchy, and the lyrics invoked imagery of a festive Raya morning.

These are the ads that made us feel warm and fuzzy like a pelita Raya

1. Suamiku is Love – Takaful IKHLAS

While many festive ads tend to focus on children or parents, this one entirely focuses on spouses. It’s cute, not too sappy, and ends on a heartwarming note.

Another thing we appreciate is that there’s no heavy-handed insertion of product or brand messaging. In fact, the messaging is so subliminal that we didn’t realize it until writing this entry – when we saw the company name.

And we mean all this secara Ikhlas 😉

2. Balang Kuih Abah – PNB & ASNB

Who doesn’t find jovial grandpas on TikTok completely adorable? It’s a story of a loving grandfather who is confronted with his past relationship with his son. It shows how years of harsh treatment doesn’t only lead to resentment but also continuing the cycle. But most of all, it makes us want to believe in the power of forgiveness and change.

3. Mana Duit Raya? – Boost

This ad doesn’t particularly inspire Raya per se, but it inspires a childhood thought that we all had regardless of Raya, CNY, Deepavali or even birthdays:

Where did all my money go?

As kids, we all know the momentary joy of holding on to a small fortune and then having our parents making it disappear. They say they’re keeping it somewhere safe…. but what are they actually doing with it? And of course, our imagination takes over.

Not enough ads? Here are some honorable mentions

1. Bahagiakan Raya – Furvit

Every ad that we saw with a cat in it was lighthearted, cute, and comedic. So it was quite a surprise that the one ad that involved a cat dying (off screen, of course) came from a pet product company. It’s something unexpected, and we like that Furvit took that risk.

There somewhat convoluted storyline means that you’ll have to pay full attention to watching it. And if you do, there are several scenes that hit really hard.

2. Tak Pernah Suka Mak – Elrah Exclusive

This ad tells the bittersweet story of a now-successful man at his mother’s grave expressing how he was never loved or recognized as much as his brothers. And it ends with him finding out the truth but unable to make amends. At the same time though, it has:

• A buff manly man with a glorious beard
• A fight scene
• The best darn clothing and styling out of all 73 ads this year

All these elements make for a memorable ad, but they all break us out of a touching, gritty storyline.

2. Raya Confirm Ong – Southern Valley Pineapple

It’s an ad from a company that sells pineapples. Of course there’s a reference to pineapple-apple-pen. And that’s why this made it to our list.

3. Baliknah Nak… – Kinohimitsu

If you have 25 minutes to spare, give this one a watch. Essentially it’s a story of downfall, shame, and personal honor. The long runtime allows for story development and really feeling for the main character, and the mom is a joy to watch.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA EVERYONE!