The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2025
Ayam Brand's 'Makan Lain Macam' turns cans into beats — Gold Kancil 2025
A 130-year-old canned-food brand tells Malaysians to 'eat differently': a rap anthem with beats made from its own cans flips every canned-food cliché.
Ayam Brand (A. Clouet)
What it had to solve
Ayam Brand has sat on Malaysian shelves for over 130 years, but 'being remembered isn't the same as being desired'. The canned-food category felt predictable, safe and high-parity, and Gen Z wasn't choosing it; the brief was to show up as a bold canvas for creativity, self-expression and endless food possibilities.
How it works
Ayam Brand sardines and mackerels have been a Malaysian household name for over 130 years, but the brand knew being remembered wasn't the same as being desired: the canned-food category was predictable, safe and full of parity, and Gen Z wasn't reaching for it.
Makan Lain Macam — 'eat differently' — attacked the category's grammar head-on. The brand anthem had no kitchens, no can openings, no eating at tables: just high-energy chaos, built from beats made using Ayam Brand cans and blended with 3D visuals and AI worlds. Comedian Luqman Podolski fronted a rap music video about eating differently every day.
The campaign was rooted in Malaysian food culture rather than nostalgia: sardine mac & cheese balls, mackerel masak merah and playful recipes invited home cooks to treat pantry staples with curiosity, while a limited-time buy-two-get-one-free offer made 'lain macam' something to try that night.
The work earned one of only five Gold Kancils at the 2025 Kancil Awards and anchored Naga DDB Tribal's Agency of the Year win — proof that a 130-year-old canned-food brand could become a canvas for cultural relevance.
Why it lands
- Awareness was never the problem; the campaign aimed at desire by breaking the category's predictable visual rules.
- Making the music from the cans gave the product a physical role in the execution, not just a logo.
- A comedian rapper, 3D and AI worlds met Gen Z in social-ready video language.
- The idea extended into behavior — recipes and a free-can promo made 'eat differently' doable tonight.
- It proved heritage and boldness can coexist: tradition was the foundation, not the cage.
What it did
Won one of only five Gold Kancils at the 2025 Kancil Awards and anchored Naga DDB Tribal's Agency of the Year win; coverage credited it with making a heritage brand culturally relevant to Gen Z Malaysians.
What you can take
When a heritage brand's problem is desire, not awareness, attack the category's own visual grammar — and put the product inside the execution, not just on it.
Since then
Makan Lain Macam took one of only five Gold Kancils at the 2025 Kancil Awards and was the standout in Naga DDB Tribal's Agency of the Year haul. The campaign continued with social content and in-market promotions, and trade coverage described it as reinventing the sardine story for a new generation.
Sources
- Makan lain macam: Ayam Brand reinvents the sardine story for a new generation
- Makan Lain Macam — Kancil Awards 2025 entry
- Naga DDB Tribal named Agency of the Year at the 2025 Kancil Awards
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