Muma Malaysia creates handcrafted campaign for premium beverage brand BAJO ACTIVE

Malaysian beverage company, The Tapping Tapir, recently appointed independent agency Muma to lead the creative for the launch of its BAJO ACTIVE natural hydration sparkling drink range.

Targeting Gen Z – an often misunderstood and misjudged generation – the brand aimed to connect with them by recognizing the unique challenges faced by this generation in today’s world as they navigate a complex societal landscape while facing demanding pressures along the way.

The campaign drew inspiration from the resilient Bajau sea nomads from which the brand name was derived and whom, in their parallel universe, have for centuries survived the harsh elements of the ocean. Further tapping into the insight that Gen Zs perform at their best when it comes to something they are passionate about, the campaign’s catchy tagline ‘Find your mojo. Find your Bajo’ played a central role in the creative direction for a series of visuals portraying a young person’s irrepressible spirit facing modern day pressures having found their mojo and passion points.

And that was when Muma too turned on their mojo. The creative team paid homage to the client’s artisanal approach to their beverages by similarly executing the creative idea through detailed craftmanship.

A combination of carefully handcrafted figurines and paper cut, each visual was a masterpiece in detail. The outsourced figurines designed by Muma was incorporated into a minutely detailed background made of paper cuttings and painstakingly put together inhouse by the creative team. The series of four visuals would later be translated into instore posters, social media content and a video.

The meticulous and time-consuming execution was a work of passion for Muma’s creative partner, Choo Chee Wee and his team who put in endless hours to ensure no detail was too small or overlooked.

The result? A series of work that earned the boutique agency 7 awards at the 2023 Kancil Awards.

Choo said: “The highly detailed, handcrafted artwork is a reference to the burning passion the brand shares with a misunderstood group of go-getters. Once the direction was set, the team ran with it and did not take the quick and easy way out – no AI or 3D modelling for us. Everything was meticulously done by hand and I am proud of my team and the terrific result. Mostly Gen Zs themselves, they loved the idea and played a significant role in bringing it all together and the awards are a testament to their dedication.”

“Every brief that comes through our door is opportunity to shine and present our creativity. We strive to push boundaries and deliver unique, clutter-breaking creative works based on strong consumer and cultural insights and we are grateful to have clients who are equally passionate and open to our, sometimes mad, ideas.”