TM Group brings people (and phones) together for Malaysian unity

There's nothing like a bit of sentimentaliy to stir up patriotic sentiments. And Malaysians who grew up with little but free-to-air TV during the late '80s and early '90s will feel a twang of nostalgia when they hear a new rendition of a popular song in this National Day campaign from telco TM Group. 

The song, called "Setia" (Loyalty) was frequently played on state TV channels during that era. It's arguably still the most popular patriotic song in the nation, and enjoyed a new burst of notoriety in the euphoria following last May's election. The version of Setia in TM's campaign, which comes from Grey Malaysia, is especially poignant, as the lyrics are sung in Malay, Mandarin, English, Tamil, Jaku Iban and Kadazandusun. 

Moreover, Grey has delivered two separate vertically oriented videos, which two people can enjoy together by uniting their mobile phones in a symbolic act of unity. The video above gives some idea what the combined video is like, but the companies say the two videos have "unique visual elements that interconnect when played together side by side". Viewers simply have to join their phones and hit the 'play' button at the same time.

"The soundtrack honours the diversity of the country's multi-ethnic population," said TM Group's Teh Siow Ling, general manager, group brand management, group brand and communication. "Simply put, the film was designed around the concept of moments of Malaysians coming together."