redBus: Mudik by m&c saatchi

one of the most endearing marketing campaigns, for Ramadhan 2019. The campaign was developed with the objective of highlighting redBus as an enabler for people to travel home and enjoy the festival with their families. As part of the 360-degree campaign, the brand launched a 2-minute ad film, based on the legend of ‘Bang Toyib’ and is targeted at audiences on digital and social media platforms.

According to Dami Sidharta, Founding Partner and ECD of M&C Saatchi Indonesia, the creators of the campaign, “‘Mudik’ - the practice of returning home for Lebaran from the larger cities, is a significant part of Indonesian culture. Majority of the migrant workers travel every year from the larger cities where they come to earn a living, back to their families.

However, there are times when some can’t make it home. These people are referred to as “Bang Toyib”. The legacy comes from a song released in 2005, where the singer laments the absence of her husband, ‘Bang Toyib’, over 3 consecutive Lebarans.

After that, many remixes of Bang Toyib, and his parodies have been made, lamenting why he hasn’t come home. Over time, “Bang Toyib” became the metaphor for people missing from family. He is now synonymous with Ramadhan… He is to Ramadhan what Santa Clause is to Christmas. However, no one knows why Bang Toyib couldn’t go home. So we gave him a face, a persona, and let people hear his side of the story.

Turns out, every year he tried to go home, he never managed to get a bus ticket - which clearly highlights the plight of the traveller in the country. But now, with redBus, Bang Toyib finally gets to go home, with the certainty and ease of seat booking that the platform provides.”