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By Imogen Watson, Senior reporter

April 13, 2021 | 2 min read

Each year, brands fall into the trap of celebrating Ramadan in a similar way, pushing tired cliches of a glamorous family gathering ready for Iftar or Suhoor.

Breaking away from such tropes this year, Grab Indonesia’s Ramadan ad couldn’t be further from the norm. Set on a space ship, the sci-fi-inspired film sees humans take on aliens. And its proved popular, racking up over a million views on YouTube since the video broke.

The ad starts with an introduction to the crew members – Indro, Iqbaal, Sophia, Kak Seto and Kucing Tapi Robot Tapi Kucing – in the style of Star Trek as they fly through space during Ramadan. The ship is hijacked by stormtrooper-esque aliens in an nod to Star Wars and even the leader is somewhat reminiscent of its iconic baddie Darth Vader.

With the crew tied up, the unwelcome visitors ransack the ship, stealing all its resources and leaving them with nothing to celebrate Ramadan. Fear not, though, as Kak Seto presses the Grab button and all the ship’s resources are instantly replaced via its various services, such as Grab Mart, Grab Food, Grab Express and Grab’s ride-hailing services.

The drama far from over, the ad ends on a cliffhanger when the captain suggests he wants to get back at the aliens who invaded the ship.

Grab’s competitor Gojek has also released a Ramadan ad that is similarly untraditional – although it doesn’t seem that way from the start. At first looking like most Ramadan ads, sentimental and nostalgic, the film focuses on those who are unable to spend Ramadan with their families this year due to the pandemic.

However, thanks to Gojek’s delivery service, their friends and families can send food and gifts. This all sounds normal enough, except that each character begins to cry, with cartoon-like tears shooting out like jet washers.

If you like Grab’s Ramadan ad, visit the Creative Works gallery to vote for it. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, email: imogen.watson@thedrum.com.

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