Mamee turned Laksa Kari noodles into a karaoke CNY blessing and won two Kancil Silvers

Chinese New Year is a season of indulgence — rich food, treats and festive tunes — and instant noodles are usually the last thing anyone craves. Mamee Chef's brief was exactly that problem: how could a noodle brand take part in the celebration, let alone symbolize prosperity?

Instead of fighting the category, Dentsu Malaysia leaned into the name. 'Laksa Kari' sounds like 'luck' (laksa/luck-sa), and its rich red broth radiates 'ong' — the Hokkien word for red and good fortune. The brand cooked up 'Luck-sa Mari, Ong Mari — ONG-ly for You', a festive karaoke film that splits into four themes: health, wealth, career and relationships, so every share carries a specific personal wish.

The KOL trio DISSY were cast as 'messengers of good luck', personifying each wish with dance moves and meaningful lyrics, and the film doubled as a greeting people forward to family and friends. An activation in front of Pavilion — a jumbo noodle cup, dancing to the music video and the exclusive Mamee Chef CNY Bowl — connected the song to the product.

The campaign beat its own media reach goal of 492,902, landing 526,870, and at the Kancil Awards 2025 it took two Silvers — Best Music Video and Influencer & Co-creation — proof that a pun-driven remake of a ritual can carry a brand through its weakest season.

Make the wish personal: noodles become a blessing

A pun on 'laksa'→luck made the product's own name the campaign idea, not an afterthought.

Four themed wishes made every share a specific, personal blessing instead of generic CNY noise.

The KOL trio personified each wish, giving the song dance moves people wanted to copy.

The song doubled as a greeting card, so distribution ran on people sending wishes, not media spend.

The CNY Bowl gave the song a physical product to buy, closing the loop from film to sales.

When a product feels out of place in a ritual, rename the ritual, not the product: a pun that turns the category's weakness into a blessing makes the brand the messenger of the moment.

The campaign over-delivered on its media reach goal (526,870 against a 492,902 target) and turned instant noodles into a CNY icon for Mamee Chef. At the Kancil Awards 2025 it collected two Silvers — Best Music Video and Influencer & Co-creation — for the same film, validating that a festive song could carry both craft and influence categories. The 'Luck-sa Mari' pun became part of Mamee's CNY identity, showing that a smaller noodle brand can own the holiday's most personal moment without outspending bigger rivals.