Sunday February 10, 2013

Politicians add more zing to their CNY greetings

By HARIATI AZIZAN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: With the general election just around the corner, politicians from both sides of the fence are putting more zing into their Chinese New Year greetings.

Deputy Education Minister and MCA Youth Chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong even tapped into the hottest social media technology of the day - augmented reality - for his interactive greeting card to reach out to the younger and tech-savvy voters.

After an application is downloaded and the physical card is scanned with a smartphone, a 3-D animation of Dr Wee and a “live-action” video greeting can be viewed.

The app, developed by two young IT entrepreneurs - Chew Choon Yet and Tai Leong Wee of Teknologi AR - also enables constituents of the Ayer Hitam MP to access his interactive virtual card and animation greeting.

However, the message is as important as the medium as shown by the Prime Minister's CNY greetings on radio and television which wowed many.

The radio advertisement featured Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak learning Mandarin from his son Nor Ashman to use their Chinese names to extend greetings to the Chinese community.

“We wanted to show that there is more to him - he is a family man. He can be your neighbour - like any other father bantering with his son,” said Najib's political secretary Wong Nai Chee.

The TV ad meanwhile carried a message of 1Malaysia, with Najib playing a central role as the purveyor of multi-culturalism in the country.

The 65-second advertisement, which is also available on Youtube, showed the Prime Minister accepting the invitation of a little girl to play the Chinese drums and lead a dragon dance at her house.

“The Lion Dance is a must during the Chinese New Year,” said Wong.

“Traditionally for the Chinese, the drum player is the leader in the performance because the lion listens to the drums and dances to the beat. The ad shows the Prime Minister not just talking about multi-culturalism but also playing a leading role in fostering it,” said Wong.

DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok chose parody to get her CNY wishes and political message across to voters with her two YouTube videos, Dare to Try and Dare to Change.

In the first clip, the Selangor exco member acted as a restaurant captain who introduced a “new menu” to customers who complain of having the same dishes every year.

In the second, she played a hair dresser who persuaded her customer to update his look with a new hairstyle.

“The response and feedback were good - better than I had expected,” said Kok. “When I distributed my CNY cards in the market area, many people told me that they had watched the clips and liked them.”

News

Sunday February 10, 2013

Politicians add more zing to their CNY greetings

By HARIATI AZIZAN newsdesk@thestar.com.my

By HARIATI AZIZAN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my