5 Funny CNY Commercials That Embrace Tradition with Humor

Hello folks, we are back with another segment of #FunnyFridays. Honestly, I don’t recall when was the last time I saw an emotional Chinese New Year ad or one that didn’t have any humor in it. CNY commercials almost always have comical elements in them. And I know there’s still some time left before the Chinese New Year kicks in. But with some brands already rolling out their CNY ads we didn’t want to miss the bandwagon.

So, here we are with 5 funny Chinese New Year adverts that will get you in the festive mood.

1. Grab: The Art of Tai Chi (2020)

If your family celebrates the Chinese New Year and you happen to be the youngest in your family, you will surely relate to this 2020 Grab commercial.

The ad shows a mother assigning chores to her family members on the Chinese New Year. But the father, the elder brother, and the elder sister, who all happen to be the ‘master’, the ‘prince’, and the ‘princess’ of Tai Chi, deflect the chores assigned to them to the youngest member of the family.

Now only a divine intervention could have helped the kid get through the list of endless chores. Or maybe a little help from Grab would do just fine!

2. TV3: The New Year Surprise (2005)

If you aren’t a fan of dark humor, please avoid watching this one as it might seem slightly racist to you. But if you can get past that, you'll enjoy the Po Po in the ad, hilariously fixated on the color red and determined to banish all things black for the CNY festivities.

Her quirky quest takes a wild turn when she even dyes her hair red to eliminate any traces of black. As the family gathers for the celebratory meal, her son makes a grand entrance with his girlfriend, decked out in red attire. The only hitch? She is a black woman!

3. Air Selangor: Glue of the Family (2022)

This 2022 Air Selangor CNY commercial will seem like a classic, heartwarming CNY advert. But looks can be deceiving, right?

With the world gradually returning to normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic, the ad shows a guy named Raymond talking to the camera about how he has decided to go all out with the celebrations. Nevertheless, he laments his absence from the CNY celebrations, expressing sadness over being away from his family and missing out on the festive fun.

However, his family appears unfazed, going about their usual activities without sharing in his melancholy. His mother, in particular, remains notably unimpressed by his emotional display. Why? Because he’s been lodged in his room upstairs all the while as his family prepared for the CNY celebrations😂

You see Raymond, merely being out of sight doesn’t mean that you’re away too!

4. Tenaga Nasional: Reality Not Virtual (2020)

While the previous advert was about a guy who was pretending to be away from his family, this one revolves around a guy who was genuinely away from his family and therefore, couldn’t attend the CNY celebrations back home. Nevertheless, it’s just as funny as the last one.

However, a VR headset gifted to him by his mother takes him on a journey home which is as funny as it could get. From throwing water at his colleagues and laughing at a job aspirant to destroying a project model and the office’s CNY decorations, albeit all mistakenly, the virtual journey to his home is hilariously replete with chaos.

Seeing how much he’s missing his family, his boss finally allows him to go to his home for the new year. Well, he’d asked him to leave anyway considering the commotion that he had caused at the office!

5. Listerine: Swish Away Suay (2023)

Words like ‘death’, ‘illness’, or ‘loss’ are considered ominous during the Chinese New Year celebration. Throw ‘bad breath’ into the mix and this Listerine commercial would make for an ideal CNY advert.

Watch out for the chaos caused by bad breath, plaque-covered teeth, and delicate gums in this ad as a woman struggles to capture a decent family photo with her relatives. Lucky for her, the heroic Listerine steps in to save the day! 

Wrapping Up

And that was a wrap of yet another #FunnyFridays segment. Like I said previously, CNY commercials are funny by default. And the commercials mentioned in this blog only go on to prove that.

We’ll be back with more amazing videos for you. Till then, stay tuned!