The Twins - Daikin | Clapboard Ad Archive
Daikin’s 2020 Lunar New Year campaign, The Twins, conceived by WKNDPRJCTS for the Malaysian market, exemplifies how culturally nuanced storytelling can redefine a brand’s role in the home electronics category. At the heart of the campaign lies a short film rendered in Mandarin, revolving around Ah Ma and her twins, Ah Boy and Ah Girl, to probe the tradition-bound preference for sons within Chinese families—and crucially, to bring to light the silent, profound sacrifices often made by daughters. Rather than leading with overt product messaging, the narrative positions Daikin as a guardian of home comfort and familial care, using the backdrop of Lunar New Year to reach an audience deeply attuned to family values and seasonal reflection. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#5—Exemplary Story, the creative approach eschews rational demonstrations or hard-sell tactics in favor of a heartfelt, plot-driven journey: viewers witness a twist of fate that prompts the family to reevaluate what love and sacrifice truly mean, delivering a message that endures well beyond the festive period. The use of culturally specific themes and language ensures both authenticity and resonance among Chinese Malaysians while drawing broader appeal as a piece of storytelling rooted in universal human emotion. This subtle integration of the Daikin brand—present yet unobtrusive—ties the act of providing physical comfort through air-conditioning to the deeper notion of emotional comfort and protection in family life. Unlike category competitors such as Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, LG, and Samsung, which typically lean on innovation, energy efficiency, or smart connectivity as core differentiators, Daikin’s campaign foregrounds emotional intelligence, empathy, and evolving cultural norms, marking a calculated shift from product-centric to values-driven marketing within the electronics sector. The film itself attracted over 178,000 views, indicating a strong level of marketplace engagement and cultural relevance during one of the year’s most significant moments for Chinese communities. Clapboard rates this 69/100. The Twins matters for advertising because it demonstrates how brands in traditionally rational categories can achieve differentiation and memorability through storytelling that responds to evolving societal expectations while embedding themselves in the emotional fabric of their audience’s lives.