What are Malaysians watching and searching during Chinese New Year?

Malaysians are turning to YouTube during CNY, and searching more on certain categories on Google during CNY.

75% of Malaysians (24 million out of 32 million) own an average of 3.1 internet-connected devices per person, and with more than 1.8 million Chinese households in Malaysia, the internet has become a major staple for entertainment and commerce during Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations.

This new compilation from Google Malaysia takes a look at what Malaysians are watching on YouTube as well as what is being searched for on Google during this season. Brand and advertisers may find the following points useful.

Malaysians are turning to YouTube during CNY

• During January - February of 2015, YouTube watch time for CNY-related videos observed a year-on-year increase of 250%.
• During Chinese New Year, watch time on YouTube in Malaysia is slightly stronger in the morning, with the 'golden hours' happening from 5pm to 9pm. Brands may want to take advantage of these watch hours to ensure the strongest reach or coverage.
• Brands are also encouraged to create content around the following topics to connect with the Chinese community: family, friends, funny and food.    
• Example: Modern twists on classic CNY songs and feature a short snippet daily during the magic moments, for 15 days leading up to Yuan Xiao Je (Lantern Festival).
• Brands can target at scale to build awareness of their CNY offerings. For example, use bumper ads twice a week for a month leading up to CNY.

Malaysians are searching more on certain categories on Google during CNY

• CNY online interest starts to accelerate 5 weeks before CNY and peaks during CNY week itself.
• Brands can use this intent to intelligently connect on CNY searches, rather than demographics.
• CNY search campaign suggestions:
• Countdown to CNY with personalized, mobile-friendly eCards
• Malaysians are more likely to search for CNY greetings and cards on their mobile devices
• Scale the campaign across different ad formats for greater reach
• Partner with online grocery sites and offer discounts or cashbacks for CNY purchases
• Searches for supermarket discounts grew twofold during the 2017 CNY
• Malaysians particularly searched for: discount & promotions, product catalogues, online shopping & delivery options, and locations of supermarkets 
• Maintain brand presence across CNY search topics 
• Cover top slots when consumers are searching for them
• Create hype around CNY-related landing pages: quizzes, food blogs, zodiac charts   

You can also view the full infographic here.