Branded content in Malaysia hardly exists, as brands prefer to go into sponsorship deals instead of creating content themselves. The little branded content that does exist is usually in the form of reality-based “product demo” shows or a sketch comedy produced by local YouTube celebrities.

There are many entertainment restrictions in Malaysia due to religious, cultural and ethnic sensitivities. These restrictions are imposed by the government, and do not necessarily represent the beliefs or attitudes of the people. For example, the portrayal of multi-racial relationships is still considered taboo, even though they are a norm in this multi-cultural society.

We set out to create a love story that breaks cultural barriers. By airing it on YouTube and circumventing the censors, we told a story of young Malaysians bridging racial divides in the style of a Korean drama.

Wind Chimes in a Bakery is an 8-episode web series that tells the story of Sue and Adam, star-crossed lovers betrayed by fate. Sue is a young woman who obsessively uses her GALAXY S4 to capture every detail of her life, though she doesn’t understand why. We soon discover that she has an inoperable brain tumour and when she passes, Adam is left with nothing but her phone. Through the memories and experiences stored on her S4, we relive the story of their love. Each episode included mini arcs within the larger storyline, ending on a cliffhanger to keep viewers engaged.

‘Wind Chimes in a Bakery’ reached over 4.5 million viewers, who watched over 13 million minutes in the first 6 weeks. This is in a country that only has about 6 million English speakers.

Viewers gave the series an approval rating of 97% and comments flooded in supporting the multi-racial storyline.

Subscribers to the Samsung Malaysia YouTube channel shot up by over 200%.

Fan covers of the soundtrack were created.

Most importantly, GALAXY S4 sales were boosted, which helped to raise Samsung's market share to a record 76%.