A campaign concept that brings Malaysian wildlife characters to life through ATLAS vending machines, turning everyday transactions into small moments of connection and care amid the rush of daily commutes.
01 — Industry brief
Reimagining 10,000 machines
A live industry brief from ATLAS Vending and Etika, developed with M+C Saatchi Karsa, challenged us to rethink how an established network of around 10,000 vending machines could become more meaningful to Malaysian Gen Z aged 18–30.
Rather than simply redesigning the machine’s appearance, we approached the challenge like an agency pitch: starting with behaviour and cultural relevance before building the experience and campaign ecosystem around it.
02 — Problem & insight
A high-traffic ghost town
ATLAS machines occupy busy transit spaces, yet the interaction is almost entirely transactional: approach, purchase, collect, leave. Despite the foot traffic around them, the machines themselves remain easy to overlook.
Our insight was that Malaysian Gen Z forms stronger connections with experiences that react, remember, and feel alive. Instead of treating the machine as another automated fixture, we asked what would happen if every location felt like a small habitat with something inside worth returning to.
03 — Big idea
Every purchase
brings them
to life
RIMBA RIUH combines Malaysian wildlife, the noisy rhythm of commuting, and the nostalgic logic of virtual pets. Each vending machine becomes a digital habitat occupied by a location-specific companion.
Purchases no longer end when the product drops. They feed interactions, reactions, rewards, and progression, turning consumers into caretakers and everyday transactions into small contributions toward an ongoing relationship.
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04 — Character system
Meet the Rimba residents
Maya, Tido, Madu, Pelulu, Juju, and Fiki turn six Malaysian animals into recognisable commuter personalities, each shaped around familiar moods and behaviours such as hunger, exhaustion, indecision, overheating, sugar rushes, and anxiety.
Their personalities also give them functional roles within the vending experience. Different product categories and user actions trigger different companions and reactions, allowing the machine to respond with character rather than simply completing a transaction.
Together, the six form a collectible system rooted in Malaysian wildlife while reflecting the everyday chaos of commuting. The same characters extend across the machine interface, ATLAS Pocket, rewards, merchandise, and campaign executions, giving the whole ecosystem a consistent personality.
05 — Mechanics
A care loop built into the commute
The user journey connects discovery, purchase, character response, collection, rewards, and return visits. A commuter first encounters the location-specific resident at the machine, scans into their account, browses, purchases, and receives a reaction linked to the product category.
That interaction then feeds into longer-term progression through points, collectible companions, and rewards. The mechanics were designed to feel immediate enough for a quick vending transaction while still leaving users with a reason to return.
06 — Companion platform
ATLAS Pocket
ATLAS Pocket carries the relationship beyond the vending machine. The mobile extension stores collected Pocket Pals, character progression, rewards, stamps, accessories, and other interactions in one place.
Features such as the Gacha Wheel and stamp-based rewards give purchases longer-term value, while character collection encourages users to discover different machines and locations. The physical machine creates the immediate moment; ATLAS Pocket turns that moment into an ongoing relationship.
07 — Viability
Built on what already exists
RIMBA RIUH was designed to work with ATLAS’ existing vending network rather than requiring an entirely new infrastructure. Screen-enabled machines can deliver the full interactive experience, while legacy machines can still participate through visual identity, QR touchpoints, and the companion platform.
This keeps the proposal scalable while balancing cultural resonance with commercial practicality. The experience feels new to the consumer without asking the client to replace an established nationwide system.
08 — Campaign execution
Taking Riuh beyond the machine
The campaign expands RIMBA RIUH beyond the machine through touchpoints designed around discovery, participation, collection, and sharing.
Executions such as Commuter Takeover, Flex Your Chonk, Mobile Habitats, QR Hunts, and merchandise turn the characters into something commuters can encounter both physically and digitally. Each activation gives people another reason to notice the residents, interact with them, share them, and eventually return to the machines.
09 — Story & design development
From idea to final pitch
The final proposal developed through research, storyboarding, character studies, interface design, motion tests, machine mock-ups, campaign exploration, and repeated pitch refinement.
Storyboards established the case-study narrative before production, while the visual system evolved across the mascots, pixel-art identity, machine UI, ATLAS Pocket, and campaign materials. Some planned scenes were later removed when they interrupted the pacing, allowing the final film to communicate the idea more clearly.
10 — Final pitch
Less Rush.
More Riuh.
The final case-study film brings the strategy, character system, experience mechanics, companion platform, feasibility, and campaign executions together as one coherent proposal.
Alongside the complete pitch deck, it presents RIMBA RIUH not simply as a vending-machine redesign, but as a system for turning everyday transactions into moments of personality, collection, and cultural connection.
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Alistair Ng
alistair.ngyc@gmail.com