TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos, has partnered with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to launch #MakanLokal, a campaign in support of local food businesses.

The #MakanLokal campaign celebrates Malaysia’s food diversity by featuring an interactive food map that highlights well-known localities in different states, recommendations of local food businesses and food reviews of restaurants and online food businesses. Foodies can easily discover new authentic places to try out their favourite hawker centre and mamak dishes, or check out up-and-coming cafes before they become the newest hang out spots.

To make it easier for local restaurants to be discovered, local food business owners can give their establishments a boost by using an exclusive campaign sticker and hashtag in their videos to check-in their location and restaurant name. Food business owners can even encourage more reviews and authentic original content of their restaurant and dishes by offering vouchers or promotions for users who checked in and tagged the restaurant’s TikTok handle in food review videos.

“TikTok has long been a thriving food content hub that has birthed food trends and pushed the discovery of new recipes and eateries, inspiring home chefs and foodies alike to share their love of food on the platform. With local establishments being the most affected by the pandemic, we wanted to help small business owners reach more customers as well as connect food lovers with the rich food options available in Malaysia. Our immersive short-form videos makes it even easier for local food businesses to showcase their delicious creations and story tell their brand strengths in creative and authentic ways,” said Darren Quek, TikTok Strategy Operations Manager, Malaysia.

As part of the partnership, MDEC will be featuring the restaurants on the MDEC Go E-commerce website, where small-time business owners have the chance to access tools, training and insights that can help them build their business. MDEC will also assist food and beverage businesses nationwide to onboard TikTok and guide them through the process of content creation and promotion.

To further amplify the #MakanLokal campaign, the foodies who post the most interesting selection of videos under the hashtag will stand a chance to win prizes of up to RM5,000 and more. Users just have to upload their original videos featuring food reviews, recommendations or small food and beverage business shout outs with the #MakanLokal hashtag and sticker to be eligible for the contest.

#MakanLokal runs from 16 to 30 November and can be found on the TikTok app. TikTok is available for free on iOS and Android via the Apple Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery.