Manner (company)

Manner Culture Enterprises Limited () is a Macau entertainment company. The company produces comedic videos in Cantonese that can be between a few seconds to a few minutes. It has a dozen performing artists under management.
Manner was founded in June 2013 by Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and Nathan Lam in Macau. It became popular after it published a nine-second viral video set in a Macau McDonald's titled "When buying ice cream, don't be distracted", in which a woman who is distracted by her cell phone grabs the ice cream part of an ice cream cone from the cashier. The company expanded to Hong Kong in 2018 through a seven-figure investment from an undisclosed investor. Its revenue is primarily from advertising. It has made sponsored videos for Alipay, the Hong Kong Police Force, and Royal Dansk. Roughly 80% of its advertising revenue is from Hong Kong companies or organisations. Manner created a physical store called Laji in Sé, Macau, that sells Manner-branded snacks and souvenirs. Its revenue was over HKD$10 million (US$) in 2017.
Manner posts videos on social networking services and online video platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Sina Weibo, Meipai, Miaopai, Sohu, and iQIYI. It had accumulated three billion video views and over 3.5 million followers on these sites by 2018. The "Macau Post Daily" called Manner "one of the biggest YouTube channels in South East Asia".
History.
Foundation.
Manner was founded in June 2013 as a joint venture by three Macau people, Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and Nathan Lam. Sixtycents is responsible for coming with ideas and the creative direction while Lei is responsible for directing, film editing, and working with clients. They rented space in an industrial building as their office. Initially, Manner took up a small office but by 2017, they occupied half of an entire building. The founders chose the name "Manner" by using Google Translate to translate the Chinese word for "attitude" into English. They were given the name "Manner" and liked the sound of it so chose it as the group's name. On second thought, they found the English name to be too serious so they chose a less serious Chinese name. The company's English name "Manner" mimics the sound of its Chinese name, 微辣, which has the literal meaning of "slightly spicy". The name represents the company's goal to stimulate thinking. The group's slogan is "生活的調味", which means "taste happiness". They specialise in making comedic videos that range from a few seconds to a few minutes.
During Sixtycents' university years, he began producing short films. Through part-time work with his partner in filming and performing magic, they saved up (US$), which they used to self-fund their first film. The cast and production crew were all friends who participated for fun and were not paid. Initially, the group made music videos as well as covers of songs that they changed the lyrics of. When Manner was just established, they created the music video "Back then" () which changed the lyrics of the Joey Yung song "16th Lover" (). According to "Exmoo News", the song, which discussed childhood toys such as the spinning top and the Game Boy and memories of a first love, had "affecting lyrics and thoughtful pictures and earned big praise from netizens". The video received 10,000 likes. Despite the song's receiving attention online and in Hong Kong media, Manner did not receive any advertising requests. They self-funded the video, which cost several thousand dollars to make. They soon realised that the cost to make it was too high in both money and time. It took two to three months to produce a film. Members of the group started to leave as they graduated and had to make a living and provide monetary support for their family. Sixtycents visited Taiwan in 2015 for a summer vacation during which he learned from Internet celebrities and new media companies and resolved to change Manner's business model upon returning to Macau. He discovered that it was challenging to transform a passion into a career. Sixtycents revised their filming approach by focusing on making shorter clips like a nine-second clip that would make people laugh within a limited period of time.
Manner created a skit titled "When buying ice cream, don't be distracted" in which a female customer at a McDonald's in Macau is looking at her cell phone when she grabs the ice cream part of an ice cream cone. The fast food employee is startled. The skit quickly became viral, leading to its being shared 190,000 times on Weibo and its Facebook page receiving 50,000 new members in a night. By 2018, the video had received 2.83million YouTube videos. The "Macau Post Daily" said that the video's popularity was "the beginning of one of the biggest YouTube channels in South East Asia". Its success led to Manner's creating more nine-second comedy videos. The song marked the start of Manner's popularity in Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well as the start of brands' seeking to advertise on Manner. Sixtycents observed that Macau is a city focused on gambling whose inhabitants largely look to other places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and China for entertainment. He hoped for Manner to be a venue for Macau performers to make a living while performing. In May 2018, Manner employees visited Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to do a meetup with 2,000 fans. In May 2019, Manner employees visited Malaysia again to promote a film.
Expansion to Hong Kong.
Manner invested in a Macau production company. The company expanded to Hong Kong in August 2018 to allow them to recruiter local entertainment talent and to better tap into the Mainland China market through Hong Kong. They rented a Kwun Tong office that could hold 20 people from a friend of Sixtycents' and set up Sheung Wan dormitory for their employees who lived in Macau. Manner received a seven-figure investment from an undisclosed investor for the Hong Kong expansion. The investor had connections with people in the Hong Kong entertainment industry who Sixtycents believed would help Manner grow more quickly.
In 2018, Manner's equity was held by Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and two executive directors. Sixtycents said, "We won't go public for the sake of going public. There's no rush." He emphasised that the most crucial thing was to have the company's business be stable and that going public did not matter.
Members.
Manner recruited heavily in summer 2017. In 2018, Manner had between 40 and 50 full-time employees with the remainder of the team being students whom they hired as part-time performers. Most employees in 2018 were in their twenties and born in 1994 or 1995 with few being born in the 1980s or earlier. Behind-the-scenes employees including screenwriters made a salary of $10,000 with the opportunity for bonuses based on the number of films and advertisements made. Sixtycents uses the OKR framework to hold employees accountable.
Manner in 2018 had 12 performing artists under management, including Carl Ao Ieong, Yelo, and Tina. Manner's performers each play a role that resembles the everyday friend, coworker, classmate, or family member. Their conversations represent the "inner voice buried in the hearts of ordinary people", the "kind of inner dialogue that cannot be spoken", said HK01.
Social media and video platforms.
Manner has accounts on multiple social networking services and online video platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Sina Weibo, Meipai, and Miaopai. Manner released 326 skits in 2017. In 2018, Manner had three billion video views and over 3.5 million followers on these sites. Roughly two million of its audience members in 2018 lived in Guangdong, which is where most of its audience is from. The rest are from the other parts of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. In Mainland China, audience members view its videos on Sohu, iQIYI, and Miaopai. Its audience members are largely between 18 and 35 years old. According to "Exmoo News", Manner is the "KOL platform in Macau with the widest audience". Its videos are posted on Asian diaspora Facebook groups such as Subtle Asian Traits and Subtle Cantonese Traits.
Cantonese language.
The company creates Cantonese films. Sixtycents noted that the performers grew up speaking Cantonese and viewed it as a culture and way of life. The group produces videos that do not avoid Cantonese profanity because they view it as the essence of Cantonese. As the actors are not proficient in Mandarin Chinese, the group was disinclined to make videos in Mandarin to try to attract the Mainland Chinese market. Furthermore, as there are geographical and linguistic differences in humour, the comedic material they were creating in Cantonese was not easily transferable to Mandarin. The Macau writers and actors are heavily influenced by consuming Hong Kong television dramas, movies, and songs, which are predominantly in Cantonese. Although Manner is focused on the Cantonese market, some audience members who only understand Cantonese watch their content through by relying on subtitles for understanding and to learn Cantonese culture.
English subtitles.
Manner pays people to create funny English subtitles for their videos. Its executive director acknowledged that their subtitles are "unusual" because "Poor English is part of Macau's culture because our two official languages are Chinese and Portuguese". They once had a professional translator of their videos. One day, a video's director had to perform the translation because she was travelling. The director's substandard English translations were well received by their audience. In one example, they translated "angry at me" () into "boy girl boy me" owing to the spelling of the Chinese character.
Videos.
HK01 wrote that Manner makes "short films that are all lighthearted, humourous, and make people belly laugh". "Exmoo News" called Manner's videos "funny and thought-provoking or ironic". In addition to its skits, Manner produces reality shows, variety shows, standalone drama episodes, and live music shows. The Macau scholar and cultural critic Li Zhanpeng found that Manner has a substantial influence on online viewers but that its material is "decontextualised" into a "very silly situational joke". He hoped that Manner would spark the Macau people to engage in dialogue though he recognised that Macau has a small audience and that Manner's audience is international and its content must appeal to them too.
According to Manner director Sixtycents, online audiences have short attention spans so generally will not appreciate videos longer than 10 minutes. In the past, Manner created a series of videos that ranged from six to 10 minutes. They would release one video per week. Sixtycents found that instead of watching each video as it is released, their audience would wait until all 10 videos in the series were released before watching all of them at once. Now, instead of releasing these 70-minute videos on Instagram and Facebook, Manner releases them on film sites such as iQIYI where users are more receptive to watching videos on the weekly release cadence. Video ideas are discussed during a weekly "Creation Club" meeting. If an idea was approved by the club, it would be filmed. The creator would receive a bonus based on how many likes the video received. During the meetings, they would think of how to improve on the proposed ideas.
Manner does not directly discuss politics. It indirectly discussed politics in a video that alludes to how the long delays and cost overruns of Macau Light Rapid Transit, which has angered many Macau people. The video said that light trail is the ghost feared by the Macau people (the words "light rail" and "ghost" have the same pronunciation in Cantonese). Manner produced a video titled "Some things when done by males is considered strange" that discusses how women can do some things without having their sexuality questioned that men cannot. In the video, two males hold hands, eat the same food, and take a shower together. Upon observing this, their two women friends feel it is weird, question why the males are so intimate, and wonder whether the males are gay.
After Typhoon Hato and Tropical Storm Pakhar caused destruction in Macau in 2017, Sixtycents changed the lyrics of the Japanese song "Always With Me" (the closing theme song for the film "Spirited Away") and had the song performed by a Macau band to celebrate the rescuers and volunteers who were helping the storm victims. They included clips of people helping each other in the aftermath of the storm in the music video. They uploaded the music video to Facebook. The video received 210,000 likes in 14 hours. Manner's actors, Carl Ao Ieong, Puinam, and Yelo, performed for Hacken Lee's music video for the 2020 song "Fairy Tales", which is about a couple who are unable to meet face-to-face because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have to order takeout and kindle their love through video.
Manner released a comedic video in 2017 about a son who went to great lengths to borrow money from his mother. He tells her that he lacks money, wants to start a family, and needs the red envelope money and interest on it that she had held on for him. The mother tells him that he should not be able to find a girlfriend given what he looks like. The son comes out and says he had a pregnant boyfriend who needs money. In a fit of despair, the mother pretends to be sick, spits out blood, says she has no money left, and bemoans that she was not a good mother. The mother and son go back and forth multiple times with more trickery so that it is not possible to recognise who is who. In the end, an important person appears and the son gives up. They released a 15-second video about how people with the 12 different astrological signs look like when they sleep. The camera shows a single person who looks exactly the same for all 12 constellations. Netizens responded "What did I just watch" and "The most accurate constellation analysis in history".
Theatre shows.
In 2018, Manner performed two showings of a magic and musical show titled "Maybe Funny" () at the Macao Cultural Centre. Starring Sixtycents, Lam Mao Fat, Rachel Lau, and Yelo, it has the themes of time, health, work, and marriage. With Rachel acting as the storyteller who sang songs that connected the show's scenes, Yelo was responsible for the dancing parts of the show. Sixtycents and Lam Mao Fat performed magic. Tickets for the Macau showings were sold out in 30 minutes. In 2019, they performed the show in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Baptist University where they sold over a thousand tickets.
In 2020, Manner performed five showings on three days of the play "Merry Christmas from Island God" () at The Parisian Macao's theatre. The play stars three foolish young people, who are played by Nathan Lam acting as a sighing pork meat seller, Ah Tai as a cynical hip hop singer, and Alex Ng as an insurance broker. The three are travelling around the world on a hot air balloon and after a mishap, they are stranded on a deserted island. The youths encounter the "Island God" (played by Ho Bak), a pretty fairy with a sweet voice (played by Rachel Lau), and three warmhearted island natives (played by Carl Ao Ieong, Isabelle Ip, and Tina Chan). The "Island God" grants them three wishes which leads to some magical and comedic incidents. The "Macao Daily News" said the play "releases funny positive energy and presents a wonderful and unforgettable performance to the audience".
Advertising.
Manner receives numerous advertising requests. The first advertisement Manner made was in 2014. Manner made an advertisement music video on 20 May 2016 titled "520" that modified the lyrics of the Hebe Tien song "A Little Happiness" that discussed the relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend. In Mandarin, "520" has a similar sound to "I love you", while in Cantonese, "520" has a similar sound to "Don't want you". It received 3.9 million views on Facebook. Manner made a sponsored video in 2017 for Royal Dansk's blue tin cookies starring Manner personality Carl Ao Ieong and the celebrity Louis Cheung, who played Ieong's older cousin. The video, which was about how the blue tin cookies saved the two cousins, went viral.
Its revenue of HKD$10 million (US$) in 2017 largely came from fulfilling the advertising requests. Roughly 70% to 80% of their revenue is from advertising, and about 80% of the companies or organisations with whom they have advertising deals are in Hong Kong. Manner made a crime prevention video for the Hong Kong Police Force. Companies they have made ads for include Alipay, the Yeung Gwong drink, and the electronics chain store Broadway. People they have made ads for include Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Eddie Peng, Wan Kwong, and Nancy Sit.
Laji.
Starting in 2017, Manner has begun operating in the food and drink industry such as investing in a restaurant and bar and creating advertisements promoting restaurants. The restaurant and bar allowed singers to share their voice to restaurant patrons. They began considering entering the products space after thinking of the slogan "睇趣片 食脆片" which means "Watch funny videos, eat crispy snacks" in which in Cantonese "funny" and "crispy" are different words but are pronounced the same. It created Manner-branded snacks that have Manner personalities on the packaging. It created the Laji brand that sells souvenirs such as Chinese almond biscuits and beef jerky. When they first started making snacks, they found it more expensive than they had anticipated as Macau had very few factories, and it was expensive to pay for labour and materials.
In August 2018, Manner opened a physical store to sell Macau souvenirs. Called Laji (), the store was located close to the Ruins of Saint Paul's at Travessa dos Anjos in Sé, Macau. The store had a large television that broadcasts Manner's videos. It sold Phoenix egg rolls, Chinese almond biscuits, and beef jerky and its products had a slightly spicy taste. The products had "funny and weird packaging" in that the Phoenix egg rolls' wrapping looked like that of feminine hygiene products, while the almond biscuits' wrapping looked like that of condoms. Laji offered discounts that were gimmicks. Since it is challenging to find parking in Macau, Laji gave customers free beef jerky if they show a parking ticket they have received. Despite substantial investment in it, the Laji physical store closed after fewer than six months. Manner did not realise how much time and money it would take to run the store. They switched to online selling of their products such as mugs and T-shirts to increase the profit margin and reduce the time investment.
Comparison to "100Most".
In reference to the satirical Hong Kong magazine "100Most", Manner has been called "Macau's "100Most"" because both produce funny content. Manner co-founder Sixtycents objected to the 100Most characterisation, noting that Manner does not touch directly on politics. He further noted that 100Most is focused on the publishing business, whereas Manner is involved in various media.