The Insights — S02E08
Christmas season is done, and naturally, interesting ads usually go down in number. In the Philippines, we either have messaging about the new year in early January, or we wait until February (Valentine’s) and March (graduation-related) for ads. So we look for ads somewhere else — and brands from other markets do not fail in giving us amazing ads. Singapore’s Singtel is perfect for that extended interest in dramatic ads that we’re usually exposed to during holidays. Airing a little earlier, Singtel’s 5-minute ad is about the Chinese New Year.
The ad is about three Singaporean university students in Australia — away from their families for Chinese New Year for the very first time. They are clearly relieved from the clutches of their families and traditions, which they jokingly described to each other. In their minds, finally, there is freedom from what is usual, mundane, and sometimes senseless traditions. But lo, there is a heartfelt letter from Ma, read aloud by one of the students in their condo as they unpack the goods put in their luggage.
The message was well written, as if spoken and written by our mothers themselves. Seeing it as a Singaporean ad, I was surprised to realize how a mother’s concern be so universal. It was really a simple string of words, but it creates such an impact especially for millennials who are just experiencing the same thing — moving away and moving on from their families to pursue dreams and shoulder responsibilities elsewhere. And nothing makes our heart grow emotional than spending it away from what we’ve always had. Sure, new things excite us and we tend to grow tired of some things along the way, but a letter from Ma with love reels us back to that warmth from childhood.
“And nothing makes our heart grow emotional than spending it away from what we’ve always had.”
We Filipinos can totally relate to these people. We have our fair share of traditions and activities centered around holidays like Christmas. The Filial Piety of the Chinese are also present in our society — what we do is always an ode for the family. If there is point where our culture is slightly different from the students’ feelings for tradition, maybe it’s that traditions here are still enjoyed by most Filipinos. People are most likely doing everything to be home, if possible. But this is not to clean our dirtied hands from guilt — our society has our share of people not coming home during the holidays. This reality, in fact, was used by San Miguel Beer in their #Musta ‘Nak campaign just this December. They featured parents yearning for their children this past Christmas, and how a shared moment with them would mean so much.
I’m sure that this Singtel ad will struck a chord for the most of us. It may be formulaic, but it cannot be denied that it is effective, not only for millennials and the Gen Z, but for their parents as well. I guess, it is safe to say that a storyboard about families will always work in this region (and maybe that was the very reason why it was featured in Campaign Asia in the first place). There is a clear affinity for the love for family between two cultures, even if they are seas part.
I was curious if Singtel has been continuously doing these type of dramatic ads, and checking their YouTube channel showed numerous ads with the same treatment. Watching video after video, it made perfect sense — this may be the general direction they want for their ads. There are ads for different holidays like Christmas, Flag Day, and of course, Chinese New Year. And most ads are also too long to be a TVC. In my mind, maybe this is just a way for them to flex their storytelling prowess in digital. After all, in digital, although shorter videos make more sense, it doesn’t hurt to watch longer content once in a while, especially if it was done well.
Aside from its length, I also realized two things from the type of ads Singtel has: One, most of the ads have elderly characters, and two, they don’t seem to showcase that much features on their phone services. I’m not sure why parents and grandparents are always used for their ads, but a family-centric storyboard makes sense on a predominantly familial society — it’s just more compelling. Another angle is that maybe this reflects the compostion of their society, where older people make up most of the population. Lastly, ads that show the age gap between the characters is lowkey showing that Singtel is a heritage brand — it has been in people’s lives for a long time.
The second point felt like that was a move only established brands do. I remember what Joshua Weltman said in his book, Seducing Strangers, that the fourth type of ad is done at a point when there is an established emotional relationship between the consumer and the brand. These ads don’t need to be an informercial nor offer limited-time offers — they already have a stronghold in the market, they just need to strengthen and maintain its household name status. Seeing ads like these make me think of the two big telcos in the Philippines, as they have been continuously creating ads like these. Throughout the year, there are ads that showcase their services and ads that just touch our hearts.
But Singtel does not always success in this type of ads. Along with the feature for this ad, I also saw Campaign Asia’s feature on their terrible Christmas ad. There is complete failure in its story — it lacks insight and it wasn’t thoughtfully made. To see another good ad, check what they did for last year’s Chinese New Year entitled, “Mr Lim’s Reunion Dinner.”
These types of ads make monitoring ads throughout the region more interesting. It is in seeing the same human truth in different markets separated by seas and religion that make you stare and watch. You reflect and look at the similarities, and make you think of the campaigns you can create in case you take the task of connecting the whole region to your brand.
However, we shouldn’t be stuck to such ads. In a world where brands are putting premium in storytelling and making compelling campaigns that tackle social issues, storyboards like this will lose impact. For example, Gillette’s ad easily made a big splash, taking every discussion throughout the world. All brands, regardless of industry, have the same challenge when it comes to grabbing the attention of the world.
