Well I tell you what it isn’t, it’s not this …
What you have just watched is a commercial by the Singaporean Government … a commercial designed to promote the beauty of family.
It is getting lots of praise.
In Singapore.
Some people are saying it is a beautifully crafted piece of film.
Some are saying it has been written with real sensitivity.
Some are saying it is a brave commercial.
I say they must be living in a cave.
I hate this commercial.
I’m not saying that to be contrary … I’m saying it because it is one of the most contrived pieces of advertising I’ve seen in a long, long time.
The whole thing seems to be a mish mash of 1970’s ‘jokes’ … 1980’s Hollywood love story musical scores … 1990’s advertising storylines and 2000’s Singaporean attitudes.
Which means it’ll probably work.
In Singapore.
With people who already have families.
Putting aside the fact it’s pretty pathetic a Government body has to do an ad telling people how important family is [but then they do ads that tell people not to steal!] I think associating love with farts and coughs is very disappointing…
Mind you, Singapore is a country that has hundreds of thousands of people who think love is a new Prada bag or a Porsche so moving it away from materialism is probably a step in the right direction.
Look I appreciate how farts, coughs, burps and snoring can become elements you ‘miss’ when a loved ‘goes’ … but it’s not really because you like your senses being assaulted by sounds and smells, it’s because they represent physical elements of a person who gave you protection, love, laughter and friendship.
Love is way more than just a persons imperfections … love is many things, most of which you haven’t a hope in hell of being able to express with any justice …
This commercial isn’t a beautifully crafted piece of film.
To be honest, I don’t even know what that really means … except it seems to be an excuse some people use for crap content.
And sensitivity?
They’re using FEAR to promote love for fucks sake. [But then that’s in the Singaporean Government’s DNA]
Which leads us to brave.
For me, when people say something is ‘brave’ it tends to be a nice way of saying ‘stupid’.
Real bravery – at least in adland – should come across as sound logic.
When Fallon did the Skoda ads [when VW had bought the brand] and took the piss out of the car’s “badge” – that wasn’t brave, that was being pragmatic and relevant.
When Jack In The Box thumbed their nose at healthy eating and celebrated they made fatty food – that wasn’t brave, that was being truthful and targeting the exact market who enjoyed their food.
When the Singaporen Government used a funeral as a metaphor for the importance of love and family, that wasn’t brave, that was more lowest common denominator communication from a country that seems obsessed with scare mongering and Mr Bean stye communication.
This ad shows how few agencies understand emotion.
It’s not about shoving in a swirling soundtrack or using actors with tears in their eye … it’s about writing from the heart and touching the heart … and whilst I am sure the guys behind the spot think they’ve produced a moment of Hollywood magic, they haven’t and it is worth remembering that in the movies, they have 2 hours to try and evoke a response and most times they fail to produce anything other than a yawn.
There are some great ads that can move people in 30 seconds … ads that change how people fundamentally feel and think … but this isn’t one of them, no where close.
If the Singaporean Government really wanted to do an ‘ad’ that promoted the value of family love … an ‘ad’ that made people stop, think, reconsider and reconnect … then they should of checked out the brilliant DAYSWITHMYFATHER
I’ve written how brilliant this is before … and whist some could claim it also conveys a message of ‘fear’, I would disagree because you can ‘feel’ how this has been done from the heart and that means something that does have a touch of sadness to it becomes something quite different … something that is inspiring and beautiful.
I appreciate some people will have a different opinion to the Government ad to me … and that’s fine as everyone is entitled to their opinion … so for what its worth, here’s mine …
Terrible ad … Terrible strategy … Terrible use of Government money.