Vicks tells story of abandoned child and reluctant father in Philippines in ‘Touch of Care’ ad
Almost a year after its groundbreaking film showing a transgender mother in India, Vicks has released a follow up to its Touch of Care campaign, this time set in the Philippines.
The P&G-owned medicinal brand created a heartwarming video entitled ‘Learning to Love #Touch Of Care’, which tells the story of an angry young man’s journey after rescuing and adopting an abandoned child.
Set in an impoverished district in the Philippines, the video opens with Hernando, an unemployed young man, raging furiously against his neighbours, including the screaming baby next door.
Unable to deal with the babies’ incessant cries, Hernando enters the house in a fit of anger, only to discover the baby is alone and abandoned.
After failing in his efforts to hand the infant to his neighbours, Hernando gradually begins to care for the child and slowly grows to love it as though it were his own.
Based on a true story, the four-minute film continues the brand’s concept of portraying ‘unorthodox family relationships’ in a sympathetic light.
Last year’s Touch of Care ad in India ad went viral upon its release and was praised for its human portrayal of a transgender woman and her rights to a family.
So far, Vicks’ latest campaign has racked up 119,000 views on YouTube, plus 600,000 views and 11,000 shares on Facebook.
“In this #touchofcare campaign we are elevating this brand idea and explaining how care can transform lives and the future of people who are not just connected by blood but end up being family through care itself,” said Maithreyi Jagannathan, regional associate brand director, P&G HealthCare Asia.
Publicis Singapore chief creative officer Ajay Thrivikraman added: “As we interrogated the nature of care, we realised that it is a more transformative and powerful force than even love.
“To care about someone or something is a conscious choice, and a simple one that we can all make, to touch lives and transform them. Hernando’s story is all the inspiration we needed.”
Eleanor Dickinson is the editor of Mumbrella Asia. Eleanor joined the Asia platform from Dubai, where she acted as senior reporter for Campaign Middle East.
Much better than the first one.
This one is a great story and authentic delivery.
Careless tie up copy though…its not about making someone’s life better, i presume it’s about touching someone’s life (and vice versa) in ways you never imagined.
ReplyWhile I admire the effort I cant endorse this for a lion due to some slightly unsatisfying bits that failed to resolve. When the gangsta enters his home, there is a bunch of young women sitting on the stoop outside the house next door, and one of them is a young lass holding the baby. Next morning, all the women have vanished leaving the baby bawling and alone.
Not sure it makes sense that they took off and left their home and left the baby behind…forever. Whose house is that and why would such poor people abandon a home which is still worth a lot of cash? Most people stay put and dump the baby. So that bit threw me a bit.
ReplyI sense you have not lived in a developing country. The depiction is quite accurate in the video. These are slum dwellers, most of them are squatters of the area. They don’t own the place and make slum shelters from recycled or pilfered materials (a little bit similar to your western homeless, but very very much poorer than them). There are definitely cases where squatters abandon their homes suddenly to either escape the law or escape responsibility. In this case, the mother abandoned her responsibility – her child. The house is not worth anything. The mother most likely left the child in the house in the hopes that someone – neighbors or village officials – will take over taking care of the child.
Remember that the audience for this video are the masses in the Philippines. They can relate to this as this is what is really happening in their environment.
ReplyAt the end of the year, someone should put all these “emotional” “films” together and play guess the brand.
Such a bunch of sameness
ReplyVick’s transgendered ad last year was not only beautifully made but timed to perfection.
It hit just as transgendered rights and the changing nature of the family unit were in the news.
It felt both timely and honest. Invested in its subject and respectful of the story that they were telling.
This on the other hand feels like a couple of teams scrambling for a ‘true story’ follow up and landing on something obvious. It feels staged. It feels hollow. Shallow. Wooden.
It’s also about six and a half hours long.
It’s not bad. But it has none of the power of the last ad. Shame.
ReplyI got to agree with you. The first Touch of Care had the undefinable ‘something extra’ that made you sit up and take notice. It also engaged your heart. You not only wanted to weep but also cheer for the unconventional family in the ad. This second one, while sweet, doesn’t quite bring out that same emotion.
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