One favorite tactic of advertising agencies not only in the Philippines but the world is to tug at the hearts with visuals and themes which exude strong emotions in the viewer. One notable instance of this in action on local commercials would be the series of TV ads put out by Jollibee during Valentines just this year. Now it is the turn of Max’s Restaurant, the “House that Fried Chicken Built”. One of their commercials last year was light with symbolic humor, but this latest ad goes into the heartstrings-pulling category with its emotional punch and immensely relevant inspirational theme.
According to CNN Philippines, the new Max’s Restaurant commercial, uploaded onto social media and streaming services like Facebook and YouTube just this weekend, and airing on TV as of now, has begun building up a massive fan base due to not only its incredible production value but its message as well. The ad, more like a short film running over 2 minutes long, shows Manila thrown into a panic as a literal family of extraterrestrials land on the city in their ship. But these are no hostile alien invaders, though everybody around them thinks otherwise, except for one surprising place.
In a potentially eye-watering sequence, the alien family walks along Manila’s streets, while angry protesters gripped by literal xenophobia shout at them from behind police lines. The unwelcome treatment stops however when the ETs find their way inside a Max’s Restaurant, where they are let in by the guard and guided to their table by a friendly maître d’. From there, they watch in wonder at the very diverse clientele of Max’s, families, friends, school groups, even foreigners; and finally they feel at home. All the while, a haunting children’s chorus chants the meaningful lyrics of “Kaleidoscope World” by late Filipino Master Rapper Francis M.
Max’s Group Inc. chief marketing officer Jim Fuentebella noted that the primary gist of the commercial was to pay tribute to families and spotlight the general trend of “alienation”. “The use of aliens is really just a creative way for us to get our message across,” Fuentebella said. “They symbolize our differences in backgrounds and opinions, but it is really a call to be open to each other, to treat each person with respect and understanding you would give to a family member.” He hopes the commercial will encourage people to build relationships with those around them, and not compartmentalize strangers as aliens to distrust.
Already the commercial has gotten over a million views on YouTube and Facebook, the latter also registering 30,000 mostly positive reactions, over a thousand comments and more than 16,000 shares.
Image courtesy of Esquire Philippines
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