The three-part commercial the fast food giant launched last Thursday took online and offline by storm. And explaining why these ads, which run a little less than three minutes each, have now become pop culture phenomena is no rocket science.
In advertising, if the “sex sells” premise is not the route to go, then shift to what “viewers can relate (with) and can touch their hearts.” And when you bank on their emotions, hit them right to the core. That’s what we call “Emotional Advertising.”
Paraphrasing what my college professor told me, this type of marketing strategy relies on emotion, rather than information, to make brand decisions. And Jollibee did exactly just that – using emotional responses to get people’s attention.
While it’s obvious that the main intention of Jollibee is to sell its products that are cooked in just few minutes behind its kitchen counters, this time though, it banks on the power of social media to drive connection and awareness. In less than 24 hours, the “Vow” advert garnered more than 10 million views on Jollibee’s official Facebook page and generated an avalanche of memes shared across all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To date, the three ads have already generated more than 30 million views on Facebook alone.
That should be no surprise. As emotional beings, we are carried away how “the best friend” professed his love and loyalty to his soul mate only to let her go and be in the arms of another man. He’s a masochist. This unrequited love tackles the sacrifices that a person would go through for the love of his life. So, a lot of people can relate. Amen?
Next, people cried when the “Date” ad was released. If you cried when you finally realized that the boy in the commercial was actually preparing a date with his mom, initially imagined by his dead father who’s giving him instruction via a recorded clip before he passed away, don’t worry. This doesn’t challenge your emotional stability. Crying over this heartwarming commercial is a sign of your emotional stability. It’s a basic emotional response according to a recent research that says crying greatly improves people’s capacity for empathy. Again, people can relate to that – you know, when someone plays with our emotions.
Then, there’s the third ad that follows the basic formula of every romcom on TV and the big screens. “Crush” celebrates the joy of those who never gave up on love. In the first two minutes, the ad tells the story of a boy who leaves Jollibee burgers as anonymous gifts for his high school crush. Initially thought as a heartbreak story, it turns out to be the other way around with a happy ending twist. It is revealed that both of them ended up marrying and building a family together.
And another thing, apart from Kapuso actress Ash Ortega (InstaDad, Wish I May, and Oh My Mama), Jollibee chose virtually unknown talents and models to act in the three-part Valentine series. With the absence of big stars, this makes these commercials even more relatable, not to mention that the adverts were inspired by true stories.
The three equally heartwarming and heartbreaking stories feature various levels of love among individuals, which took cue from the young generation’s obsession with “hugot” stories. Hence, the countless “hugot” lines that flooded the Internet as soon as these ads broke the Internet.
Now, the ads are undoubtedly highly successful and the executives from the fast food giant are content with what the ad agency did for their brand, but will this social media phenom turn into sales? Will our request for “thigh part only fried chicken bucket” be accommodated for delivery, dine in, and take-out orders? These are the big questions.