SM brings back hope this Christmas
MANILA, Philippines — If there is another force as powerful as love — it’s hope. If there is a season when hope springs eternal and enables people to believe that anything’s possible, it’s Christmas. After all, Christmas is the day when a savior was born to save humanity from eternal suffering. His birth has given everyone hope of receiving absolution and salvation.
Everyone hopes for something this month: new clothes, toys, better health, bountiful blessings and, most especially, to be with the ones they love to celebrate this joyous occasion. Christmas makes all our hopes become reality, as it is the season of giving and being in the company of family and friends.
This is the underlying message of SM Supermalls’ Christmas campaign, which debuted this week in the social media platforms of The Philippine STAR, the country’s most successful multimedia enterprise. The campaign is in the form of The STAR’s primary online ad service called Philstar Viewtorials, which are short videos that tell a poignant or funny story about a brand.
Second chances
Lilit Reyes, one of the country’s top creatives, and The STAR’s creative campaign specialist Khaila Gurion, wrote the three-minute video titled Second Chances.
It tells the story of a now-separated couple who met one December weekend to take their children to SM Mall of Asia for an afternoon of shopping, dining and strolling. While already on separate paths in their lives, the ex-husband still pines for his ex-wife and hopes to win her back, much to the consternation of the latter.
Their children also hope that the couple will reunite, and in a visit to a Santa’s Workshop display, one of the children writes a letter to Santa Claus expressing her hope that her parents will one day get back together.
The letter, placed in a Make A Wish drop box, does not fully drop into the slot and catches the eye of the ex-husband, who shows it to his ex-wife. The mother smiles, then looks at her children, but doesn’t give a definite answer, leaving the viewer to hope for a positive outcome.
“Just like the other #SMoments videos that we've released this 2017, Second Chances is primarily anchored on the Filipinos’ unique love for family and how SM Supermalls has been part of every family's journey by being a silent witness to the many memorable SM moments they have shared with one another, most especially during the Christmas season,” says Jon Jon San Agustin, SVP for marketing at SM Supermalls.
The go-to place this Christmas
Since the video’s debut in The STAR’s social media platforms on Dec. 11, it has already been viewed by netizens 1,373,921 times and garnered more than 5,400 reactions. Netizens have shared the post more than 500 times and gave more than 370 comments on the story.
The video was also posted at SM Supermall’s official Facebook page, where it was watched 1,372,691 times and received almost 19,000 reactions. It was shared within the social media platform more than 1,300 times, while more than 250 comments on the story were made by netizens.
The story’s virality online is a testament to how SM Supermalls has become an indelible part of the Filipino Christmas celebration. Every year, come this season, its malls are the go-to place for families looking for Christmas gifts, Noche Buena items, holiday food trip spots and festive Christmas activities. It truly is the ideal destination for families to spend their Christmas together.
“Most definitely, our shoppers' holiday celebration at SM will be filled with amazing shopping deals, exceptional dining offers and world-class entertainment that range from grand parades and giant belens, through Ferris wheels-turned-lanterns and selfie-favorite light tunnels, and up to the unforgettable moment of experiencing the magical world of Disney in an SM mall close to home,” San Agustin says.
The Second Chances video is not the first successful campaign launched by SM Supermalls and The STAR. In the past, the two companies have already embarked on other advertising campaigns in various platforms, which captured the hearts and minds of Filipino audience.
“For more than 20 years now, SM and The Philippine STAR have been trusted partners that are united by our common goal of continuously innovating to better serve our customers' fast-changing needs. Like The STAR, SM started as a traditional brand, but we’ve both fully embraced the power of digital to remain relevant and to reach, engage and influence our audience through new, exciting ways,” ends San Agustin.
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Visit The Philippine STAR’s official Facebook page to watch the touching story of SM Supermalls’ Second Chances.
