Singtel dials up the warm fuzzies in Mother's Day film

Ah, the tender machinations of familial love and commercial opportunism have once again collided in a heart-warming piece of advertising.  

This time, it is Singtel steering the emotional sleigh with its Mother's Day short film called ‘Hello Mom’s Day’, a sequel to the equally emotive ‘Hello Raya’. In this campaign, we see the return of the mother character, Mei Lian.  

Mei Lian finds herself at the centre of a planned surprise orchestrated by her daughter, Kristen. The plan? A winter holiday to Harbin. The film captures Kristen acquiring an arsenal of travel essentials and winter wear, all while Mei Lian remains unaware, preoccupied with duties such as bottling homemade sambal. Then, Kristen springs the surprise to her mother. Finally, while Mei Lian and Kristen are packing their winter wear, Singtel reminds viewers of its overseas roaming services.

The campaign will run on Singtel's social-media channels including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. 

Campaign’s take: In this sweet and simple film, Singtel manages to avoid the ‘rebel-child disappoints mom and redeems themselves’ trope. And while one might easily see the surprise coming at the get go, it’s still satisfying to watch Mei Lian respond with a classic mom-like comment upon receiving a gift: ‘Expensive or not?’

CREDITS

Client: Singtel
Creative agency: Little Red Ants Creative Studio
Director: Poh Yan Zhao
Producer: Jeff Lee