Jollibee departs from cheery tone in pandemic-tinged global campaign

Philippines-based multinational quick-serve chain Jollibee’s latest global brand campaign is a marked departure from the usual energy that is a hallmark of its creative work. The campaign, from BBH Singapore, has used the bleak COVID-19 pandemic as the backdrop to reinterpret the brand’s tagline of 'Joy of family'. 

The three-minute-long campaign film, 'A message from the future', shot in New York and directed by award-winning director Law Chen, tells a story about life under the pandemic and wants users to feel grateful for the warmth of family for getting us through it all.  The film adopts a sombre and realistic tone as it goes into the future to record a nostalgic and emotional story of a migrant Filipino family based in the US.

Launched on May 16, the film is the grand culmination of Jollibee’s new 'Family Thanksgiving' month initiative, which was launched to encourage everyone to always appreciate and be thankful for their families. The film has already garnered 3.3 million views across Facebook and YouTube.

Set in 2060, the film shows a grandfather recounting his memories of the pandemic to his grandchildren. The story starts off on a bleak note but gives way to hope and joyful family moments that could have only happened because the family spent more time together, a transition highlighted through the film's progression from black-and-white shots to colour.

Commenting on the campaign, Francis Flores, JFC’s Philippines country marketing head and Jollibee PH marketing head, said: “Coming from a powerful truth that we are spending time with our families more than ever—it has never happened before and may never happen again—we wanted this campaign to acknowledge the grim reality of the current pandemic but still give a positive message of hope.”

Sascha Kuntze, chief creative officer at BBH Singapore, added, “We got a little tired of seeing empty streets and locked up places in commercials. The pandemic was and is a lot more personal. To really make an impact we wanted to show a perspective nobody had explored before.”

CREDITS 

Agency: BBH Singapore
Chief Creative Officer: Sascha Kuntze
Creative Directors: Mae Ong & Gaston Soto
Creative Team: Sandra Eichner, Charlene Chua, Dawn Abegail, Shervin Low
Business Director: Ross Henderson
Account Director: Victoria Fernandez
Account Managers: Isabel Ong, Daphne Tan
Chief Strategic Officer: Jacob Wright
Senior Strategist: Zoe Chen
Agency Producer: Wendi Chong
Production Company: Stink Films Shanghai
Director: Lawrence Chen
Film Out: Metropolis Post
Audio House: Twenty Below Music, 750mph, Fuse
Client: Jollibee
JFC Country/Regionaland Jollibee PH Marketing Head: Francis Flores
Head of Brand PR, Engagement and Digital Marketing: Arline Adeva
Senior Brand PR and Communications Manager: Dennis Reyes
Brand Engagement Manager: Maria Beatriz Cruz
Social Media & Digital Content Officer: Jean Vittorio Sabado