Surely there's more that 5G offers than virtual combat?

Mobile data provider CSL is telling its customers it's opening up a "new world of discovery" for them as they enter the era of 5G mobile broadband. To drive this home, it's launched a whimsical new ad that reimagines Hong Kong as a virtual funhouse of twisted buildings, floating products, logos and data points, where animated characters and humans intermingle in a great big pastel-coloured soup mixing the real with the virtual.

It's a fun spot that might help people escape the current morbid reality under COVID-19, and imagine brighter days ahead when we can enter a new virtual world and... beat the living crap out of each other. Yes, much like Huawei already showed us in their film about how 5G will allow gamers to be able to scrap with virtual enemies in real time (by donning VR goggles and cool futuristic suits), about a third of this CSL ad shows how Hong Kongers will be able to...you guessed it, don VR goggles and cool futuristics suits and pound each other. 

But there's a bigger point here. The ad explains "how CSL is now capable of achieving breakthroughs in terms of space and time, while sweeping away conventionally-accepted human limitations such as age, physique and stamina," according to an accompanying press release.

It goes on: "The concept is beautifully illustrated by a TV commercial in which a former professional boxer draws on his experience to defeat a younger opponent in a boxing bout fought in virtual reality (VR). In fact, this is a prime example of how CSL will harness 5G technology to open up a whole new vista of opportunities and possibilities."

Ad Nut feels what this beautifully illustrates is the kind of hype we see behind many 5G promises themselves—grossly overblown to the point of ridiculousness.

Wipe away limitations such as 'physique and stamina'? One could argue video games and esports already do this. What about 'age'? Well, Ad Nut doesn't know too many seniors out there clamouring "Speed up the internet dangnabbit! We need faster reaction times so I can give this youngster a drop kick."

Oh boy, Ad Nut is walking a dangerous line here on ageism and for that, Ad Nut, also a product of decades past, apologises. Ad Nut knows full well that older people can and will benefit from 5G just as much as others as we continue to see virtual products help with visualisation, remote communications and independent living. 5G should also help enable years of experience and knowledge to come to the fore in new ways. Just not necessarily in VR gaming battles.

CREDITS

CSL Mobile個人流動通訊業務董事總經理: 林國誠
Managing Director, CSL Consumer Mobile: Bruce Lam

品牌及市務傳訊副總裁: 吳逸怡
Vice President, Brand & Communications: Macy Ng

品牌及市務傳訊助理副總裁: 李宛琳
Assistant Vice President, Brand & Communications: Kitty Lee

品牌及市務傳訊經理: 甘健中
Manager, Brand & Communications: John Kam

品牌及市務傳訊副經理: 劉嘉豪
Assistant Manager, Brand & Communications: Ricky Lau

赤子創意有限公司
Uth Creative Group Limited

行政總裁: 蘇偉良
Chief Executive Officer: Desmond So

副創作總監: 鄺子龍
Associate Creative Director: Kiren Kwong

副創作總監: 鄭義衡
Associate Creative Director: Claudio Cheng

美術總監: 葉靜雯
Art Director: Ching Yip

文案: 徐芷婷
Copywriter: Therese Tsui

副客戶服務總監: 陳名昆
Associate Account Director: Angus Chan

客務主任: 游正僖
Account Executive: Bobby Yau
 
幕後製作室有限公司  Mutual Workshop Ltd

導演： 梁華生
Director: James Leung

監製： 胡志良
Executive Producer: Dicky Wu

執行導演：史焯華
Co-Director: Simon Sze

攝影指導： 梁高基
Director of Photography: Kokei Leung

美術指導：林風
Art Director: Lam Fung

動作指導： 黃偉亮
Action Choreographer: Jack Wong

製作統籌 ：張業昌
Line Producer: Fir Cheung

助理製片：譚翠瑩
Assistant Producer: Thea Tam

製作主任 ： 陳向陽
Production Manager: Bonnie Ko Ching

後期製作公司Post-production House: Light Club Multimedia

動畫等效製作公司CG/VFX production House: Puppet Picture Ltd

作曲Music Composer: Ming Wu @ Giggle Music

Digital Media Agency: CruiSo Digital Solutions

Media Agency: Mindshare Hong Kong 

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.