Vicks brings 'Touch of care' to Philippines

A Vicks ad about a transgender parent in India earned a rave from Ad Nut early last year, and also made Campaign Asia-Pacific's top-10 list at the end of the year. Now the same brand and agency (Publicis Singapore), have transplanted the 'Touch of care' concept to the Philippines.

Like the India work, this story is about a non-traditional parent. But in this case, it's a young man who becomes a dad to an orphan, much to his initial chagrin. The work lacks the element of surprise and the theme of social stigma that made the India ad so powerful. And Ad Nut might have felt slightly manipulated by the storyline—except that it's based on a true story. As such, it's quite moving, especially the hints that suggest the man acts to help the abandoned child because he was left to fend for himself as a kid.

Three other things Ad Nut really likes:

• The many shots of simple, gentle touches, which reinforce the brand message while also serving the story.
• The fact that the action is set among people living in relative poverty. It's great to see a population that advertisers often ignore (except at awards time) getting treated in such a humanising way.
• The overarching message (in this and the previous ad) that the most important thing a parent can do is be affectionate and caring. In a culture where over-the-top Tiger Moms are celebrated and where many kids are trained and tutored more than they're touched, it's worth remembering the importance of the bonding that occurs through physical contact and emotional support.    

CREDITS

Client: P&G, VICKS Philippines
General Manager, P&G Healthcare Asia Pacific: Sujay Wasan
Regional Associate Brand Director Director, VICKS: Maithreyi Jagannathan
Country Manager, P&G Healthcare, Indonesia & Philippines: Lipi Banerjee
Brand Manager, P&G Healthcare, Philippines: Edgar De Las Alas

Creative Agency: Publicis Singapore
Chief Creative Officer, Global Clients: Ajay Thrivikraman
Creative team: Martin Loh and Tricia Matoto
Account management: Natalie VanderVorst, Prachi Partagalkar and Jessica Geli
Account Planning: Hesperus Mak
Director (film): Sheron Dayoc
Production house: Straight shooters
Post production house: EditCube
Sound design: Loudbox
Agency Producer: Lizanne Alcazaren and Toffee De Guzman
Executive Producer, SSMI: Raissa Hapin Carreli

PR Agency: MSL Philippines
Team Lead: Orly Ramas
Account Lead: Vanessa Dingcong
Planning Lead: Earl Ortega

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. Check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame.