J Walter Thompson and Manulife Philippines remind people of the real meaning of sharing
With Christmas coming, J. Walter Thompson Manila and Manulife Philippines wanted to remind people of the real meaning of sharing – by doing it in real life.
The “Share For Real” campaign – which runs November through December both on and offline – starts with three short documentary-style films, featuring ordinary people toiling behind the scenes to help make Christmas, well, Christmas.
There’s Wilfredo Dador, who paints murals on large outdoor Christmas displays in Manila. Each Christmas season, he works overtime, then spends his hard-earned money on gifts for kids in the neighbourhood.
There’s Erlinda Amaybay, who makes and sells rice cakes, a Filipino Christmas delicacy. We learn that she provides jobs to school drop-outs at her stall, yet barely earns enough for herself. And there’s John Perez, who crafts giant Christmas lanterns, and works two other jobs – pedicab driver and barber, to earn enough to pay for his small daughter’s medical bills.
Each short video ends with a question to viewers – if they could give anything at all to Wilfredo or Erlinda or John, what would it be? Viewers post their answers with the hashtag #ShareForReal, and Manulife and J. Walter Thompson work towards turning their wishes into real presents.
The responses to the videos poured in. Manulife selected the most mentioned and most special and turned them into real presents wrapped in green Manulife cubes. The three were invited to a beautifully-decorated plaza, and with a choir accompaniment, surprised with the series of presents. The gifts included a new bed for Wilfredo, a vacation for Erlinda and a new pedicab for John.
“This campaign is close to our team’s heart,” said Dave Ferrer, Chief Creative Officer of J. Walter Thompson Manila. “As we all know, Christmas is a special season in the country and to get that chance to give back to those who go through great lengths to make it special for all of us, is an opportunity in itself to share for real.”
For Manulife, it was a way to show that the insurance giant understands local culture, as part of its vision to help Filipinos achieve their dreams and inspirations.
“We at Manulife hope to bring back the real meaning of sharing through #ShareForReal. More than just sharing a thought on social media, we encourage others to be enablers for these chosen individuals to start their own stories,” said Melissa Henson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Manulife Philippines. “We’re pleased that we are working closely with JWT to bring this campaign to life. It is the perfect Christmas message that complements the successful follow up of the #StartYourStory brand campaign.”
So far, the four short films have been viewed 2.5 million times and have garnered 48,000 reactions and 1,390 comments.