Page 18 - Hello Philippines February 2016 'B' issue

18 www.hello-philippines.com INTERNATIONAL /GLOBAL NEWS February 2016 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

ThehaaritMstraidngMs wenithtu‘sgagdinvgerotsn’
BANGKOK - Feverishly jotting
down ideas in a funky glass-panelled life with chemotherapy, or her own. One tells the tragic tale of a female An actress gets ready to shoot an advert for a Thai bank promoting a scholarship fund
conference room, Thailand’s “Mad Another, accompanied by the student who learns to conquer her fear
Men” are doing what they do best— of the neighbourhood dog ‘Olieng’ after Ralph Brunner, chief marketing believes the rise of the genre is
creating tearjerker adverts that leave trademark soft piano music and a his elderly owner dies. officer in Asia for insurance company linked to rapid economic and social
viewers scrambling for the tissue box. melancholic voiceover, is about a MetLife has been making adverts changes—and growing disquiet over
deaf and dumb father who saves his Girl and dog then become across the region since the late 1990s. what the future holds.
So-called “sadvertising” has daughter with a blood transfusion after inseparable, until she returns from
exploded around the world in recent she attempts suicide. school one day to find it fatally injured “The Thais have a knack for When he first arrived in Thailand
years as brands jostle to engage by a car. emotional storytelling,” he says. “You in the economic boom years of the
customers and stand out from ‘Why would they do that?’ see it on TV, short films that either mid 1990s, many adverts employed
competitors. Olieng eventually dies in her arms make you cry or a have a tremendous slapstick comedy.
The emotional punch packed by as memories of his happy life with the sense of humour and a very playful
An annual nostalgia-tinged such adverts has flummoxed many girl flash before his fading canine eyes. nature.” More recently Thailand’s economy
Christmas commercial from retailer international viewers, with videos of has become known as sick man of
John Lewis has become a festive non-Thais trying not to weep through The advert then skips to the present MetLife had one of the most Southeast Asia, following a decade of
tradition in Britain, while Budweiser’s the adverts doing the rounds on day where the girl has become a vet successful emotional ads of 2015 with political turbulence.
Lost Dog pulled heart strings and YouTube. and is patching up another person’s a spot about a father struggling to
swept advertising awards in the US. beloved pooch. provide for his daughter. On YouTube And the adverts have got sadder.
“This is so horrible,” exclaims one alone it has been viewed over 11 “There’s a lot of disconnect and
But few places are doing it with viewer under the name ‘Deadlox’ as “While others were lost in life’s million times. dysfunction going on—and those ads
such devastating efficacy as the Thais, he watches the advert featuring the bad moments,” a voiceover states, play to old fashioned values,” he says.
where the adverts are often as gruelling girl who attempts suicide, which was “she recognises the good times are an It was shot in Thailand, but aimed McCaughan believes Asia will
as they are memorable. commissioned by a life insurance inspiration to reach our dreams.” at multiple markets across Asia. produce more tear jerkers in the
company. coming years, especially as China’s
To outsiders Thailand advertises ‘Universal appeal’. It’s a formula Unlike humour, which is very economic slowdown impacts the
itself as the Land of Smiles, but its more “Why would they do that?”, he says that clearly works for the domestic specific to countries and even ages, region.
emotionally complex than that. of the filmmakers. market. parental struggles are something “What happens when you’re
almost everyone understands, says feeling low, you go for the security
The Thai language has more than Jinn Powprapai, founder of CJ Worx, Since its 11 January release the Brunner. “It’s a universal theme blanket,” he says. “It doesn’t matter
one hundred phrases that use the word a Bangkok agency that specialises in advert has racked up 12 million views people can relate to.” which culture you are, it’s the same.
heart—“jai”—to discuss a whole gamut producing emotional viral adverts, and more than 350,000 shares on And the big security blanket here is
of emotions, while its soap operas are offers one answer. Facebook and 1.68 million views on Dave McCaughan, a veteran of real emotions.” n AFP / February 11, 2016
renowned for their notoriously tragic YouTube. advertising who spent nearly three
storylines. “Being a Buddhist is all about giving decades across Asia with McCann,
and caring. We tend to always have But Phil Townsend, Asia-Pacific
The same is true of adverts. One an emotional sympathy for people less managing director of Unruly, which
recent spot, for a lingerie brand, pivots fortunate than us,” he tells AFP. specialises in getting adverts to
on a woman diagnosed with cancer emotionally resonate with viewers, says
on the same day she discovers she is One of the company’s recent creatives around the world are taking
pregnant, leaving her with the heart- commissions was from Khrung Thai note of Thailand’s tearful output.
wrenching choice of risking the baby’s Bank, a state-owned entity looking to
promote its scholarship fund. “We get a lot of people asking us:
‘How can we make videos like that?’,”
After months of back and forth they he says.
settled on two lengthy internet spots.

Tokyo leads Asian equities rout as traders flee to safety
EXPORTERS such as Toyota and The dollar sank to 114.70 yen, having ‘Bucketload of concern’. The flight others, were closed. don’t know exactly what it is they want.”
Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing were each sat above 120 yen just a week ago. The to safety also saw Japanese government “Those off celebrating Lunar New Year However, while regional equities
down more than six percent as they were yen is considered a safe haven in times of bond yields dive below zero, extending
hit by the strong yen. uncertainty. a downtrend sparked by the Bank of will be happy their markets are closed,” were being battered, oil prices staged
Japan’s surprise move last month to slap a Chris Weston, chief markets strategist in a rebound after US benchmark West
negative interest rate on some commercial Melbourne at IG Ltd., said in an email to Texas Intermediate fell back below $30
lenders’ deposits. clients. a barrel on Monday.

And gold, another commodity “These markets need a strong shake- WTI was up one percent at $30.00
considered low risk, climbed 1.3 percent on up and sharp downside move, followed by and Brent added 0.7 percent to $33.12.
Tuesday to $1,192.00. a wave of buying to settle things down,” he
said, according to Bloomberg News. Both contracts lost more than 3.5
Sydney shed 2.9 percent by the end and percent Monday after weekend talks
Wellington was 1.4 percent off. There were “But until that comes there will be no between OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and
also hefty losses for Manila, Mumbai and clarity, absolutely no confidence and a Venezuela dashed hopes for a reduction
Jakarta. bucketload of concern. It almost feels as in production, with Riyadh unwilling to
though the markets are pushing central move from its position. n AFP/ February 09,
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul, among banks into some kind of action, but they
2016

Veloso recruiters to be arraigned
for human trafficking on Thursday
THE two alleged recruiters of assisting Veloso in her case. scale illegal recruitment case

Mary Jane Veloso are set to be Sergio and Lacanilao were against Sergio and Lacanilao.

arraigned for human trafficking on accused of sending Veloso to The prosecution said Valisno

Thursday, February 11, in Nueva Indonesia in April 2010 with 2.6 is one of Sergio and Lacanilao’s

Ecija. kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. victims.

The Baloc Regional Trial Court Veloso was arrested and Olalia said the prosecution may

Branch 37 set the arraignment date sentenced to death, but her also present its second witness, who

after it junked with finality the execution was put on hold on the is also a victim of the two.

motions of Maria Cristina Sergio last minute in April last year to Sergio and Lacanilao, who

and Julius Lacanilao to defer their allow her to testify against her surrendered to authorities last year,

arraignment. alleged recruiters. had earlier pleaded not guilty to

“Pre-trial scheduled Mar 9,” said Also set for Thursday is the cross the illegal recruitment and estafa

lawyer Edre Olalia of the National examination of Lorna Valisno, a charges filed against them. n KBK, GMA

Union of People’s Lawyers, a group prosecution witness in the large News / Published / February 10, 2016 / 3:21 pm