National Day short film hits home
Singtel's video about a young Singaporean and his grandfather garners a large public reaction
Imagine coming home to a country whose passport you carry but to which you feel no sense of belonging.
It is this distance faced by many young Singaporeans that Singtel seeks to explore in a viral short film titled The Drive Home.
Set against the backdrop of National Day, the video features the relationship between a young Singaporean and his grandfather.
The young man, who has been living overseas for a long time, is forced to spend his school break in his grandfather's HDB flat.
Though he finds it difficult to adjust at the start, he eventually comes to appreciate and enjoy his grandfather's traditional Singaporean way of life.
The video, which was posted on July 12, has over 2.4 million views on Facebook and about 640,000 views on YouTube. It has been shared more than 2,900 times.
As Singapore society matures, we wanted to explore how the older generation passes on their love of country and home to the next.Singtel
According to a Singtel spokesman, the video focused on the gap between older and younger Singaporeans and how they view the national celebration.
Said Ms Lian Pek, VP of Strategic Communications and Brand, Singtel: "As Singapore society matures, we wanted to explore how the older generation passes on their love of country and home to the next."
The video is the third in a series revolving around national holidays.
It attracted a large public reaction, receiving over 400 comments on the initial Facebook post carrying the film.
Singtel was pleased with the public response.
Ms Pek said: "The fact that the film has gone viral tells us that people want emotion, they want more than just a transactional relationship with a brand, they want to associate with brands that engage them in meaningful ways and stand for meaningful values."
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