MCYS launches national drive to spark filial piety in Singapore

The S$1.6 million (US$1.1 million) advertising campaign, spearheaded by the National Family Council and developed by creative agency Leo Burnett, features a three-minute long ad that will be shown across TV, cinemas and outdoor video screens in the city-state.

MCYS' latest campaign comes on the back of a nationwide study that reveals that while Singaporeans still profess to filial piety, caring for elderly parents these days is more or less limited to financial support or left to domestic workers.

In the campaign's TVC, a boy tells the story of how his father has to take care of his dying mother, even though the grandmother is difficult to put up with. Subsequently, a flashback reveals the elderly woman as a young mother rushing her son to hospital and caring for him while he is in recovery.

Singapore's population is rapidly ageing and the traditional values of filial piety may be lost in an increasingly globalised society.

The campaign seeks to heighten awareness of filial piety, that locals have to lead by example if they want their own children to care for them when they grow old. The campaign's tag - "How one generation loves, the next generation learns" - is therefore a poignant reminder that family and kin are irreplaceable.

Further to its exposure on TV, cinema and outdoor, social media and online channels including a Facebook page have also been utilised to boost the profile of the campaign as well as its message.

Fulford PR has been charged with public relations and media efforts to ramp up the campaign.

This year's campaign follows 2009's "Beautifully imperfect" drive, directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad, which in turn garnered MCYS and Leo Burnett a host of accolades for its family-centred messages.

Credits:
Project name Filial Piety: Father & Son
Client MCYS (Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sport)
Creative agency Leo Burnett Singapore
Creative director Chris Chiu
Writer Chris Chiu
Art director Chris Chiu
Agency producer Anthony Lee
Planner Saurabh Varma
Account service Kurt Viertel/Lee Minqi/Brenda Koh/Tay YiLing/Stella Pok
Media agency Zenith Optimedia Singapore
Media planner May Loong/Calvin Wan
Media buyer May Loong/Calvin Wan
PR agency Fulford PR
PR team Izzie Saleh Ali, Anu Ramasamy, Ming Lim)
Production company Moviola
Director David Tsui
Editor Adrian Brady - Touches Hong Kong
Post production Touches Hong Kong (Offline)/VHQ Singapore (Online)/Yellow Box (Sound)
Exposure Television, Cinema, Cable, OOH, Online