Private view: Love, quality time, coming out and Communist rappers

In Private View, we ask two creative leaders to comment on recent work from around the region.

This month's participants:

• Barry Wong, regional ECD (APAC), Burson-Marsteller
• Troy Lim, executive creative director, Publicis Singapore

1. PT. Toyota Astra Motor
Project: ‘Love is a trap’
Client: PT. Toyota Astra Motor
Agency: Delphys

Wong: Toyota Sienta shows it has space and speed to chase after your spouse. Was it too quick, or larger than life? The rather OCD creative was more concerned with minute details than overall execution and storyline.

Lim: This starts off promisingly but runs out of steam halfway and ends tragically in cliché. I was genuinely mystified by the line ‘Love is a trap’, which made me wish I could have the six precious minutes of my life back.

2. Smart Communications
Project:  ‘Welcome change’
Client: Smart Communications
Agency: Dentsu Jayme Syfu

Wong: Clever storytelling that that brings mindfulness to the topic of inclusion. Thematically, it’s not the first time this has been done but it’s always a little heartwarming to see well executed spots of this nature. Note: whether L, G, B or T, you’re still red-blooded and a rightful member of this society.

Lim: This video was everywhere on social media and it’s easy to see why. I love the oh-so-human insight, the way the story unfolded without over-drama, then sucker-punched more than 4 million viewers into reaching for a tissue and the “share” button.

Campaign's coverage: Philippines Smart Communications breaks barriers with LGBT community

3. Lego
Project: ‘A gift for imagination’
Client: Lego
Agency: Iris Singapore

Wong: This spot speaks about a real issue in Asia — how most parents are consumed with work, and not spending enough time with their children. The ‘wow’ moment was the overthrowing of the notion that parents know what’s best for their kids. 

Lim: A little boy uses his imagination and Lego blocks to build his Dad a car that would allow him to spend more time with him. Lego helps get the message to said father by blasting it online and on a giant screen where he works. I like the premise but I was hoping that Lego would do more than just put the videos up.  

Campaign's coverage: Don’t neglect the gift that is your child’s imagination: Lego

4. Big Bazaar
Project: ‘Neki mubaarak’
Client: Big Bazaar
Agency: DDB Mudra West

Wong: Seriously? Only 30 seconds? This was firm foundation to a brilliant story of good will and selflessness. I would have loved for this to be extended into a series of longer webisodes of three to five minutes each that would inspire people to do more good in this wretched world. [There is a slightly longer version, but only 1 minute. -Ed.]

Lim: Truth be told, of all the ads featured here, this is one which left me sitting on the fence. It’s not good, bad or ugly, but if I really had to commit to a single descriptor, it would be ‘meh’.

5. Communist Youth League
Project: ‘This is China’
Client: Communist Youth League
Agency: Youth Micro-Studio, April Media, Jiuers and CD Rev

Wong: In order for a message to get across, it first needs to be comprehensible. I couldn’t make out the rap without the subtitles. This didn’t quite work for me and perhaps a large part of the audience felt that way too.

Lim: The visuals look like they were taken from the video archives of the Chinese national tourism board and the lyrics sound like they were written and approved by a committee of government officials. Definitely not one for the playlist.