Lowe Singapore Reunites 5000 Families for the Vietnamese Lunar New Year

Lowe Singapore and Unilever brand OMO are releasing a reunion-focused campaign for Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet). The campaign, titled Coming Home, features an activation, which will give 5000 Vietnamese people a return ticket to their hometown for the Festival. The activation requires no purchase and will run alongside outdoor and TVC, which release early 2015 and intensify in the run-up to Lunar New Year on 19 February.

The campaign targets Tet’s strong tradition of family togetherness. Lowe used the insight that today many people migrate from rural areas to eke a living in the cities. For some, cost of travel to reunite with a family many miles away can be prohibitive, resulting in separation over years, even for the special New Year season.

The TVC illustrates this insight. An old man, whose craft is the dying art of ‘Tohe’ (festive rice toys), receives a letter from his daughter; he has not seen her for three years, due to geographical distance. And, unlike the young generations, he is not able to read. The TVC depicts a thoughtful deed by a young city girl, which echoes the spirit of Tet. The TVC ends with the caption “For us, Tet is around the corner. For the old man it is far away.”

As part of the activation, OMO is working with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education & Learning, so that children from 60 elementary schools will design their own, colourful tickets for the 5000 travellers. The children will also have the opportunity to share stories of Tet and of people who are sometimes unable to see their families for the Festival.

Aseem Puri, Global Business Director, Unilever explains: “Family reunion is one of the strongest, binding traditions of Tet. We wanted to build a story around this tradition, but also make it relevant to modern audiences in a currently less-than-buoyant economy. The story in the TVC, supported by the activation, is the perfect way to communicate these aspects, while also offering something tangible that truly reflects Tet’s sense of family and giving.”

Erick Rosa, ECD, Lowe Singapore adds: “Actually this was a wonderful opportunity to work closely with Vietnam’s traditions and implement an ambitious, inclusive activation idea. Tet is a poignant time of year for Vietnam’s city workers, and while we hope to have conveyed emotive qualities in the video, the overall outcome of the campaign is positive and genuine. We wanted to highlight an issue, but also in some way offer a solution to it.”

Srija Chatterjee, Regional Business Director, Lowe Singapore, says: “It was our aim to also add an educative aspect in this campaign, which could help nurture Tet’s compassionate qualities in children. You can see this in the little girl’s character in the TVC, and also we hope school children will have a chance to think about who they could give a nicely-drawn ticket to, and send them home for Tet.”

Registration for travel tickets will be communicated in partnership with Vietnam’s Industrial Zone Management Board and press.