A property developer, Sinyi Realty, creating films to encourage successful marriages? That’s unexpected. Unexpected until you realise that newlywed couples typically look to buy houses. They are an important customer base for the company. It’s a clever strategy by dentsumcgarrybowen Taiwan. Taiwan has the highest divorce rate in Asia (2nd in the world) and world’s lowest birth rate. Sinyi Realty’s premise is that property agents don’t just sell places to live but hope for the future. In Taiwan, the term ‘marriage’ means to ‘build a home’.
In 2020, dentsuMB Taiwan and Sinyi Realty created a short film, called In Love We Trust, to encourage young Taiwanese to overcome their fear of commitment and marry forever, and for those facing marriage crisis, to stay together through good as well as bad times. It was a runaway success, amassing 14 million views, earned a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Entertainment and reminded a society becoming cynical towards romantic relationships that when true, love can transcend all difficulties.
Now the partners have followed it up with an eight-minute film, In Love We Trust 2, that addresses the issue of having children and broaches the uncomfortable topic of fertility and the tensions it causes as well as challenging the traditional expectations of family.
Even the Taiwan’s very low birth rate is a threat to the country’s future, traditional values dictate that couples should look to start a family shortly after marrying, putting pressure on couples who may have different ideas or may struggle to conceive a child.
The new story tracks the progress of the couple from the first episode, played by Chun- Yao Yao and Mei-Yue. They want to have children but find the process unexpectedly difficult, which strains their relationship. They come to know an elderly couple whose children have grown up and left home. In talking to the parents, they realise that two people can still make up a family: what is important is the love and trust that exists between them.
By challenging social norms, the film found a receptive audience – more than 13 million views, 21,000 shares and 103,000 likes in a week. Social media talked about and internet celebrities joined in, which prompted more than 20 pieces of mainstream media coverage. Sinyi Realty also invited people to post their family photos to show that happy families do not fit a single mould but are diverse.
For Sinyi Realty, the campaign deepened the brand’s position as one that understands the people it caters to and is on their side.
Credits
Agency: dentsuMB Taiwan
Chief Creative Officer: Alice Chou
Senior Creative Director: Ryan Liao
Associate Creative Directors: Sunny Chen & Jacky Hsu
Senior Art Director: Vera Fang
Senior Copywriter: Suzanne Huang
Vice President: Alan Sun
Senior Account Director: Gina Su
Account Planning Director: Vivian Chen
Associate Account Director: Neo You
Digital Associate Director: Autumn Jen
Digital Supervisor: Steven Guo
Production Company: Palace Production
Director: Lo Ging-Zim
Producer: Sean Hung
Watch the first film:
Watch the two case study films:
