#ShareAMomentOfJoy: A Short Family Film

By: Jan Calalang, Ivan Dela Cruz, Rodwil Domingo, Edle Catabian, Jean
Guddaran

The Joy company is known for its dishwashing soap, which makes it one
of the most famous and trusted brands in the Philippines. In 2018, Joy
Philippines Ad Agency published a short promotional film titled "Joy - OFW
#ShareAMomentOfJoy" with the motive to accumulate the consumer’s
regards, specifically Filipino families. The advertisement highlights the life of
Overseas Filipino Workers, the self-sacrificing love of a mother, and making
tough commitments as a single parent.

The short film expressively presented an inspirational story inside a

fragmented household. It initially started on a Christmas season with a mother
opening repatriate boxes and handing out souvenirs for her family. The scene
immediately changes when Jimmo received gifts from his mother. However,
these assumed preferences of Jimmo was not his favorite already after all.
This kind of situation continues during their family dinner, and as they were
enjoying the feast together, the aunt suddenly asks the mother about her
relationship with the little boy she is taking care of. While the conversation
goes on, Jimmo cannot bear with the occurrence any longer which resulted in
a dramatic outburst. When the family dinner is finished, Jimmo took the
opportunity to apologize to her mother when she was washing the dishes. In
this scene, the dishwashing liquid Joy made its first appearance where It
emphasizes the company’s motive and target.

Throughout the short film, the power of women is strongly portrayed

through a mother’s love and sacrifices for her family. On the contrary, Graham
and Jordan (2011) stated there is an urgent need for a better understanding of
the impacts of family separation on the well-being of children left behind, at an
early age, children may get rebellious because of yearning for parental love
and care. Although the parents have been supporting their child to give what
they want and need, they cannot deny the fact that the child still yearns for
parental love, especially when their parents are out of their reach. In the
Philippines, many families are forced to make adjustments in order to
overcome poverty specifically, being an OFW. This is because 16.6% of the
population living below the national poverty line in the Philippines in the year
2018 (Asian Development Bank, April 2020). Moreover, Benavidez (2017)
claimed that in the Philippines, the number of female overseas Filipino
workers was greater than the number of male overseas Filipino workers.
Though one of the commercial’s strengths was it is well informed of what their
purpose is, for even simple moments such as doing chores, in particular dish-
washing, can result in conversing and resolving issues within your family.
However, the downside of the commercial was it is not that straightforward
with their aim making it seemingly monotonous in some particular parts.

Based on the advertisement, it highly impacts and relates to a Filipino

family. In this country, being an OFW is common. According to Bisco (2018),
they are always prepared to sacrifice their happiness in order to give their
family what they want and need. On the contrary, this advertisement is
supposed to be a dishwashing liquid commercial. Even though many Filipino
families relate to this commercial, using it as a subject for the product is over
the top. It is very relatable for many people, but it is not the proper way to
promote and increase your sales on the product. The message of the
advertisement portrays the reality of the life of an OFW as to how they
sacrifice themselves for their family. According to Report (2018), this is true
especially in the case of OFW parents who constantly struggle with having to
spend most of their time away from their loved ones – in the hopes of giving
them a better future. On the opposite side, the commercial did not emphasize
more details about the product the company is advertising. Though, the
recommendation of this commercial to others is noted, due to its inspiring
message that makes the advertisement more relatable, motivational, and
inspiring despite the lack of emphasizing the main product.

To sum it all, this advertisement simply managed to depict some of the

issues that are occurring in our generation on matters mainly concerning
families. It shows the representation of an Overseas Filipino Worker’s regular
conflict of having to abide in some quality time with their loved ones- within
the trusts of providing them a greater life. Facing the circumstances of having
imperfections and shortcomings surrounding the family is tough especially for
children, but expressing love, forgiveness, and acceptance in every family
member, no problem cannot be resolved.

References
Bank, A. D. (2018). Poverty Data: Philippines. Retrieved from
https://www.adb.org/countries/philippines/poverty

Benavidez, D. (2017, May 29). Study 2: Resilience and Spirit- Empowered

Communities: Stories of Filipino Women in Pentecostal-Charismatic
Churches Working Overseas. Retrieved from
https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/e21scholars/2017/29May17/3/

Bisco. (2018, November). Daughter #ShareAMomentOfJoy. Retrieved from

https://www.adforum.com/talent/81921235-gina-llanto/work/34589081

Graham, E. & Jordan L. (2011). Migrant Parents and the Psychological

Well-Being of Left-Behind Children in Southeast Asia. Retrieved
from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229683/

Report. (2018, November 22). Heartwarming Christmas commercial features

OFW story. Retrieved from
https://old.filipinotimes.net/feature/2018/11/22/watch-heartwarming-
christmas-commercial-features-ofw-story/