Pinoy hearts are a-flutter this Valentine’s Day as a result of a digital video “war” between rival fast food giants Jollibee and McDonald’s.
The two food chains banked on the Filipino’s social media savvy to touch and tug at the people’s hearts while getting all sorts of reactions to their love-themed social media videos.
Their efforts have been rewarded with millions of views and netizen engagement – with the Pinoy soul reaching out to the rest of the world.
One company told inspired stories to draw out love in its many forms, while the other company brought us all back to the time of a sweet love played for the movie screen and for real off screen.
All Filipino food restaurant chain Jollibee released 3 digital shorts for their Kwentong Jollibee 2018 series hashtagged #BelieveInThePowerOfLove.
SIGNS
Signs, shows the Filipino’s penchant for looking for signals that a fated love has finally shown itself.
As the fated meeting is shown onscreen, the video gently weaves in music of the 80s hit “So It’s You” popularized by Raymond Lauchengco – and it just hits your own best kilig moment.
But as the adults know all too well, depending on such signs may lead to wrong directions. However, director Theodore Boborol leaves just a little room for hope that fate intervenes. We are then left with hope eternal.
The story, like the other 2 videos in the series, is inspired from a true story sent by fans to
Jollibee after the wildly successful digital shorts in 2017.
The video has amassed 15 million views and 281 thousand shares as of this writing, about 2 weeks since it was released on social media.
Watch the video #KwentongJollibee2018: Signs
STATUS
Status, is an illustration of the millenial’s pain – a reference to whether you can already claim you are in a relationship, or not, on social media.
The lead character of Kat narrates how she has been looking for love all her life, and can claim “been there, done that” with her heart broken so many ways by disappointing partners.
We are shown how the young woman gets consoled by her own family, and we are brought through her realization that enduring love – the kind of love she deserves – is found at home.
A new hugot line is born thus: “Kawit walang lovelife, may love ka sa life.”
Ianco dela Cruz directs this gem of a story that has been seen by 8.5M netizens and shared 137K times.
Watch the video #KwentongJollibee2018: Status
HOMECOMING
It’s that time of the year when school homecomings abound and this digital short wonderfully gives us reason to take a trip down memory lane and go back to the school of our youthful love and dreams.
The video opens with a not-so-young couple back at their school for a homecoming. Then the scene flashes back to a previous time where we are shown a girl with her own partner, and a guy smitten but only looking from afar. The guy keeps trying to get close to the girl of his dreams but the timing is never right.
Strains of the song “Loving You” popularized by Ric Segreto in the 80s make us remember how painful one-sided love is and we are left with the song giving us the LSS – last song syndrome.
The guy though keeps trying to get close, and lo and behold because of his knight-in-shining-armor moves, finally gets the attention of his lady love. But he misunderstands and stays away. So the lady sets everything right and makes her move.
Finally we see the connection between the homecoming couple and the young couple, and we gush at another hugot line: “Di napapagod ang pusong nagmamahal.”
This Joel Ruiz video already has 8.2M views and has been shared 109K times.
Watch the video #KwentongJollibee2018: Homecoming
Filipinos took it all in and posted their longings and appreciation, and their own stories on social media.
Here we go again, Jollibee. Ang aga aga. #BelieveInThePowerOfLove
— ramsyss (@ramandaya) February 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/lhen_briton/status/959185720454729728
https://twitter.com/KCcGarcia/status/959088732329598977
When you trust Jollibee’s advices more than anyone pic.twitter.com/GBVer51J3e
— ㅍㅅㅍ (@bnyeong) February 1, 2018
Off to Jollibee. Sana may signs! ❣️
— jair (@jairkeesZC) February 1, 2018
Sana makita niyo na ang Joms ng buhay niyo. Punta na sa @Jollibee #Signs
— Ab (@pinayplannerd) February 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/tresha1994/status/959078433216065536
https://twitter.com/TheodoreBoborol/status/959085976181067776
Multinational food chain McDonald’s for its part, gives us the digital screen reunion of one of the best-loved movie and real life romances of the 1980s.
Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion are finally back together on a video titled “Kumusta Ka” lifted from the 1980s song popularized by Nonoy Zuňiga, and the lyrics just rend our hearts into two as we recall the public moments on screen and off screen of the then-young loveteam.
The erstwhile loveteam posted on their Instagram accounts BTS of their video shoot captioned by tender recollections of love, life, and forgiveness.
The posts awoke the sleeping dragon that is their ShaGab fandom with fans cheering on the couple.
The Facebook post garnered over 3M views within 24 hours of its posting and now has 7.6M views with 100K shares as of this writing.
Sharon Cuneta’s IG posts put fans on an emotional rollercoaster getting them to cheer on for lost love and family reunions.
“I have been emotional all day since seeing Gabby’s and my TVC… so many mixed emotions. I had a feeling this would be something special – mainly because every single thing Gabby and I ever did and made together (including our daughter, hahaha!) was a sure success, & in more ways than one,” Sharon posted on her IG.
The movie actress and popular television host even posted the lyrics of the Kumusta Ka song, seemingly taking her re-meeting with former her former partner as fated.
“I again realized the power of Gabby’s and my team-up…since he was 17 and I was 15 in ‘Dear Heart,’ we had no idea we would be able to touch so many hearts…even make those from the A-B social bracket go to the cinemas to watch Tagalog movies again or perhaps for the first time in their lives…that we would always pull at our audience’s heartstrings and help them remember how love in its purest form – simple, true, beautiful – can make anyone of any age feel so consumed by it and by the joy only it can bring; for all to always feel young – and in love,” she wrote.
Gabby Concepcion, who is enjoying renewed celebrity status because of his loverboy character on a TV series, posted stills from the shooting and captioned them with humorous digs and hints.
He even resurrected an old movie screengrab of the couple eating at the same food chain.
The video debuted with the full version on social media before it went on television.
Watch the video https://www.facebook.com/McDo.ph/videos/1671441612905092/
