What is missing from advertisements these days?

The other day, I was feeling so crappy I was able to bother a fellow pessimist. That alone should have told me something. But I went about my day as I usually would once I was on this downward spiral. Then something happened that made me cry, but in a good way.

While on one of the many Disney Fan Forums I frequent, someone linked those who were curious and involved in the topic to an advertisement for Tokyo DisneySea. It featured an elderly couple off to enjoy the day at Tokyo DisneySea (TDS) with their family. After the younger generations leave them to have their own day date, the two take in the immediate sights and beauty that is TDS. And let me tell you, if you ever see the ad, every shot of the park is beautiful.

But this is where the ad takes a turn. You would think that being a Disney Ad, they would focus on the product and show you what these Japanese senior citizens can do at TDS. Instead, the writers and producers of the commercial went down a different avenue and focused on the people rather than the place. And in doing so, they made the park seem more spectacular than anything they photographed. Also, they included a story into the advertisement, something not seen since the days of the Folgers Coffee Family franchise. I'm assuming this commercial is designed with Valentines Day in mind, as the theme of romance is just oozing in nearly every frame after this twist.

The story told (without any dialogue) is that after taking in the view of TDS, the grandmother notices a lot of young couples around the park, all of which holding hands. Taking a glance at her husband's wedding band, she shyly reaches for it. As she touches his hand, both she and her husband are magically turned back to when they were in their 20s! He looks at her wondering what she is trying to do, and she shyly retracts her action. From here on, they go about the park enjoying the various scenic offerings. Each time she has a moment, the woman makes an ill attempt at trying to hold his hand, but he always seems to find this attempt strange. The woman continues to get swept up in the romantic atmosphere of the park right down to the evening fireworks show. As they watch, the gentleman looks at her and reaches for her hand. When he finally holds her hand, they both turn back into their old selves, literally. Both visibly in love with each other for a second time.

Just writing that makes me choke up.

Most of the ads in American try to be memorable in one fashion that makes people not only remember the ad, but the product as well. And if there is one thing that my Fine Arts education has taught me well enough to apply to memory, it is this: If people can remember you or your product long after they have seen it, then that is the sign of a successful piece of work.

However, this commercial, which clocks in at ten times longer than your average 30-second TV spot, has something that no commercial I have seen has. Heart. Like I stated before, Disney could have gone down the same route it has been doing here in the states and just advertise the blazes out of TDS. Instead, the Japanese branch focuses on the people. It is no longer about the place. They just so happen to be at TDS with their family, and in the process fell in love with each other all over again thanks to the atmosphere and ambiance. Technically, they are selling the product indirectly while directly telling a story that everyone can relate to. Granted it is a bit sugar coated compared to their Sea of Dream short films which includes more adult elements such as contemplating leaving a marriage and a child running away because their parents are paying too much attention to their sibling and not said child. (Something also not seen in the states, especially with the Disney name attached to it!) But when all is said and done, it is about the people and not about the product.

This is the kind of commercial that you would expect to see during the Super Bowl, but will likely not end up seeing at all. In this capitalistic society, advertisers don't care about the people so much as they care about pushing the product. If they tried hard enough, even MacDonald's could produce an ad that talks about the people rather than how much a Big Mac Combo is, which would be interesting. But there are some products you can't really use this format with, I guess.

That being said, Disney doesn't even do this format with their current marketing campaign. There's no heart in seeing a bunch of kids jumping on their beds only to fly off to Neverland or a little girl coming home from school only to open her bedroom door to a princess procession. Hell, the marketing campaign they did for Disneyland's 50th was more about nostalgia and history than it was about heart and the magic of the theme park. It's no wonder I don't remember in detail any of their commercials since the days when they would have a little kid tell a short story about how they ran to China after hanging out with celebrities or how one girl in the airport was talking to a total stranger about how her little brother was their souvenir from her family's cruise ship vacation.