The unique connection

Last updated
The unique connection
Directed byRasmus Skousen [1] [2]
Produced byMalling Publications [1] [2]
Distributed by Pandora
Release date
April 13, 2015
Running time
128 seconds
LanguageEnglish

The unique connection is a viral video advertisement (released April 13, 2015) produced by Malling Publications [2] for Pandora, a jewelry brand. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] As of October 21, 2015, the video has amassed over 17 million views on YouTube [3] and over 15 million on Facebook. [4]

Contents

Production

The video was produced for Pandora by Malling Publications, a Danish advertising company. [2] [1] [8] Hanne Fabricius, CEO of Malling Publications, was responsible for the idea and concept, and was also the strategic director of the video. [2] [1] The video was directed by Rasmus Skousen, [2] [1] a Danish photographer who works in the genres of fashion, advertising, and portraits. [9]

Plot

The video features six mothers and their children. All the mothers stand in a line-up. One by one, the children, blindfolded, are assigned the task of identifying which of the six women is his or her mother. The children pull the women down and feel the women's jewelry, clothing, facial structure, and hair in order, and also sniff the women, in order to judge them. In the video, each child is able to successfully identify his or her mother. [3] [5]

Reception

Views

As of April 24, 2015, the video had over 11 million views on YouTube [3] and over 15 million on Facebook. [4] Adweek ranked it #2 in its list of top five commercials for the week of April 17–24. [10]

Critical reception

The video was generally praised for its theme of mother-child love as well as its execution of the theme. [5] [7] It was labeled a tearjerker for its ability to connect with and touch a large number of people. [2] [6] [11] [12] American actor Ashton Kutcher wrote of the video: "I could watch this all day." [13]

Two articles on Adweek identified the video as a way for Pandora to get an early start on associating itself positively with motherhood in the weeks running up to Mother's Day, which would be observed on May 10, 2015. One wrote: "It underscores how irreplaceable our moms are, and how important it is to them that we know them well—particularly on days like Mother's Day. (Hint, hint, buy her some personalized jewelry.) [...] It's also a not so subtle hint to her significant other, because c'mon, that 3-year-old isn't paying for the bracelet himself." [2] Another noted: "While the spot contains little overt branding (one of the moms does appear to be wearing Pandora Jewelry, but it’s a quick shot), it ties the brand to the emotional sentiment while encouraging viewers to purchase Pandora Jewelry for mothers day." [14]

Writing for Health , Ellen Seidman offered the following criticisms of the video: [12] overly manipulative in its attempt to use a feel-good theme to sell jewelry, too little racial or ethnic diversity, no role for dads, and grossly inadequate in describing the wonders of the mother-child relationship.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pandora "The Unique Connection"". Branding Magazine. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cullers, Rebecca (April 22, 2015). "Blindfolded Kids Try to Recognize Their Moms in This Lovely, Smash-Hit Mother's Day Ad Pandora Jewelry pulls off a tearjerker stunt". Adweek . Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The unique connection". Pandora. April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Perlberg, Steven (April 23, 2015). "AdWatch: Blindfolded Children Pick Out Their Moms in Pandora's Mother's Day Ad". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Anthony, K. S. (April 18, 2015). "These Kids Had To Find Their Moms Without Seeing Them... And It's Beautiful". A Plus . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Abedi, Maham (April 20, 2015). "Pandora's 'The Unique Connection' Proves There's Nothing Like A Mother's Touch". Huffington Post . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. 1 2 King, Kirsten (April 21, 2015). "This Adorable Video Shows The Connection Kids Have With Their Mothers. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree". BuzzFeed . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ Graversen, Finn (April 24, 2015). "Dansk reklamefilm er lige nu verdens mest delte". BureauBiz. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ Conway, Morrison (April 9, 2012). "Fashionable Photography by Rasmus Skousen". Savoia. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Nudd, Tim (April 24, 2015). "Adweek's Top 5 Commercials of the Week: April 17–24 Comedy, jazz and more pure love for moms". Adweek . Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  11. ↑ "New Pandora Ad "Unique Connection" is a Tearjerker (Video)". CBS Local. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Seidman, Ellen (April 23, 2015). "The Mom-and-Child Video That's Making Millions Cry, Except Me". Health . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ Kutcher, Ashton (April 20, 2015). "I could watch this all day". Facebook . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Oster, Erik (April 22, 2015). "Pandora Jewelry Celebrates 'The Unique Connection'". Adweek . Retrieved April 24, 2015.
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