Leo Burnett Manila revisits the boy doing his homework by the light of a McDonald’s store
Over a year ago, Daniel Cabrera, a homeless 9-year old boy, was photographed doing his homework by the light of a McDonald’s store in the Philippines. Joyce Torrefranca, a Medical Technology student, took that photo when she was taking a break from a night of studying. Incredibly touched and inspired by the boy’s dedication to his studies despite his circumstances, she uploaded the photo on her Facebook page. Before long, her post went viral online. Financial aid and other donations from all over the world poured in for the boy, helping his life take a turn for the better.
The new film by Leo Burnett Manila and Filmex Production recollects that fateful night through Joyce. It also retells the dire straits Daniel’s family were in and his perseverance to finish school so he could become a policeman, as told by his mother. A poignant reunion between Daniel and Joyce ensues over a simple meal.
In a Catholic country which has one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world with a deluge of Christmas advertisements during the period, the film resonates loudly, even without the Yuletide trappings, for its timely message of love and compassion. Inspired parents, teachers and students have also responded positively to its affirmation of the value of education. The film is rapidly gaining views on McDonald’s Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages. 48 hours following its launch, the film has over 1.8 million views, 94K likes, 25K shares and 2.2K comments which are overwhelmingly positive on Facebook. At the same time, it garnered over 1.2 million views on YouTube.
3 Comments
Nicely made video and story….however the cynic in me feels that the mcdonalds component is just too convenient.
Is it possible that this entire exercise was born from the mind of some genius PR person (it’s way too clever for some award chasing CCO)…and is completely engineered from start to finish?
Wouldn’t be that that hard if you plan well….in this era of fake news, anything is possible.
Just rig up the kid studying, get one of your peeps to take a pic and post it like it’s authentic…and let the internet do the rest.
If it is rigged, I take my hat off to the perps….devilishly brilliant. And i wish i could think like you.
Im beginning to think it might be staged too….look at the way the mcdo logo is framed in the top right corner…..perfect for a print visual or case study…..do casual fb users take such perfect shots?
Burger King is looking for a poor girl..PR agencies please send your proposal within 24h.