Circles.Life's latest ad with boy watching porn raises eyebrows

Circles.Life has released a new ad as part of its "Do your own thing" (DYOT) positioning that has baffled some consumers.  In the ad, a mother is seen waking up in the middle of the night to strange sounds. She comes downstairs to see her son watching porn on his phone. 

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Startled, the son accidently clicks "screen mirroring" instead of closing the video. The explicit video begins to play on the television. The mother, instead of getting upset, smiles and hands the boy a pair of headphones. She then reminds him not to stay up too late. 

The video then says on the screen, "Don't be embarrassed. Do your own thing."

According to an analysis by media monitoring company Truescope, netizens expressed concern about Circles.Life's new ad. As of the morning 7th June, comments were centered around the YouTube post by Circles.Life as well as a thread on Reddit.

Truescope noted that traction is low, with netizens considering it inappropriate due to the perception that it encouraged Singaporeans to consume explicit materials.

Some viewers were worried as the ad appeared on YouTube while they were watching with their family and children. A few remarked that the video was "interesting," noting that the ad addressed an unconventional and "suspicious" topic. Some netizens hoped that future ads will be better filtered and reviewed.

Although the ad received some negative feedback, there is still a level of engagement and curiosity around the ad, with some netizens on Reddit searching for the ad online to understand the controversy.

Media intelligence firm Meltwater also reported a spike in mentions with regards to Circles.Life. 

In a press release about the campaign, Circles.Life said: "It’s popular belief that Singapore's infatuation with a hyper-competitive culture breeds significant pressure to excel both academically and professionally. Apart from the influence of culture and family, there's a rigid definition of what success looks like, and it feels like everyone is expected to conform to these norms — those who deviate risk facing social stigma and exclusion." 

This misalignment between personal aspirations and societal expectations hinders those trying to forge unconventional paths.

A recent survey by Circles.Life, conducted in partnership with Milieu Insights, found that one in three Singaporeans felt pressured to conform, with 40% of youths aged 16-34 feeling constrained by parental expectations. Based on the survey of over 1,500 respondents representing the nation’s population, the study also provided a more nuanced understanding of Singaporeans' pursuit of progress and the barriers they face.

It's clear that many Singaporeans, particularly the younger generation, are open-minded and inclusive, showing a positive attitude toward society, it said. Young adults are increasingly open to discussing sexual education, with 46% of those aged 16-24 believing it should begin as early as primary school.

They are also more willing to engage in conversations about LGBTQIA+ issues with friends and family. Plus, a good number of Singaporeans support equal rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals and think it's important for them to be fairly represented in the media and education.

The study also shows that the older generation (aged 40 and above) are surprisingly progressive on a number of issues.

To encourage intergenerational conversations, bridge gaps in perceptions, and align with evolving Singaporean values, Circles.Life’s latest DYOT campaign aims to challenge conventional norms so Singaporeans can live life on their own terms. It based its campaign on four pillars and aimed to address the intense academic pressure faced by students, challenging the stigma around sexuality, promoting mental health awareness and celebrating the idea that success comes in many forms.

“While it may be a surprise, this finding only proves that not everyone sees eye-to-eye when it comes to societal expectations. This further underscores the need to keep these conversations alive, and to challenge false perceptions and tackle these issues together. It's the only way we'll progress as a society and truly reach our potential,” said Ebony Ngieng, senior marketing manager, Circles.Life.

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