Darlie MY spotlights expectations placed on mums in heartwarming Mother's Day film

Darlie Malaysia has released its first brand film for Mother's Day, moving away from its usual strategy of product promotions. Done in collaboration with FCB Malaysia, the film "Expectations" aims to show the story behind an authentic, confident smile as encapsulated by its tagline of "Your smile shines". The film's central premise revolves around how a mother's role, which is hard enough, is made even more difficult by the burden of unfettered commentary and opinions. But whose expectations should really matter?

Hawley & Hazel Malaysia's marketing director Melissa Wong told A+M that when the script was first presented to the team by FCB, the team ended up crying. "Throughout the process of us working together to refine the story and ultimately produce the film, it was clear at every stage that the agency was absolutely driven to make it a special piece for Darlie. It’s always good to have an agency partner that is as invested in the brand as the brand owners themselves," she added.

According to her, there is plenty of untapped potential within the Darlie brand itself due to its long-standing presence in Malaysia. Wong said as the oral care category continues to develop further, Darlie feels that it is the right time to make the brand synonymous with having not just great products, but also have a great affinity with its consumers. 

Wong explained that "Expectations" was born from the very heart of the Darlie brand - the belief that confidence comes from within each and every one of us. "The film’s true-to-life depiction of a mother’s authentic journey in finding her confidence is what makes it unique; there’s no magic, no superheroes, no miraculous transformation, just the right encouragement from the ones who really matter," she added.

FCB's creative director Tjer Wang said the project introduces Darlie Malaysia’s belief that the only benchmark consumers should measure themselves against is their own. "Hence, in an era of unrealistic depictions of ‘perfection’, what matters most this Mother’s Day is that our mums are celebrated for all that they’ve done for us, despite the unrealistic expectations stemming from social media and the rigidity of societal norms," Wang said.

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