Filipino mobile brand TNT's SIM registration campaign wins praise for creativity

Viewers have praised Filipino mobile brand Talk N’Text (TNT) for its creativity upon the launch of its new SIM registration campaign, done in collaboration with creative agency GIGIL. 

The campaign aims to show viewers what might happen if they fail to register their SIM before the 26 April deadline. As part of the video series, the first ad titled "Hu u po?", which has gone viral with over 14 million views on TikTok and eight million views on YouTube in just two days since its launch on 15 April, features a cozy night for a family which quickly turns into a nightmare when a stranger appears at their door.

The tension mounts as the son cautiously opens the door to a woman who identifies herself as  “09854980233". The father's suspicion kicks in, accusing the stranger of being a scammer and urging her to leave. But as the woman persists, the family barricades themselves inside, terrified of what might happen next. Unable to prove her identity, the woman is found alone and rain-drenched on the sidewalk, despite the fact that she is the family's actual mother.

The mother’s identity in the TNT video represents her SIM, which she had failed to register and was therefore permanently deactivated. Through the campaign, TNT hopes to amplify a strong message about the importance of registering one’s SIM to avoid permanent deactivation.

Viewers of the TNT video have praised it for its creativity, effectively convincing them to finally register their SIM, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on YouTube. As of 16 April, Smart and TNT have garnered 35.6 million registered subscribers.

Meanwhile, the second video named “OTP Please” depicts a man finding himself in a dilemma while claiming his remittance without an OTP number. He doesn’t have a registered SIM, so he has all his personal documents tattooed on him as an alternative. The last video tells a story of a man writing a text but uses an old-fashioned way to deliver those messages by pigeons.

"As the 26 April deadline for SIM registration approaches, we want to remind our customers of the critical need to register their SIM. Failure to do so will lead to permanent SIM deactivation and therefore disconnection from the digital world we rely on daily," said Francis E. Flores, SVP and head of consumer wireless business – individual at smart.

Flores added that TNT has always been fun-loving brand that delivers "saya" to Filipinos, which is why the brand thought of coming up with a public service announcement that is both informative and entertaining to effectively show the dangers and hassles that come with failing to register a SIM.

On the other hand, GIGL is best known for their witty take on campaigns for some of its clients such as Jollibee, Netflix Philippines and JobStreet.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Smart Communications for more information.

Most recently, president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos has approved a 90-day extension of registration of subscriber identity modules (SIM) in the country, according to The Manila Times. As of 23 April, more than 82 million SIM cards have been registered, the Department of Information and Communications Technology is aiming to register 70% of active SIMs within the extension. 

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