One for the mums: Qantas reunites a real family in latest Feels Like Home TVC via The Monkeys
Qantas has released the latest rendition of its Feels Like Home campaign – called Feels Like Home. Again – featuring a real-life reunion between an Aussie mum and her overseas-based son after four years apart. The campaign was developed by creative agency The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song.
The mum-of-four had been separated from her Japan-based son during COVID.
The heartwarming moment of the mum and son finally getting a hug at her 60th birthday party in country Victoria was filmed in real time, and the reactions are real.
Timed with Mother’s Day, the 60 second ad will launch on 14 May across TV, cinema, video and outdoor channels, running until the end of June.
Qantas’ Feels Like Home campaign is known for featuring real Australians and real employees.
The story is told against the musical backdrop of Randy Newman’s Feels Like Home, sung by Australian singer Martha Marlow.
Qantas first launched the Feels Like Home series in 2014 highlighting stories of how the national carrier brings people together.
Marlow first sung Feels Like Home for the campaign in 2014 and is back again for this rendition.
Creative Agency: The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song
Group CEO:Mark Green
Managing Director: Matt Michael
Group Business Director: Shannon Duhig
Senior Business Manager: Roshani Mehta
Head of Production: Penny Brown
Senior Producer: Christina Wilmot
Chief Creative Officer: Tara Ford
Executive Creative Director: Barbara Humphries
Creative Director: Sam Dickson
Creative Director: Cameron Bell
Creative: Caitie Hall
Creative: Jackson Best
Chief Strategy Officer: Fabio Buresti
Senior Planner: Brona Kilkelly
Production Assistant: Emily Coleman
Production Co: Rabbit
Director: Madeline Clayton
Executive Producers: Alex Hay & Lucas Jenner
Producer: Katrina Maw
Cinematographer: Ari Wegner
Production Designer: Ruby Mathers
Casting Director: Danny Long
Japanese Facilitation Co: Nakama
Editor: Simon Price
Colourist: Mikey Pehanich @ BlacksmithVFX
Post Production: ARC EDIT
Music Arrangement: MassiveMusic
Sound Design: MassiveMusic
31 Comments
Nice
Did they forget to grade the last shot?
I would love to know the names of the actors/people (in particular the mother) in this ad.
I have been looking for a lady (a friend) i met in Melbourne, who was from Geelong, for around 30 years. I believe she COULD be the same lady in this ad, albeit matured over the years.
I was overwhelmed by the ad and my heart leapt when I thought it could be my friend Margot.
Lots of emotional triggers in this. I was going to compliment the acting by the actress playing the mother, and then I read the blurb. Authenticity is so utterly missing from advertising, yet this demonstrates its power.
I didn’t see that ending coming at all.
These ads always kick me in guts. This one made me feel very little and that makes me sad.
Nice work SD & CB ….Really nice work. God damn nearly cried. Nearly. Ok just a bit, nearly.
Really?
I think its a tried and tested formula that for an airline, esp relevant to an Australian one, but the truth in the emotion is so strong that it makes people (who know what it means living away from home) just react.
I did
I still felt the longing for family or home. But I also felt cringe and awkwardness at everything being so painfully overplayed. It’ll work and it’s on brand but there’s a reason no creatives wanted their name on it
This is done and done… And done….. Yaaawwwwnnnn (but absolutely nothing wrong with the production or direction)…
This is done and done… And done….. Yaaawwwwnnnn (absolutely nothing wrong with the production or direction… but F me the Monkeys used to be good)
This is a real re-union? So, what did the mum think she was filming when a camera crew turned up in her house to film her leaving? And turned up to her party? I mean, there’s suspending disbelief and then there’s this.
Agree, I haven’t been as surprised by an ending since I watched Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis.
Big Sam and Cam simp here, and this makes me simp hard.
What’s missing from this is what made Still Call Australia Home work.
A role for Qantas.
Shame the brand has been ruined in recent years.
Why put the March 2023 date on? Completely ruined. If they could afford business class flights from Japan, he could’ve easily come back to see his mum sooner than that.
What did the mum think was happening when there was a bloody production company and film crew turning up to her house. and her birthday party. Genuinely would love to understand how you did that and still, apparently, kept the big reveal as a surprise.
They’re not saying that the filming or the seeing each other was a surprise, but just that it was a genuine reunion (ie first time seeing each other in years). Obviously the talent knew what was happening, but that doesn’t make the fact that they reunited on camera any less sweet
Just because we know what’s going to happen within a nano second of the opening doesn’t mean it won’t work.
However, IMHO, this is as vanilla as it gets.
Every word is scripted within an inch of its’ life to deliver the inevitable outcome
Every image is a box tricking exercise including the mandatory gay partner
The result is something with all the emotional integrity of a brick.
People will still get the message.
But for me, that’s all they’ll get.
If they want emotion they’d be better-off watching a Bunnings commercial.
There are always critics!
Lovely tear jerking ad. Does it matter it’s been done to death?
All I wanted to know was, is it mum and 3 children, and why is one, possibly female almost totally obscured? I figured it must be real!
Great ad regardless.
I loved this add
The emotions are so real and I think twin brother s & the younger one turns up
Loved it very emotional 🥲❤️
Judging by the noses I assume it’s real
My wife ‘pointed that out’ too
I love this ad. So devastated to read that the mum was not happy with the outcome. So what if the son travelled business class and slept during a 10 hour flight. It all ties together to form a very emotional reunion.
My wife picked it (no pun), her words ‘It’s either a real family or CGI…. They’ve all got identical noses!’
All I see is an entitled rich kid flying home in first class to Donna Hay shoot
This is the most pretentious, insufferable ad. How does a woke early 20’s hipster have the cash to fly BUSINESS CLASS from Japan to Australia? This is just offensive when most Aussies are struggling just to survive.
Gross.
Genuinely get annoyed every time this comes on TV.
Which is all the time.
“was filmed in real time, and the reactions are real.”
Bahahaha
I hope the creators of this are aware it is ridiculed for showing a 20-something rich kid flying home business class. People hate it.