Glico, the Japanese confectioner behind the well-loved brand Pocky, has warmed the hearts of viewers with a heartwarming commercial which follows the life of a woman through each year of her life till she reaches the age of about 72 – and then dies.
Why 72? Well, Glico was playing on today’s global average life expectancy which has increased to 71.8 years from the 31 years it was 100 years ago, it said.
In the clip entitled “71.8-Second Life”, the lead role of a woman in a red dress is divided among 72 actresses starting with when she is a baby.
From the 0:14 mark, a new actress is swopped out every second with each female representing a new year of life.
The director made sure each second of the commercial is a seamless transition to the next in terms of action – whether an actress is walking, hopping or dancing.
Viewers get to see her walk away from her crib, hit her teens, fall in love, get married, start a family, have kids of her own and eventually watch her grandchildren grow up.
Incidentally, the director also made sure that every actress in the lead role was exactly the same age as the one she was playing in the commercial.
It all ends with a final send-off by family members, in what appears to be her peaceful death as she rises up into the sky, before the camera cuts to a wide shot of all 72 actresses.
Through the different stages of the video, various Glico products – such as Pocky, Bifix yoghurt and Bisco cookies – show up, to likely to show how the products are relevant in a person’s life regardless of age.
The whole video, which has already amassed over 2 million views on YouTube, is set to a whimsical song that sings of saying goodbye to previous phases of one’s life, which apparently doesn’t necessarily culminate at 72 for the Japanese.According to data from The World Bank, the Japanese have an average life expectancy of 84. Business Insider
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