After my Instagram review on the Amstel Malta new ad, ‘My Time is now’, I got into a discussion about it with a friend who said: but Lynda, what’s the big deal about this ad that you were so hyped about? How is it different from other campaigns?
My Response:
Take a good look at what is going on in society right now. The constant need for validation is at an all-time high, and it is not because of Social Media, (it only made it more rampant), It has always been there, caused majorly by insecurity and low self-esteem.
These feelings spike the need for validation, making people do what they are not supposed to do in the hopes of getting approval, attention, or bragging rights to feed their ego or outdo their peers. It is why some people show off a fake life on social media, and others constantly find themselves striving to succeed in Fields/Marriages/ Jobs/Friendships/Relationships that do not suit them just so they look good or appear cool unsocial media. Whereas deep down, they are miserable.
This urge to seek validation is a psychological illness that is gradually becoming a pandemic. If not discouraged, we will have a sad society in our hands. And that will only make things worse.
It is the responsibility of all to fight this disease and build a healthy society, and one of the ways to do that is to sensitize the public. Society needs to be sensitized constantly about its many societal ills, and it is always a big deal when a brand takes up the challenge.
Amstel Malta’s campaign is meaningful, relevant, and well-produced, creatively tied into the brand’s slogan, Be Your Best. The campaign encourages all to follow in the footsteps of the young character in the TVC, who upon realizing she was in a place where she didn’t want to be, decides to dig deep and eventually find the courage to pursue her dream and live her best life.
It is such a meaningful ad! I wish the video was longer, I wish it allowed more time for the story to build up emotions so people can engage with it for longer and grasp its meaning more clearly because the message is truly deep and powerful.
It is what we need at this time. A selfless brand to sensitize the public about this validation-seeking disease, and encourage all, especially the youths that it targets, to be confident in themselves and their abilities and take the step to become who they want to be and live their best lives because their time is now.
We need more selfless brands like this. We need more campaigns like this. If you are one of those that still think sticking products in people’s faces in a more obvious way is the best way to gain popularity and patronage, you’d best think again. In a broken society like ours, where it seems nothing is working, people gravitate towards platforms and brands that help keep hope alive and push them to become better.
Bravo, Amstel Malta!
