German discount retailer PENNY’s Xmas film centers on a mother’s wish for her son. At first, it seems like the antithesis of what a parent would want. She’d like to see her boy sneaking out at night surreptitiously, neglecting school, celebrating wild house parties and having his heart broken. But when put in the context of a pandemic—during which he couldn’t have those growing pains and growing up experiences–mom's heartfelt desire for him to catch up on life rings lovingly true.
Titled The Wish, this spot from agency Serviceplan Campaign in Munich and directed by Marcus Ibanez of Iconoclast, is becoming a cultural and social media talking point, with #PENNY trending on Twitter and over 3.7 million views on YouTube and 1.4 million views on Instagram. Germany’s biggest daily newspaper BILD has reported on the spot, which has also been shared on Instagram by prominent German influencers.
The Wish is running online and on social media, and can also be seen at German cinemas starting on November 18. The film’s storyline is supported acoustically by a world-famous song: arranged and produced by Supreme, at the end of the film, the hit “It’s My Life” (by Bon Jovi) is sung with a new interpretation by the lead actor Julius Gause.
Christoph Everke, creative managing director of Serviceplan Campaign, commented: “During the last two years, much has been said about older people, parents, home office and care, and rightly so–children and young people had no voice. We want to change all that with the mother’s unusual wish, the impressive and sensitive images, the unbelievable acting of the performers and the song which the lead actor sings at the end.”
