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An elderly father is facing spending another Christmas alone as his adult children, scattered across the globe, tell him that they can’t make it this year, so he fakes his own death and funeral to bring them together for Christmas.

The German supermarket’s Christmas campaign video and accompanying social hashtag (#heimkommen) went viral and caused viewers across the globe to shed a tear.

Why did it work?

The campaign highlighted an important social issue: isolation and loneliness of elderly people. According to a leading charity, 1.9 million older people in the UK often feel ignored or invisible.1 Christmas can be a difficult time for older people, especially if they have been widowed or their children have grown up and moved out. After watching this, it’s hard not to feel affected, which is why this example of emotional storytelling is still remembered years later.

Sources:

  1. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/loneliness/