Sinyi Realty: In Love We Trust
Sinyi Realty, Taiwan's leading real estate agency, faced a long-term business threat from the country's skyrocketing divorce rate and declining marriage interest. They tasked dentsuMB Taiwan with encouraging young couples to overcome their fear of commitment. The goal was to revitalize the housing market by restoring faith in the concept of 'building a home' among a cynical, marriage-doubting generation.
Creative Idea
Used a registrar's perspective to show that enduring love exists despite rising divorce statistics.
Sinyi Realty addressed Taiwan's high divorce rates by telling a story of a cynical marriage registrar whose faith in commitment is restored by an elderly widower's eternal devotion, proving that building a home starts with believing in love.
The Registrar Who Restored Faith in Home
A National Milestone for Taiwan
The campaign marked a historic turning point for the Taiwanese creative industry, securing the country’s first-ever Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in the festival’s 67-year history. Chief Creative Officer Alice Chou and Director Lo Ging-Zim crafted a narrative that transcended traditional real estate marketing. Instead of showcasing properties, the film addressed the "Age of Doubting Marriage," a term coined by dentsuMB Taiwan to describe the local generation's fear of commitment. This strategic pivot from selling houses to selling "hope" resonated deeply in a market with the highest divorce rate in Asia.
Viral Reach and Economic Lift
The 7-minute film achieved massive scale, generating 4 million views within its first week and eventually surpassing 14 million views across platforms. The brand’s social media engagement skyrocketed with a 17-fold increase in daily interactions. This cultural resonance translated into significant business growth; Sinyi Realty’s annual revenue surged from TWD 13.03 billion in 2020 to TWD 18.79 billion in 2021. Agents reported that the film’s emotional weight built unprecedented brand trust, making it easier to secure contracts with the primary target segment of newlyweds.
The Widower and the Registrar
Set in a Household Registration Office - the government site for both marriage and divorce - the film stars Golden Bell Award-winner Chun-Yao Yao. The production’s emotional core centers on an elderly man handling his deceased wife's records, a scene that shifts the protagonist's cynical perspective. The impact was so profound that a sequel was released in 2022 to address Taiwan's low birth rate. As Alice Chou noted, the goal was to remind people that the final decision to build a home should be driven by "love in their hearts, not the fear."
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Taiwan's leading real estate brand with a reputation for trust and community building.
Category
Real estate ads usually focus on property features, square footage, and investment returns.
Customer
Young couples who want a future together but are paralyzed by the high national divorce rate.
Culture
A cultural shift where marriage is no longer seen as permanent, creating a 'doubting' generation.
Company
Taiwan's leading real estate brand with a reputation for trust and community building.
Category
Real estate ads usually focus on property features, square footage, and investment returns.
Strategy:
Address the emotional barrier to entry by reframing the brand as a facilitator of lifelong commitment.
Customer
Young couples who want a future together but are paralyzed by the high national divorce rate.
Culture
A cultural shift where marriage is no longer seen as permanent, creating a 'doubting' generation.
Strategy:
Address the emotional barrier to entry by reframing the brand as a facilitator of lifelong commitment.
Results
The campaign achieved significant cultural impact and engagement. It generated over 14,000,000 views and 4,000,000 likes within a week across Facebook and YouTube. The term 'The Age of Doubting Marriage' dominated the first two pages of Google search results and news reports. The campaign received coverage from over 40 media outlets. It was ranked as the Top 1 popular and shared ad in Taiwan for the second half of 2020 on YouTube and the No.1 popular and shared ad on the top advertising sharing platform in Taiwan. Qualitative feedback included viewers stating 'It makes me wanna get married' and calling it 'the very best ad of 2020.'
14M+
total views within one week
4M+
total likes across social platforms
No.1
most popular and shared ad in Taiwan 2020
Strategy Technique
Find the Cultural Truth
By identifying and naming the 'Age of Doubting Marriage,' the brand tapped into a widespread societal anxiety, positioning itself as a source of hope rather than just a real estate agent.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Story-Driven Campaign
The campaign uses a cinematic narrative to explore internal conflict and emotional transformation, moving beyond product features to address the deep-seated cultural fear of commitment that prevents people from buying homes.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's success lies in its deep cultural insight and the high-quality cinematic storytelling of the core film, which elevates a corporate message into a meaningful social dialogue.
The use of intimate close-ups and a soft, naturalistic visual style creates a profound emotional connection with the characters' internal struggles.
The creation of the 'Age of Doubting Marriage' term was a masterstroke in framing the social context and ensuring the campaign resonated with its target audience.
The synergy between the strategic framing of a social issue and the high-end film production allowed the brand to transcend traditional advertising and become part of the national conversation.
