A father touches his newborn from afar in ad touting the power of 5G

Advertisers have long used the dramatic events of birth to illustrate how technology connects us; in 2013, a Skype ad saw a father witness his child's birth from the other side of the world and in 2015, Samsung gave us what was then claimed to be the "first virtual reality birth." In 2020, it's all about the power of 5G, with an AI twist. This spot comes from Thai telecom provider Dtac, and agency BBDO Bangkok. Again the story concerns a long-distance relationship. The husband is working abroad but talks to his pregnant wife by phone and even speaks to the unborn baby, who kicks when he hears his voice. He wants to be together for the birth, but fate intervenes. However, there is now technology that can not only connect them by voice, but by touch; a robotic hand, which using 5G technology lets the father virtually "touch" his newborn child. “Dtac wants to demonstrate how 5G can connect what matters most with a whole range of new and potential experiences that will potentially enrich and empower our lives; we can see this exemplified in our film and how the technology helped make a real human connection at another level possible,” said Anuwat Nitipanont, chief creative officer at BBDO Bangkok, in a statement. The ad helps to humanize the idea of 5G, which, in the West at least, has been beset by conspiracy theories. And on another level, it could also resonates for those deprived of the touch of others during the pandemic—pregnant or not.

A father touches his newborn from afar in ad touting the power of 5G

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