LONDON -- Each year, the run-up to Christmas is bursting with twinkly lights, festive music and Christmas adverts. And, every year, there's always one advert that guarantees to reduce you to uncontrollable tears. 。
SEE ALSO:This Polish Christmas ad has gone viral because, well, just watch it 。This year, the most powerful advert didn't come from big brands, like the UK retailer John Lewis or the clothing giant H&M. 。
The tear jerker of the season came from an erstwhile unknown auction website in Poland called Allegro. The advert hit 7 million YouTube views in 10 days. At the time of publishing this story, the view count was over 8 million and climbing. 。
The reason for its success isn't just down to its endearing plot line about a lonely elderly chap who learns English. The real reason is because it tells an all-too familiar and globally relatable story about the reality of immigration.。
The elderly chap learning English before his trip to the UK.Credit: allegro
。The advert follows the elderly man's endeavours to learn English, and we gradually see his determination and proficiency increase. But, only at the very end of the ad do we discover the truly moving reason for the man's dedication in mastering the English language. It's because his son lives in the UK, and his grandchild's first language is English. 。
The fruits of his labours pay off in the very final moments of the advert when he meets his grandchild for the first time and introduces himself in English as tears roll down his cheeks. 。
But, the gentleman's situation is far from unique in Poland. In fact, according to Allegro's brand manager Michal Bonarowski, the man's experience is one that's almost universal for most Polish families. 。
Thanks for signing up! 。 "Everyone in Poland has or knows someone who is in such a situation, so in some way it is a true story," Bonarowski told 。Mashable 。
. 。'Something true to life' 。
Recent figures show that 3.3 percent of live births in the UK were born to Polish mothers -- a figure that's 12.5 times higher than it was in 2004, when Poland joined the European Union. And Poland is the most common country of birth for mothers born outside the UK. 。 Bartłomiej Nowak -- managing director of BARDZO, the creative agency behind the ad -- told 。Bartłomiej Nowak -- managing director of BARDZO, the creative agency behind the ad -- told 。
Mashable 。
that the agency wanted it to be based on something true to life. 。
As of 2015, an estimated 831,000 Polish-born people were living in the UK, which makes Polish people the largest foreign-born group in the country. And, the number of Polish-born UK residents has increased by 750,000 since 2004. 。
'People can find themselves in it' 。
Bonarowski -- Allegro's brand manager -- believes the advert's emotional quality is due to the fact that the story appeals to people from all over the world who have witnessed their own family members moving to foreign countries. 。
"And people can find themselves in it, that's why it is so emotional," Bonarowski continued. 。
(责任编辑：知識)
This coloring book is here for all your relationship goals
High schooler asks his girlfriend to prom using one of our favorite 'Office' moments
Tesla delivered a record number of cars as demand for Model X rises
Marvel's 'The Defenders' teaser contained more clues than we thoughtEarly AppleTesla's rumored P100D could make Ludicrous mode even more Ludicrous
A Tesla Model S P100D begs the question: What's more Ludicrous than Ludicrous?Right now, the biggest
...[详细]Dude tries to crowdfund a $15,000 engagement ring. Internet says, 'Nope!'
The old rule of thumb is that you should spend three months' salary on an engagement ring -- but the
...[详细]Elephants finally catch a break as ivory prices plunge in China
Elephants, rejoice: China is making a major effort to kick its nasty ivory habit.On Friday, the Chin
...[详细]Rental bidding startup seems good for landlords. Tenants? Not so much.
Finding a place to rent can be hellish, but does transferring that process online make it better? On
...[详细]Balloon fanatic Tim Kaine is also, of course, very good at harmonica
You know the old saying: the people want a president they can drink a beer with and they also want a
...[详细]Twitter kills egg avatar instead of hate speech and no this is not an April Fools' joke
Twitter is finally making some changes -- just not the ones we asked for.On Friday -- following the
...[详细]Racist posters targeting Chinese students stir controversy at the University of Texas at Austin
Racist flyers targeting Chinese students have been seen on the University of Texas at Austin.The pos
...[详细]'Selfie monkeys' are now endangered because people can't stop eating them
Apparently, everyone's favorite adorable "selfie monkey" is cute enough to eat—literally, in I
...[详细]Snapchat is about to explode in popularity, report says
Snapchat is about to have a couple of really good years. 。The company will see huge gains in the numb
...[详细]Wikipedia stats reveal how our collective memory works
When a plane crashes or goes missing, we become obsessed with knowing exactly what happened. Such tr
...[详细]Two astronauts just installed a new parking spot on the International Space Station
There's been a big victory for LGBTQ workers in the fight against discrimination
