TNT, the budget mobile brand of PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, won a second consecutive gold award at ADFEST 2025 for its viral SIM registration video “Mother,” recognized this year in the Effective Lotus category.
The one-minute, 28-second video was produced with ad agency GIGIL and Arcade Film Factory. It tells the story of a mother left out in the rain after her family fails to recognize her due to an unregistered mobile number. The campaign used offbeat humor to promote SIM registration under the Philippines’ SIM Registration Act, which seeks to curb spam and scam messages.
ADFEST described the Effective Lotus category as honoring work that combines creativity with measurable results. The award was judged on four criteria: creativity, strategy, execution, and results. TNT won gold in the Film Lotus category in 2024.
Launched in April 2023, the campaign’s videos gained over 100 million views across platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Within 10 days, over 7 million subscribers registered their SIMs, according to the company.
TNT, which had nearly 35 million subscribers as of end-2024, has received several awards for the campaign. These include a gold at the 2024 Stevies, silvers at the 2024 APAC Effie Awards, Kidlat Awards 2024, and Boomerang Awards 2023, a bronze at Tambuli 2024, and crystal awards at South Korea’s MAD Stars 2023. The campaign also won the Force for Good award at the 2024 YouTube Works Awards Philippines and was shortlisted at the 2023 New York Festivals Advertising Awards.
“This recognition affirms our commitment to protect and inform our customers,” said Lloyd R. Manaloto, First Vice President at Smart.
The gold win comes as TNT marks its 25th year in the Philippines.
