This Throwback Ad Featuring An Office Farewell Will Leave You Teary Eyed

Imagine spending years in an organisation and then no one remembers you on your last day before retirement. A wholesome advertisement has now addressed such a situation where an old employee was prepared to leave the office without much fanfare but then one staff member decided to spontaneously organise a wholesome retirement party of sorts just before he left the office. The ad starts when a woman notices that a senior employee was clearing his desk. When she asked him if he was changing desks, he told her that it was his last day at work and he was retiring. Taken aback by the casual nature of his significant day, she asks her senior to take a photo with him.

She then sends the message about the senior member’s retirement to all her colleagues who rally together and organise a small but sweet send-off for him. This two-minute advertisement was made for Vodafone about 10 years ago. It was directed by Prakash Varma and produced by Nirvana Films. On YouTube, this video has over 6.5 lakh views.

Interestingly, this advertisement is once again getting traction. Commenting on the video, a YouTube user wrote, “Fantastic advertisement. Very emotional." Another person said, “Don’t know why? But unfortunately, tears come to my eyes whenever I see this ad." Similarly, someone else remarked, “Very heart touching, loved it."

Curiously, several people highlighted that normally all employees get a farewell party of sorts on their last working day. People wondered why the human resource department employees, who are responsible for such things did not do anything and others had to come up with a makeshift party.

Making this point, a YouTube user noted, “Bichare HR ki vaat laga di. Ad makers forget that there is one person in the organisation who is known as HR. Aisa nahi hota real mein. Still it’s a good ad compared to today’s ad. (Poor HR will get in trouble because of this. Ad makers forget that there is one person in the organisation who is known as HR. In real life, this doesn’t happen. Still, this is a good ad, compared to today’s ads)." Similarly, another person asked, “A person so old is retiring and no one knows? Even an intern’s last day is recognised in most companies."