A homegrown food brand earned new fans overseas after its old TV advertisement circulated on a large forum for memes.
A Redditor posted on July 12 a meme-like video that showed an 1980s Jollibee commercial on the subreddit r/memes with 19.8 million members.
“Secretly won the space race, PH,” the post reads.
It has been upvoted 33,200 times on the forum.
The meme cleverly and amusingly juxtaposed the historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing of the United States with the advertisement that showed the Philippines supposedly got there first, albeit in a different way.
Instead of astronauts and a spacecraft, Filipinos arrived on the moon through a traditional jeepney and a tricycle.
It was also shown that a Jollibee branch had already opened there, much to the surprise of the two American astronauts in the video.
Some of the restaurant’s signature meals promoted include Palabok Fiesta, Jolly Chicken and even Jolly Spaghetti.
The TV commercial’s old charm seemed to work still.
In the post’s discussion section, some Redditors said they wanted to visit a Jollibee branch nearby.
“Ok but I kinda want to go to a Jollibee now,” one user said.
“Ok Google, where is nearest Jollibee?” another user commented.
“Ok… is that food as good as it looks? I’m from California and am currently googling my nearest Jollibee and am presently surprised to see one near me,” another user said.
Some Redditors even recommended some meals from the company’s menu.
“I don’t know if you have it there but might I suggest the peach mango pie,” one user suggested.
“I recommend the spicy chicken sandwich,” another user suggested.
“Jollibee is fun, odd choices on a fast food menu. Burgers are okay, chicken is good and spaghetti is sweeter than Americans usually have it. Good to try something different,” a Redditor commented.
It’s difficult to look for the original copy of the old advertisement. Copies of it, however, can still be found on YouTube.
In 2017, Jollibee paid homage to the iconic ad with a new campaign titled “Langhap-Sarap Yum Burger” starring Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia.
“What is making JoshLia dance with joy? Check out this remake of Jollibee’s classic 1980s ad…with a fresh vibe and modern twist! Ang sarap balik-balikan ng mga time-tested favorites,” the description reads.
Over the years, Jollibee has become a global brand with over 70 stores in North America and 1,300 more in other parts of the world.
The r/memes community, meanwhile, had been producing and posting different types of memes about cultures, experiences and behavior since it was created on July 5, 2008.
Some of the memes that originated here had also been reposted and circulated on other social media platforms.