adobo magazine | July - August 2008

Issue #16 July-Aug 2008

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IN THIS ISSUE

THE CANNES LIONS SPECIAL World Marketing Conference Executive Musical Chairs Richard Irvine Jos Ortega and more PROFILE Yasmin Ahmad Leo Burnett Malaysia FAREWELL Henry Canoy Creative Review

by Adrian Miller, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia Awards, Awards, Awards D&AD, New York Festivals The One Show, The Clios

adobo PRINT PRODUCTION SHOWCASE 100% recycled paper www.adobomagazine.com

DM9 JaymeSyfu SPEAKS ABOUT THE COUNTRY’S 1st MEDIA LION

Issue #16 Jul-Aug 2008

CONTENTS

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04 05

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TOP STORIES

Jos Joins JWT JWT Wins a Bronze Clio DM9 Brings Home our 1st Media Lion Richard Irvine Exits for Beacon Tokyo Yoly Says No to Sir Martin TBWA\SMP & Lowe Get Bronzed at the NY Fest Philippines Tobacco Ads Stubbed Out PMA Hosts World Marketing Conference

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FAREWELL 30 Henry Canoy of RMN

54 56 58 59

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PROFILE 36 If Woody Were a Woman,

ANGEL GUERRERO

EDITOR

CYNTHIA

DAYCO

COLUMNISTS

NANETTE

FRANCO-DIYCO BONG OSORIO CID REYES WILLY ARCILLA

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

HARRY MOSQUERA WRITERS

OSCAR

D&AD The Clios One Show New York Festivals

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

AWARDS COVERAGE

GOMEZ, JR BUDJIT TESORO AYE UBALDO LIZA MARTINEZ CRYSTAL REBUCAS

He’d be Yasmin Ahmad

by Tanke Tankeko, Creative Juice Manila

52 FILM REVIEW

46 CREATIVE REVIEW

by Adrian Miller, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia

EXCLUSIVES 08 Richard Irvine on Leaving Manila 28 Walk in Stupid with Tony Davidson 64 The Jollijeep: From Takeout to Out-of-Home

Logic & Magic by Bong Osorio The Bigger Picture by Cid Reyes Market Mentor by Willy Arcilla

LAYOUT ARTIST

87 Cannes Lions 2008 Special

BUSINESS ASSISTANT

REGULAR FEATURES

MARKETING & SALES EXECUTIVE

JERRY MANALILI LECH VELASCO MAFEL HEBULAN AILEEN MARIANO

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82 PRIVATE VIEW Cents & Values by Nanette Franco-Diyco

ART DIRECTOR

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adobo Ads of the Month The adobo Centerfold Ambush Bang for the Buck Creative Showcase / Philippines Mad about Industry Relations PhD’s Tubetalk Truth in Advertising

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F

or years, industry insiders always said the names Guerrero and Ortega in the same breath, but no more.

Michael Maedel, JWT’s president, announced the appointment of BBDO Philippines’ former Vice Chairman Jos Ortega as the CEO of JWT Manila, effective July 7, 2008.

Aside from being one of the industry’s preeminent strategic thinkers, he is founder and (was) chairman of BrandLab, providing counsel to companies as McDonald’s, Monde Nissin and Chowking.

“Since JWT Manila already has a strong management team in place, we looked very carefully to identify and hire someone who would complement the existing management team,” said Michael Maedel. “Jos’ past strategic leadership roles in BrandLab and BBDO will be a tremendous asset in guiding the office into the next phase of growth.”

At the start of 2008, JWT Manila lost its CEO, Matt Seddon, to Ace Saatchi & Saatchi and its strategic planning director and VP, Kiran Vaswani, to Zenith Optimedia Philippines. Until recently, General Manager Raul Villegas, who also heads Account Management, was left to run the agency.

“I am looking forward to my new adventure at JWT Manila,” commented Ortega. “Together with the existing management team, I intend to create an inspiring environment that will deliver great ideas in more creative platforms for our international and local clients.”

Jos Ortega began his career in SCC&B: Lintas, the forerunner of Lowe, but gained notice when he became planning director at Ogilvy & Mather, and eventually,

JOS JOINS JWT

BBDO GUERRERO DROPS THE ORTEGA

the head of its now-defunct Cebu office.

In O&M, he worked with David Guerrero, with whom he started BBDO Guerrero Ortega.

In recent years, he withdrew from the management and operations of BBDO Guerrero Ortega, to concentrate on BrandLab. Speculations on his new role in JWT began when he handed the reins of BrandLab to his wife Vicky Ortega. Then on June 6, BBDO confirmed that Ortega had sold his equity in the Manila agency, leaving him free to join JWT, a WPP agency.

As a result, BBDO Guerrero Ortega, one of the region’s leading creative agencies, renamed itself as BBDO Guerrero.

Commenting on the move, BBDO Guerrero’s Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, David Guerrero, said: “2008 is an important milestone as we will be celebrating our tenth anniversary.

So it seemed like the right time to update our agency name.

Jos and I remain good friends and continue to share a common vision of improving the standing of the Philippines in the global advertising industry.”

Chris Thomas, BBDO Asia Pacific chairman and chief executive officer, noted, “BBDO Guerrero Ortega has become one of the most recognizable and respected agency names in the region during the past ten years, and that has been in large part due to the creative leadership of David Guerrero. With Jos no longer involved in the agency, the change of name to BBDO Guerrero aptly reflects the agency’s focus on The Work and the strength of its creative reputation. BBDO Guerrero is a jewel in the crown of BBDO, not just in Asia Pacific, but worldwide.”

O&M Network Rules the Clios JWT Manila Wins a Bronze Clio

As the 49 th Annual Clio Awards were announced at the Filmore Miami Beach, the Philippines can proudly say that last year’s Gold Clio was no fluke.

This year, it was JWT Manila that won a Clio, a Bronze for the “Are we there yet?” radio ad for Shell. This is their second international metal for Radio; last year, their Lotus Spa campaign was awarded a Gold Lion in Cannes.

Two other Philippine agencies made it to the shortlist: DM9 JaymeSyfu for their Drixine “Clogged nose” radio and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno for another radio entry, the Unicef “Sarah” ad.

McCann Worldgroup SF and TAG took the Grand Clio home for TV/Cinema/Digital for their “Believe” campaign for Xbox Halo. Colenso BBDO took the Grand Clio in the

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Billboard category for “Self Destruct ” for client Deadline Couriers, as well as a Gold Clio in Innovative Media for the same ad. Duval Guillaume, Brussels won the Grand Clio in the Innovative Media category with “A Blind Call” for Brailleliga; Ogilvy & Mather Toronto received a Grand Clio in Integrated Campaigns for “New Diamond Shreddies” for Shreddies Cereal, and Ogilvy New York landed the Design Grand Clio in environmental design for BP-Auto, Fuel, Eco-Messaging.

Ogilvy & Mather Frankfurt topped all individual offices for the night with three Gold Clios (two in the Print category for Mattel Matchbox and one in Design for Malteser Ambulance Service), followed by Colenso BBDO, School of Visual Arts, New York and 180 Amsterdam with two Gold Clios each.

Across network offices, Ogilv y & Mather was awarded the most Gold

Clios with five (three for Frankfurt, two for New York), followed by four Gold Clios for offices of BBDO Worldwide (two each for Colenso BBDO and BBDO New York) and DDB Worldwide (one each for Johannesburg, London, Berlin and Amsterdam).

Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide received two Gold Clios (one each for New York and Singapore).

The Clio judging process makes it possible for there to be several Gold, Silver or Bronze winners—or in some cases, no winner at all—within individual categories. With more than 20,000 entries received from 65 countries, fewer than three percent receive a Clio statue, and less than one percent receives a Gold Clio.

If judges determine a Gold winner is “best-of-show” in its category, they have the opportunity to bestow an even higher honor: the Grand Clio.

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Managing partners Merlee Jayme (2nd row, 2nd from left) and Alex Syfu (3rd row, 4th from left) and the DM9 crew

Duct Tape and a Good Cause Win The Philippines’ First Media Lion

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M9 JaymeSyfu, a Manila ad agency affiliated with the DDB network of communications companies, was awarded a Bronze Lion in the Cannes International Advertising Festival in France last June 17. It won the prestigious metal in the festival’s Media Lions competition for its “Duct Tape” posters for women’s rights group Gabriela.

Aimed at friends, families and neighbors of abused women, the Gabriela posters drew the judges’ attention because of its ingenious use of duct tape. Not only did it hold the posters in place, it dramatized the physical and psychological oppression of domestic violence. At the bottom of each ad, the text appealed to readers to help release these women from bondage.

Because of this, DM9 JaymeSyfu was awarded the Bronze Media Lion, which is given to “media efforts that generate access to consumers in ways that are simultaneously innovative, engaging, encompassing and effective.” It was one of 2,000 entries from 76 countries that vied for 31 bronzes, 17 silvers, five golds and one Grand Prix in the Media Lions.

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The agency’s Chief Creative Officer Merlee Jayme attended the award ceremony in Cannes.

Initially, her agency had four finalists in the running, and when the first three failed, she had written their performance as a total loss. “So when I attended the awards ceremony, I was pleasantly surprised. A first for

our country! This is certainly something that our agency has been dreaming of!”

It is quite an achievement for the creative hot shop, which opened its doors less than three years ago. Led by Jayme and Man-

It is the country’s first Media Lion.

There were many attempts, and twice, two local ads managed to get on the judges’ shortlists. aging Director Alex Syfu, it services clients like SMART, ScheringPlough, the Department of Tourism, Max’s, Discovery Suites and Greenfield Development.

From Manila, Syfu said, “It’s a blessing. When we heard that we got into the finals, we were ecstatic, and winning just doubled our joy. It’s a very Pinoy campaign. It’s a victory, not just for us and our client Gabriela, but for all Pinoys who are working to eradicate spousal abuse.”

It is the country’s first Media Lion. There were many attempts, and twice, two local ads managed to get on the judges’ shortlists. One was the simple but timely latenight campaign for Extra Joss by creative agency TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, and the other was a Rejoice music video initiated by media agency Starcom.

A panel of the world’s most powerful and influential media experts judges the Media Lions.

This year’s competition was presided over by Dominic Proctor, worldwide CEO of MindShare.

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the most prestigious international annual advertising awards as well as the world’s largest global conference for creativity in communications.

Now on its 55th year, more than 10,000 registered delegates from 85 countries and around 12,000 total visitors from the advertising and allied industries (including 30 Philippine delegates) attended to celebrate the best of creativity in all major media, discuss industry issues and network with one another.

Along with the ads that vied for the Media Lions, over 28,000 pieces of work from 85 countries are competing in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Ten juries, composed of top international creatives, judge all the entries in Cannes and award the coveted Lion trophy to the best Film, Print, Outdoor, Design, Interactive, Radio, Sales Promotion, Media, Direct Marketing, Integrated and Titanium which recognize ground-breaking creative work.

newsline

Richard Irvine

Japan Taps Leo Burnett Manila’s Irvine for Creative Lead Nine years after quietly entering the Philippine advertising scene, Richard Irvine, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Manila, is set to leave it. But after ascending to The Creative Guild’s Hall of Fame, doing it unnoticed is going to be tough.

Irvine has been named creative head at Beacon Communications in Japan, Leo Burnett’s second biggest agency worldwide after Chicago.

The move to Beacon follows Irvine’s successful steerage of the agency’s upward climb in creative rankings and reputation.

One of the most accomplished creative leaders in the Leo Burnett network, he has served the network with in London, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh. Until recently, he was overseeing the total creative output of Leo Burnett’s three operations in Manila— blackpencil, Arc Worldwide and Leo Burnett.

Last year, the Creative Guild of the Philippines elevated him to the Creative Guild Hall of Fame, the first foreigner to be so honored.

“I leave Manila with a heavy heart having somehow embraced much of its rich, dynamic and diverse culture, but I am delighted to leave behind some of the finest creative talent in the country working in Leo Burnett Manila,” Irvine said.

While claiming Irvine to be a hard act to follow, Raymond Arrastia, Leo Burnett Manila Managing Director, confirmed that the highly respected Raoul Panes, executive creative director, will lead the agency’s creative community and continue the agency’s creative charge.

Arrastia also announced the return of its multi-awarded homegrown creative team, Mike and Sheila de la Cuesta, to the agency after a four-year stint in Leo Burnett Singapore. Highly respected within both the Singapore and Philippine advertising communities, the De la Cuestas produced effective award-winning work for some of the world’s biggest brands. Mike and Sheila are credited for the phenomenal “Karen” TVC of McDonald’s, which won for Leo Burnett Manila the Philippines’ first gold in the ADFEST.

YOLY ONG TO SIR MARTIN:

No, Thank You

OgilvyOne: Digital is now mainstream media

Kent Wertime, president of OgilvyOne WorldWide Asia, a oneto-one marketing network with over 110 offices in 56 countries, expressed the need for marketers to understand and appreciate the “tectonic” shift. In his new book DigiMarketing: The Essential Guide to New Media and Digital Marketing, he provides a comprehensive overview of the major digital channels used today.

Conceptual discussions are represented by best practice examples culled from OgilvyOne Worldwide.

More and more customers are embracing digital channels. Marketers use these online and mobile tools to interact instantly with customers, track their target market’s consumption patterns and further customize their marketing messages.

Digital channels are scalable, allowing even small and medium enterprises to do their marketing via email, website, blogs or search engines. Wertime, however, cautions marketers to learn digital strategies to avoid having their messages dismissed by customers as instrusive spams.

Philippine Graphic Nick Joaquin Literary Awards Handed out during its 18th anniversary celebration last June 18, Philippine Graphic magazine recognized this year’s winners of the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards.

This year’s winners are Virgilio Harry Tejero – 1st place, Raymund Reyes – 2nd place and Danton Remoto – 3rd place.

The winners were awarded cash prize of P50-, P30- and P20 thousand respectively.

Tejero was inducted as the first Hall of Fame Awardee after winning the competition three consecutive times. All entries to this year’s awards were published in the Philippine Graphic during August 2006 to August 2007.

The Nick Joaquin Literary Awards recognizes excellence in Short Story–Fiction.

It began as the brainchild of the late Adrian Cristobal a decade ago.

AdBoard Inauguration Calls for Industry Unity

Yoly Ong

The deal that had the Philippine ad industry buzzing since January 2008 has fallen through. Yoly Ong, chairman of Campaigns & Grey Philippines, has finally rejected the offer of the world’s largest communications conglomerate to buy her and the other local partners out.

Campaigns & Grey had been in talks with Grey’s parent company, WPP, since last year.

In a statement to adobo, Ong said, “There were too many philosophical differences. If the transition had been complet- “There were too ed, it would have been just about money. As Henry Ford said, many philosophical a business that only has money is a poor business.”

WPP’s representative could not be reached for comment. differences...”

Yoly Ong, Marlyn Villapando and Gil Corcuerra started Campaigns in 1986. Ten years later, they entered a partnership with Grey Advertising. Their major clients include Procter & Gamble, URC, Lamoiyan, and Consolidated Distillers, among others.

The Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) inducted its 2008 officers and board of directors at the Petron Mega Plaza recently.

Inducted as chairman is Charmaine V. Canillas, who is also the current PANA president and advertising director of Petron Corporation.

The induction event called on unity in the face of a changing and challenging period in Philippine advertising history.

The AdBoard inductees swore to adhere to and uphold the AdBoard’s policy of selfregulation, to work with government and its agencies, to protect the rights of members, and to promote the welfare of consumers by strengthening fair industry trade practices and conduct.

Taking over from Andre Kahn, Canillas in her acceptance speech expressed her commitment that “AdBoard will continue to be the voice of the industry, a chorus of voices blending in harmony as one.” july-august 08

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TBWA\SMP & Lowe Get Bronzed in New York Festivals

Melvin Mangada of TBWA\SMP delivers a Bronze

Adding to this year's Bronze collection, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno and Lowe Philippines won two more Bronzes for their work in the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards.

TBWA\SMP won for their TV spot for the ABC-5 TV network in the Corporate category in the Television competition. Their "Delivery Room", helmed by director Paul Alexei Basinillo, gained favorable notice in the region, and this was its first metal in the international ad shows.

Lowe's outdoor for Penguin Books also won a Bronze in the Recreational category in Outdoor, its first win in the award shows.

Now on its 51st year, the New York Festivals hold several competitions, including Film, TV and Radio Broadcasting. Each NY competition is supported by a Board of Judges and Advisors representing a veritable "who's who" of international communications.

Entries are judged by panels of international award-winning creatives who are recognized as leaders in their respective fields. The preliminary round of judging produces Finalist winners, who receive a Finalist Certificate. Further judging rounds determine Bronze, Silver and Gold medal winners. Gold award winners then contend for Grand Prix Awards.

The Philippines also managed to get in seven finalists in the New York Festivals advertising competition: Radio Advertising McCann Worldgroup Philippines Bestoys “Lolo” in Retail Stores TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Unicef “Sarah” in Civic/Social Education Print Advertising DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu Coppertone Sport “In The Shade Campaign - Golf/Football/Basketball” in Cosmetics/Beauty Aids/Toiletries Television Advertising TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Cinemanila “QT” in Entertainment Promotion DDB Philippines M. Lhuillier “Election - Bubblegum/ Toothbrush/Tissue” campaign in Promotion of Peace/Human Rights Outdoor Advertising TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Reva Sandals “Pressure Points” in Apparel Design TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Unicef Foundation “Larong Pambata (Children’s Games)” in Catalogue/ Brochure/Pamphlet

Philippine Tobacco Advertising Officially Stubbed Out In accordance with the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act No. 9211, all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media, except those placed inside the premises of point-of-sale retail establishments, took effect July 1, 2008.

“Tobacco companies are now more creative, more challenged to produce using a different platform.

Everything is now below-the-line, whether promotions, activation, merchandising, and they all fall under events.”

In the Philippines, where most of the tobacco advertising in recent years was on Print and Out-of-Home, the ad ban is predicted to be harshest on the broadsheets.

Sources within the leading newspapers peg the impact on a daily newspaper’s ad sales to hit as much as Php50 million per year. adobo approached Pepito Olarte, vice president-Advertising for the Inquirer and chairman of the industry association United Print Media Group (UPMG), but he declined to comment until ad expenditure reports for the 3rd quarter become available.

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The Events sector, however, was more upbeat. According to Allen Velez, head of Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippine (ASAP)’s Events Management Sector, the tobacco advertising tri-media ban will divert funds, causing a “100 percent landslide to events. Tobacco companies are now more creative, more challenged to produce using a different platform.

Everything is now below-the-line, whether promotions, activation, merchandising, and they all fall under events.”

Another sector that’s happy with the turn of events is the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP), a non-government coalition of doctors, medical professionals and sociocivic groups thinks the total cigarette ad ban is timely in its efforts to curb the fastrising number of Filipino youths addicted to smoking. FCAP board member and advertising executive Roberto Del Rosario states the total advertising ban “is imperative to protect millions of Filipinos,” already estimated at 4 million young smokers.

In a related incident, FACP executive director Dr. Maricar Limpin filed a complaint with the Inter-Agency Committee Tobacco (IAC-T) headed by the Department of Trade and Industry last April on the advertisement for Fortune Tobacco’s Hope cigarettes on display banners outside 7-11

outlets. According to the FACP, this is a clear violation of the prohibition of outdoor tobacco advertising that took effect July 2007. Section 22 or Republic Act No. 9211 or Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 prohibits all outdoor tobacco advertising covering cinema, television, cable television and radio.

FACP sought action from the IAC-T on “the new form of cigarette advertising in the form of X-banners” and sent the Philippine Seven Corporation president Jose Victor Paterno a letter demanding the company to comply with law.

exclusive

RICHARD IRVINE On Leaving Manila Interview by ANGEL GUERRERO

W

hen you came to Manila nine years ago, what was Hemisphere-Leo Burnett like then?

From my perspective, there were two distinct cultures. In the creative department, there was a distinct lack of self-belief. On the account management side, “everything is okay…we do not see a need to change.” [Back] then, account management led the creative process.

We set out the umbrella thought that we needed to instill some respect in our creative work and get a sense of pride in the work that we do.

The agency was Hemisphere then and Leo Burnett had a minority share. In 1999, Leo Burnett took the majority share. Our regional director appointed Michael Constantine to instill a bit of “Burnettism” in the agency. I used to work with Michael on some projects in London. It was fortuitous I was coming to the end of my three years in Vietnam, and I was looking for my next move and interested in an English-speaking market of which there are not many in Asia. And this job in Manila came up. It was a bigger job and a great opportunity.

What transformation did the agency undergo with you and Michael?

Well, in terms of management, that was a total reboot.

We made specific changes. The biggest one early on is the senior creative person has the last say on the creative work, which is something so obvious for me. But when I arrived, I was horrified. When I went to an edit, the account director was in the edit and off-line, making creative calls.

I took the CD aside and asked, “What is going on?”

Some embraced it. Some people felt uncomfortable. Some creative people did not stand to the challenge.

How did you feel, coming into Manila as an expat?

There were not many expats in ad agencies then.

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Well, I worked in Thailand from London.

In Bangkok, someone in the office said, that a few years ago that foreigners—farangs—were the necessary evil but nowadays, we are not sure how necessary they are.

I learned very quickly as a foreigner that you have to work harder and prove yourself every day. I was treated politely and as people got to know me, hopefully, I was able to prove myself. I had an agenda to make the agency better and that was my goal.

Procter moved to Singapore. Centralization of the business affected opportunity to do good work at that time. The Tide “Baboy” TVC won Ad of the Year before this change.

Then we came off the boil in 2004.

But then again, we have won seven Ads of the Years. This year, with Cinemalaya and the other year with the Tide “Lean On Me” ad, we were able to keep our presence. Not same level as the 2002 glory year. Competition got a lot better and people wised up. But we grew quite a lot in terms our business.

“Richard is not the swashbuckling Expat out to conquer a local office.

He’s very respectful of the sensibilities of the people he works with. He’ll push but won’t shove. He’ll make things happen with his own brand of gentle persuasion and persistence. And he’ll always see the bigger picture. In the end, the story is not about him but about how the office evolves under his leadership.”

Do you feel the pressure to do scam ads to keep your agency’s profile up?

I do not have an issue with initiatives but it has to be rooted on a business problem. And do it for real.

For example, the WWF “Earth Hour” campaign. It was the biggest winning work for Leo Burnett last year as a network. That was an initiative. But it was not a bunch of people saying “Wouldn’t it be cool to win an award for WWF?” They sat a table and said “What can we do to help the world with global warming?”

After nine years of leading the creative team in Leo Burnett, where is Leo Burnett now and where is it headed with you gone?

We had a fairly rapid rise in the first couple of years. At the 2002 Ad Congress, we won the Platinum for Bengay. We beat BBDO that year.

We won on every piece of business and every single team in the office went up on stage!

As a strategy, I was advised to pick a small piece of business, create print work and make my mark on that. But I told the agency to focus on big clients and do TV. So we focused on McDonald’s.

Out of that came the “Kitakits” campaign.

And we won lots of awards for the “Lolo” TV spot. The bond of trust was built with the client. It gave people the confidence to work on a real client. Real work. It was less about winning awards.

After that high, we dipped off when

“The Quiet Gentleman. That’s the secret of Richard’s undoubted success in the agency business in SE Asia. In stark contrast to so many of his more extrovert creative peers. Richard has always shunned the limelight, preferring instead to push his people forward to receive the plaudits. His disarming modesty and considered approach has won him respect, loyalty and ultimately industry recognition. But make no mistake, behind that serious, often poker-faced, impassive mien is a burning resolve, a fervor, a deep need to produce great work. Richard has done Leo Bunett proud in Manila. I know that he will go on to do more great work in his next role too.”

Raoul Panes ECD, Leo Burnett Manila

Michael Constantine Former CEO of Leo Burnett Manila

newsline They had a genuine desire to fix a problem.

The solution was brilliant. The campaign deservedly won creative awards.

I have an issue with doing superficial work for awards.

Why are you leaving the Philippines and the agency?

I am tired of wearing Paul Smith and I want to wear Kenzo (LAUGHS).

I love this place. Originally, I signed up for two years; then it became four. It has been nine years.

Burnett has been very good. It approached me a few years ago about working in another office. Michelle [Kristula-Green] called me before Isabelle [his second daughter] was born.

I told her, “Are you aware my wife is about to give birth in a couple of days?”

She said told me not to worry.

I am happy here. I love this office and the people. It was a tough call; in the end, it came down to pushing myself a bit further.

Having spent 15 years in Japan, I know what it takes to succeed at Beacon and in Japan. Richard has great creative and leadership skills that are tempered by extreme cultural sensitivity and the ability to connect with people at a very human level.

Beacon is a joint venture between Leo Burnett and Dentsu in Japan. A true fusion of the best that the East and the West has to offer in the Japanese market.

Beacon is one of the largest, most creative multinational agencies in Japan winning a Gold and Bronze Lion at Cannes this year.

Michelle Kristula-Green Former Head of Beacon Tokyo Regional Director, Leo Burnett Asia

What are you looking forward to in Beacon Communications in Tokyo?

Beacon Communications is incredible!

Very funky. All the stuff you see in Conta-

gious magazine is what they are doing there.

Advertising is a component and accounts for only 25 percent! The rest is all this other stuff.

Everything you tell your clients to dabble in, they are doing it there.

I have come to a point in my career where I can play in this area, which comes only once in a lifetime. I am 52, and I want to learn and experience it first hand.

How did your wife Marite react to this offer after just giving birth to baby Isabella Marie and having a young toddler, Jacob Finle, to deal with as well?

I met Marite here. We had a great friendship, and it grew from there. I liked her whole approach to life, about going out and grabbing it and experiencing it. Her meeting me has prevented her from moving on. She always wanted to live abroad and experience a different culture. I wanted to stay here. So she put her plans on hold.

The Tokyo thing is exciting for her. I am more worried than she is!

What are the most significant events for you during your time here?

Too many highlights! It has been a roller coaster!

From a work standpoint, I think the very first Ad Congress for me when we won two golds and a bronze. It proved that in just four months, we could hold our head up. It was a high point for me.

McDonald’s “Lolo” was another. Getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was an emotional night for me. It made me sit and reflect on the people and the good times.

On the personal side, it was meeting Marite, getting married and being a father twice over. There is a lot to love about this country. It is also home for my family; my wife is Filipina, and my kids are half-Filipino.

What will you miss most about the Philippines?

The people.

BPI President Speaks at University of Asia and the Pacific Conference Series

Speaking at the recent UA&P CEO Colloquia: Integrated Marketing Communication Effectiveness Awards (IMCEA) Conference Series, BPI President and CEO Aurelio Montinola III focused on “Building a Strong Brand Equity: The BPI Legacy” and how the company maximizes strong brand imagery into a longstanding competitive advantage.

Harvard-trained Montinola enumerated five characteristics of the world’s biggest brands: excellence at delivering the benefits that the customers desire; maintaining relevance; consistent brand image; properly positioned brand; distinct and independent branding for maximum market coverage.

Montinola said that in utilizing the aforementioned principles, BPI’s pioneering spirit has changed the banking landscape not only in the Philippines, but in Southeast Asia as well.

Yahoo! Finds Philippine Home

To provide services to its regional office in Singapore and support its Pinoy-centric Philippine operations, Yahoo! Philippines has takes up residence at the Bonifacio Global City with General Manager Jojo Anonuevo.

Yahoo! has been the leading Internet company in the country, and the Philippine office allows closer and more immediate interaction with its users.

Yahoo! earlier announced plans to increase business operations locally and outlined big bets to be the Internet “partner of choice” by making Yahoo! the “Starting Point” for the most consumers and become the “Must Buy” for advertisers. Yahoo! is also focused on building relationships with publishers and developers.

In the last quarter Yahoo! Philippines partnered with several Philippine companies like news content providers GMA News. T V, Manila Bulletin and Philippine Star, and Internet games publishers Level-Up and e-Games.

In addition to Globe Telecoms, Yahoo! recently allied with Sun Cellular and Smart Communications, establishing a reach of 85 percent of consumers on the desktop and nearly all on the mobile web.

Smart Buddy Campaigns for Self-Expression

By offering its pre-paid subscribers a glimpse into the future of mobile phones, Smart Buddy’s latest campaign delivers a three-word knockout punch. Dubbed “Me na Me”, Smart Buddy introduces the mobile as a means of self-expression.

Smart Buddy subscribers now have access to more innovative and personal ways of sending messages, international calls and other mobile phone applications. Soon, blog and chat, gaming and buying music online may be available for pre-paid subscribers.

Through these functionalities, Smart Buddy provides channels that allow a wide range of choices suited to diverse lifestyles.

“Smart wants to make technology work for people by giving suggestions how to use technology through their mobile phones”, says Danilo Mojica, head of Smart’s Wireless Consumer Division. july-august 08

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newsline ABS-CBN Profits Up by 15 Percent

From January to May, the increase is 50 percent or Php 520M to Php598M, net of nonrecurring advertising revenue,. The five percent direct-sales and 16 percent subscriber-base increases of its international unit ABS-CBN Global contributed to the growth.

Airtime revenue of Php5.22 billion from Php5.09 billion, a 2.55 percent increase, reflected an increase in advertising minutes by 13 percent. With these figures, ABSCBN registered the biggest growth in the entire local broadcast industry.

ABS-CBN President Charo Santos-Concio also credits the rise to management ’s efforts in lowering production costs and streamlining operations. Chairman Eugenio Lopez III says its new programs and income from SkyCable are expected to sustain the steady rise. Despite the promising figures though, Lopez is realistic about the effects of the current economic downtrend and foresees advertising to slow down and affect revenue starting June.

Fifty Golden Years of PANA

Last April, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary. Founding member Jesus Tanchanco, Sr., only 27 years old at PANA’s inception, expressed ‘ the merit of originality is not novelty, it is sincerity [in the] promotion of consumer welfare and the commitment to Truth in Advertising.” First stated five decades past, the words still ring true today.

It took Robert Hinchman, Jr. and Anacleto del Rosario two years, to turn an idea into an association of 42 companies, with an 11-member Board of Directors.

Then until now, PANA remains a self-regulating body.

Another highlight of the night, Anniversary Chair Charlie Manio encouraged the members “ to be champions of what is true, fair and uplifting, and to be thoughtful and considerate of the needs of our markets.”

Current PANA President Charmaine Canillas, buoyed by the profundity of the anniversary coinciding with her term, announced that PANA plans to join the World Federation of Advertisers. Canillas led the candle-blowing on a special cake on behalf of the current Board. The euphoric throng of members proposed a solemn and meaningful toast and eagerly looked forward to fifty more years in the service of the Filipino consumer.

Of Curious Hands and Feet

Huggies® briefly hosted a special venue for moms and babies last June 14 and 15, 2008, at Glorietta Activity Center.

Exploring Together featured play areas designed for every stage of babies’ development, complete with activities that nourished and enhanced certain abilities. Stations like Audio Visual Fantasy and Crawling Explorations allowed mothers and children to make fascinating discoveries about each other. Participating moms went home with a Huggies play mat. And for all these activities, the price of entry was a simple nappy change.

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Marketing Wisdom on a Digital Platter

WORLD MARKETING CONFERENCE

A

celebration of Asian success, and rightfully so, was what Philippine Marketing Association pulled off at the 1st World Marketing Conference and Trade Exhibition at SMX Convention Center last June 19 to 20, an event for which the region’s brand builders will be grateful for a long time.

Beyond toasting Asia’s marketing winners, “Asiannovation: Rocking the World” portrayed a continent forging on with resilience and creativity to confront every crisis and threat to its survival.

Presentation after presentation paraded global Asian brands from Japan to Singapore and the emerging economies; a “blue ocean” of opportunity where the competition isn’t (yet); diminutive regional startup ideas; and sturdy Asian ways of doing business amid a sea of Western influence.

That was just Day 1 for you. The second and final day asked the audience to brace itself for the inevitable Marketing 2.0. Following a stream of caveats, forewarnings and reality checks, the crushing consensus from experts and trendspotters, resonating louder than the event’s symbolic gong could ever herald, was: Dramatic change is coming and will uproot much of the marketing landscape. From every Day 2 speaker’s account, the new rules of the marketing game have become far more complex than before. FMCG experts schooled in promoting products and creating emotional experiences may find it right up their alley, but wait till the other disrupting factors start to weigh in.

While technology will be a driving factor, ironically those who swiftly crown the consumer as king and leverage such commonplace phenomena as “word of mouth” and “authenticity” will see their messages float above the New Media clutter.

Leading marketers acknowledged this.

Globe Telecom CEO Gerry Ablaza said the In-

by Oscar Gomez, Jr.

ternet “has made consumers more savvy and discriminating; it has given them an unprecedented say in how products are created and delivered.” Ablaza also quoted from an IBM study on how “viral marketing can change perception in a heartbeat.”

Yahoo Philippines GM Jojo Añonuevo confirmed this online pervasiveness, startling the audience with his company’s surveys that among home surfers, 81 percent accessed the Internet from the bedroom, 51 percent from the kitchen, and 21 percent from the bathroom! He also mentioned how on YouTube, the videos of Dell computers with exploding CPUs nearly ruined the brand in China, while the Obama Girl music video’s 7.6 million hits may have turned the tide of the current US presidential race.

Consumers have become so empowered by technology that, according to TNS-Hong Kong’s Client Service Director Stephen Yap, they now drive their own messages through 1.4

“Marketing has become all about starting or joining a conversation—and how to make your product/service the topic through discussion forums that run on almost every topic or brand under the sun.” million blogs posted worldwide everyday. He said the omnipresent mobile devices (4 billion by 2009) are leapfrogging other appliances as the “device of choice” for consumers to interact with content, brand, and experience.

“Marketing has become all about starting or joining a conversation—and how to make your product/service the buzz of discussion forums running on almost every topic or brand under the sun,” Yap added.

Marketers need not worry about impact and clutter as much as creating connection and engagement, said Lyn Rogers, Asia Pacific

The first week of June saw a fusion of brilliant colors adorn the Philippine Trade and Training Center from floor to ceiling. Yet another Graphic Expo was underway, and it was eye-candy.

Now on its 13th offering, the Graphic Expo is a yearly outing to showcase the latest, speediest, most affordable—or the most expensive—technologies of the graphics and printing industry. From the heaviest of equipment for large format printing, to the most compact of office printers, they all showed up to show off their wares. No less than Can-

regional director of Carat Media. In moving from “high-waste” mass marketing to near perfect 1-to-1 relevance in their messages, marketers nevertheless must provide new metrics that can support ROI, she added.

“It’s like going out on a date: you don’t want just anybody coming up to you in a bar; you would rather have someone to have engaging, interactive, two-way conversation with.”

Additionally, she stressed that all aspects of marketing communications today should drive the audience to visit a brand’s website.

Web 2.0 would have profound implications, said Synovate’s Global Media Head Steve Garton, who boldly predicted that in five years, the best way to reach a consumer audience would be through online social networks. Consumer 2.0, in which the consumer is much in control in a satuSteve Garton of Synovate rated media world, International has given Internet TV and social networks top-of-mind attention for media planners, he added.

“We’ve gone from primetime to my time, mainstream to my stream.”

Peter Pezaris, founder of popular site Multiply, asserted the “closer consumer connection” that can be created through social networking. Targeting ads via social networks, he said, will hit very specific demographics. Furthermore, “it gets a pass-along impression delivered to audience of trusted friends and family, creating momentum effect and raising ROI.” Synovate’s Garton admitted how it had become “enormously hard” to keep up with changes in consumer behavior. “The only certain implications to expect are: Marcomm is in radical transformation; the consumer is at the heart of all we do; relationships with customers are key; ads will be more and more performance-based; and traditional ads will be overwhelmed by digitally driven challenges.”

The 13th Graphic Expo Expands on, Epson and Hewlett-Packard (in alphabetical order) made the Graphic Expo their stage as sponsors, as well as the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines.

The 13th Graphic Expo 2008 a clear indication of the steady increase in exhibitors yearly. While last year’s Expo already featured a healthy number of large-format equipment, that number increased this year that organizer Fiera de Manila had to extend the Expo floor space by 10 percent.

Adding to the grandiose event, hardwarestorage device as well as copy-machines companies came as exhibitors.Staging wizard Centrex also had a full workout in fulfilling a two-story booth, an extensive printersplayground, a live photo-studio, a virtual library and a photography exhibit.

For the visitors, the 13th Graphic Expo provided a number of seminars and workshops conducted by lecturers of the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging. For the exhibitors and walk-ins, the Expo provided a well-equipped platform for free seminars that appealed to a healthy crowd. In fact, there was a wait-list for the allotted number of slots for the free seminars.

A significant development from the early years of the Expo, media broadsheets and magazine publications increased participation this time. For the veteran exhibitors like adobo magazine and i-Mag, this year was a more exciting participation. Adorning the booth with huge tributes to Filipino Cannesaward winners, adobo magazine had an attractive booth that provided an enjoyable stop for an eclectic group of students and teaching professionals, graphics artists, photographers, media and brand managers. Free adobo magazines that featured

highlights of the magazine’s two-year presence were distributed at the Expo. On the other hand, i-Mag held a Freehand art competition that was a huge success.

This year’s photo exhibit by the Zone V Club featured professional and enthusiast photographers and was enough of a comeon for visitors who spent hours in rapt wonder at the pieces on display. For the family-oriented visitors Digital FOX-GA Printing was heaven-sent with its collection of albums, calendars and notebooks suited for every personal taste, for all seasons and for all ages.

The 13th Graphic Expo 2008 may beg the question “what for?” When everyday business is email, when anyone with sturdy fingers can use a digicam, and when most mobile phones can store images to share via MMS, why a print-graphic expo?

“We need print to educate, inform, send, keep in the pocket, or hold and present to a friend or loved one. We need to print so we can share, personally.”

Guest of Honor and Opening Speaker E. David Zweigel, director for Global Publishing Solutions-U.S. Embassy, Manila best explains it simply. “When the web came along ten years ago, we thought we would shortly abandon print. But the opposite has happened, and print is more in demand than before. People use the web to browse for information, and when they find what they need, they want to be able to print it. We need print to educate, inform, send, keep in the pocket, or hold and present to a friend or loved one. We need to print so we can share, personally.”

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photographed by Francis Ylllana

movers Ichay Bulaong Steps Down As Arc MD

Ichay Bulaong, managing director of Arc Worldwide Philippines, is leaving to pursue personal interests.

Considered as a leader in the specialized field of customer relationship management, Ichay was instrumental in setting up Arc in Manila simultaneous with the regional launch of the marketing services agency in 2005. Ichay proved her strategic skills and management competencies when she founded Ogilvy and Mather Direct in 1992. She reached the peak of her CRM career when she set up the DM specialist agency First Direct in 1995 together with Raymond Legaspi, which later became iLeo Philippines.

Raymond Arrastia, group managing director of Leo Burnett Manila, now takes an active role in managing Arc, and works closely with Stel Angeles, Arc general manager.

Bartolome New Jewel Atop Carat Philippines

After 16 years with Universal McCann, former VP Cookie Bartolome takes the top position at Carat Philippines as managing director. She replaces Jocelyn Domingo.

Bartolome is credited for unusual media strategies and her trademark activation spots for successful Globe and Coke campaigns through complicated negotiations with TV networks. She is most known for her spot-on 10-seconder Globe spots.

Proximity Philippines Gets Pia Roxas to Head Copy

Proximity Philippines appointed Pia Roxas as head of Copy, reporting to David Guerrero, its chief creative officer.

Roxas joined Proximity from JWT Manila where she was senior copywriter. Previously, Roxas worked for OgilvyOne and Ogilvy, where she was one of the first Philippine representatives to the AdFest Young Lotus Creative Competition.

Roxas will partner with Dino Cabrera, digital creative director and head of Art.

New Business Heads Named in Lowe

Mylene Rayala and Robbie Aligada, former management supervisors at Lowe Philippines, were promoted recently and are now the agency’s newest business unit heads.

This was announced by Lowe President Mariles Gustilo.

Kevin Lee, Executive Creative Director of O&M Shanghai

Shanghai - Chinese ad veteran Kevin Lee now heads O&M Shanghai’s creative department as executive creative director.

A decade of advertising in his cap, two with Ogilvy Shanghai, Lee headed the agency’s top clients Sprite, Tudor and Chinese sports apparel companies Semir and Midea, among others.

Ogilvy Greater China Group Executive Creative Director Nils Andersson says “with his eye for style and his meticulous attention to detail, Kevin has been instrumental in the growth of quality and success (of Ogilvy Shanghai).” Ogilvy Shanghai’s creative reputation has since soared in the two years of Lee’s joining.

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2009 ADCON Overall Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala

Advertisers plan an ambitious 21st Congress

ADCON RETURNS TO BAGUIO Advertisers have taken the wheel as the lead planners in what is shaping up to be another out-of-thebox Philippine Advertising Congress (or as industry insiders call it, the AdCon).

Almost certain to turn up the hype are parallel celebrations to go with the AdCon’s 21st biennial staging. One is the big five-oh milestone of the Philippine National Association of Advertisers (PANA), which also falls in 2009.

Returning host Baguio City— still the sentimental favorite among previous congress venues—will also be 100 years old next year.

AdCon movers, led by Chairman Fernando Zobel (great eye candy, girls), want to get the City of Pines dolled up for a memorable centennial. Plans are afoot for an AdCon exhibit that matches the look and feel of the World Expo itself (something that should make ex-president Fidel Ramos and Mina Gabor smile after seeing their Manila World Expo

dream torpedoed a decade back). The whole idea, says the organizers, is to ensure the exhibit “becomes the place to be and be seen.”

AdCon’s “grandest exhibit ever” will cover a

...finalists vying for the Araw Awards will be displayed as a major exhibit attraction.

Another possible Araw innovation is the recognition of not just creative excellence but marketing effectiveness as well. sprawling half-hectare area around Baguio’s premier CAP Convention Center, which will also be the main site for plenary sessions. The exhibit venue will be maintained in spotless condition all day long from November 19 to 21. Even the delegates’ meals will be served there, through a wide variety of culinary spreads and Wifi-enabled cafes.

Of course, one can expect those fabulous parties and

sporting events to color the affair throughout. Other city landmarks will be tapped for congress events—Burnham Park and Hotel Elizabeth Ballroom for sponsored dinners and Baguio Country Club for breakout sessions and golf. In a minor coup of sorts, the ultra-private Mansion House, normally reserved for the First Family’s use, is being eyed as the Araw Awards Night venue.

Heralding a returning son, Baguio is rolling out its welcome mat on many levels, to maximize comfort, accessibility and efficiency for the huge logistical challenges always associated with every AdCon. For the very first time, finalists vying for the Araw Awards will be displayed as a major exhibit attraction.

Another possible Araw innovation is the recognition of not just creative excellence but marketing effectiveness as well.

Breakout sessions will also be introduced to the 21st AdCon, which means exclusive learning tracks will run in parallel for creatives, marketers and media, respectively. According to the organizers, it will make the AdCon truly relevant across the entire marketing discipline.

The congress theme is being finalized. Under consideration is a wholistic perspective of the marketing discipline by revisiting the 4Ps and other elements beyond it. The Adcon’s braintrust hopes to emphasize marketing fundamentals that everyone should get right.

To date, the working committees are led by: Program Committee - Susan Dimacali (4As) as chair and Karen Asis (PANA), co-chair; Ways & Means - Hermie de Leon (MSAP), chair Rudy Villar (PANA), co-chair; Exhibits - Egay Navalta (ASAP), chair and Allen Velez (ASAP), co-chair; Admin Digna Santos (PANA), chair and Mila Marquez (4As), co-chair; and PR/Publicity Pepito Olarte (UPMG), chair and Jones Campos (PANA), co-chair; and Special Events/ Sports - Lorna Tabuena (ASAP), chair and Charlie Manio (PANA), co-chair.

The 21st Philippine Advertising Congress will be formally opened by a grand plenary session in the evening of November 18.

pine broadcasting history. The KBP has been instrumental in certain key partnerships with government. The granting of government importation of broadcast equipment is one.

Passage of the law lifting the ban on political advertising is another. While direct lobbying was done on the one hand, another aspect of the KBP formulated technical standards for all radio and television stations eventually adopted by the National Telecommunications Commission, and the completion of the Broadcast Code of Ethics in the Philippines.

KBP

Ordained to advance and sustain the highest standards of quality in the broadcast industry, the organization exercises self-regulation for responsible broadcasting

35 Years New

The country’s premier broadcast media organization composed of radio and television members of station owners, operators and corporations, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) just turned 35 years old.

Ordained to advance and sustain the highest standards of quality in the broadcast industry, the organization exercises self-regulation for responsible broadcasting and the achievement of the highest level of ethical and professional standards of broadcasting media practice in the country, as well as ensure the protection

of the lawful rights of its members. The KBP is behind every move towards the social-cultural and economic development of the country.

In its 35 years, the KBP’s list of achievements is exemplary. Its anniversary program highlights the anticipated launch of its new website www.kbp.org.ph. The Pugad Pawikan, an advocacy to protect and preserve the endangered species of sea turtle locally known as pawikan, was launched to coincide with the anniversary.

Efforts of the KBP have made significant strides in charting the progress of Philip-

Friday the 13th is

Pecha Kucha Pecha Kucha has nothing to do with superstition or voodoo. It is not even alien or gibberish, just Japanese. Literally meaning “the sound of conversation”, the idea behind Pecha Kucha developed by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture (KDa) provides artists and designers of all styles their time under the sun.

No longer in the 1980’s where one got 15 minutes of fame, Pecha Kucha allows all six minutes and 40 seconds of fame and glory.

In just five years, Pecha Kucha Night has reached global distinction and celebrated in Berlin, New York, Tel Aviv and even Beijing. In Manila, Ideals

Creatives brought the experience to Mag:Net Café Bonifacio High Street on Friday the 13th of June, the first of four Pecha Kucha Nights schedule for 2008.

Presentors given their under-seven-minutes stints included Leo Abaya, production designer; Leeroy New, sculptor; Inksurge, graphic design duo; Joni Caparas, head of Art at BBDO Guerrero; Raymond Red, filmmaker; Nicky Sering, photographer; Donna Miranda, dancer; Jin Joson, student artist; as well as graffiti artists Pilipinas Street Plan and Grafik Salad from Cebu.

The format is 20x20. The artist presents twenty slides of

Integrating with other Philippine media organizations, the KBP established the Radio Research Council (RRC) to oversee radio audience surveys along with the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As-P).

In fulfillment of its socio-cultural mission, the KBP moved promote original Pilipino music through the establishment of the Metro Pop Music Festival and the mandatory inclusion of three OPMs to radio playlists every hour.

Thirty-five years old, the KBP continues its service to its loyal members. It has established the Standards Authority that hears complaints against broadcasters. At the same time it implements training-intensive programs for broadcasting practitioners and apprenticeship programs for broadcast communications students.

artwork and discusses each in 20 seconds. In this age of multimedia blink-of-an-eye technology, the attention span of a normal person is seven minutes. The Pecha Kucha time limit is 20 seconds, presumably to allow the presentor a bit of stammering leeway of about one second per slide. A typical Pecha Kucha night has about 14 presentors, so the order of the night is to be brief and concise.

Primarily created for the purpose of exhibiting new artistic and design talent without boring an audience, the Pecha Kucha idea has progressed onto the corporate world.

No longer in the 1980’s where one got 15 minutes of fame, Pecha Kucha allows all six minutes and 40 seconds of fame and glory.

Presentations pitches, and internal meetings done in the Pecha Kucha manner maintains focus, encourages undisrupted flow of ideas and avoids tedious repetitions. A hybrid form of Pecha Kucha special to musical groups permits two songs per performer. Whether artistic or corporate, Pecha Kucha prohibits one party to hog the limelight. In any social interaction or event, that sounds like a good idea.

Production designer Leo Abaya

Graphic design duo Inksurge

Contemporary dancer Donna Miranda

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movers

WHO WILL CATCH UP WITH AGENCY OF THE YEAR?

BBDO Guerrero Addresses “Exodus”

At BBDO Guerrero, the recent exit of at least ten employees, mostly creatives, sparked industry-wide speculation that all was not well at the multi-awarded agency.

Chairman and CCO David Guerrero said that the agency’s rising headcount actually disproves those rumors.

However, he did acknowledge the resignations, saying, “ When we were reviewing our performance we set a new goal of getting every single team on the Campaign Brief Asia rankings. However doing that meant reviewing work frequently and pushing some people to do better. Some responded to that; some didn’t, and some [had] their own reasons for wanting a change. Ultimately, though it is unsettling in the short-term to lose people, it ’s better that we are all aligned as a team on our objectives.”

Mediaedge:cia Boosts Management Team

Mediaedge:cia (MEC) has announced a management re-organization.

Achie Francia-Munar joins MEC as Philippines managing director, after stints with JWT, McCann, and Lintas in Manila, and Matari, Initiative, and Zenith Optimedia (ZO) in Indonesia.

Francia-Munar’s appointment is seen as crucial to help continue to inspire innovation and drive growth.

Juliet Mendoza becomes managing partner and head of Trading, to ensure that state-of-the-art buying systems are in place and to look at new, strategic ways of negotiating to benefit MEC’s clients, including Colgate Palmolive, Chevron, Citibank, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Philippines.

DM9 Promotes Hernandez

Alex Syfu, managing director & CCO of DM9 JaymeSyfu, announced the promotion of Herbert Hernandez from art director to associate creative director in June 2008.

Renetta McCann Steps Down at Starcom MediaVest

New York − Renetta McCann will step down as the global CEO of Publicis Groupe’s Starcom MediaVest Group in January 2009 and plans to take a yearlong sabbatical from the agency. Laura Desmond, CEO of SMG, the Americas, will take her place effective immediately.

“I have been given the opportunity to build an incredible organization during a decade of management responsibility, but I now recognize that some family matters and personal goals have unfortunately taken a back seat during this time,” McCann said in a statement. “I would like to give them my full attention now.”

McCann, one of the top-ranking African-American females in media and marketing, started her career at SMG in 1978 at Leo Burnett, rising through the ranks to become global CEO in 2005.

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The run-up to the annual Agency of the Year Awards nears its end, as 18 members of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As-P) threw their proverbial hats into the ring.

Tentatively slated for August 29, the awards ceremony honors agencies that best exemplify its theme “Catch Up”. The biggest prizes of the evening are the 2007 Agency of the Year and Overall Media Excellence Award, although the 4As also names winners in the following categories: Best in Creative, Best in Management of Business, Best in Market Performance, Best in Industry Leadership and Community Leadership, Media Excellence in Business Performance and Media Excellence in Creativity.

In addition, the 4As-P names the Production Houses of the Year, in the categories of Film, Audio and Print.

Agency of the Year is given to the creative agency with

the best performance across the four non-media categories.

Only seven creative agencies are competing for this top plum: BBDO Guerrero, DDB Philippines, DM9 JaymeSyfu, JimenezBasic, Lowe, TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno and WPP Marketing (otherwise known as JWT). Four others— McCann Erickson, Leo Burnett, O&M, and Y&R—entered case studies, but only in three categories or less.

Seven media agencies— Maxus, Mediacom, Media Edge, MindShare, OMD, Universal McCann and ZenithOptimedia—vie for the media categories. As usual, media powerhouse Starcom remains ineligible for competition, simply because it has not joined the 4As-P. Last year, JimenezBasic was adjudged the Agency of Year, while MindShare went home with the Overall Media Excellence Award.

Very little was changed for the 21st Agency of the Year competition. The AOY Committee, led by Chairman Nonna

Nanagas of DentsuIndio Philippines, announced only one change in the competition rules.

Previously, in the Best in Creative competition, entrants are required to present their six best individual ads, as proof of the consistent quality of their work. This year, a single-medium or a multimedia campaign, comprising of three components, may be submitted as one ad.

Public Relations Practitioners Urged to Enter World of Digital Media For its grand anniversary, the Public Relations Society of the Philippines recently sponsored the first Professional Development Seminar, an eyeopener on the overwhelming need for PR practitioners to keep abreast of digital media. The seminar introduced serious practitioners to the elements of social and interactive networking.

Aptly titled “Five Ideas That Can Infect Your Market”, Jayvee Fernandez, Technology Channel editor of B5 Media, showed actual samples of viral marketing.

“Viral marketing is never about your product. It is about your story and your emotions,” said Fernandez, noting how consumers now are able to instantly share their perspectives on the issue, resulting from their actual experience with the brand.

Elly Puyat, managing director of OgilvyOne Worldwide/Manila, weighing in on “Tapping New Media to Influence Publics”, supported Fernandez’s statement and cited successful digital campaigns of Nike and Yahoo! developed by OgilvyOne. “Digital media is no longer new and niche, but mainstream and mass instead,” said Puyat. “In 20 years, 80 percent of all

media will go digital. It’s better to be a leader now than to be a follower down the road.”

“New Rules in PR” was presented by Donald Lim, president of Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines, and chief executive officer of Yehey.com. Lim claimed, “the Internet has made PR public again after years of focus on media. Customers want authenticity not spin, participation not propaganda.” Lim’s new PR arena is digital, metrics-driven and has the ability to transform and achieve results as necessary.

“In 20 years, 80 percent of all media will go digital. It’s better to be a leader now than to be a follower down the road.”

To cap the event, Lim was spot-on in a borrowed quote from Horatio Nelson Jackson, credited as the pioneer of cross-country rally driving—“I do not believe you can do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.”

The next Professional Development Seminar of the PRSP on August 22 at GMA Network Center tackles the relationships of PR with other organizational disciplines for more integrated business communications.

photographed by Tyrone Orbase

movers Tribal DDB Philippines hires first Managing Director

As reported by Brand Republic, Tribal DDB Philippines has just named John Lucas as its first managing director. Lucas will lead and manage the digital team at the Omnicom agency.

Lucas was client services director and new business director of DraftFCB Philippines for four years before joining Tribal DDB. His clients at DraftFCB included Smart Philippines, San Miguel Mills Inc. and Hope Cigarette for Fortune Tobacco Corporation.

Prior to Draft, Lucas was with Batey Ads Philippines and Image Dimensions.

Dentsu Hires Calaquian as Creative Director

RADIO DAY:

Hear to Stay Radio advertising is still a strong and persuasive medium, claimed media and advertising practitioners in a recent joint conference of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and The Creative Guild during Radio Day. Held last May 26 in Makati, the one-day event combined the seminar on harnessing the power of radio and a creative radio commercial production workshop and the awarding of the KBP Radio Ad Awards winners.

In the seminar hosted

by KBP, advertisers learned that not only does Radio allow consumers access to music, but it also connects with their emotions. In effect, consumers begin to think with their emotions, said Sandra Puno, Nestlé Philippines senior vice president and director of Communications.

Nielsen Media Philippines Executive Director Jay Bautista reported 98.5 percent of the country’s population tune in to Radio especially outside the Metro, equivalent to 17.7 hours a week. In terms of reach, it surpasses Television. Sandeep Khanna, head of marketing operations of Nokia, echoed the same thought as he narrated the success of a Christmas campaign that hit target mobile users while in transit.

As a single medium or as part of a media mix, Mediacom Philippines

Managing Director Angelito Pangilinan said the flexibility of radio is dependable. He referred to a US Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL) 2004 research. The study used parameters that remain viable even in the Philippine context. It showed Radio as more effective when in tandem with television ads.

Along the same lines, Margot Torres, vice president for Marketing of McDonald’s Philippines, considered radio advertising whenever a new product or promo is launched due to consistent favorable results from the medium.

the personality of each radio station. For a mass medium, it turned out thatRadio is very much into niche programming.

A judge in the recent Radio Lions competition in Cannes, Y&R’s ECD Leigh Reyes, focused on the crafting of radio copy instead. She used audio clips from great movies to dramatize exposition, juxtaposition, meter, conversation, poetry and all those concepts that make the spoken word so powerful.

She ended with a few pieces of ear candy like Blockheads’ mashed-up performances, which opened the ears—and minds—of the audience to the possibilities of sound.

David Guerrero, president of the Creative Guild and chairman of BBDO Guerreo, capped off the afternoon with lessons he learned as a jury

Nielsen Media Philippines Executive Director Jay Bautista reported 98.5 percent of the country’s population tune in to Radio especially outside the Metro, equivalent to 17.7 hours a week.

On the creative side, JWT’s ECD Dave Ferrer, a Cannes and recent Clio winner for his radio ads, spoke on the long hard road to creating a low-budget but awardwinning ad. He confessed that the Gold Lion-winning Lotus Spa ads took as many as 30 compres, a feat made possible

by Hit Production’s nearinfinite patience.

Radio talk jock Mojo Jojo shared what radio jocks and listeners considered creative, even if that differed from the agency creatives’. However, all agreed that advertisers and agencies should tailor the ideas and executions to

member in Cannes, Pattaya, London, and everywhere else: What judges looked for in great radio ideas. When clarity should come before cleverness (David’s answer: Always). Why entertainment is essential. How to tell which of your potential entries will win (Answer: You can’t). Why you shouldn’t kill yourself if you don’t win, and why you should thank your lucky stars if you do.

By the day’s end, both advertisers and agency people shuffled back to their offices, with enough inspiration to make it through the next quarter.

To boost the creative team in Dentsu Philippines, the agency brought on board Mike Calaquian as Integrated Marketing Commmunicaitons (IMC) creative director on top of the agency ’s creative team. “In addition, we also have Chan de la Calzada and Ciox Cioccon as new additions to our creative team,” said Nonna Nanagas, president of Dentsu. Prior to moving, Calaquian was creative director at DM9 JaymeSyfu for two years.

Malou Vasalo Leaves UM to Join OMD as Managin Director

Hermie de Leon, president and CEO of OmnicomMediaGroup, brought in Malu Vasallo from Universal McCann as the new managing director of OMD Philippines.

She is tasked to propagate the “Insights, Ideas, Results” philosophy of OMD. “Malu will bring with us 20 years of marketing and communications experience from multinational agencies and clients,” said de Leon. Vasalo will report to de Leon and to the managing director of OMD Asia Pacific, Maggie Choi.

Leo Burnett Vietnam Brings in Evans Sator as Creative Director

Vietnam - Leo Burnett Vietnam announced the appointment of Evans Sator as creative director to bolster its creative strengths. With close to a decade of experience in the advertising industry, Evans has worked on a number of prominent brands and won numerous international advertising awards including four Bronze awards at the Asia Pacific AdFest. Evans’ works have also been recognized at the Cannes Lions and London International Awards.

Prior to his appointment, Evans was creative director at TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Manila.

Beacon Communications Shines with Mitsushi Abe

Tokyo - Mitsushi Abe lights up Beacon Communications as its executive director.

He first joined Beacon as a loan from Dentsu Kansai from 2001 to 2006, when he returned to Dentsu in their Tokyo Head Office. Abe was integral to many diverse domestic and international accounts as manufacturing, consumer goods, bank credit cards and media.

He has won the New York Festival and the Asia Brand Marketing Effectiveness awards. july-august 08

15

ADOBO MAIN COURSE SERVES “HELVETICA” TWICE

A

dobo magazine held its first adobo Main Course, its first in a series of talks, seminars and workshops.

Held at the Insular Life auditorium, it drew a SRO crowd of advertisers, art directors, graphic designers, writers, students and a handful of other industry practitioners—not once but twice.

On June 5, JWT Manila’s ECD Dave Ferrer spoke about how typefaces affect the way we perceive ads and how we should choose fonts. Jowee Alviar and Mon Punzalan of Team Manila charmed the audience with their obsession with Filipino symbols and graphics.

Popular demand brought the Main Course back on June 26. This BBDO Guerrero’s time, it featured Joel Limchoc Joel Limchoc, co-executive creative director of BBDO Guerrero, who offered his own take on how art-based creatives should approach fonts.

Jowee Alviar reprised Team Manila’s presentation.

Of course, the piece de

Stefan Sagmeister in a scene from “Helvetica”

resistance for both nights was “Helvetica”, the acclaimed documentary on the modern world’s most widely used typeface. Featuring interviews of the world’s most legendary— and surprisingly, still breathing—type designers, the movie was both enlightening and inspiring. It was fun to watch the audience laugh and kibitz through the screening, in the same the regular moviegoer would react to...say, “Ironman”. More than a few remarked that after viewing the film, they could finally put real faces and voices to names like Zapf and Hoefl.

Why the interest in typefaces? Perhaps it’s because no ever talks about it. Strangely enough, it’s so integral to the work we produce. With the exception of radio spots, every ad involves text that must be read and absorbed to create just the right effect. What that effect is depends on how legible the typeface is, how it’s set and what personality it conveys. As one of the legendary type designers said in the documentary, a typeface is a brand in itself.

Aside from the ad agencies and graphics design studios, a surprising num-

ber of advertisers attended both screenings. Among them were Figaro Coffee, Unilab, Century Properties, Chow King and PhilHealth.

Based on the feedback and the way people eagerly lapped up the talks and the film, it’s safe to say that the people who attended adobo’s first Main Course will never look at fonts the same way ever again.

JWT’s Dave Ferrer

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We don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Nestlé, the Swiss ambassador of wholesome homogenized goodness, has been approving interesting ideas of late.

Remember adobo’s Ad of the Month for March? That’s a Nestlé Cream spot. Look at the Ad of the Month for June. Yes, indeed, it’s an ad for Nescafé 3 in 1. That’s two great ads in a row—which begs the question: What have they been drinking at Rockwell?

Nandy Villar, managing director of McCann Erickson, sees nothing out of the ordinary. But he does admit that for the last two

aco and his brand people that the time was ripe for the unconventional approach. The experiment paid off handsomely, with good consumer feedback and an even more pleasing spike in sales.

The food giant’s other agency, Publicis, traced the shift in its mindset to around 2005, when it assigned Business Executive Manager Bruno Olirhoek to lead the coffee business.

Creative director on Nescafé, JJ Henson, described his new client’s strategies as “very, very aggressive.” That meant a lot of outof-the-box thinking, not just with

“Offering” T VC

“Freshman” T VC

NESTLÉ Is that really you? years, Nestlé has been warming up to new ideas.

Take the Nestlé Cream “Offering,” for instance. It began with a typical brief. McCann responded with two proposals.

One fit snugly within the clients’ box. The other one defied containment yet made perfect sense to Filipino sensibilities.

With March being an off-season for cream products, McCann Worldgroup CCO Raul Castro and his team persuaded then-Director for Communications Noy Dy-Li-

ideas but their implementation.

Says Henson, “Case in point: the Nescafé 3 in 1 ‘Freshman’ commercial is just minor vector, or media choice. The major media choice is actually the Internet.”

Nestlé and Publicis set up microsites within Friendster to allow the college kids to create their own alien alter egos. On this “clickclick” site, they can mingle with other “alien” netizens, forming a new Nescafé community online.

Because of the brand’s ongoing marketing offensive, Henson

says “there’s a lot of opportunity for good work. I can’t say all of the stuff that gets out is great, but a number are above average.”

And what does the global Nestlé team make of the Philippine office’s newfound sophistication?

Sandra Puno, its current Director for Communications, has a telling anecdote.

At a global meeting in Cannes, Puno showed off the results of the “Offering” to her peers. For its boldness, Corporate Communications rewarded her with

an “audit”—in layman’s terms, a stinging rap on the knuckles. By no means was Head Office discouraging good ads with marketplace success, Puno explained. The ad’s macabre humor was simply not in line with the company’s űber-wholesome spin on wellness.

Creative director on Nescafé, JJ Henson, described his new client’s strategies as “very, very aggressive.”

That meant a lot of out-of-the-box thinking, not just with ideas but their implementation.

She may be right. Or the rebuke may be proof positive that both the advertiser and its agencies are headed in the right direction.

PROJECT RUNWAY PHILIPPINES ON ETC Reality TV fanatics and fashion and design lovers will get a dose of their choice addiction when Project Runway Philippines makes its much-awaited debut on ETC, Entertainment Central.

Adapted from the hit US television show featuring the trio of hosts supermodel Heidi Klum, Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and designer Michael Kors, the Philippine version of Project Runway features talented local designers for the chance to create their own name in the Philippine fashion industry.

Solar Entertainment, the show’s producer, gathered 14 aspiring designers to compete in a series of interesting and creative challenges, all designed to bring out the best of what they have to offer. Each contestant has various fashion backgrounds and credentials, giving it their all to be Philippine fashion’s next design icon.

Five hundred thousand pesos in cash will be handed to the winner to build their own fashion empire.

Model and actress Teresa Herrera guides the viewers, while notable fashion designer Jojie Lloren mentors the designers. Two icons of Philippine fashion serve as judges. Apples Aberin-Sadhwani, former PMAP president and a noted fashion columnist and editor, brings her experience and keen eye for fashion to Project Runway Philippines. Joining Apples is one of the country’s sought-after fashion designers, Rajo Laurel. Having designed for many top Philippine personalities, Rajo’s sharp wit and expertise greatly benefits not only the contestants but viewers as well.

Project Runway Philippines blasts into local viewing rooms starting July 30 on ETC. In place of Klum’s Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye in German), will local viewers hear “vahvuh?” july-august 08

17

newbiz/pitches PANA OPENS 21ST ADCON PITCH

The Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), hosts of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress (AdCon), invited several Agency of the Year finalist agencies to pitch for its advertising campaign. While McCann Erickson and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno declined, BBDO Guerrero, DDB, JimenezBasic and Lowe are now preparing their campaign proposals for an August 1 presentation.

Traditionally, many creative agencies vie for the AdCon business, in the hopes of creating award-winning work. But if the policies of the last AdCon still hold, advertising for the AdCon is ineligible for competition in the Araw Awards. However, the work may still be entered in other local and international awards shows.

adalike

GLOBE GIVES JIMENEZBASIC MORE

JimenezBasic won additional business from existing client Globe Telecom.

Sources say that a pitch was held between the incumbent agency, McCann Erickson, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno and Publicis. Globe declined to identify which project JimenezBasic will soon be working on.

UNILAB INCLUDES OGILV Y IN AGENCY ROSTER

According to Randy Aquino, Group Managing Director of O&M Philippines, “ We have finally been able to make it to the club agency roster of Unilab after the agency won a pitch for a developmental brand against TBWA\SMP.” O&M Philippines also won the CDO Karne Norte account in a pitch against Harrison Communications and blackpencil of Leo Burnett.

DENTSU TO RE-LAUNCH POWERADE

Dentsu Philippines will be handling the re-launch of the Powerade Energy Drink. “The products will be out in the stores by the end of July and the creative materials will follow after that,” said Dentsu President Nonna Nanagas.

LOWE IS COOL WITH SELECTA ICE CREAM

Lowe Philippines got back the Selecta-Unliever business as part of a regional alignment from McCann Erickson. Lowe Worldwide won the Magnum ice cream business last January 2008 in a pitch against DDB and McCann Erickson.

“Negotiations to regionally align both Unilever ice cream’s Take Home and Impulse brands with Lowe concluded in June 2008,” said Mariles Gustilo, president of Lowe Philippines.

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july-august 08

Adidas “Vertical Football” Tokyo Billboard TBWA Asia 2006

Carlsberg “Sponsor UEFA Euro 2008” Poland Billboard 2008

2nd Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit IMMAP GUIDES THE PHILIPPINES ON THE DIGITAL HIGHWAY

Marketers and advertising professionals will be in for a treat as the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) organizes the 2nd Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit on August 13 to 15 at the Intercontinental Hotel Makati.

IMMAP is composed of professionals who desire to be instrumental in the country’s race to join the 21st century world through education and provision of the necessary digital tools for advertising and marketing professionals.

The overwhelming success of Internet companies like Google and Yahoo! is changing the way the Internet is used. Advertising and Marketing have become vital partners of the Internet and mobile industry, as promotional efforts implemented generate revenues for participating companies. Web and mobile

account for 10 percent of advertising spending in the US, and is expected to increase to 4050 percent within the next couple of years in certain industries.

Compared to other countries, Internet and mobile marketing in the Philippines is still at its developmental phase, though users of the two media have grown tremendously through the years, with Internet users numbering more than 20 million or 23 percent of the total population. Mobile users, on the other hand, are estimated at 60 million—more than half of the entire population. Both media started around 10 years ago and have registered a growth rate faster than any traditional media in history.

The 2nd IMMAP Summit features global expert speakers on new business innovation and marketing trend from online pioneer companies like Yahoo!, Friendster, Havas Media, Proximity Worldwide, Isobar, Vocanic, Deal Group Media, Porter Novelli, Dentsu (Japan) among others. A complete list of topics and speakers is at http://www. interactivesummit.com.ph.

newbiz/pitches

LEO BURNETT nd TOPS 2 KBP RADIO AD AWARDS At the presentation of the KBP Radio Ad Awards 2007, Leo Burnett Manila took home the award for Best Radio Ad of 2007 for the Mr. Clean “Laba Notes 2”.

The spoof of the radio talk format—which leads to the realization that both the radio jock and a female caller once shared the same lover— was among the winners of six categories. Publicis’s Amnesty International “Miss Universe”, which decried the abuse of women’s rights, topped Corporate/Institutional; DDB’s McDonald’s “Hippodrome”, annotating its fastfood menu like a horse race, won for Food; Lowe’s CloseUp “Lunch”, featuring a less-than-hygienic food lover and her “psychic” friend, for Personal Products and BBDO Guerrero for FedEx “Zhang from China”, a com-

panion piece for its “Zhang” TVC, for Services.

By recognizing excellence in the art and craft of radio advertising through the annual Radio Ad Awards, the KBP hopes to encourage the production of radio

Leo Burnett Manila took home the award for Best Radio Ad of 2007 for the Mr. Clean “Laba Notes 2” advertisements that both satisfy the advertiser’s objective and enhances the listener’s enjoyment of radio.

Awards are given first to the best radio ad in the six designated categories, and from these the 2007 Radio Ad of the Year (Overall Winner)

is chosen. An independent Board of Judges from the advertising sector, the radio broadcasting industry, and the communications education sector chose the recipients of the awards.

Last year’s recipient of the KBP Best Radio Ad Award is BBDO Guerrero for its UNICEF “Bawal” spot.

The awards were handed out in a simple ceremony, at the end of the KBP’s and The Creative Guild’s Radio Day last May 26 in ACCEED, Makati City. Chairman of the KBP Radio Ad Awards, Atom Henares, presented most of the winners, and all but Leo Burnett were on hand to receive their microphoneshaped trophies.

To hear the winning ads, visit the Audio Gallery at www.adobomagazine.com

Marketing Basics You Can Do Yourself The Philippine Marketing Association and the Marketing Institute of the Philippines are currently offering a Do-It-Yourself Marketing Series at the Asian Institute of Management.

Designed in packets of practical, accessible and effective subjects, the seminars are reliable in qualitative and quantitative marketing strategies. The series includes Marketing Research for non-researchers, Mobile and Online, Below-the-Line Marketing Communications, Service and Business Marketing and Retail Merchandising, even Events marketing.

The seminars feature respected marketing practitioners and members of the academe.

Dr. Victoria Ac-Ac, chairperson of Marketing and Communications of San Beda College spoke on the first segment Marketing Research for non-researchers. In tandem, Jeanette Medina, leading market research practitioner with Unilever gave detailed first-hand insight on qualifying qualitative research.

The PMA-DIY Marketing series targets individuals in marketing and management and offers corporate package discounts. The series runs until November.

BBDO WINS GUINNESS BUSINESS IN ASIA

Asia-Pacific – BBDO Asia included Guinness in their drinks list after winning a long, hard-fought pitch against Saatchi & Saatchi. The pitch, which went into a second round, was led by BBDO Asia Chairman and CEO, Chris Thomas, and creative Danny Searle.

Diageo handed the creative duties for Guinness to BBDO and expects that agency network to re-establish the stout beer in the region, targeting a younger set of drinkers aged 25-35 year old. The beverage giant’s business in Asia has been concentrated in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia and they expect to expand further into the region. Globally, lead creative agency for Guinness is AMV BBDO in London, which has made countless multi-awarded campaigns for this iconic brand.

LEO BURNETT ARC HONG KONG WINS HEINEKEN BUSINESS

Hong Kong - Leo Burnett Arc Hong Kong has been appointed the creative agency for Heineken, beating incumbent Tequila. With the win, Leo Burnett Arc is responsible for strategic partnership and communications planning as well as execution. The agency is tasked with developing a year’s worth of through-the-line campaigns in an increasingly fragmented yet growing spirits market.

“This is another great win for Leo Burnett Arc in 2008,” said Ben Stobart, client services director at Leo Burnett Arc Hong Kong.

“Heineken is one of those great brands that any agency would love to work on.”

DUMEX NAMES BANG AS PR PARTNER

Asia - Dumex appointed BANG PR to provide all public relations and media communications support for their range of milk products (Dumex All-in-One and MAMIL Gold) until October 2008.

Established in 1958, Dumex manufactures infant and child nutritional products at Nilai, distributes in Malaysia and Singapore and exports to 20 countries in Asia, Middle East and Europe.

BANG PR created several marketing and PR strategies to help Dumex, including a Corporate Social Responsibility program and the launch campaign, to highlight key new ingredients and new innovative packaging of Dumex’s range of nutritional powdered milk products. BANG PR is looking at potential event opportunities to extend partnerships for Dumex.

LEWIS PR, AOR FOR ARTIFICIAL LIFE

Hong Kong - Artificial Life, developer and seller of 3D interactive mobile games, branded Java games, mobile entertainment and mobile technology platforms, named Lewis PR as its global agency of record.

The campaign seeks to increase awareness of Hong Kongbased Artificial Life and its technology among potential media partners and consumers in the U.S. Lewis PR’s strong experience in the wireless and consumer technology sectors is seen as a huge asset for Artificial Life to continue to gain a foothold in the US market. Its pioneer mobile products led in the convergence of content, media and wireless.

july-august 08

19

Asia Creative New Business League/June 2008 RANK THIS MONTH

RANK LAST MONTH

AGENCY

RECENT WINS

ESTIMATED Y TD WIN REVENUE (US$M)

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED OVERALL Y TD REVENUE (US$M)

CREATIVE AGENCIES 1

4

DDB

Australia Tourism Global , IL&FS India

24.2

Quality House Thailand

23.2

2

2

MCCANN WORLDGROUP

Air China, Essar India, Hero Electric India

24.2

Hanes India

18.0

3

1

OGILV Y

Cisco CRM Asia Pacific, A&W Indonesia, Reebok China

24.7

Videoconn India

17.4

4

3

BATES

Arla Foods Vietnam

14.8

7 Eleven Singapore

14.6

5

7

BBDO

Guinness Singapore, Sony HK, My FM India

13.6

KFC Malaysia

11.9

6

5

LOWE

Pantaloon Retail India, Nutrilin Philippines

12.3

Britannia India

11.4

7

6

GREY GROUP

Manukau District NZ, Jag Australia, Captain GR India

14.4

Suzuki India, My FM India

11.2

8

8

EURO RSCG

Yili Yoghurt China, Stellar Australia, GSK Taiwan

11.2

Cetaphil Philippines

10.8

9

9

PUBLICIS

LG Malaysia, My San Philippines, Cerebos HK, Sunkist Malaysia

13.0

Wyeth HK

9.7

10

11

Y&R

Lotte India, Simply Deccan India, Seventymm India

15.4

Queensland Events Australia

8.9

11

10

JWT

TATA AIG India , W WIL India

13.2

Nike HK

8.2

12

12

TBWA

Planet M India , Chifley Australia Carnation Philippines

10.9

Unilab Tuseran Philippines, Chivas Asia Pacific

4.5

13

13

LEO BURNETT

Shera Thailand, Quality House Thailand, MITAC Taiwan

6.8

Courts Singapore

3.2

14=

15

SA ATCHI & SA ATCHI

Videoconn India, Prime Minister’s Office Australia

3.6

Guinness Singapore

2.1

14=

14

DRAFTFCB

Zee Tamil India , Haier Olympics Global

2.7

White Pages Australia

2.1

16

NA

BBH

Bloomberg Singapore, Lux BTL China

1.7

1.7

17

15

WIEDEN & KENNEDY

A1 GP India

0.3

0.3

18

16

M&C SA ATCHI

Boh Tea Malaysia, KLCC Suria Malaysia

9.8

Jet Airways Global

(0.8)

METHODOLOGY The R3 New Business League has been compiled each of the last 69 months using data supplied by 26 multinational agencies on a monthly basis to R3. In addition, this data supplied is balanced against Client Estimates, Nielsen ADEX, discounted to appropriate levels and then converted to a revenue estimate. R3 strives to be accurate in all reporting, but welcomes comments and questions.

Please write to greg@rthree.com or visit www.rthree.com for more information or to download a soft copy

GLUED TO YOUR MONITOR? visit adobo at

20

july-august 08

newbiz/pitches BBDO GUERRERO APPOINTED AGENCY OF RECORD FOR NATASHA

Kustaa Saksi Portrait of a Young Man as an Artist and Designer

by Aye Ubaldo

His is not a household name in the Philippines. The countless owners of Havaianas flipflops or Levi’s jeans bearing his designs do not even know of him.

His name is Kustaa Saksi, and to those familiar with him, his reputation is nothing short of phenomenal; the awe he inspires in local pop artists best described as profound.

Saksi is a graphic artist whose creativity has been in demand in fashion, consumer products, high-end and highly respected publications, as well as stage productions.

Last May, Kustaa Saksi and his work were introduced at a rare Cultural Center of the Philippines outdoor screening. The event, called “Offpiste”, a Finnish word meaning “skiing off-

“I really don’t take art seriously.

In Finland, the word artist is uncomfortable to me because it is a serious matter. In English, it means commercial, so it is not a problem.” trail through uncharted territory,” was different to say the least. First off, the event was an hour late, a rarity at the CCP perhaps the only entity in the country that is strictly punctual. Next, the animation features created by local graphics artists were projected to the CCP flat wall façade that acted as a gigantic screen, a first time for the venue.

Kustaa Saksi looks rather like a teenager instead of a man in his early thirties, carrying his slight-built frame the way he carries a conversation—comfortably and fluidly. Like incorporating retro and futuristic elements, he has the ability to produce seamless pieces, diverse in nature. Such quality in his work has made him a favorite of fashion icons also as disparate as Jennifer Lopez and Issey Miyake.

Saksi has done a number of collaborations with

fashion designers lately, perhaps in preparation for creating his own brand.

“The right atmosphere is so important to create anything. If I am tense, I cannot produce anything. Sometimes when doing commercial work, deadlines force me to do office-work routine.

Sometimes, it does not finish with good results.”

Although such work demands deadlines from him, Saksi admits the collaborations excite him because “it is nice to see the world of fashion covered with my graphic designs.”

With easy access to technology, Saksi is forced to work with computers because working by hand alone makes it difficult to make corrections on the piece. His dependence on technology is due to certain printing and processing methods that he needs to address and precision and standards that he is required to follow. He stresses, however, that technique should not be dictated by the use of technology. The end result is what matters.

“Most graphic designs today look the same because everyone uses the same elements, same software, same program. I try to fight against that. I do not read many graphic design magazines [because] I end up automatically getting influenced by what I see. I have to distance myself. I go to second-hand bookstores and check out 1920s and art nouveau publications.”

His art is very much influenced by his music (1960s psychedelia and his generation’s equivalent in rave music) as seen in his use of color and shape, landscape and texture, as well as his developing interest in optical illusion, mathematical images and fractal art.

Yet despite his work for current demand, Saksi does not think of himself as an artist.

“I really don’t take art seriously. In Finland, the word artist is uncomfortable to me because it is a serious matter. In English, it means commercial, so it is not a problem.”

Of the many consumer goods Saksi’s works have helped sell, he says “it’s nice to think that your audience is not only the art people, but a whole lot of people because it makes it possible to have your art, your work anywhere, in any form, consumer product, or something on your morning table. I’m more of a designer than an artist, I think.”

With “Offpiste” on a tour of Southeast Asia, and his works on exhibit at the Rockwell Power Plant, is there anything new the Philippines has offered this globetrotting artist-designer?

He replies “I have never had an exhibit in a mall, always it is in a gallery. But this is interesting to me. A lot of people who do not go to a gallery can come to see (my work) here.

And I think art should be brought to where the people are.”

BBDO Guerrero has been appointed Agency of Record for Natasha’s Personal Care product line, one of the Philippines leading and best-known direct selling companies, specializing in shoes and apparel.

Francine Kahn-Gonzalez, client service director, said, “There are few brands in the Philippines that have such high penetration and visibility in the lives of Filipino consumers as Natasha.

Not only does the brand reach right across the entire archipelago, but it also plays an important role in the lives of overseas Filipino workers, with Natasha dealers working as far abroad as the United Arab Emirates and the United States.”

This win is further evidence of BBDO Guerrero’s expansion within the Philippines.

The agency has recently won a number of new business accounts and has rejuvenated its creative line-up, ensuring the agency continues to produce the best work with the best people in the country.

DENTSUINDIO TO DRIVE HONDA

DenstuIndio’s Angeli Beltran-Lambsdorff confirmed that the agency has won the Honda account. The Japanese car manufacturer opened their Philippine business to a pitch between DentsuIndio, Lowe and incumbent MGM last June 16. The decision was announced a week later.

DentsuIndio is a partnership between Japanese media ad giant Dentsu and Philippine CRM specialist Indio.

BLUE BOTTLE & OMD PAIR FOR GATSBY Creative agency Blue Bottle announced that, in tandem with media agency OMD, it had won a recent pitch for part of the Gatsby personal care business.

Gatsby called for a quick round of presentations early June from Blue Bottle and OMD, AB Communications and Mediaforce, Estima and Club Media, and its incumbent agency Dentsu. At stake was a new product line, as well as its hairwax.

Blue Bottle a is lean outfit headed by Mio Chongson, Mildred Cid and ECD Micky Domingo. Earlier this year, it also won Freesogrow account and the portions of the Bench business.

CONVERGSYS CALLS BLACKPENCIL

Executive Creative Director Lilit Reyes reported that blackpencil won the callcenter giant Convergys’s business after a two-month pitch, involving seven agencies.

A second round found Leo Burnett’s sister agency competing against Ogilvy and Momentum.

This caps a string of wins for blackpencil, including the awarding of Filinvest and two other new accounts that are currently in development.

july-august 08

21

regionalnewsbriefs DAIICHI AND CORBIS TEAM UP

Asia – Daiichi Colour and Corbis entered into a full partnership where the former is the local representative of Corbis. Corbis is a leading visual media provider that currently has more than 100 million creative, entertainment and historic images for the creative community. It also has a comprehensive footage library and extensive rights and clearance expertise to provide images required by advertising, marketing and media professionals. Corbis offers a complimentary research service to search for images. Creators and sources of images can now enjoy protection and credit from licensing and copyright management experts.

GROUP M BUYS INTO THREE MEDIA SHOPS IN VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh – Setting its sights on the region, Group M announced its acquisition of a 30-percent stake in three flagship media companies in Vietnam. Group M is WPP’s full-service media investment management operation.

Though still subject to Vietnamese regulatory approval, the three companies are within Datviet VAC Group Holdings: DatvietVAC Media Corporation (VAC Media), a leading media investment management agency in Vietnam, Dong Tay Promotions Corporation (DTP), a leading promotions and content agency and TKL Corporation (TKL), a leading programming and media buying and planning operation.

10AM AND BATES 141 SHARE SONY REGIONAL CREATIVE

T

wo months after Y&R Brands Asia resigned as its regional agency and one month after Sony Electronics was opened to a pitch, the regional creative account was split between 10AM Communications and Bates141. The former took the digital imaging category, while the latter was awarded the Bravia and Home AV product lines.

According to Media magazine, Sony invited these two agencies, along with Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA. The winning agencies were chosen for their good track record, in-depth strategic analysis, creative strategies, as well as the quality of their

Sony teams, said a Sony spokesperson.

Previously, the business had been handled by Y&R since mid-2006. They unexpectedly resigned the business in favor of the LG global account.

“It’s a disappointing decision,” a source at Y&R said in an interview. “We have done excellent work on it and we are very sad to see it go. It was a showcase for us in Asia. But it was a problem for LG, and they are a much larger piece of business in Asia-Pacific.”

Meanwhile, Sony has named Hill & Knowlton to handle PR for its consumer electronics business, marking its first appointment of an agency for the role.

SONY Bravia “Paint” TVC

JWT’S CHANDRASEK AR WINS MANN AWARD

Singapore – JWT Senior Vice President and Executive Planning Director, Mythili Chandrasekar, accepted the Patricia Mann Award in London recently. Created in memory of Patricia Mann OBE, a lifetime JWT employee, its £10,000 award is given to women in advertising who want to advance their education and training.

Chandrasekar plans to attend the Executive Education Program in Strategic Marketing Management at Stanford. In the last two years, she has been developing “Brand Chakras”, the first eastern view on consumer behavior. Post-Stanford, she wants to evangelize “Brand Chakras” around the globe.

WPP EYES MOBILE AND GAMING IN CHINA

China – WPP is focusing its digital acquisition strategy in China onto mobile and gaming. Mark Read, head of digital and director of strategy at WPP, said the network was looking at alternatives to digital creative agencies such as its recent purchase, Agenda, to increase its presence in the mobile and gaming sectors which are expanding rapidly in China.

WPP will increase its use of its digital agencies in low-cost Asian markets to outsource work from other parts of the world. It plans to set up a U.S. team to help coordinate the allocation of digital projects.

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LongXi Catch Awards Launches New Logo Now on its second year, the LongXi Catch—the innovative media extension of the LongXi ad awards— launched its new logo by the design duo of Jeremy Guo and Manco Wei from McCann Erickson Guangming Ltd/ SGM Works Shanghai.

Guo, the logo designer, took one character of the Awards’ Chinese name and created the icon inspired by living cells’ ability to split, fuse and mutate—sort of an analogy of life, a combination of traditional and new. Wei provided the copy No Exit for Consumers to challenge advertising creatives to develop campaigns smart consumers cannot escape from.

Founded a decade ago, the LongXi Awards pays tribute

to advertising in the Chinese language. Four advertising creatives in Hong Kong, namely Jimmy Lam, David Sun, Tomaz Mok and Peter Soh started the

LongXi Awards as a challenge with the competition open to entries not just from Mainland China and Hong Kong, but in Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and even North America. The LongXi Awards is recognized by the Gunn Report, Shots: Grand Prix and The Big Won. Attempting to elevate the creative and effective level of Chinese language advertising and generate a larger global audience, its international flair has bestowed over 2,500 awards on deserving advertising creatives and campaigns.

More than 50 leading ethnic Chinese creatives have supported the Awards as members of its Grand Jury.

The Awards Body also has three specialized categories. The LongXi Nova is dedicated to developing a young, new and sharp breed of advertising creatives. The LongXi Design is intended to spur the growth of Chinese graphic design.

regionalnewsbriefs ing blonde and/or blue-eyed).

The government waived the restriction on multinational brands since they were, after all, global players.

So the “Made in Indonesia” policy never took hold, until a few months ago, when the head of a local ad shop (who had connections within the government) pushed for the serious implementation of the policy.

The original “Made in Indonesia” ruling prohibits the use of foreign talents, foreign directors and even the use of foreign backgrounds

Made In Indonesia

Rule Enforced While the world is opening up and most countries from Australia to Malaysia are abandoning their “Made in Oz” or “Made in Malaysia” policy, Indonesia did the reverse and implemented a “Made in Indonesia” regulation for all TVC productions.

The regulation had always been in place, but agen-

cies resorted to loopholes, and the Indonesian government looked away and focused on more pressing matters.

Foreign directors were brought into Jakarta as long as they created TV ads under the banner of local production houses, and foreign talents were casted as long as they didn’t look too foreign (mean-

Now, the news is out; the die is cast, and the law is being enforced.

The original “Made in Indonesia” ruling prohibits the use of foreign talents, foreign directors and even the use of foreign backgrounds (e.g. international settings). How the government plans to implement and monitor this still boggles the mind. But some practitioners in the industry say this will help embattled agencies from losing revenue to regional productions.

Regional and global players are scratching their heads and wondering how their regional or global advertising will be affected.

Does this really solve the problems facing the creative agencies? Is the government serious about enforcing the rule this time around?

We just have to wait and see. Is that an Indonesian cowboy ambling across the Marlboro billboard?

Truth in Advertising?

MISS HELLO They called her Miss Hello.

So inconsequential was this brand manager’s opinions and recommendations that her fellow brand people and agency people didn’t even poke fun at her, “because she wasn’t worth the airtime.” She coasted from agency to agency, and later on, from brand team to brand team, on the strength of her irritatingly perky personality and talent for avoiding high-

profile, high-risk projects.

But if she was so stupid, then why does this lady own a small creative boutique? And there are rumors that she may also have invested in a new media agency as well.

Colleagues— especially the ones who refused to give her “airtime”—are shocked and mystified. Where did she get the money? Did she…could she…nah, she couldn’t…but what if…she did amass her capital from underhanded

business deals with her media and production suppliers?

Well, honest or not, this brand manager seems to have more smarts than people gave her credit for.

Perhaps Miss Hello is just an act, so she can fly under the radar. Well, let’s see how far she can soar now that her secret is out.

Heard any good tsismis lately? Want to start one?

Send it to: rumors@ adobomagazine.com

IRIS SINGAPORE EFFIES SPOOF STIRS INDUSTRY

Singapore – At the recent EFFIES, iris Singapore created MAIE T V, a fake company that the IAS granted access to film the awards and interview industry leaders. Four edited films from the EFFIES footage featuring high-level industry leaders were posted on to the MAIE T V website as anonymous sendings complete with a blog board. The site generated more than 500 unique hits in its first two weeks live. Railing on media versus idea and scam advertising, leaders expressed wide and varied opinions, and so did the blogs.

Iris Singapore Managing Director Dan Saxby says MAIE T V ’s intention was to encourage debate, not to upset industry personalities.

CATCH THE BIG IDEA IN SINGAPORE

Singapore – IdeaManagement Institute Germany brings “How to Catch the Big Idea” on August 10 to11, at the Royal Plaza on Scotts, its first open workshop in Singapore.

The workshop is created for copywriters, art directors, account managers and strategic planners who wish to gain first-hand experience on the applications of the best practices of international top creatives. The workshop also shows how to retain the germ of a creative idea, and how to transfer and communicate the idea faster and more effectively.

IdeaManagement Institute has over a decade of research on effective communications practices, valuable knowledge and current insights of the world’s best-known creative professionals.

MINDSHARE & CERNET TARGET CHINESE STUDENTS

China – MindShare has partnered with CERNET Koncept to create a media channel for advertisers targeting the academic youth sector. CERNET is an organization that provides largescale communications, education and entertainment services to Chinese universities.

CERNET Koncept holds exclusive rights to provide digital services and advertising to university students in China. Its private intranet services provide educational material, instant messaging, social networking and entertainment to 2,000 universities nationwide.

The Campus Channel incorporates a national network and communications platform that allows advertisers digital access to more than 30 million students.

CERNET Koncept will provide the channel and MindShare will develop content and marketing packages, and will introduce clients to the facility. Nike is reportedly among the first of MindShare’s key clients to join the service. july-august 08

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Rethink. Reshape. Reward.

by Eleanor Modesto

B

each side venues and industry forums seem to “go together like a horse and carriage” (as the song goes).

The mother of all industry do’s, the Cannes Lions, made a pebbly beach in the South of France the meeting place of choice every June. The Clios re-launched itself in hip and sunny Miami.

Then for Asia, there’s ADFEST in Pattaya, the Spikes in Bali and for the third time since 2004, the Asia Pacific Media Forum in Bali.

all in all, with an estimated 100 delegates from overseas.

The keynote speaker, AirAsia founder and CEO Tony Fernandes, captured the attention of the big crowd with the story of AirAsia, recently selected by Fast Company as one of the top brands in the world. He proudly added that AirAsia was ahead of Singapore Air in the listing.

Tony spoke about the culture of AirAsia and how the brand withstood every imaginable nightmare scenario from SARS to the recent record price of oil. The key

Kentaro Kimura...delighted the audience with his funny and entertaining case studies from “relaunching a Chinese bun brand” to fashion therapy...

It was a masochistic ritual; participants trooped to the climate-controlled meeting rooms while the sands of Nusa Dua beckon outside the window.

Held every two years, this third APMF was better organized and featured more interesting speakers. The 2008 APMF also had more participants, around 600

lesson from Tony’s presentation was how AirAsia “marketed itself out of the crisis and came out a winner”—a contrast to the cut backs that most companies normally do when bad times happen.

His presentation had a downhome flavor of a local boy with no aviation background but who had chutzpah and was now a global

success story. He talked about the unique culture of the brand where everyone from the baggage boys to the pilots has the boss’s cell phone number, where cabin attendants and baggage boys aspire to live their dream with the company’s Flying Academy. It was a good start to a two-day marathon of speakers and presentations.

“Rethinking media and the consumer engagement,” delivered

by Nick Emery, chief strategy officer of GroupM and Mindshare Worldwide, warned the audience of “The Death of the Media Agency and why it’s good for your brand.”

The unsaid assumption was that creative agencies are already dead.

fectiveness” followed by Mark Holden, managing director of PhD Australia, who spoke on “Media Owner 3.0 or How Advancements in Technology are going to create new media opportunities for Media Owners.” Kentaro Kimura, creative director and Co-CEO and account planner of Hakuhodo KETTLE Inc. Japan, delighted the audience with his funny and entertaining case studies from “relaunching a Chinese bun brand” to fashion therapy in an aptly titled piece “How to Boil the World? Bringing the Moment in Media.” From two media mavens and a creative director, the focus switched to media consultant

The APMF Organizing Committee

Douglas Khoo, founder and director of OneXeno, spoke on “Marketing in the Attention Economy”–one of the first that tackled the digital media and getting consumers to interact with brands. Vishnu Mohan, Asia Pacific CEO of MPG, talked about “Designing Impactful Media Campaign Measurement and why marketers continue to get it wrong.”

The afternoon speakers were led by Tim Balbirnie, CEO–South Asia Synovate, who continued the debate on “Measuring Ef-

Prashun Dutt and real media owner, Keith Bellows (editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveller) and his journey in transforming a magazine brand to multimedia.

The second-day crowd seemed thinner than Day 1; perhaps some delegates decided to spend their morning at the beach.

The morning topic was “Marketing for a Cause” with Debby Sadrach presenting Lifebuoy’s global CSR campaign geared towards fighting diarrhea with a hand washing campaign. The presentation traced

KODAK and AWARD Opens New Director of The Year for Entries KODAK and AWARD announced their Call for Entry last July 7, 2008.

Designed to recognize and promote exceptional new commercialdirectors in the Asia Pacific Region, the KODAK AWARD New Director of the Year honors outstanding commercial directors whose fresh thinking and creativity sets them apart from the rest. The initiative offers new directors the opportunity to showcase their brilliance in front of hundreds of worldwide creatives and commercial production representatives at two special awards evenings to be held in Sydney later this year.

“Kodak continues to look for ways to foster creativity and recognize excellence,” says Ingrid Goodyear, director of Marketing and Operations, Kodak Entertainment Imaging, Greater Asia and Japan

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Regions. “With one third of the world’s advertising emanating from the Asia Pacific Region, we are very fortunate to be able to embrace a genuine variety of ideas that stem from the cultural diversity within the region. The KODAK AWARD New Director of the Year provides the ideal vehicle for the industry to discover new talent whilst promoting a new generation of creativity.“ A distinguished panel of international directors and creative directors will judge the entries and finalists will be showcased at a special New Directors’ event held on September 17th.

The winning KODAK AWARD New Director of the Year will be awarded a prize of 10 x 400’ loads of 35mm Kodak Motion Picture Film valued at approximately $4,000.00. This prize will allow the filmmaker to express him/herself with high-quality film images and subsequently build upon and enhance their show reel.

The winner will also be introduced and recognized at the AWARD Presentation Evening in November 2008 and attended by up to 800 of the finest industry members from the region.

Interested new directors can visit the Call for Entry website at www.awardnewdirector.com, or email kodaknewdirector@ awardonline.com for rules and requirements.

regionalnewsbriefs Ian Gee took the audience to a “Blast from the Past,” showing the historical roots of advertising and fast forwarded to the future where consumers are expected to be more interactive. the brand’s roots in health and hygiene and how this came to full circle with the CSR campaign in India, Indonesia and Kenya. An Australian brand, Quicksilver also highlighted their CSR campaigns to protect the seas.

The future of Media was tackled by Peter Tortorici, president of GroupM Entertainment. He emphasized that Content is king and that we must all remember the key reason why people switch on their TV, radio, Internet etc. It was a lively presentation with amazing examples of content that have crossed over many media.

Digital, consumer engagement and in-game advertising were presented by Barney Loehnis (Aspac director of Isobar), Kotaro Sugiyama (senior executive officer of Dentsu Japan) and Pushkar Sane, (head of Digital, MediaVest Group Asia).

Ian Gee took the audience to a “Blast from the Past,” showing the historical roots of advertising and fast forwarded to the future where

consumers are expected to be more interactive. Scott Thomson of Naked Worldwide talked about “The Power of Innovative Execution that delivers Impactful Engagement.” The audience was treated to a refreshing break by the last speaker Gavin Mehrotra, Coca-Cola’s director of International Media, who spoke on “Why marketers must work with their communications partners earlier and closer.”

The Philippines were represented by Ronald Garcia, the sole delegate from Manila, two Pinays from GroupM Indonesia, and the author (who moderated a session) and Chino Nartates, a student who participated in the Student APMF. As some of the delegates stayed on and a number of participants flew back to their home countries, for a special group of young people the APMG was not yet over. This was the Asia Pacific Student

AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes with moderator Jerry Justianto

Media Forum, attended by 20 young students mostly from Indonesia with a few delegates from Edith Cowan University Australia, a Filipino and a Palestinian student.

The Student Media Forum is on its second year and exposes the future practitioners to the issues of media, marketing and communications. This year, Morihiro Harano, creative director of Drill Japan, made a presentation on unique ways of connecting with consumers. Diane Slade, who heads the IAA Committee on Education, led the jury who reviewed the case study presented by the student teams.

Every APMF, the organizing committee invites schools from across the region to send their students to learn from the APMF presentations.

ELEANOR MODESTO is the former country head of Lowe Indonesia and currently a communications consultant.

Eleanor Modesto Advisor Gunadi Sugiharso with friends

LEO BURNETT TRIUMPHS AT APMA STAR AWARDS 2008

Agency Sweeps 12 Major Awards and the Highly Coveted Grand Prix Leo Burnett has emerged the biggest winner at the 2008 Australasian Promotional Marketing Association (APMA) Star Awards, winning 12 major accolades across categories as well as the overall Best of Show award.

Demonstrating the diverse expertise of the creative agency, Leo Burnett garnered a total of seven Golds, four Silvers and a Bronze at the presentation ceremony held on June 26, 2008.

The awards received by Leo Burnett represent half the number of Golds and 25 percent of the Silvers handed out by the organizers.

In addition, Leo Burnett won the Grand Prix for its Earth Hour campaign for World Wildlife Fund Australia. The campaign also picked up four APMA Gold awards, namely Best Integrated Communications Promotional Campaign, Best Event or Experiential Promotional Campaign, Most Innovative Idea/Concept in a Promotional Campaign and Best Cause or Charity-Linked Promotional Campaign.

All winning campaigns automatically gain entry into the APMA Worldwide Awards— The Globes—to be held in the United States in September this year.

“This is our best ever performance at the APMA Star Awards and a strong testament to our ability to create powerful ideas that truly move people. We're very proud of our achievements which are the results of our team effort. Promotions are at the heart of our business and our ambition is to become the Agency of the Year across the board, so it's great to see that we won for a wide range of clients as well as consistently in all different disciplines,” said Todd Sampson, chief executive officer, Leo Burnett Sydney.

GOOGLE LEADS ASIAN SEARCH

Asia – New figures from comScore underline Google’s lead in Asia-Pacific’s search market. The US engine accounted for 39.1 percent of searches across the region in April (a total of 8.7 billion searches).

It is followed by Yahoo! at 24 percent.

However, those are the only two nonlocal players in the top five. In third is Chinese search giant Baidu (16.7 percent), Korea’s NHN Corp/Naver (5.3 percent) and China’s Alibaba (2.2 percent). Microsoft comes in sixth with just 1.8 percent of the market.

Corbis’ Division to Rebrand as “GreenLight”

Cannes – At the 55th Lions 2008 in Cannes, France, Corbis announced the rebranding of its Rights Services division to “GreenLight ”. In addition to the name change, it will also offer Talent Negotiation, a service that helps companies and advertising agencies secure celebrities for advertising and other promotional activities.

GreenLight advances Corbis’ strategic approach to create a network of brands to serve different customer segments, like the use of music and other iconic content in both advertising and consumer products.

The brand is also expanding services to include Talent Negotiation to help marketers broker endorsement deals with sports, film, television, music and other celebrities for new product launches and advertising and marketing campaigns.

The other winning campaigns and award details are as follows: McDonald’s Name It Burger Gold – Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness and Trial Gold – Best Use of Creative in a Promotional Campaign Colgate Invisible Nasties (Brushes) Gold – Best Retail Account Specific or Channel Promotional Activity Silver – Best Brand Building Promotional Campaign

Nestlé Hunt For Homer & Win D'oh Silver – Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness and Trial Bronze – Best Activity Generating Brand Loyalty Heineken Draught Keg Launch Website Silver – Best Use of Digital in a Promotional Campaign Martin Merton (Train Etiquette Campaign) Leo Burnett Melbourne Silver – Best Use of Creative in a Promotional Campaign july-august 08

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With its niche market of eccentrics, intellectuals, wordsmiths, loonies and oddballs (collectively known as ad agency creatives), Basheer Bookstore on Bain Street in the city of the merlion has lorded over the eclectic book lover’s haven known as the Bras Basah Complex, for over 12 years.

Perhaps a testament to Singapore’s vigorous ad industry, this specialty bookstore is crammed with the most popular to hard-to-find titles on graphic design, photography, advertising, marketing and brand communications. Surrounded by other

Abdul Nasser of Basheer Bookstore takes an adobo

“We are more about substance than appearances” stores selling quaint musical instruments, art supplies, pens, watches and art galleries, Basheer is right smack in the favorite haunt of artists and art aficionados. Secondly, it is right across the chic Raffles Hotel which regularly plays host to both local and foreign advertising and marketing seminars. And did we mention—it’s just a stone’s throw away from the National Library and the Singapore Art Museum?

Al Basheer, the current proprietor, admits that he is quite fortunate to have inherited the bookstore from his father.

“Over 20 years ago, my dad started a newspaper stand and delivered dailies and magazines to several companies. One of those was an ad agency. He then got requests from JWT Asia’s Tay Guan Hin supports Basheer

BASHEER BOOKS’ SINGLE-MINDED PROPOSITION agency staff for hard-to-find graphic design and advertising books. And as they say, the rest is history.”

Basheer’s origins sound a lot like that of the Philippines’ own Mrs. Salta, who plied creatives with trade books, right out of the boot of her car. Except that Mrs. Salta (and eventually, her son Jeff) upgraded to a van, while Basheer Sr. went from a bicycle to his own retail space in Bras Basah.

Now, Basheer takes pride in its exceptional book collection, with hot sellers being the One Show and D&AD annuals. Among its magazines, Campaign Brief Asia and Creativity are the fastest moving. Last year, it took on

adobo magazine, as Al deems it substantial and relevant to the regional ad industry.

“We are more about substance than appearances. Other bookstores may have posh interiors. We prefer a cozier atmosphere where our clients can enjoy poring over books and leisurely choose among our 55,000 titles,” Al points out.

To serve its discriminating clientele even better, Basheer has expanded into Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. On the drawing board is a branch in Dubai.

Interview by ANGEL GUERRERO. Written by BUDJIT TESORO.

Marcomm Asia Set to Make its Mark Projected to make its mark on the marketing communication industry, andl to put the Philippines on the global arena as well, the first Marcomm Asia is an exhibition for everything marketing communications-related to run biennially, alternate with the Ad Congress. Taking the initiative from the continuing industry talk of globalization, Marcomm Asia’s goal is to package the country as a regular destination for the industry.

Marcomm Asia President and AdBoard veteran Dinky Villanueva says the reasons why foreign companies are reluctant to invest in the Philippines

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are security, business environment and potential, and business organization contacts. The event is designed to be the best solution to address concerns, said Villanueva who is teaming up with seasoned marketing communications professionals Ed Arcilla, an ASAP pioneer, and Suzie Achacoso-Cruz, a PANA officer.

The event targets 80 exhibitors from all over the Philippines and 20 foreign companies, tapping as trade visitors as any business owner, investor, or employee who uses marketing communications as a business tool.

Marcomm Asia organizers

exclusive

WALK IN STUPID WITH TONY DAVIDSON

by Harry Mosquera

the case that advertising people should deliver their creative product in a way that is fresh and memorable, especially if they are looking to build a brand that consumers want to exist.

He noted that the advertising industry has been resting on its laurels, delivering the same kind of answers for the past 30 or 40 years. And despite all the new technology available, Tony thinks that it is important to keep an agency fluid and organic, so that it is constantly changing and can adapt to new media opportunities.

Tony observed that “as agencies, we have systems…and we repeat that formula” in

T

he recent Asia Pacific ADFEST held in Pattaya acknowledged the necessity for the advertising industry as a whole to continuously find ways to reach consumers effectively and efficiently. As technology evolves, media becomes more diverse, and consumers more savvy, the manner in which content is delivered and received has become more fluid and more challenging.

Hence, it came as no surprise that among the most anticipated speakers in the ADFEST was Tony Davidson, executive creative director of the hotshot London advertising agency of Wieden+Kennedy. Some of Tony’s recent prominent assignments include Nike’s Run London, “Aiwaworld” online and the Honda “Power of Dreams” campaign. The Honda campaign has not only increased sales and changed perception about the carmaker but also dominated recent award shows by winning two coveted D&AD Black Pencils, the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Client of the Year 2007.

As an independent, creatively-driven communications company, Wieden+Kennedy was named “Global Agency of the Year” last

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“When you don’t know, you try desperately to find out. But the minute you think you know… you stop learning, stop questioning, and start believing your own wisdom.

You’re dead. You’re not stupid anymore, you’re f***ing dead.”

January by Adweek magazine. It was cited for its ability to grow globally with its independent spirit intact, its strategic management skills and its culturally relevant, award-winning work.

According to agency co-founder Dan Wieden, one of the reasons behind the agency’s success is that compared to the larger networks, “we will tell it like we see it and not worry about losing margins or watching our profits take a hit or having to suffer the consequences of our conscience...We’re more concerned with the quality of the work we produce and the quality of the relationships that we can establish.”

In his short but interesting presentation, Tony highlighted the famous Wieden+Kennedy approach to creative work: “Walk in Stupid.” “‘Walk in Stupid’ is sort of saying Think,’” he said. And then he continued on, a bit tongue-in-cheek, to say that he prepared a short speech and proceeded to read it: “Think original. I’m going to tell you things that will make you unoriginal. My advice is to ignore everything I tell you.”

He was not being clever or cute. In between using examples of creative work in the Wieden+Kennedy archives, he was making

relation to work. But he contends that these very systems and procedures can hamper creativity and in effect contribute to output that is unoriginal.

His tip: “It’s important when a new client walks in your doors, that you need to treat it as a completely new problem that can be solved in many ways, some of which you may not have tried before.”

To keep himself fresh and inspired over the years, Tony tries to do things that do not necessarily make logical sense—a Wieden + Kennedy approach to clients and the work they do for them.

Tony also provided the audience with a peek into his personal life by revealing that one of the biggest influences in his life was his father, who was an inventor in the Heath Robinson mold.

“He had an engineering brain; he was brilliant in math, physics,” Tony recalled of his father. “He was an amazing tinkerer… he was constantly reinventing these amazing things, and consequently, reinventing himself… I grew up with that.”

Through snippets of memories and samples from his father’s workshop, the audience was treated to voyeuristic moments

of restless creativity–and the simple wonders created out of the most ordinary of things by an imaginative mind. In this very personal sharing, Tony was actually illustrating how one can take inspiration from everything around him.

In essence, “Walk in Stupid” refers to the fact that as soon as you think you know what you are doing, you are repeating yourself.

Or, as co-founder Dan has been quoted as colorfully saying, “When you don’t know, you try desperately to find out. But the minute you think you know… you stop learning, stop questioning, and start believing your own wisdom. You’re dead. You’re not stupid anymore, you’re f***ing dead.”

While there may be no proprietary tools or off-the-peg processes, there are a few core beliefs– like the “voice” of the brand. The true voice of the brand can be the differentiating, engaging and consistent element in the way it is communicated. It is an approach that posits that “how a brand says things” is often more important than “what it says.”

More and more, research is showing that consumers can choose to ignore or simply fastforward through so-called brand “messages.”

As Tony expressed in his presentation, brands need to engage consumers into coming to them.

Tony also gave this advice: “Stop writing adverts!” While it seems like a non-sequitur coming from a man who makes a living out of creating advertisements, he was simply presenting the Wieden + Kennedy perspective that they never start out to create advertising.

Otherwise, the end product will be “advertising

that looks like advertising.” Instead, the initial step is to arrive at a brand (or product) idea first, rather than an advertising idea. And this is developed through ideas, writing, images, quotes, clips from films, etc., that seem relevant to the brand.

This allows the development of a rich and nuanced understanding of a brand’s voice—not a linear process of strategy that informs the execution, rather, a way of working and thinking where strategy dovetails with creative.

Commenting on his appointment as

the television jury president in this year’s ADFEST, Tony could have as well referred to his own insight when he said that “the challenge for today’s TV awards is freshness of thinking. Most commercials today feel like sponsored jokes trying to win an award at Cannes. As the great Bill Bernbach said, the memorable never emerged from a formula.”

But perhaps the best learning offered by Tony during his presentation was one of the simplest: “Have some fun!”

Indeed, “Walk in Stupid” is more than a creative catchphrase. It is a way of thinking.

It means that you arrive at the office with an open mind, and see everyday as a new opportunity to learn and find new answers, and not rely on conventional wisdom.

And perhaps most importantly, “Walk in Stupid” means you leave work a little more knowledgeable than you arrived.

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Fa r e w e l l

Henry Canoy 1923-2008

Remembering the Doctor Huer of Philippine Radio

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E

very man has his boyhood hero, a role model who captured his imagination.

It could be a real person— a grandfather, for example, who was a soldier during the Great War, with a fistful of medals to show off for his bravery.

Or it could even be an iconic comic character like Superman who, dressed up in red, yellow and blue, upheld truth and justice with his superhuman powers for generations of young boys.

In this regard, Henry Canoy, the esteemed founder of the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) who died last May, was no different from other boys of his time.

But while Flash Gordon, Tarzan and Buck Rogers were the leading heroes du jour, a different kind of hero captured Henry’s imagination. It was Doctor Huer, a scientist who made ray guns and rocket ships for Buck Rogers—much like how a venerable Q would make top secret gadgets for James Bond in a more contemporary setting.

It was an odd choice of hero, but in hindsight, Doctor Huer’s technical and scientific tinkerings perfectly mirrored the young boy’s restless curiosity and low-key personality: for indeed, one did not have to always be the bida to do great things.

Henry had an insatiable craving to know how machines worked—by taking them apart.

As luck would have it, he was also blessed with a strict, though understanding, father who put up with his son’s idio-

syncracies. When his curiosity eventually ruined his father’s typewriter, Henry expected a most painful disciplinary action.

Fortuitously, he was instead spared the rod with a stern admonition: “I want you to learn how to build things, and not destroy them.”

And build, Henry did. Today, RMN is the country’s largest radio broadcasting organization, with 50 stations in the Philippines and abroad.

As a young man before World War II, Henry and his best friends put together a ramshackle radio laboratory from two tube radio receivers. This allowed him to spend many evenings with his buddies listening to the radio, tuning in especially for the “Listerine Amateur Hour”, “Esco Salon Show” and “Kolynos Hour”.

After the war, Henry went to Manila for his university studies. His eldest son Eric Canoy recounted that his father had a stint, teaching accounting in the University of Santo Tomas and San Beda. “He graduated from college summa cum laude,” Eric’s younger brother Butch shared, and observed that his father could have opted for

“He had the foresight to develop radio as an invaluable and affordable medium for news, entertainment, advertising and public opinion.” a career either in business or the academe.

“But he had a passion…a passion for radio.”

And so the siren call of radio proved irresistible, and shortly after the war, he set up a partnership to put up a commercial radio station.

As the son of teachers, Henry’s greatest learning from his parents, especially his father, was how to be selfreliant and resourceful, and how to use his imagination to build something out of nothing. In fact, how RMN began is the stuff of legend.

Using only a Radio Amateur’s Handbook, war surplus parts and some elbow grease, Henry and his partners built a transmitter, and with an improvised horizontal wire antenna tied to a coconut tree, station DXCC went on air in 1952—no more than a simple backyard operation.

“This is Station DXCC, Cagayan de Oro calling!” was his memorable station ID. Their creativity did not stop there.

In his memoirs, Henry recalled that DXCC was the only station with a horse-drawn tartanilla for an OB van, equipped only with a World War II walkie-talkie, a battery-operated amplifier and loudspeaker. Yet it served its purpose, allowing the station to originate broadcasts anywhere in Cagayan de Oro.

RMN’s very first station

In 1954, Henry visited the United States under an observation grant.

Somewhere in Colorado, he came upon a station that was doing what DXCC was trying to do: broadcasting farm prices, road conditions, weather reports and personal messages. The experience left a profound impression on him.

Upon returning to the Philippines, Henry transformed his homespun operations into a “public service station”—a radical concept in the country at the time. He understood, early on, that the bigger, nobler, purpose of a radio station was to serve the community—a powerful idea that has since helped shape the evolution of Philippine radio. Eventually, Henry’s transformative little “public service station” became the country’s largest “public service network.”

“He had the foresight to develop radio as an invaluable and affordable medium for news, entertainment, advertising and public opinion,” noted Elpidio Paras, himself a Mindanao-based electronics and communications pioneer.

“To Henry, radio was there to inform, educate when it needed to, and to make listening a pleasure,” Ronnie Nathanielsz penned wistfully in his newspaper column.

Henry inculcated this idea of public service into his own sons. As Butch Canoy told adobo magazine, his father believed that “broadcasting was not a right, but a privilege…a privilege that brought with it responsibility.”

The early years of RMN were not only the pioneering days of radio, but were also exciting days for the gung-ho marketing men who made their reputations on the field—men like Fred Antonio, Ben Ildefonso and Mon Ylanan of Procter & Gamble; Louie Benitez and Poncing Morales of Dari-

july-august 08

31

gold; Jose Xerex Burgos of Liberty Milk and Jimmy Macaraeg of Colgate-Palmolive.

Those were also the early days of advertising in the Philippines, and a Who’s Who listing of local advertising history— people like Fenny Hechanova, Mercy Beck, Jun Urbano, Louie Morales, Jake Romero, Hermie Cabrera, Mon Tuason, JJ Calero, Cabby Cobarrubias, Lyle Little, Larry Ng, Louie Garcia, Lulu Ilustre and Sev Alcantara—lent a helping hand to the fledgling radio station.

Marketing-wise, getting business from national advertisers was no easy task. The prevailing belief then was that radio was a luxury only for the well-to-do, so local radio advertising would be a waste of money.

Manila-based networks further claimed that their coverage included the entire Philippines,

“...there’s no way you can separate the man and the network. For Henry Canoy is RMN. His experiences and insights into broadcasting, advertising, mass media and other aspects of our national life are remarkable...” so provincial radio stations had to fight for their share of advertising placements. But in truth, there were many listeners to local radio stations, because these stations addressed their basic needs and interests.

Towards the 1960’s, the independent provincial radio stations were facing the expansion of the Manila-based news conglomerates, which included the oligarchic interests of the Elizalde, Lopez, Menzi and Roces families. With the growing competition, Henry soon organized the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), which grew substantially when Henry partnered with the legendary Andres Soriano of San Miguel and Philippine Airlines fame. In his memoirs, he recalled a framed motto in the office of the aristocrat industrialist, which said: “Profit with Honor.” There were no documents signed in that momentous partnership; it was simply sealed with a handshake.

The first fruit of that partnership was DZHP, which pioneered the concept of “The

Sound of the City”, a modern radio station that captured the beat of Manila. The pioneering team of DZHP included remarkable talents like Larry Cruz, Jose Mari Velez, Joey Lardizabal, Dick Ildefonso, Harry Gasser, Ed Tipton and Joe Cantada—luminaries all in the pantheon of Philippine broadcasting.

In the late 1960’s, Henry had a cerebral stroke at the relatively young age of 48. “He collapsed in front of me,” Butch Canoy disclosed.

Henry survived, but his illness fasttracked his children into entering the business. Looking back, Butch reckoned that his father’s stroke “triggered something in my brothers and me. What do we do with the radio stations? We were all still in school.”

Butch’s elder brother Eric recalled their growing-up years: “We literally grew up in the radio station…one of our fond memories is singing the jingle or voicing the jingle of a local department store. We got paid the princely amount of one peso in talent fees!”

By the mid-1970’s, the Canoy boys already had their names in the company payroll. “My dad had to undergo an operation in Japan, but before he left he asked me to join RMN,” Butch said. “I was a young boy fresh out of college.”

Eventually, the therapy—to alleviate the excruciating pain that lingered after his stroke—worked, and up until his death, Henry continued to work as the chairman of the board of the network. Day-to-day operations, however, have already been smoothly turned over to the three Canoy boys in the late 1990’s, with Eric running the network, Butch handing sales and marketing, and the third brother, Caloy, taking care of engineering and operations.

Butch revealed, though, that “Mom still signs the checks.”

In 1997, 45 years after the first tentative broadcasts in Cagayan de Oro, Henry quietly opened WRMN “Radio Pinoy” in New York.

He had come full circle from his humble beginnings, spanning the gap from his humble backyard in Cagayan de Oro to the towering skyscrapers of the New York cityscape.

Eric related how his father passed away in Cheyenne, Wyoming, soon after lunchtime, while on vacation in the

The patriarch of the Canoy clan, with wife, sons, daughters and their spouses.

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july-august 08

Henry Canoy with President Ferdinand Marcos

company of the entire family. “He just closed his eyes,” he said.

Traveling by road had been another passion of Henry, something that he probably picked up on his first trip to America. Butch reminisced about the time he accompanied his father on a road trip.

“He bought a car, and we drove around the United States,” he said. “It drove me crazy,” he admitted of the experience, but he saw first-hand the kind of passion that drove his father.

Henry might have tried to live his life quietly in the background, yet like his childhood hero Doctor Huer, he managed to do great things. His contribution to the local broadcast media industry and Philippine society as a whole has been recognized by no less than President Gloria Arroyo, who, on the occasion of RMN’s 50th anniversary, said that as the champion of broadcast media at the grassroots level, Henry Canoy “enriched the lives of people by bringing them the new highs of the day and engaging them in the issues important to their lives.”

But perhaps the best remembrance of Henry Canoy came from his eldest son, Eric.

In the foreword for his father’s memoir, he wrote that “there’s no way you can separate the man and the network. For Henry Canoy is RMN. His experiences and insights into broadcasting, advertising, mass media and other aspects of our national life are remarkable. They make the past nearer, the present dearer and the future clearer.”

Written by HARRY MOSQUERA with interviews by CYNTHIA DAYCO

july-august 08

33

Mart Miranda

by Aye Ubaldo

Behind the Video Sonic Boom As a young man, Video Sonic CEO Mart Miranda ran what he considered a backyard operation.

Already nursing photography as a hobby since his college days, Mart was slowly drawn to the technological arts. From the 35mm camera to video, Video Sonic was into weddings before it became a multimillion-peso industry. Though technology was crude then—editing was done through Betamax—it was enough to tweak the interest of Miranda. So off he went to Tokyo to study television production, returning with not just knowledge and training but with meticulously researched equipment.

His return to the Philippines

led to a long-lasting partnership with San Miguel Corporation (SMC), one of the first companies to embrace multi-media projection. Providing video and equipment services to SMC business conferences was exciting to Miranda which led him to ask the question “how can I innovate the audiovisual business?” His SMC stint would land him similar projects with McCann Erickson, like SMC’s national centennial campaign starring Fernando Poe Jr. and producing 18 videos for it, the projects just kept coming and looking back, Miranda says Video Sonic’s timing was impeccable. Clients included government agencies, Philippine

Airlines, real estate companies.

Aside from having perfect timing, he had the nose for change. Upon seeing the first Powerpoint presentation and the portability of the desktop, he knew video’s days were numbered in the corporate meetings market. Miranda went back to the drawing board, and began to study computers.

“I knew the market was going to shift, but nobody believed me for another 10 years. We were proven right eventually.”

Miranda balanced his technical studies with business and marketing courses at the AIM and business strategy at University of Asia & the Pacific. As luck would have it, Miranda’s good friend from college, Chito Kahn, turned out to have a brother named An-

dre, who was not only the head of J. Romero Advertising but also of the Philippine Ad Congress.

Andre introduced Miranda to the Ad Congress, and the latter immediately saw the potential of a new business—multi-media and venue audio-visuals and advertising. Video Sonic thereafter added a production studio and a visual workshop to its operations.

Miranda knew AV producers had to learn new technologies to survive. Off he went to Photokina in Europe, and a brand new world unfolded yet again. European production meshed photography with technology, and Video Sonic entered a new phase. Watchout made its Philippine debut in 2006 and soon became a standard in local staging of marketing and sales conferences. Instead of the usual central projection, the Watchout afforded a multi-perspective and panoramic stage.

Miranda has brought in a personal creation, the LED curtain, a versatile all-in-on stage and light design that is simply plugged to activate. “I didn’t need to market that. In fact, I could not market it because it has been fully-booked since its debut.” The Dome is up next; already tried and tested multiple times, it is set to debut soon.

That is how he intends Video Sonic to be at 27 years old, a professional production house continuously researching, designing innovative technology and equipment, magical laboratory that never ceases to excite his passion for the next big thing.

Selected by adobo’s editorial board and some of the countr y ’s top creative directors

May 2008 McDonalds’ “Japorms / Bangs / LFS (Burger Burger)” TVC Agency: DDB Philippines, Inc. / Advertiser: Golden Arches Dev't Corp. (McDonald's) / Creative Director: Christina "Teeny" Gonzales / Art Director: Argem Vinuya / Copywriter: Maki Maquiling / Director: Carlo Directo / Production House: MCI

34

july-august 08

PROFILE

IF WOODY WERE A LADY

he’d be Yasmin Ahmad

F

or sheer cinematic auteurship, Woody Allen is in a class of his own. Also in a class of her own is Malaysia’s Yasmin Ahmad, described in Malaysia News Online as the kingdom’s own version of the famous New Yorker—though perhaps better looking and less conflicted. Articulate and intelligent as she is outspoken and controversial, the highly acclaimed film director is also one of Asia’s foremost advertising creatives.

Schooled in the United Kingdom, graduating with a degree in Psychology, Yasmin started her career in advertising in a roundabout way. Her first job was in a bank, which lasted only two weeks. This was followed by a year in an iconic American computer company, though she had a far more swinging time after work as a rude blues pianist at a club called Scandals. Eventually she found herself as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather, and bloomed into her full creative potential at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur.

Although she has been famously quoted as describing advertising scathingly as a “haven for failed novelists and talentless playwrights,” Yasmin has nevertheless managed to evolve a parallel career as an award-winning filmmaker.

She started to make movies, she recounts to adobo magazine, for the simplest of reasons.

“When Dad collapsed of diabetic complications, we thought he was going to die. I decided I wanted to make something for him…to give something back…to tell my parents I loved them.”

Even if she considered herself a skilled craftsman in advertising, she felt making an ad or commercial for them would not resonate with her artistically inclined and art-loving parents.

“They loved to watch movies,” she says, “and I’ve directed commercials before, so I thought I’d make a film about them.”

That film, “Rabun”, made it to the Turin International Film Festival, and won in the 8th Malaysian Video Awards. And, as the cliché goes, the rest is history.

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To her delight, Yasmin discovered that her films seemed to make her parents happy, and somehow made them healthier.

“So I’m thinking: this is fun,” she says. “If, on the off chance that my theory that making my parents happy helps them live longer, then maybe if I keep making films and take them to festivals, then I can have more time with them...they’re in their seventies.”

Yasmin writes, directs and casts her own films. Compared to writing for advertising, she divulges that she finds writing for screenplays “more fun.”

She admits, though, that writing for and directing feature films is not as lucrative as her advertising career. She accepts no payment as writer and director for her films; she would rather that her producers and talents get paid instead. Yasmin says that getting comfortable accommodations, a clean toilet and a pack of cigarettes a day is good enough compensation for her. Incredibly, it seems a good work arrangement: her next three feature films have been screened in diverse places like Tokyo, San Francisco, Rotterdam, and Berlin to critical approbation.

Among her many cinematic influences, Yasmin acknowledges having a soft spot for Charlie Chaplin.

“Even though he went about it in a comical, slapstick way, in the end, every Chaplin film can make you laugh and cry at the same time,” she explains. “It’s poetry.”

And as a lover of poetry, she enjoys reading Shintaro Tanikawa, Rabindranath Tagore and Pablo Neruda.

Yasmin successfully juggles her creative workload in advertising with her artistic endeavors in filmmaking. She claims she spends no more than 12 days when she shoots for her films. However, she points out that she actually spends at least three months with her screen talents rehearsing before actual shooting.

She credits her agency Leo Burnett for being enlightened and supportive of her filmmaking.

“Leo Burnett has been encouraging their people to do ‘Blue Ocean’ stuff,” she discloses. “‘Blue Ocean’ means unchartered territories, which means that you do other things with your life other than ads, and use your experience on those to enrich your advertising.

“So I said to Management, look, I’m ‘Blue Ocean-ing’ here, and you’ve been encouraging it. How about you give me extra days leave for my films?”

The output of Yasmin’s creativity and artistry has included a proprietary documentary for the Leo Burnett system about the shopping habits of Indian women entitled “Voices at the Bottom of the Pyramid”.

“Mukhsin”, the third installment to Yasmin’s “Orked” trilogy of feature films

Yasmin finds immediate and constant inspiration from her own parents.

“They inspire me because of the humanity in them,” she says. “They’re mad, a

bit eccentric. Dad was a musician, Mom, an English teacher who sometimes directed plays.

They’re such a pair!”

However, the blessing of a long and successful marriage that her parents have enjoyed has so far eluded Yasmin. Twice married, once to an Malaysian Indian, and another to a Malaysian Chinese, she deadpans, “I’m doing the rounds!”

“People interest me,” she reveals. “How all of us try to find God, and how we go about it in disastrous ways.”

Although her films usually carry the theme of how people hurt

“Of course, it’s in the interest of the advertising industry to make a big fuss about [the advent of new media]...such innovative people...

But advertising is one of the least innovative arts in the world!” and love each other, her insights in her own advertising work have a universality that is appreciated across cultures. A brilliant storyteller, whether in advertising or cinema, News Straits Times notes that Yasmin is “at her best delving into the ordinary lives of people filled with humor, tenderness and pathos.”

Her “Tan Hong Ming in Love” advertisement for Petronas is an example. It won a Gold Lion in the 55th Cannes International Advertising Festival. Tony Savarimuthu of McCann Erickson Malaysia, was quoted in The Edge saying that the commercial, considered one of the most talked-about commercials at the festival, “underscored the fact that powerful and effective communication can be a force to

“I have no objections to scams,” she clarifies. “I just wish as much as we improve on scams, we improve on real work as well.”

And for “real work”, Yasmin professes admiration for how the British, Japanese and Thais do their advertising. Yet Yasmin remains ambivalent about the benefits of awards for creative work in advertising.

“Clients don’t give two hoots about awards,” she contends. “Not even the ones who say they do. They don’t care. Good on them. They have more important things to think about.”

Regarding awards festivals, Yasmin notes this difference between the advertising and movie industries: advertising “looks for uniformity,” while the movie industry offers “more variety and is more faithful to what’s real.”

As a highly respected, multi-awarded advertising creative, she has been invited to judge in many advertising awards, including the prestigious Cannes Festival.

“But they told me if you’re outside of Europe, you have to pay your own fare,” Yasmin reveals.

“And I thought, you bastards! So I said no.”

Indeed, how many creatives would turn down the opportunity to include in his or her résumé “Cannes Festival judge”?

The advent of new media, on the other hand, is more of hype from her point of view.

“The truth is, it’s all different ways of telling a story,” she declares matter-of-factly. “We all just want to say stories about the brand.

“Of course, it’s in the interest of the advertising industry to make a big fuss about it: such innovative people,” she says. “But advertising is one of the least innovative arts in the world!”

So what makes Yasmin tick? True to the tradition of cinema’s legendary auteurs, her work is deeply personal, intensely human and

Yasmin with Tan Hong Ming and Umi Kazrina

bring about positive change in society.”

Her fame and reputation has provided Yasmin a unique relationship with her bluechip clients like Petronas and Maybank. It is said that when she decides to take a job, it is often something that is close to her heart, or a cause the she feels is worth taking up.

Yasmin expresses genuine surprise at the response to the Petronas commercial.

“I never assume these things as I don’t make my ads to win awards,” she says. Even as she hopes her Cannes win inspires others to do “real good work,” she gives this startlingly candid assessment: “On the whole, Malaysian advertising is still very bad. We only do better scams.”

“The whole of Asia is now doing scams,” she observes. “Actually, Singapore didn’t start it. Japan did,” she continues. “Apparently. I was told

by Japanese people that as an industry, they decided, we have to have a placing in Cannes…and Japan put itself on the map winning in Cannes.”

“Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh and the ability to eat and drink.” based largely on her own experiences. But her candor is her most refreshing quality, and most revealing. In her own blog, she offers that “I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying…especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool.”

And, in an affirmation of her joie de vivre, she adds: “Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh and the ability to eat and drink.”

Written by HARRY MOSQUERA with interviews by ANGEL GUERRERO

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37

Mad About

THE TRIANGLE OF (DIS)TRUST

O

what a tangled web we weave.

Some of us still remember the golden days of the ad agency, before the schism between Media and Creative, and certainly before the TV networks began to resemble agencies (complete with former advertising executives). But as the media became more fragmented, and consumers became more empowered, the relations between Media, Creative and broadcast networks became more complex. Sometimes, more complex than they should be.

So fractured and confused had interaction grown that the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As-P) decided to address this once and for all (or so it hoped) in the first of its 2008 ARAL seminars.

To its credit, the 4As-P did get some of the most prominent industry leaders to come. But perhaps Nandy Villar, 4As vice president, Mila Marquez, 4As chairman, played it too safe by keeping the most vocal ones apart, physically and temporally. Still, in the spirit of healing schisms, everyone spoke on how all sectors could just get along.

Hearing these views, and recalling oth-

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[As] consumers became more empowered, the relations between Media, Creative and broadcast networks became more complex. Sometimes, more complex than they should be. ers, we realized how some members of the industry—specifically, creative agencies— desperately cling to the old systems and insist on old alliances, thinking that there is no other way to survive.

FULL CIRCLE Mon Jimenez, founder of JimenezBasic, pointed out that the old way was not so old at all. When advertising began as an industry, nearly a century ago, it was Media that gave the industry its first breath of life.

Newspapers decided to offer creative services, to add impact and uniqueness to the clients’ ad placements.

Before long, newspaper men embraced this new business model and created the ad agency. With volume negotiations, they added media mileage to their list of offerings.

Thus, the golden age began, as dramatized so stylishly by the TV drama “Mad Men.” It would take a few decades for moguls to realize that Media, not Creative, was the goose that laid the golden egg. By the Nine-

ties, the first of the media independents was sliced away from the full-service agency.

Traditional ad agencies were aghast but could only follow the mandates of the likes of WPP, Interpublic and Omnicom.

Even more worrisome was that digital technology had given consumers “the power to disappear” from the sights of broadcast and print executives yet “appear everywhere” on the Internet. So when media independents followed suit, by offering New Media services (as MindShare did recently), the process finally came full circle.

From Media whence we came, and to Media, we returned.

WHAT CLIENTS WANT Of course, a history lesson won’t stop people from griping about the increasing demands of clients and consequently, the shrinking profit margins.

One of the country’s most powerful and controversial media mavens, Lizelle Maralag of Starcom, described advertisers’

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39

demands succinctly. “Clients demand new thinking. They want us to move fast. They want us to do something different. They want new ways of doing things. So it cannot stop with the tried and tested formula; we also have to evolve.”

Evolve is precisely what broadcast networks did. For GMA Marketing’s President Meckoy Quiogue, by offering quasi-creative services, they gave clients value for money.

In a conversation with adobo that took place early this year, he said: “Many years ago, you had this 15 percent commission, now you have this performance evaluation. All of this is just the advertisers trying to get the most out of their money.

And if they can get this by having the [broadcast] networks do some of their commercials—there are a lot of savings.”

Even though GMA Marketing’s new strategy rubbed creative agencies entirely the wrong way, Quiogue felt there was little he could do.

“Our experience has been that once a client has come to us, he will come back, because he is happy. Happy with the cost, happy with the creative output, happy with the speed at which we delivered. I don’t how you can reverse it.”

Indeed, creative agencies are beginning to accept the new reality. But the heightened competition is prompting some creative agencies to ask: why not just bypass media agencies and deal directly with GMA and ABS-CBN? Some clients were bothered by this new twist in the “evolution”. URC’s Corporate Communications Director, Pat Go, admited that the added complexities make her miss the simplicity of dealing with a fullservice agency.

“I think the problem comes about when there’s this perception of undermining. As I said before, the media agency’s role is to

negotiate. I don’t think it’s right for the creative agency to go to directly to the network and say ‘Can we have this?’ especially when it knows there is a media agency involved. “[But] I personally feel that the creative agency always has to be involved because they are immersed in the brand, and their

Indeed, creative agencies are beginning to accept the new reality...why not just bypass media agencies and deal directly with GMA and ABS-CBN? role is to look out for the brand. I have seen a lot of strategies and executions go wrong, especially when the clients decide to do it themselves. It really goes back to collaboration and not undermining each other. It gets a bit toxic when one wants to outdo the other.

I think that’s really destructive.”

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS Maralag addressed the changing relationships politely but frankly. “I should probably describe it as a cautious partnership.

Everybody’s suspicious of everybody. They [creative agencies] think that we take out their commissions. That’s not true. We negotiate separately from creative agencies…We have independent contracts.

“But we at the media agencies feel that creative agencies are important to us. You are the soul of the message. We provide you the mind and the rationale decisions to make that message more impactful to the consumers.”

Likwise, ABS-CBN’s head of Marketing, March Ventosa, reassured creative agencies

that broadcast networks were not out to get them. “It’s quite clear that our role is very different from that of a creative agency. So is our relationship with the client.”

He went so far as to point out the chinks in their armor. “I always say that the network’s relationship is transactional. Today, may spot kami; bukas, maaring wala (Today, we have a spot; tomorrow, maybe none). Our relationships are not long-term. The creative agency’s are. And that’s an opportunity for you. We’re opening our doors to partner so don’t look at us as competitors. We’re your partners.”

In case the media agencies were wondering, Ventosa added, “Our relationships are with the media agencies, but that does not stop us [and the creative agencies] from talking. You can inform your media agency or you can inform your client, so we can start the conversation.”

Clearly, with evolving business models, everyone—from Creative, Media and Broadcast—needs to develop new ways of thinking.

Maralag suggested “a new integrated model, where both creative and media agencies collaborate in unearthing insights so at the end of the day, we can come up with a more hardworking plan.”

She also recommended that everyone look outward. “It’s not about us; it’s about the consumer. It’s not even about the clients.

It’s about the brand and how we sell the brand to the consumer. If we agree that this is the mindset we should take, then everything else follows.”

At the end of the day, 4As-P Chairman Mila Marquez, concluded that there was room for everyone. “Everything’s dependent upon us, as to how far we can take creativity. There is no one ownership as far as the creative idea is concerned. It’s just dependent on us to know how to best use the channels available to us.”

Selected by adobo’s editorial board and some of the countr y ’s top creative directors

June 2008 Nestlé 3in1 “Freshman” TVC Agency: Publicis Manila / Brand: Nescafé 3in1 / Creative Director: Marlon Rivera, JJ Henson Art Director: Apol Sta. Maria, Mike Talampas, Dan Sanchez / Copy writer: Mike Chua Director: Matthew Rosen / Production House: Unitel / Producer: Babes Reyes Post Production: The Post, Bangkok & 422 South, Bristol / Sound Production: Mike Villegas, HIT Productions

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CAMPAIGN BRIEF ASIA’S 2007 PHILIPPINE CREATIVE RANKINGS RANK 2007 (PHILS)

RANK 2007 (ASIA)

1 2

NAME

AGENCY

TOTAL POINTS

35

David Guerrero

BBDO-GO

496

39

Joel Limchoc

BBDO-GO

466

3

47

Simon Welsh

BBDO-GO

387

4

55

Dave Ferrer

JWT Manila

359

5

93

Joni Caparas

BBDO-GO

256

6

107

Joey Ong

JimenezBasic

229

7

112

Leigh Reyes

Y&R Manila

216

8

136

Trisha Uy

Y&R Manila

194

9

142

Lito Gemora

O&M Manila

176

10

181

Mike Sicam

O&M Manila

144

11

198

Pia Roxas

O&M Manila

129

12

245

Tin Sanchez

Lowe Vietnam

96

13

251

Alnair Langkay

O&M Manila

92

14

258

Melvin Mangada

TBWA\SMP

89

15

260

Manny Del Rosario

O&M Manila

87

15

260

Sarah Ko

O&M Manila

87

16

267

Brandie Tan

Lowe Vietnam

84

17

301

Tiffany King

BBDO GO

72

17

353

Mitch Uy

BBDO_GO

72

19

362

Gary Amante

BBDO-GO

59

20

371

Tanke Tankeko

Creative Juice Manila

57

21

417

Joe Dy

JWT Manila

50

22

429

Jatinder Sandhu

JWT Manila

47

23

429

Roger Pe

(no agency named)

47

24

524

Eugene Demata

DM9 JaymeSyfu

39

24

524

Louie Sotto

DM9 JaymeSyfu

39

24

524

Lizanne Sarmiento

JWT Manila

39

25

553

Evans Sator

TBWA\SMP

35

26

559

Raoul Panes

Leo Burnett

32

27

652

Carol Ong

BBH Shanghai

27

28

652

Dorky Mallari

formerly O&M Manila

27

29

652

Richie Perez

JWT Manila

27

29

652

Rosene Santos

OgilvyOne Manila

27

30

709

Tony Sarmiento

BBDO-GO

24

31

722

Derrick Periodico

Y&R Manila

22

31

722

Jay Santiago

Y&R Manila

22

31

722

Marco Dimaano

Y&R Manila

22

32

745

Allan Almedia

Lowe Manila

20

32

745

Farlet Vale

Leo Burnett Manila

20

32

745

Gabby Alcazaren

Lowe Manila

20

32

745

Noel Bermejo

McCann Philippines

20

32

745

Ray Villacarlos

Lowe Manila

20

33

811

Dindo Villaester

BBDO-GO

17

34

821

Angela Arches

TBWA\SMP

15

34

821

Angelo Lico

JWT Manila

15

34

821

Elvin Bueno

TBWA\SMP

15

35

942

Badong Abesamis

TBWA\SMP

12

35

942

Bogey Bernardo

BBDO-GO

12

35

942

Bonny Doroy

BBDO-GO

12

35

942

Carl Urgino

JWT Manila

12

35

942

Herbet Hernandez

DM9 JaymeSyfu

12

35

942

JP Cuison

Leo Burnett Manila

12

35

942

Marci Reyes

TBWA\SMP

12

35

942

Mel Aguinaldo

TBWA\SMP

12

35

942

Mela Advincula

Leo Burnett Manila

12

35

942

Tracy Montinola

TBWA\SMP

12

35

942

Windel Uy

TBWA\SMP

12

35

1102

Third Domingo

JimenezBasic

12

*Good to know In the last issue, we opened a can of worms with the Philippine Rankings. Not only were some names misspelled, some names were tabulated twice, and one name, not even mentioned at all.

Problem is, the data was sourced from Campaign Brief Asia. So if the error exists primarily in that publication’s tables, adobo is not authorized to correct it. However, we did notify the publishers of their oversights. Should they revise their official rankings, we shall print it post-haste.

Fortunately for DM9 JaymeSyfu’s Eugene Demata, the omission of his name was entirely our doing. So here, Eugene takes his place in the slightly revised Philippine rankings.

Now, onto other bon mots: In correcting the spelling of Budjette Tan’s name, we unwittingly credited him as co-creator of Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat. Arnold Arre is the sole author of that graphic series.

We did, however, correctly attribute comments on the Young Lotus to our friend Aidon. We just wrote his surname as Palanqui instead of Panlaqui.

NIELSEN RECORDS 14% RISE IN AD EXPENDITURE Advertising expenditure in the 2 nd quarter of 2008 grew by 14 percent over same period last year. During this quarter, Nestle Philippines grew at a substantial amount due to extensive advertising efforts for its beverage brands. Coca-Cola Bottlers also posted the expected usual growth in advertising money during the last few months of the summer season.

Other main drivers of advertising volume and expenditure, from the personal care and home care industries, either remained flat or had decreased in advertising effort during this quarter. Such was the case of Unilever, the No. 1 advertiser in tri-media spending, which only grew by four percent and P&G which spent less at minus 16 percent compared to last year.

Nielsen Media Research will release the full story of the 2 nd quarter media landscape this July.

*Rankings are based on citations at international and regional awards across a two-year period in Cannes, D&AD, Clio, One Show, ADFEST, Spikes, AWARD and The Work. Only art directors and copywriters who are credited on the winning work are considered in this ranking.

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EVENTS CALENDAR Idea Management Germany How to Catch the Big Idea August 10-11, 2008 Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore Tel: +49 (0) 69 69 7688 9917 FA X: +49 (0) 69 617 742 www.ideamanagement.com 2nd Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) Conference August 13-15, 2008 Hotel Intercontinental Manila Makati, Philippines Tel: 632 896 0639, 896 0637 fiera@info.com.ph www.fmi.com.ph Asian Publishing Convention August 14-15, 2008 Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore www.publishingconvention.com 4As-Philippines Aral Program Series (2 of 3) August 15, 2008 Asian Institute of Management Paseo de Roxas, Makati Tel: +632 813 4397, 893 1205 Fax: +632 757 3892 ASAP Conference August 28-29, 2008 Hotel Intercon Makati, Philippines Tel: +632 893 0738, 893 0564 Fax: +632 893 0404 www.asapmanila.org.ph Backdoor Arts and Music Festival August 29-31, 2008 SM Mega Mall Mandaluyong, Philippines Tel: +632 527 2192, 527 2202 Fax: +632 527 2191 www.ncca.gov.ph 4As-Philippines Agency of the Year Awards August 2008 Makati, Philippines Tel: +632 813 4397, 893 1205 Fax: +632 757 3892 4As Singapore Singapore Media Awards September 05, 2008 Ritz Carlton Millenia www.sma.com.sg www.4As.org.sg Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) 15th Public Relations Congress September 16-17, 2008 Hotel Intercontinental Makati, Philippines Tel: +632 638 0010 to 12 www.prsp.ph Asian Marketing Effectiveness September 17, 2008 MGM Grand Macau Tel: +65 6579 0538 www.ameawards.com Media 360 Asia Summit September 16-18, 2008 MGM Grand Macau Tel: +65 6579 0538 www.media360asia.com

Marcommasia 2008 International Marketing Communication and Advertising Exhibition September 24-26, 2008 World Trade Center Pasay, Philippines Tel: +632 818 6828, 810 1389 leverage@leverageinternational.com KBP and the European Commission Media and Good Governance Seminar 2008 September 2008 Manila, Philippines Tel: +632 815 1990 to 92 www.kbp.org.ph MORES Sixth National Research Congress October 2-4, 2008 Holiday Inn Clark Field Pampanga, Philippines Tel: +632 533 6653 Fax: +632 531 5204 mores@i-manila.com.ph United Print Media Group Tinta Awards, The Philippine Press Awards October 15, 2008 Makati City Email: angelita.tan@gmail.com www.philippinetintaawards.com 1st Busan International Advertising Festival AD Stars Festival October 21-24, 2008 Paradise Hotel Busa, Korea http://www.adstarsfestival.org 4As-Philippines Aral Program Series (3 of 3) October 24, 2008 Asian Institute of Management Makati, Philippines Tel: +632 813 4397, 893 1205 Fax: +632 757 3892 London International Awards November 10, 2008 Hippodrome Leicester Square, London www.liaawards.com Asia Pacific PR Awards November 20, 2008 Hong Kong www.PRawardsasia.com Digital Media Awards November 26, 2008 Shanghai www.digitalmediaawardsasia.com Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas Annual Meeting November 2008 Manila, Philippines Tel: +632 815 1990 to 92 www.kbp.org.ph 4As Singapore 60th Anniversary Celebration November 2008 www.4As.org.sg ASAP Pearl Anniversary November 2008 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

The 4th Backdoor Ventures Arts and Music Festival

The art, the performances and the personalities, as well as workshops and symposia— all the mind-expanding stuff that seem more at home in the CCP than in SM Mega Mall— are back. With high expectations from its multi-cultural audience, that unusual trade fair called the 4th Backdoor Ventures Arts and Music Festival opens its doors on August 29 to 31, 2008 at the SM Mega Mall, Mandaluyong City.

Organized by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the event is gaining a following that increases noticeably every year. By bringing advocates of art history and culture, and freedom of expression, the NCCA draws an impressive blueprint for a meaningful and ageless social exchange.

“As our community continues to grow each year, the closer we get to our goal in bringing the people back to the arts and the arts back to the people.” says festival director Jay Viriña.

ASAP 2nd QMM Bares Beyond the Basics At its 2nd Quarterly Membership Meeting, Rick Hawthorne, Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP) chairman, reported that the association has attained a reputation in the advertising community as a reliable and trusted organization, but added that it still Publicis’ had to surpass its Matec Villanueva achievements.

To build on the trend, ASAP is giving the members opportunities to work on projects within the association and for the allied organizations. ASAP plans to be active with the Araw Values awards at year’s end, as well as the year-long Pearl anniversary activities, including the ASAP annual conference.

This year’s conference entitled “The Next Wind: Beyond the Basics” is from August 28 to 29.

Capping the event, guest speaker Matec Villanueva, Publicis chairman gave her own personal twist to the intricacies of ethics in the Philippine advertising context. Stating that technology and economics had a hand in the changes in the industry by opening the competition to a wider field, she asked if the industry was brave enough to embrace the change. Finally, Villanueva suggested honesty and fair play be everyone’s corporate social responsibility. july-august 08

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CREATIVE REVIEW

by Adrian Miller Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia

With more and more lions finding their way to Asian shores, we can only conclude that our standards are soaring. In a crusade to keep it that way, this batch of ads was judged with a somewhat critical eye. Not basing them on whether or not they were “good enough”, but primarily on whether they were the best there is. Because really, we shouldn’t expect anything less from Asia.

Before joining Saatchi nearly two years ago, Miller was ECD of Lowe Kuala Lumpur, a role he took in 2004.

Over the next two-or-so years, the agency went from strength to strength, fast and furiously becoming one of the top creative agencies in Malaysia as well as in the Lowe network. Miller was appointed to the Lowe Worldwide creative board as a result. He was responsible for producing the 4th most awarded print in the world (according to The Gunn Report) for Land Rover Owner’s Club in 2006.

For the last 20-odd months, Miller has been the executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Kuala Lumpur, where he continues to push the creative envelope on regional accounts like Guinness, Toyota, Lexus and Tiger Beer.

Miller has won multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions at Cannes, including a Gold and two Silver and two Bronzes this year. He has also won Gold at The One Show New York, Gold (Best of Category) at the Media Advertising Awards, Gold at London International, as well as numerous metals at Clio and Adfest.

At the 2007 Kancil Awards, Saatchi & Saatchi Kuala Lumpur was awarded the prestigious title of agency of the year. This year, he was ranked No.1 creative in Malaysia in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings.

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An angel descends to earth to drink a Coke and becomes mortal as a result. All told, silly stuff really. A Coke “above all else” strategy seems a little lazy. Especially when you consider what Weiden+Kennedy has done. Let ’s pray (I couldn’t resist that) the next Coke T VC is a little more idea-heav y than execution-heav y.

Coca Cola“Angel” T VC McCann Worldgroup Philippines

Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

But not great.

Ford “Thumbdrive” Direct Mail JW T Philippines

Yet another ambient piece that demonstrates hair strength.

I believe there is a hair-strength ambient annual coming out soon. Volume 1 is 300 pages long, apparently.

Pantene Shampoo “MRT Hold” Ambient Campaigns & Grey

A cat trapped in a man’s nose is about as funny as the German national anthem. No, that ’s unfair. The German national anthem is slightly funnier.

Drixine “Cat ” Poster DM9 JaymeSyfu

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CREATIVEREVIEW

Adrian Miller, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia

I am not entirely sure how many people will hang around in the dark to see it.

I suppose if you don’t have much of a home life, this could be an endless source of after-office-hours amusement.

W WF “Glowing Sticker” Ambient BBDO Guerrero

The fact that abuse happens on the hour is immediately powerful. I think visualising it in exactly the same way is like taking the brief from account servicing and putting a logo in the bottom right hand corner. A little more thinking is required here.

Gabriela “Clock ” Ambient DM9 JaymeSyfu

There’s something very forgettable about this ad. Can’t quite remember what though.

W WF “Earth Hour-Bulbs” T VC Leo Burnett Manila

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CREATIVEREVIEW

Adrian Miller, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia

Nice. Makes me anxious about the delivery of my own giant metal structure.

DHL “Giant Billboard” Billboard O&M Philippines

There’s a whiff of the familiar about these. It ’s a tough category to crack, and these somehow leave the mustard decidedly uncut.

North Face “Tent ” Ambient Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

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49

CREATIVEREVIEW

Adrian Miller, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia

A heav y pizza is a decidedly unappetizing proposition.

If it needs four blokes to carry it, what exactly would it do to your stomach? Hyperbole is fine, but it has to be used in the right context.

Heav y food conveys the wrong message, in my opinion.

Greenwich “Piano / Wheelie” T VCs JimenezBasic

The only thing more interesting than an ad where a pair of socks are held up by masking tape is an ad where a pair of socks are held up by...wait for it... knees. This is first stage thinking in my opinion.

Another 50 ads on the wall, please.

Gillette Venus “Tape” Poster BBDO Guerrero

A Philippine commercial about Mexican chips with a whiff of Thai advertising.

Throw in a priest and a bar, and you’ve got the makings of a great joke. Not a bad ad either.

Tortillas “Swerte” T VC Harrison Communications

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51

filmreview

Sex and the Panda reviewed by

Tanke Tankeko I really am a virgin when it comes to movie reviews.

What I did do was a “reaction paper” for my Filipino class way back in high school, if that counts.

It was for a 1983 Sharon Cuneta movie, “Friends in Love”, which I swear, left no other memories but big “Aqua Net” bombarded bouffant, signature 80’s puffed sleeves and this bitchy line, “Buti pa si Jessica, napaka-punctual,” a verbal slap issued to Jackie Lou Blanco, Sharon’s scheming and insecure sibling.

Disclaimer done, here’s my attempt to review two movies that hit our cinemas last June: “Sex And The City the Movie” and “Kung Fu Panda.”

Let’s see if these two make lovely bedmates.

Ladies first.

Writer/Director Michael Patrick King reunites the four wickedly witty, successful, charming, and fashionable girlfriends of New York: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) on the silver screen, to tell the rest of their tales and footnotes on finding one’s happily ever after.

“Year after year, twenty-something women come to New York in search of two L’s: labels and love. Twenty years ago, I was one of them. Having gotten a knack for labels early…I concentrated on love.”

The movie opens with this premise from Carrie, well-known author and columnist for The New York Star, narrating the perfect bed for the uninitiated and brings back “Sex and the City The Movie” to its cable beginnings.

The adult comedy would usually cut open to Carrie’s point of view, logging her article in her black PowerBook, posing an issue, fact, or just telling her own adventures on finding, losing, and making love in New York.

As courtesy to those who are not too familiar with the award-winning HBO TV series, which ran for from 1998-2004, King condensed six seasons of storytelling through old clips and a quick overview from Carrie to set

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characters and the landscape of their lives.

Most refreshing about the film is King’s restraint for the hackneyed. Like, when the movie brushed on marital indiscretion, the director did not even bother to cast the Other Woman. I appreciated the director’s discipline and maturity, as indeed, the dynamics of a damaged relationship would be the more interesting subject of scrutiny.

...days after watching the movie, Peter and Joey, two good gay friends of mine started ordering “Cosmopolitans...”

There were a few glitches in continuity, particularly evident in Carrie’s chameleon-like hair, changing color after color—all within 24 hours or midweek—from streaked blonde to emo chestnut brown. Just like in any given relationship, flaws surface every now and then, you just live with it and focus on the good things.

And there are lots to focus on this fabulously entertaining film.

If you lust for designers, consider this movie orgasmic. Gucci, Prada, Dior, and Blahnik…you name it, this movie has someone wearing or carrying it every minute.

I wonder if Vivienne Westwood or Carolina Herrera, whose fashion were featured in the film, are up to their necks by now, buried in sketches and measurements, things that glitter and yards and yards of satin and lace, keeping up with demands for their creations.

With product placements everywhere, I wonder if Parker, who also produces the film, ever needed to shell out a single penny for this project.

What I do know is that days after watching the movie, Peter and Joey, two good gay friends of mine started ordering “Cosmopolitans” when we went out drinking. That’s my little testament to the power of casual advertising.

Despite the dazzling and dizzying displays of opulence and affluence of New York’s society, King managed to pull a very soft, surprising statement at the end of the film—which I am not revealing.

But any true fan of the series just wants the bottom line of Carrie and her on-and-off relationship with Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

And true fans are sure to know by now.

Speaking of big, let’s move on to this lovable Panda, Po, the fat and not so furious star of DreamWorks’s animated movie “Kung Fu Panda”.

Po is actually Jack Black in heavy black and white fur and light brown shorts. He’s the

son of a noodle soup maker, Mr. Ping (James Hong), a goose. Po’s dad wants him to carry the legacy of noodle making in the family, but deep inside, what Po truly dreams of is becoming a Kung Fu warrior.

The movie’s plot is pretty basic: the story of a zero who turns into a hero. Good animation, comedic timing and some age-old Hollywood tricks and modern marketing tools make up for Kung Fu Panda’s shortcomings.

When Master Logway (Randall Duk Kim) prophesized the escape of Tai Lung (Ian McShane), the proud and vengeful protégé of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), the search for the “Dragon Warrior” is on.

Legend says that the Dragon Warrior— the only warrior worthy of the Dragon Scroll, which bears secrets to unlimited power—will champion the Valley of Peace.

Eager to view the awarding of the dragon warrior in the Jade Temple and the show of skills of the Fabulous Five, Po straps himself to a wooden chair, lights a ton of fireworks and lands right smack in the middle of it all.

I love the Fabulous Five in this movie.

These characters were quick to relate with and genius as they were personifications (or animalifications) of classic kung-fu styles: Tiger, Crane, Snake, Monkey, Mantis.

Contrary to the movie’s message, DreamWorks’ smash animated movie didn’t resist on employing some known secret ingredients.

DreamWorks went for the Hollywood tried and tested formula of employing a stellar cast.

The biggest and brightest names in Hollywood lent voices (for surely a fat fee) to the animated

DreamWorks knew the power and potential of digital marketing and used the social networking site, Facebook in fast-tracking consumer experience. cast of Kung Fu Panda such as Jack Black (Po), Angelina Jolie (Tiger), Jackie Chan (Monkey) and Lucy Liu (Snake) generating first class buzz and mouth-to-mouth media mileage for the movie.

Knowing the big fat marketing department working for DreamWorks, it was quite noteworthy to zoom in on their new media recommendations. DreamWorks knew the power and potential of digital marketing and used the social networking site, Facebook in fast-tracking consumer experience.

Though it didn’t really push me to see the movie, it was quite cute being superpoked by Po, in a popular Facebook application.

This is how I could chop up Kung Fu Panda…funny, entertaining but not as kick-ass as a Pixar animated movie.

As for “Sex in the City”, it’s a pretty insightful, witty, honest and warm movie. See it or go get some.

TANKE TANKEKO is the executive creative director of Creative Juice Manila

The Grand Jury members from around the world, especially the ones listed below from Philippines congratulate the following companies for their outstanding work. Well done, well done indeed.

DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu DDB Philippines Lowe Philippines McCann Worldgroup Philippines TBWA Santiago Mangada Puno Phillipines Grand Jury Members: Mark Querubin, 88 Storey Films; Joe Dy, JWT; Steve Clay, LOWE The 2008 Grand Jury was comprised of 246 people from 48 countries representing many cultures from five continents; all of whom were at the creative director level or higher. The size and scope of the Grand Jury ensured the judging system was fair and void of any influence from outspoken judges because all of the judging took place online. The jury members were only influenced by the ad itself. Additionally, jury members were prohibited from voting on work from their own agency and all fake ads submitted were expelled from the competition.

The Grand Jury also congratulates the following companies for earning their special awards.

Advertiser of the Year – Volkswagen Ad Agency of the Year – BBDO New York Grand Award: Interactive Competition – Projector Inc., Tokyo for UNIQLO “UNIQLOCK” Grand Award: Integrated Competition – BBDO New York for HBO/Voyeur “Voyeur Integrated Campaign” Grand Award: Print Competition – Ogilvy, Frankfurt for Malteser Ambulance Service “Typo Crash Campaign” Grand Award: Television Competition – Nordpol+ Hamburg for Epuron/German Ministry for the Environment “Power of Wind”

To see all of the 2008 winners go to www.newyorkfestivals.com

New York festivals international advertising awards

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D&AD 2008

The Night It Rained Black Pencils

BLACK PENCIL UNIQLO “UNIQLOCK,” Projector Inc., Tokyo

The creative industry’s most elusive prize, the Black Pencil, was presented to six creative teams at the D&AD Awards Ceremony in London last May 15. Fallon’s “Gorilla” for Cadbury won in TV & Cinema Advertising, “The National Gallery Grand Tour” by The Partners in Poster Advertising, “Get the Glass”

by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and Projector Inc, for “Uniqlock” in Online Advertising.

“Another record broken—the first time in our 45-year history when six Black pencils have been awarded...This goes to show the impact this diverse range of creative fields are having in pushing forward the wider industry, marketing, and popular culture.”

Apple won two Black Pencils for the iMac and the iPhone. This makes the iconic design company the biggest single winner of Black Pencils in D&AD’s 45-year history, with six won since 1999.

Sixty-four Yellow Pencils were awarded across 30 categories. BBH and Hakuhodo set

the benchmark by winning the first two Yellow Pencils in Mobile Marketing. WCRS won two Pencils in TV & Cinema Crafts for “Effortless” for Brylcreem. Nintendo UK won two Yellow Pencils in Gaming for Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

Aside from a Black Pencil in Online Advertising, Japan proved itself the standard bearer for Asia with a Yellow Pencil in four categories: Environmental Design, Online Advertising, Websites and Mobile Marketing.

Ogilvy Beijing was the only other Asian office to win a Yellow Pencil, for WWF in Direct.

Brazilian designers won two Yellow Pencils this year in Environmental Design. Australian design group, Mash, won a Yellow Pencil in Packaging Design for their wine labels for Vittolo. Motion Blur won one of 3 Yellow Pencils in Viral for “Train” for Hydro. JWT San Juan won the first Yellow Pencil for Puerto Rico for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

YELLOW PENCIL - SONY “Another record

broken—the first time in our 45-year history when six Black pencils have been awarded,” said D&AD President Simon Waterfall.

“This goes to show the impact this diverse range of creative fields are having in pushing forward the wider industry, marketing, and popular culture.”

Tongue in cheek, he continued, “I, of course will now no longer talk to any of these winners, having failed to bag one of the most elusive and exclusive awards on the creative planet. I can only sulk and plot their downfall—terribly English of me!

The D&AD Black Pencil: creative natural selection at work.”

Marketing Japan “COLOUR TOKYO”, 777 Interactive

Temasek School of Design reigns supreme at D&AD Student Awards For the first time in 30 years, the D&AD Student Awards winners came from a team from outside the UK. The creative team of Reinald Chee Weng Pin and Jason Feng Jiesheng from Singapore’s Temasek School of Design were awarded Student of the Year at ceremonies held June in London.

The Student Awards identifies the best new talent in advertising and design. Twenty-two first prizes were awarded to students from the UK, South Africa, Italy, Sweden and Finland.

The awardees were selected from 388 entries by 180 juries composed of creative and business specialists. The D&AD Executive Committee led by Education Chairman Al Young and President Simon Waterfall selected the D&AD Student of the Year.

Young describes this year’s entries as having a quality of work the best he has seen in the competition’s history. “Despite some strongly held differences of opinion on the panel, Pin and Jeishings MTV project ultimately triumphed. We were knocked for six by their energy, wit and resourcefulness,” Young adds.

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Designer Kevin Lan from The Partners (Black Pencil for “The National Gallery Grand Tour ” in Poster Advertising) enjoying himself at the afterparty with his Black Pencil.

D&AD’s PR head, Maeve O’Sullivan with the press on the mile-long balcony at Excel

D&AD judge: What? I have to look at every single ad?

Fast-talking, fast-thinking D&AD President, Simon Waterfall

Kiwi Paul Cartmur Creative Director Koichiro Tanaka with his Black Pencil for “Uniqlock” in Online Advertising

Design jury at work

Hakuhodo team picking up their Yellow Pencils in Mobile Marketing for “World’s Worst War ” for Habaneros

BBDO’s Asia Danny Searle and David Guerrero on jury duty

Stephane Xiberras, Creative Director at BETC Euro RSCG with his Yellow Pencil for the eBay Ad Auction Campaign, which won in Broadcast Innovations.

Clio Names BBDO NY & BBDO Worldwide 2008 Agency and Network of the Year Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater.

In addition, BBDO New York was named 2008 Agency of the Year, BBDO Worldwide collected the 2008 Network of the Year, and MJZ was selected as 2008 Production Company of the Year. These honors were determined by the agency office, network and production company that score the most Clio statue points across all categories for a given year.

BBDO New York led all individual offices with three Gold Clios, followed by TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York, McCann Worldgroup and T.A.G., and Fallon London with two Gold Clios each.

GRAND CLIO Deadline Couriers “Self Destruct” Colenso BBDO, Auckland

At the conclusion of the 2008 Clio Festival, T.A.G. SF and McCann SF, Projector, Inc., Tokyo and TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York, each received a “best-in-show” Grand Clio.

The honors, as part of the 49th Annual Clio Awards, were presented during the Television/ Cinema/Digital, Interactive, Technique and Radio Awards Gala at the Fillmore Miami

T.A.G. SF and McCann SF took home the Grand Clio for the television campaign “Ammo”/”Enemy Weapon”/”Hunted” on behalf of Microsoft Xbox – Halo 3. TBWA\Chiat\ Day, New York, picked up the Grand Clio in the Radio category for the product/service campaign “Broken Heart”/”Lullaby”/”Prison Guard” for Combos, and Projector, Inc., Tokyo, got the Grand Clio in Interactive for the viral program “Uniqlock” for client Uniqlo.

Projector, Inc. also won a Gold Clio last night in the Content & Contact category for the same program.

BBDO New York led all individual offices with three Gold Clios, followed by TBWA\ Chiat\Day, New York, McCann Worldgroup and T.A.G., and Fallon London with two Gold Clios each. DDB Worldwide won three Golds across various offices (one each in Chicago, Amsterdam and Toronto), and Leo Burnett took home two Gold Clios (one each in

Chicago and Kuala Lumpur).

On the client side, work for Sony BRAVIA received three Gold Clios for the night. AT&T, Microsoft Xbox – Halo 3 and Combo won two Gold Clios each.

Japan carried the day for Asian creatives.

Aside from the Grand Clio in Interactive, they won two Golds, three Silvers and three Bronzes. Hong Kong, Thailand, India and the Philippines contributed to the haul of Silvers and Bronzes, but other than Japan, only Malaysia brought in another Gold—for Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur’s “Tan Hong Ming” TV spot for Petronas.

The Clio judging process makes it possible for there to be several Gold, Silver or Bronze winners—or in some cases, no winner at all—within individual categories. With more than 20,000 entries received from 65 countries, fewer than three percent receive a Clio statue, and less than one percent receives a Gold Clio. If judges determine a Gold winner is “best-in-show” in its category, they have the opportunity to bestow an even higher honor: the Grand Clio.

GOLD CLIO - HBO “Voyeur ”, BBDO New York

Ogilvy & Mather Wins Grand Prix at the Hong Kong Effie Awards Last June 3, Ogilvy & Mather won HK’s first ever Grand Prix at the Hong Kong Effies. In the five-year history of the Hong Kong Effectiveness Awards, this is the first time a Grand Prix has been awarded. Ogilvy Hong Kong received this accolade for DHL “Shot all the way to the top” campaign.

Operating in Hong Kong’s a highly competitive market, the DHL initiative contributed to the overwhelming leadership in market share. Said Royce Yeun, chairman of Ogilvy Hong Kong, “The campaign proved the impact of creativity and share of mind does translate into market share.”

Ogilvy & Mather HK

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went on to sweep the floor collecting four of the five Gold Effies awarded as well as Silver and a Bronze.

Ogilvy has dominated the Hong Kong Effies, consistently winning more Gold than any other agency in Hong Kong. In 2007, the agency picked up the Platinum Award at the Regional Asia Marketing Effectiveness Awards, held in Singapore, for Coke Light.

Concluded Royce: “Effies continue to be an award we value as a testament to our commitment to producing not just great creative work—but great work that works, driving effective results for our clients’ brands: a key to our agency success.”

Best of Show - Halo 3 “Believe” McCann Worldgroup and T.A.G. S.F.

ONE SHOW BELIEVES IN MCCANN WORLDGROUP AND T.A.G. SF;

M

BBDO Guerrero gets a Bronze in One Show Design

cCann Worldgroup and T.A.G. of San Francisco convinced The One Show jury that their “Believe” campaign, for XBOX’s video game Halo3, was worthy of the Best of Show.

“The ‘Believe’ campaign catapulted Halo 3 from an ordinary video game into a worldwide cultural phenomenon due to its ability to build an emotional rapport with the audience,” said Mary Warlick, CEO of The One Club. “The innovative stream of interactive TV, Web and cinema advertisements was an inspired approach that successfully attracted an audience beyond the typical gamer.”

“Whopper Freakout”, a spot where Burger King stopped selling Whoppers and documented consumer reactions, and “Simpsons Integrated”, where the QSR paired Homer with its King, helped to win them Gold

Pencils, as well as “Client of the Year.” Crispin Porter + Bogusky is the agency of record for Burger King.

Another big winner was HBO “Voyeur”, an outdoor installation as well as a TV and online effort. It won Gold Pencils for Integrated Branding Campaign, Innovative Use of Marketing and overall Campaign work.

HBO Voyeur enabled people to explore the lives of characters in an apartment tenement.

Clues were distributed online and in print to help them thread the stories together. It was created by BBDO, New York.

This year also commemorated One Show’s first People’s Choice Award, chosen on OneShow.TV. The honor went to BBDO’s Lifesavers campaign.

Combined, the US and Canada took majority of the Pencils, followed by agencies in AGENCIES

GOLD

SILVER

TBWA NET WORK

2

6

4

12

BBDO NEW YORK

5

2

2

9

SA ATCHI & SA ATCHI

4

2

1

7

OGILV Y & MATHER

1

2

3

6

4

1

5

LEO BURNETT

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TOTAL

MCCANN WORLDWIDE

4

1

CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSK Y

2

1

1

4

JUNG VON MATT

1

2

1

4

3

1

4

WIEDEN + KENNEDY Bronze: WWF “Glowing Sticker ”, BBDO Guerrero

BRONZE

5

Europe. By agency, the TBWA\ network edged ahead of the other agencies.

On the previous night of the One Show Festival Week, the Philippines bagged a Bronze Pencil at The One Show Design competition. BBDO Guerrero created the winning entry, “Glowing Sticker” for WWF, to remind people to turn off room lights.

“A One Show Pencil is one of the highest honors on the creative awards show circuit. So we are very happy to have picked up our third one in two years.”—David Guerrero David Guerrero, chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Guerrero, was quite pleased. “A One Show Pencil is one of the highest honors on the creative awards show circuit.

So we are very happy to have picked up our third one in two years.”

“Winning a One Show Pencil is a careerdefining honor,” said Mary Warlick, Chief Executive Officer of The One Club. “While there are many other shows that hand out advertising awards, only by being awarded a Pencil are you held up to the highest of standards.”

The One Club, produces the One Show, now in its 33nd year. The One Show is one of three annual awards programs that make up the One Show Festival Week held from May 5-9. The festival also includes One Show Design and One Show Interactive. Winners of all three awards programs receive Gold, Silver and Bronze Pencils, considered a major achievement within the advertising industry.

This year, One Show alone received over 17,000 entries (and more than 24,000 entries for all three shows combined) from more than 60 countries. The major categories Pencils are awarded in include: Consumer Newspaper, Consumer Magazine, Small Space Print, Outdoor, Trade, Collateral, Public Service & Political Advertising, Consumer Radio, Consumer Television, Non-Broadcast, Innovation in Advertising and Integrated Branding.

globalroundup INTERPUBLIC SPONSORS WEEN POWER

Interpublic, one of the world’s leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies, sponsored the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) a coalition of women committed to supporting, promoting and defending the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and in society led by women executives in music, television, film, radio and other forms of entertainment.

The event, called “Don’t Judge Me… Empower Me” was held for free in the Big Apple and attracted around 3,000 women and girls of all ages. Interpublic hosted the career development and civic involvement panel that featured speakers in WEEN’s scope. Interpublic’s sponsorship allows girls under 18 years old to join the Girl Scouts, the United States’ premier leadership program for young girls.

Ogilvy Frankfurt, Germany, “Typo Crash Campaign”

THE BIG APPLE’S AD FESTIVAL ATTRACTS MORE HONEY After a serious effort to rebuild its credibility, the 2008 New York Festivals International Advertising Awards wrapped up this year’s gala awards presentation on June 30th at the New World Stages, honoring the “World’s Best Advertising”. This year’s award competition honored excellence in all media: television, cinema, print, outdoor, interactive, design, mixed media, collateral, student and radio advertising, from 56 countries around the world.

The juries awarded the New York Festival Grand Trophies to the top-scoring Gold Awards for outstanding entries in all categories. This year’s best in the International Advertising categories are:

Sylvia Soler of Young & Rubicam Guaynabo, who judged in TV/Cinema, added, “The big ideas stood out. Somehow the criterion for choosing the best work was shared in spite of the geographic distance between judges.”

The New York Festivals International Advertising Awards received entries from 71 countries. Award winners were selected by an international panel of 246 Senior Creative Directors representing the most innovative and creative minds from 48 countries around the world. No other advertising competition has ever gathered a large, more diverse group of internationally known creative directors to judiciously select the winners.

Television: Nordpol + Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany “Power of Wind” Epuron (German Ministry for the Environment) Art & Technique: Abbott Mead Vickers London, England “Tipping Point” Diageo (Draught Guinness)

JWT’s trendspotting team dwells on the end of the buyers market. Easy and speedy access to special offers, discounts and sales may have caused consumers to be unappreciative of good deals.

However, due to increasing inflation and other rapid changes in the global economy, the cost of goods is on the rise, limiting the affordability of energy, food, money and clothing— all consumer essentials.

According to Ann Mack, director of Trendspotting, the impact of rising fuel costs is transforming the shopping trend of buy now, pay later to save more, spend less. Those smart enough to anticipate change well ahead of time and flexible enough to adapt to the new conditions will come out ahead.

“The End of Cheap” is available at JWTIntelligence.com, along with trendletters on trends for 2008, Dubai, globalization, mobility and “The Sex and the City Effect.”

PUBLICIS REVAMPS DIGITAL OFFERING

Interactive: Projector Inc. Tokyo, Japan “UNIQLOCK” UNIQLO Department Stores Integrated: BBDO New York, New York “Voyeur ” HBO Print: Ogilvy Frankfurt, Germany, “Typo Crash Campaign” Malteser Ambulance Service

The Philippines also managed to get in two Bronzes, for TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s “Delivery” TV spot for the ABC-5 TV network and Lowe Manila’s outdoor effort for Penguin Books, “Habit”.

After all their hard work, the New York Festivals organizers boasted unprecedented growth, with a 23 percent increase over last year in entries submitted from an international creative pool.

Of the quality of these entries, Print juror Dietmar Dahmen of BBDO Vienna, said, “The quality of this year’s work ranged from a large volume of good, solid work to the pointed, peak of amazing…This wide base of ‘good’ however raises the level for the work to become truly outstanding.”

JWT TRENDLETTER EXPLORES THE END OF CHEAP

Lowe Manila, Penguin Books “Habit”

To maximise ROI from new media and digital marketing, Publicis Groupe draws on agencies to develop new services, tools and partnerships with the VivaKi Nerve Center and the VivaKi Talent Development Platform.

VivaKi means “life flow”. The company hopes to stimulate growth in digital markets by offering clients solutions to improve performance marketing, use of integrated media, relationships with platforms and social networks; and the optimization of data analysis and return on investments. It also enables clients to connect more easily with precisely defined global audiences.

The platform is reportedly the largest of its kind in the advertising industry, resulting from a collaborative agreement with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, DoubleClick and Platform A.

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Key Descriptors

Like

Not like

Can’t Recall

PALMOLIVE SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER

Julia Barretto: Palmolive introduces this season's newest look, it's hip and sparkling. Totally cool, totally for me…/ KC Concepcion: Ang secret ko to a strong performance- look your best…

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SUNSILK SHAMPOO PLUS CONDITIONER

Marian Rivera: Noon commercial talent, ngayon leading lady na, pati ang hair ko... Nikki Gil: Being a singer & host meant long hours under the spotlight and it really took a toll on my long hair... Maja Salvador: When I joined showbiz, lahat nagbago pati hair ko... Marian: Ano pang hinihintay mo?

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COKE

Angel: Are you from here? Devil: I am now. / Tagline: Ang sarap dito./ Song: Lilipad na ako, sabayan n’yo ako. Ang sarap dito sa pupuntahan ko.

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COLGATE TOOTHPASTE

Guy inside the bathroom: Heto ang intense fresh experience ko, ang Colgate Fresh confidence…Tagline: Wow, tindi ng freshness, i-share ang intense fresh experience mo- upload your videos at pwedeng ikaw na ang susunod na star.

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SELECTA ICE CREAM

Chef: We put in more passion than we’ve ever done before, more fresh ingredients...The all-new better than ever Selecta creations. Created with passion.

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LUCKY ME! NOODLES

Makisig & Joshua. Song: Tayo na, laro, laro, laro tayo. Lucky Me! carbohydrates for energy...Lucky Me! Lucky Me! I’m so happy. Tayo na’t maglaro tayo, maglaro-laro tayo.

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KNORR MIXES

Tagline: OA sa lasa ng karne sa Knorr Meaty Pang-gisa/ Fortune teller to housewife: Maaring mapa-sa’yo ang love, health, success at wealth...

Tagline: Pasarapin ang future ng mga sangkap at ng iyong hinaharap.

Knorr your future.

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CREAM SILK CONDITIONERS

Tagline: The all-new Cream Silk Conditioners with the expert precision care system, each targets and corrects hair imperfections.

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CLOSE-UP TOOTHPASTE

Kim Chiu & Gerald Anderson. Tagline: ...With crystal-frost granules that release icy coolness. New Close-Up Crystal Frost.

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NESCAFE COFFEE

Song (by Parokya ni Edgar): Kamusta na, anong balita sa iyo? Ako ok lang, ikaw naman, same pa rin appear ka d’yan...One moment, One Nescafe.

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COLGATE TOOTHBRUSH

Tagline: Colgate 360 cleans teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue removing more bacteria for a healthier whole mouth clean

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NESTLE ICE CREAM

Sharon Cuneta & daughter Miel/ Sharon: Nestle Ice Cream Trio Miel: Ube, mango and chocolate…./ Tagline: Nestle Ice Cream, simply delicious…

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BEAR BRAND POWDERED FILLED MILK

Song: Ako'y laki sa gatas, malusog at masigla…Basta laki sa gatas- laking Bear Brand ako.

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KNORR CUBES

Little girl tells parents: Ma, natutunan ko ngayon sa school, ang natural at 'di natural...E 'yan, ma (pointing to Knorr) natural ba 'yan?

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MCDONALD’S BURGER

Brilliant, brilliant. Wow, english... / Is that a bangs? .../ Yes, tuck-in, pa-cheeseburger ka naman- burger, burger, burger./ Tagline: Yes, kahit anong dahilan na lang, basta maaraw-araw lang ang Ultimate Cheeseburgers ng McDo.

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TANG POWDERED JUICES

Description: Mom tells her children "Kain na" but the kids are too busy.

Mom gets a pitcher of Tang and dings it with a spoon and instantly gets the attention of her kids.

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JOLLIBEE

Description: TVC shows Jollibee’s stores not only in the Philippines but also in Hongkong and Daly City, California, USA.

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GREENWICH PIZZA & PASTA

John Lloyd: Itong mga kaibigan ko, actually, hindi mo nga aakalaing kaibigan ko e, iba-iba kasi kami.../ Tagline: Discover friendship, discover delicious.

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MILO

Japoy Lizardo:Let’s find out how the kids feel about new improved Milo… anong favorite drink n’yo? Kids:Milo!/ Tagline: Milo, everyday.

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NIDO FULL CREA M POWDERED MILK

Little boy: I did it, mom. I traded my sandwich for a kiss./ Little girl: Sorry na ha. I played in the rain, but I made a new friend.../ Tagline: ...

Let them go, let them grow with Nido 3+ from Nestle.

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LIKING OF ADS

Net Liking

TUBETALK is part of AsiaBus, an omnibus survey of 1,000 adults from urban areas in Metro Manila. The fieldwork was conducted last May 8- 17, 2008

by Synovate and phd supplied the list of TV commercials for this survey.

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FocusMedia Zelle serenades the crowd at Eastwood.

Imago at the Street Groove Concert

FocusMedia at Ortigas & Co. building.

Street Groove at Eastwood May 31, payday weekend: Eastwood City came alive as FocusMedia staged a free concert for the public to enjoy. In cooperation with Stresstabs, three of the country’s big names in the music industry: Imago, Zelle and Up Dharma Down performed to the crowd’s delight. Games and prizes were also part of the Program. Somethin’ Fishy also supported the event.

Research, a Value-Added Service Readily Available for Clients FocusMedia is the right out-of-home audiovisual medium for your advertising needs. Based Nielsen Media Research Survey, it can be inferred that FocusMedia is an effective advertising medium viewers very much like the medium, as there is good recall, there is significant increase in awareness of advertisements, there is considerable unaided and aided on advertisements and LCD TVs emerged as the second media where test commercials were seen.

We provide research to measure effectiveness of your campaigns, in terms awareness and ad recall and provide additional insights related to the brand. Research is one of the value-added services available for the clients. Companies and brands which benefited from this service include San Miguel Corporation, Biersdorf for Nivea, Unilab, and some others.

Around Town FocusMedia a Media Partner for World Marketing Conference and Exhibition The Philippine Marketing Association proudly hosted World Marketing Conference with the theme “Asiannovation Rocking the World” at the SMX Convention Center last 19-20 June 2008.

FocusMedia Audiovisuals was a media partner for the Event, announcing the Conference through its wide network of over 150 sites. A Trade Exhibition happened simultaneously where FocusMedia also was a part of. Products of partner brands Pepsi light, Lung Care, Alaxan, HavItAll, Tuseran, Blue Seal and Neozep were distributed to lucky booth visitors.

At the FocusMedia booth

FocusMedia at Asiannovation

FocusMedia Supports Several Projects As media partner, FocusMedia supported several events, programs, activities and projects. For Philippine Star, projects undertaken included Job Fair, Property Fair, Flavors of Summer held in different venues. FocusMedia also supports GMA 7’s programs Pinoy Records and Kung Ako Ikaw.

The recently- concluded quest for BodyShots 2008, an endeavor of Executive Decisions, was a project FocusMedia supported through media partnership.

Dynamedia, the creative event group of The Radio Partners joined hands with FocusMedia for several activities they have done: from special screening, concerts to special projects.

Bodyshots 2008 finals night

The Largest Out-of-Home Advertising Network Units 151-152, 15/F, The Columbia Tower Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City Metro Manila , Philippines, 1550 Consumer Hotline (632) 722.7722

www.focusmedia.com.ph

exclusive

The Jollijeep Evolves From Takeout to Out-of-Home

Anybody who has walked through the Makati Commercial Business District (CBD) is more than familiar with the Jollijeep— that ubiquitous food stall clad in stainless steel, with awnings that double as snack counters.

For Filipino urbanites, the name alone says it all. Coined by its own loyal customers, “Jolli” refers to the country’s biggest fastfood chain; “jeep” is what its owners used to haul their homecooked goodies to the white- and blue-collar workers of Makati.

From it, you can buy very affordable but home-cooked meals, a cup of pre-Starbucks instant coffee, even pre-paid cards for your mobile phone.

Should you walk past it often enough, you may even pick up advertising messages. That’s what marketing entrepreneur Tito Lorete Alcala wants advertisers to realize. His company Artistshop designs, markets and even dresses Makati’s signature food stalls as its agency on record.

But Alcala is quick to point out that they have become much more than the lowly QSRs. “It’s an Outdoor medium,” states Alcala—a street-level billboard in the district with the highest foot traffic and the strictest outdoor ad regulations in the country.

Of course, it all started as

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by Liza Martinez & Cynthia Dayco

cafeteria on wheels, he relates, “A number of enterprising manangs (old ladies) brought their bilao (the round Filipino tray of woven rattan) of home-cooked meals to Ayala Avenue.”

Constantly shooed away by the traffic aides, they retreated to the side streets and marked these as their new territory. In less than a year, those handful of manangs ballooned to over 300, with each one reaping as much daily profit.

Then one of them made enough to purchase a dilapidated jeepney, which served as both transportation and store space.

Soon, every manang had a jeepney, which was quickly branded by customers as Jollijeep.

The Ayala Land through its MACEA and the Makati government, both stewards of the prime city, took notice and thought that the Jollijeep “chain” had become

“We are now moving on from a mere food stall to a legitimate out-of-home advertising medium in strategic locations.

The possibilities are endless. Outdoor advertising in Makati has been liberalized.”

an eyesore, with all the trash lying around the side streets. Moreover, they really didn’t think jeepneys made for hygienic eateries.

Soon enough both sectors agreed to regulate and institu-

The original Jollijeep

tionalize the food chain. Some amount of control and large doses of beautification were necessary to make the business mutually beneficial for all concerned.

Alcala continues, “After a process of screening, evaluation and deliberation the number of stalls was whittled down to 127

by MSWD, putting health and hygiene as priority. Only Makati residents were permitted to operate their stalls to ensure a source of livelihood for them.”

The facelift was marked by the replacement of the iconic jeepneys with 127 staid aluminum boxes on wheels. The colored panels of the jeepney were replaced with clean metallic panels. Awning

windows made it easy for them to open and shut the food stall.

Even the name was updated.

There was an attempt by the call center kids to call it Silverbox, aping the also-ubiquitous coffee house. But that didn’t stick.

Now, Alcala simply refers to them as Mobile Food Stalls (MFS).

Name aside, the semi-permanent locations, zoning, ubiquity, quantity, targeted consumers— these are properties that also make the MFS prime spots for out-of-home advertising.

Alcala says they’ve created affordable ad packages that make this new medium favorable for many advertisers. “We are now moving on from a mere food stall to a legitimate out-of-home advertising medium in strategic locations. The possibilities are endless. Outdoor advertising in Makati has been liberalized.”

The challenge for Artistshop is to draw not just the food and beverage brands but any marketing campaign that wants to reach Makati’s general public. From office rank-and-file, blue-collar workers to executives who drive by in their luxury sedans, they can all be targeted by the MFS. Makati, as the call center capital of the country, has spawned nocturnal advertising with its 24/7 work hours.

Currently, a number of telco brands and financial institutions advertise their services on the MFS, alongside beverage brands.

But Alcala exhorts potential advertisers to see the MFS’s potential beyond the food-service and retail space.

Today’s Mobile Food Stalls

“Stop looking at it as a sarisari store,” he says. It is an opportunity for branding and consumer engagement, with a captive market for a wide array of marketing and merchandising. The challwenge is to maximize brand presence, given the regulations on advertising within CBD. In the near future, Alcala hopes that the Mobile Food Stalls will be seen at par with the other existing outdoor advertising spaces, like billboards. As the original Jollijeep provided a source of livelihood for Makati residents and sustenance for office workers, the new Mobile Food Stalls can generate remarkable profit for advertisers, too.

They dot practically every major street in Makati’s central business district and have become the more ubiquitous, preferred lunchtime destination of the city’s blue- and whitecollar workers. From rusty jeepneys loaded with pots of soupy favorites and where sometimes, banana-que (deep-fried, caramelized bananas on sticks) and turon (crisp banana rolls) were freshly cooked on a gas stove, they have, thankfully, morphed into safer, semipermanent structures.

Streetside

Buffet

by Socky Pitargue

But to my balikbayan sister, whose last visit to the country was in 1998, the lowly Jollijeep is a delightful discovery. On Rada Street where she stays with my younger sister, there are at least seven Jollijeeps that offer different, home-style Filipino specialties. One or two have banana-que and maruya (banana fritters) cooked on the spot at mid-afternoon.

Most “famous” of these Jollijeeps is the one closest to De la Rosa Street, where the sisig (sizzling spicy minced pork) and the lugaw (chicken porridge) are supposedly to die for.

There was one time when she hopped from one Jollijeep to another and bought guinataang pagi (stingray stewed in coconut milk), tortang talong (eggplant omelette),

Merienda Time!

dulong patties (native anchovy), guinataang langka (jackfruit in coconut milk), pancit (sautéed noodles) and maruya. She ended up with about 10 ulams (viands), all wrapped in little plastic bags, to go. And for all that, she chalked up a total bill of Php100! Not even US$3, she gasped.

Walang ganyan sa States!

While it is impossible for anyone staying in the country for only a couple of months to visit and try all the restaurants and food stalls in Greenbelt, Glorietta, SM and Landmark,

I’m sure my sister has scoured the area for Pinoy restaurants that balikbayans swap stories about: Goldilocks, Max’s, Ineng’s, Reyes Barbeque, Chicken Bacolod, Tsoko.Nut, Ebun and Kamayan, even going as far as The Fort, Tagaytay and Laguna for Guava, Bistro Filipino, Dencio’s, Sonya’s Garden and Kusina Salud.

But for comfort Pinoy food that’s affordable and hits a nostalgic chord, my sister swears by this streetside buffet from the Jollijeeps. Walang ganyan sa States!

SOCKY PITARGUE is founder and managing partner of PC&V Communications, with a passion for tennis, wine, food and blogging

You Are Where You Eat (or Drink) A media gathering was recently organized by PhD Media Network. “A Cup of Tea”, a look on consumer consciousness on the concept of health and wellness, was a welcome respite in the middle of a sweltering summer afternoon.

Committed to help bridge communications between advertising message and consumers, PhD Media Network devoted time

The Filipino contributes to the multi-billion dollar lifestylehealth-diet industry—hence the proliferation of physical health clubs, gyms, spas, salons, dance studios, yoga gurus, special diets and the metrosexual in our midst. and effort with meticulous methodology to conduct and consolidate research on Filipino consumer habits, mindsets and lifestyles.

And the data proved not only rich, but also thought-provoking.

That the health industry is booming is old news, but the attitude of Filipinos towards the phenomenon is worthy of consideration. A survey of 18 to 60 year-olds from all parts of the country shows the importance of living healthy lifestyles is not lost on the population. The Filipino contributes to the multi-billion dollar lifestyle-health-diet industry—hence the proliferation of physical health clubs, gyms, spas, salons, dance studios, yoga gurus, special diets and the metrosexual in our midst.

To the Filipino consumer, there is a unifying understanding of wellness as a serious matter and considerable thought and resource is spent on it. To the average Juan Dela Cruz and his family members, wellness is the physical, emotional, social and environmental balance through which the goals of a lifetime can be achieved.

To the media practitioner, a respectful understanding and considerate attitude towards the consumer’s viewpoint is requisite.

The Filipino consumer places its trust on media in providing transparent information.

The massive research is scheduled for release in stages, and on top of it is Malou Querijero of PhD Media Network. Though mindful not to divulge juicy data from the second phase, Querijero nevertheless is enthusiastic about the research, particularly the section on Filipino eating habits. adobo: Culturally, Filipinos love eating. Is it safe to conclude that we’ve become western in our diets?

Malou Querijero: No, it has not

spanned across all regions. The least consumption of rice comes from Mega Manila where the influence of western style is more [pronounced].

adobo: Your research shows people in Mega Manila eat less rice for lunch because of the of the ease and accessibility of alternative. Yet, for snacks, the same

people eat rice, for the same reason— its presence as an option in the middle of the afternoon.

MQ: Correct. That may also be attrib-

uted to the demands of urban lifestyle. Working in Mega Manila demands greater energy.

City work demands more strenuous labor, and laborers eat rice.

adobo: Is there a direct link between urban lifestyle and its eating habits?

MQ: The largest number of dinner-skip-

pers comes from Mega Manila, where it is trendy not to eat after 6PM. The daily routine after work is getting stuck in traffic during dinnertime, eating no dinner when one gets home because one is just too tired and just wants to sleep. adobo: What of the palengke (public wet market) as a food supply source to show the disparity of the city with the province?

MQ: Findings show that in Cebu,

nobody eats bread for breakfast! It’s fish, noodles, rice and eggs!

adobo: In Mega Manila, bread is instant! Elsewhere, there is enough time to prepare and food. Or simply gather it from the backyard.

MQ: There’s a second part—regionalism.

The discussion will be the differences of eating habits per region.

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Pahila-hilata. Pakaang-kaang. Papetiks-petiks. Pa-easyeasy na lang. Chillax lang. Retirement.

They all mean the same. And for this Ilongga from Bacolod, pahunay-hunay na gid siya, as depicted in this oil on canvas artwork by Tina’s fellow Bacolodian and good friend, artist Raymond Legaspi. If you’ve lived and worked as she has, take the cue from her and go find your own butaka (plantation lounge chair) to hunay-hunay in.

After all, Tina Coscolluela has worked in advertising since 1978, before many of us were even conceived—Pacifica, Ace-Compton, J. Walter Thompson, Pan Pacific, Ace/ Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather Philippines and Thailand.

She’s been the suit to the greatest creative minds— Melvin Mangada, Mon Jimenez, Jimmy Santiago, Cid Reyes, David Guerrero, Gavin Simpson, Eric Yeo and, not many may know, to Neil French, one of her best friends.

She made history by winning the first Platinum at the Philippine Ad Congress for Ayala Land’s “Grass to Glass” with creative partner, Melvin. She bucked a trend by being the first ever Filipino to head Ogilvy & Mather Philippines and put the agency among the top 15 most creative offices worldwide.

She tried retirement before turning 45 and sold squidballs to schoolchildren on the streets of Bacolod.

That didn’t quite work out. So she decided to come back from retirement and was fortunate to have stayed in David

Ogilvy’s residence in France, Chateau de Touffou.

More than her accomplishments, we can pick up a thing or two from Tina’s character that has never been corrupted by what sometimes seems to be a jaded, materialistic, and fleeting advertising world.

Tina admits to being a hopeless romantic who has never given up on her ideals in life—most especially in love. She is also fiercely loyal to her family and her many friends, ages 18 to 85; family and friends, to her, mean the same thing.

She weathered four deaths in her immediate family, both parents before she turned 20 and more recently, two sisters.

She even fought and survived breast cancer. A probinsyana (country girl) at heart who enjoys an afternoon siesta much more than a night out in town, she is a classic unbranded blue-and-white striped T-shirt kind of girl more than the Dior and Chanel woman that she seems to be.

Beginning July 1, 2008, Tina moves on from her position as non-executive chairman of Ogilvy and Mather Philippines, retiring young at 51. Tina wants to give back to the profession she has dedicated her life to by teaching advertising. She also wants to give back to her home province and to nature, by raising funds for Danjugan Island, a marine sanctuary in Negros Occidental. And finally, after all these years, the one thing she looks forward to is what most Ilonggos do—pahunay-hunay na lang.

Pahunay-hunay na Gid si

This centerfold is a collaboration of Tina’s dearest friends: Concept & Layout: Melvin Mangada, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Write-up: Nandy Villar, Managing Director, McCann Erickson Philippines Artist/Painter: Raymond Legaspi (silaynonartist.blogspot.com)

adobocenterfold

mediascape Nielsen Media goes mobile

Nielsen Media research addresses the need for short and quick data collection through the use of mobile phone technology. This revolutionary idea, called the Nielsen Mobile Panel, uses SMS responses to short questionnaire forms, to gather general information like awareness of advertising or marketing initiatives, at a quick turnaround of 2 to 3 days. The service involves the recruitment of a panel consisting of 500 mobile phone owners, aged 15+ among the ABCD economic class. The initial composition of the panel are residents in Mega Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Solar TV is official media partner of Olympic Games

Solar Entertainment Corporation is the exclusive rights holder and broadcaster of the 2008 Beijing Olympic in the Philippines.

The free television channels of ETC, 2 nd Avenue, Jack and C/S has special time slots for the games while Solar Sports on cable bring extensive coverage of the event. The opening ceremony on August 8 at 8 pm is covered live

by Solar Sports and C/S. Regular programming of the channels resumes after the culmination of the games on August 24.

Caparas reigns supreme on Philippine television

Carlo J. Caparas, the man behind box-office potboilers and local comic serials, now adds TV hits to his resume, following the record ratings of shows based on his works in GMA-7.

Caparas’s creations rule the primetime block of GMA 7. “Joaquin Bordado”, which premiered on February 11, garnered a 36.6 percent rating. It consistently topped the ratings game with its action-packed scenes and drama adventures.

Richard Gutierrez’s “Kamandag”, a popular comic strip of Caparas from the early 80’s, also debuted strong last year with a 42.7 percent performance in the primetime block. Without fail, the show continuously maintained high ratings on its weeknights airing.

MindShare Restructures Worldwide Introduces Value Exchange Philosophy

MindShare Worldwide is undergoing a major reorganization to streamline operations and integrate traditional and digital services into a new class of full-service marketing agency. The first move of its kind since the company’s launch in 1997, implementation is immediate and global with all 97 offices completing reorganization by the end of 2008.

Chief Strategy Officer Nick Emery, the restructuring architect, says, “To capitalize on technological advancements and changes in the media landscape we need to ������� modernize our look, our thinking, and our process to be significantly more involved in marketing services than media management, and integrating a digital sensibility into every corner of our organization.”

The major overhaul was triggered by the urgent need for media agencies to concentrate on the invention of intel-

lectual property and the integration of all marketing services, particularly in the area of digital communications.

Adds North American CEO Scott Neslund, “MindShare has been heading into content and integration.

Recent hiring was focused on research and production rather than traditional media planning and buying.”

“Clients want agencies to take the lead in learning about and applying digital media, integrating diverse marketing services and creating innovative media ideas. MindShare intends to lead in all those areas.”

The restructuring paves the entry of a new marketing agency committed to developing business partners, providing integrated business planning from a marketing standpoint and content creation for a new media of branded entertainment online, sponsorship, or a

multimedia activation idea.

Bunny Aguilar, general manager of MindShare Philippines says, “Any form of media, wherever you get it, ends up digital, on the Internet.

Info now is on-demand, in real time and interactive.”

Dubbing the new company philosophy as The Value Exchange, it is the formation of business strategies to spur growth, activate marketing ideas and communications program that deliver tangible and measurable results to directly address the changing business culture.

As Emery points out, “Clients want agencies to take the lead in learning about and applying digital media, integrating diverse marketing services and creating innovative media ideas. MindShare intends to lead in all those areas.”

As MindShare undergoes transition globally, what of the Philippine office?

“When the time is right, maybe by 2009, we will adapt [the new structure] to the Philippine market, and we will do it the way it should be done here,” says Aguilar.

DZMM wins Silver in NY Fest

DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 bagged a Silver in the prestigious New York Festivals for Radio Broadcasting’s Breaking News Story category (Longform) for its special coverage of the hostage-taking involving a whole bus-load of pre-school students last March 18 2007.

ABS-CBN VP for Manila Radio Division Peter Musngi, DZMM Program and Production Services Manager Marah Faner Capuyan, and DZMM executive producer Nannette Quong received the award at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York City.

“Throughout this [hostage crisis], DZMM reported with prudence and acted responsibly thus avoiding a tragic ending to this crisis. The station again lives up to its commitment of being first in news and public service without causing harm and endangering others,” said Musngi.

Aside from winning the silver prize, DZMM also earned a finalist berth for its station manager-anchor Angelo Palmones in the Talk Show Host category for the science-oriented show “Bago Yan, Ah!”

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BUSHNELL GOES GUNS AND ROSES While still reveling in the success of “Sex and the City”—the best-seller book, the hit TV series and top-grosser movie —the unstoppable Candace Bushnell is about to introduce her myriad fans to an engrossing trio of female friends. Fresh on its heels, perhaps literally, (and as knee-high in whatever), the new series is an invitation to enter the jungle. “Lipstick Jungle”, that is.

Brooke Shields, perhaps in a role designed for her major comeback, plays movie executive Wendy Healy. In this cutthroat industry, competition seeking her ouster leaves Wendy caught between career and family. Kim Raver, a familiar face on a number of TV series like “24” and “The Nine”, is Nico Reilly, editor-in-chief of Bonfire, a fashion and pop political magazine. The driven Nico is not content as editing head honcho.

She has her sights set on becoming CEO. In

the role of designer Victory Ford, is Lindsay Price, single, attractive and relationshipchallenged. Desperate to keep her fashion line afloat, Victory learns survival through crucial lessons.

In “Lipstick Jungle”, Bushnell dishes out passion-incensed and power-hungr y females going head-to-head with their male counterparts in a fiercely competitive, well, jungle that is corporate America. Wendy, Nico and Victor y straddle the extremes of being female, romantic and ruthless, supportive and competitive.

Like its quirky quartet predecessor, the Lipstick Jungle trio trot around the real star of the series, the jungle that is New York City. With no less than the Big Apple as their romping ground, Wendy, Nico and Victory live, laugh and love in all of the city’s gloom and glory.

Destined to win as loyal an audience, Lipstick Jungle is already filming its second season.

Bushnell might just make yet another bushel.

Shake off those “Sex and the City” blues.

What every woman needs to have aside from a classic black dress is good red lipstick. Uncap, unwind and apply every Monday on 2 nd Avenue.

Legendary director Jun Urbano and moderator Cris Mojica

Call Time for the First TV Commercials Directing Workshop The Commercials Directors Club of the Philippines, the International Institute for Film and Arts, and Wide Angle Digital Post Manila recently held the first TV Commercials Directing Workshop with the country’s topnotch directors. Jun Urbano, Mike Alcazaren, Mark Meily, Sid Maderazo, Dindo Angeles, Raymond Red, Leslie Gatchitorena and Nap Jamir, with Cris Mojica as moderator—young, avantgarde and veteran—they all came to share valuable wisdom and expertise borne of years honing the craft of TV commercial directing.

Some basics from Mike Alcazaren merited pondering, like “the director is only the executor, the agency is the owner of the commercial,” as well as, “directors must also know how to market themselves.”

The workshop attracted an eclectic group composed of advertising agency people, graphic artists, photographers and video enthusiasts, and even a journalist-cameraman who had the fortune of trying out the new Scratch digital compositing and intermediate editing system. The workshop proved rich in the exchange of ideas, vision and promise at par with advertising agency production.

Asia Media New Business Scoreboard / June 2008 MEDIA AGENCIES RANK THIS MONTH

RANK LAST MONTH

AGENCY

RECENT WINS

1

ESTIMATED Y TD EIN REVENUE (US$M)

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED OVERALL Y TD REVENUE (US$M)

1

OMD

Amway Nutrilite China , Sketcher’s Malaysia

18.9

Amway Artistry China, GE Capital Thailand

17.4

2

2

MINDSHARE

Air China, Essar India, Hero Electric India

15.8

Caroll Foods India

12.5

3

4

CARAT

Muthoot India, P&G Digital HK, HSBC Digital HK

15.0

Estee Lauder China

11.9

4

3

MEDIACOM

Tatts Group Australia, Golden Casket Australia

14.3

Burger King China,

10.4

5

5

MEC

Tumi China, Lotte Indonesia, Taoyuan Taiwan, Best Buy China

7.9

Tower Insurance NZ

7.8

6

6

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

Pertamina Indonesia, Jenny Craig Australia, Toshiba Taiwan

9.2

Tanduay Philippines

3.6

7

8

PHD

DBS Singapore, AIG Thailand

2.4

Beiersdorf HK

2.3

8

7

INITIATIVE

Stella Travel Australia

2.9

HKTB Global

2.2

9

9

STARCOM MEDIAVEST

PS Bank Philippines, Tiger Airways Asia

5.3

P&G Planning India

1.2

10

NA

VIZEUM

GE Capital Thailand

0.7

---

0.7

11

10

UNIVERSAL MCCANN

Ping An China project, MORI Japan , Harley Davidson China

3.3

Fairprice Singapore

(1.0)

12

12

MPG

Kohler India, Market City India

1.1

Dell Asia

(6.5)

METHODOLOGY The R3 New Business League has been compiled each of the last 69 months using data supplied by 26 multinational agencies on a monthly basis to R3. In addition, this data supplied is balanced against Client Estimates, Nielsen ADEX, discounted to appropriate levels and then converted to a revenue estimate. R3 strives to be accurate in all reporting, but welcomes comments and questions.

Please write to greg@rthree.com or visit www.rthree.com for more information or to download a soft copy

july-august 08

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LATEST MEDIA INDEX

Inquirer wins, by TKO

I

70

n the latest release of the Nielsen Media Index for Q1 of 2008, the Philippine Daily Inquirer captured 53 percent of broadsheet readership in the country’s key cities while the other two major broadsheets got 44 percent apiece.

But a close look at a lynchpin in the broadsheet’s readership reveals a close three-way fight over the

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ABC1 market. The ABC1 market is a very important segment, primarily because its members are proven readers of newspaper broadsheets.

“The ABC1 target market has disposable income so they do not mind buying newspapers which they can also discard the same day. The language used by broadsheets which is English also appeals to them. The advertisers are aware of this that is why if you scan through the advertisements, most of the things you see are items catered to these people,” explains Neil Cabiles of the Ateneo de Manila Economics Department.

Moreover, Blen Fernando, head of the Ad Foundation and marketing director of dairy producer Alaska, says, “[We give premium to the] lifestyle of readers, not simply demographics, and regional implications because some of our businesses are skewed towards certain areas of the country,” says Inquirer reigned supreme among the ABC1 readers and even across all targets nationwide, and even as another daily ranked first among the ABC1 readers of Metro Manila by a slim margin over Inquirer, based on the Media Index 2008 Wave 1.

Nielsen Media Research, the leading provider of advertising information services and audience measurement studies worldwide, used to release the Media Index annually but since 2006 they have been conducting the readership survey twice a year.

This year the Media Index results are available on a quarterly basis with a total sample size of 8,000 interviews. The results of the survey, said to have a margin of plus-

minus 1 percentage point, gives an overview on the statistics related to readership of national broadsheets as well as other data used as basis by media practitioners.

“Media-wise, the factors to be considered on deciding which national broadsheet/s to place an ad are readership of the brand's target audience (IMS), circulation figures of the title/s (latest audited figures), and valuation of media values (cost-efficiency).

The rankings are important to be taken into account, all the more if you have specific directions for your brand's communications.

Bottom line is, always have your target audience in mind then you will be able

Philippine Daily Inquirer’s continued solid showing nationwide clearly puts them in a better place than the other broadsheets. to decide on which title/s is best for your brand to tap target consumers,” says Lalaine Baldelomar of Zenith Optimedia.

Fernando adds flexibility to the list in terms of being open to what brands or businesses can afford as well as innovation in all aspects from content to image.

The integrity of the publication is also very significant.

Philippine Daily Inquirer’s continued solid showing nationwide clearly puts them in a better place than the other broadsheets.

(The Media Index Study was conducted during the same period, in most areas including Metro Manila.)

T

here has always been clamor for surveys and studies about Radio. While there are a few ratings surveys here and there, there is still not enough data to prove that Radio is truly the medium with the widest reach. The more popular platform choices, Television and Print, continually challenged Radio’s effectivity.

But now, Nielsen Media Research addresses this issue with a comprehensive survey that expands one’s understanding of the Filipino radio consumers.

Their Nielsen Radio Single Source (NRSS) delves deeper into their listening habits as well as multimedia usage, product/service consumption and lifestyle.

This survey will be useful to both the people in the radio industry and the advertisers.

It will make the lives of those who sell radio airtime so much easier.

They will now have something to show as basis for the media buyers to endorse the medium to clients. As for the advertisers, this survey will provide a great insight to help them in deciding which of their brands can be pushed via radio.

Taking a peek at the toplines, we find that based on percentage share, most FM radio listeners

IT’S RADIO’S TURN from key cities nationwide favor MOR For Life, while those who tune-in to AM are solid listeners of Bombo Radyo.

But it’s what’s they do when these people are not tuned in that proves more interesting, in whatever city the study looked at—Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Legaspi, Naga and Zamboanga.

These interesting bits seem to point towards the Internet as the emerging medium among

the upper class and the younger listeners. In Bacolod, more than 58 percent of the listeners from the upper income bracket claim to have used the Internet in the past 12 months while in Davao City, 25 percent of people, aged 10 and up,

Most FM radio listeners from key cities nationwide favor MOR For Life, while those who tune in to AM are solid listeners of Bombo Radyo.

surf the web.

It also confirmed that mobile usage is still high. In Legaspi, 62 percent of the radio listeners own a cellular phone and in General Santos nearly 30 percent of those who own a cellular phone are Smart subscribers.

AM listeners in Baguio receive an average of 21 to 30 text messages a day while 23 percent of FM listeners also receive the same average amount per day.

The unique information presented on a per city basis also included and mentioned the leading brands of shampoo, noodles and soft drink that are consumed or patronized by the participants of the study. The companies who own these brands will not only be happy to note the loyalty of consumers in the areas mentioned but more than that they now know that they can use radio to communicate to their target market in mind.

As soon as Nielsen releases the NRSS, Radio can play fair and square with Television and Print, if only in terms of providing sufficient information to support its claims. Hopefully, in the near future not only can we say that Radio is truly alive but that it also has an increase in radio ad expenditure to prove it.

CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: “Big” T VC 30s / Agency: Harrison Communications, Inc. / Advertiser: Globe Telecom / Executive Creative Director: Alex Arellano Head of Art: Kevin Sabino / Art Director: Mark Pahate / Copy writer: Jay Pangilinan / Accounts: Dino Laurena, Jello Tan-Goloy, Gene Tan Producer: Datu Gallaga / Production House: Abracadabra Productions / Director: Ianco Dela Cruz / DOP: Jimmy Wong

Ad Title: Meralco “Tsk Tsk Tsk’’ TVC 30s / Agency: JimenezBasic / Advertiser: Meralco (Manila Electric Company) Creative Directors: Don Sevilla III, Third Domingo / Art Directors: Nina Jimenez, Vlad Jamison / Copywriter: Nina Jimenez Director: Lyle Sacris / Production House: Abracadabra / Producer: Dante Nora / Post Production: Roadrunner / Sound Production: Hit Productions

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Gillette Venus “Backlit” Outdoor / Agency: BBDO Guerrero / Advertiser: P&G – Gillette Creative Director: David Guerrero, David Lubars, Joel Limchoc, Simon Welsh / Art Director: Joni Caparas, Ming Mei Hung Copywriter: Gunter Liermann, Maui Reyes / Photographer: Jonathan Tay / Print Production: Al Salvador

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Rogin E “Waiting Room” TVC 30s / Agency: JWT Manila / Advertiser: Bayer Philippines / Creative Director: Dave Ferrer Copywriter: Marc Fong / Art Director: Carl Urgino / Director: Paul Alexei / DOP: Odie Flores / Production House: Media Circuit, Inc. (MCI) Producer: Niño Macavinta / Post Production: Ignite Media / Sound Production: Sound Design

Ad Title: Lucky Me “Echo” T VC 30s / Agency: JimenezBasic / Advertiser: Monde Nissin / Creative Director: Ricky Gonzales Art Director: Joel Eudela / Copy writer: Ricky Gonzales / Director: Mandy Reyes / Production House: Production Village / Producer: Dante Nora Post Production: Optima / Sound Production: Hit Productions

july-august 08

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: McDonald’s “Cook” T VC 30s / Agency: Leo Burnett Manila / Advertiser: McDonald’s / Creative Directors: Raoul S. Panes, Alvin Tecson Art Director: Stephanie Mangalindan / Copy writer: Alvin Tecson, Cey Enriquez, Candice Madamba / Director: Henry Frejas / Production House: Filmex Producer: Irene Chingcuangco / Post Production: Optima / Sound Production: Soundesign, Inc.

Ad Title: Nissin Seafood “Pearl” T VC / Agency: Campaigns & Grey / Advertiser: Universal Robina Corporartion Creative Director: Kite Lacuesta / Art Director: Jason Jumaguio / Copy writer: Rachel Teotico / Director: Carlo Directo / DOP: GBoy Vistan Production Designer: Butch Garcia / Producer: Jem Lim, Leslie Perez / Production House: MCI

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Philippine Canine Club “Dogs” Poster Agency: Image Dimensions Advertiser: Philippine Canine Club, Inc. (PCCI) Creative Director: Willa Maglalang Art Director: Peter Villanoy Copywriter: Willa Maglalang Print Production: Art Tolentino, Nilda Osorio Accounts: Maite Alvarez

july-august 08

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Fab “Baby Boy” T VC 30s / Agency: PC&V Communications / Advertiser: URC / Creative Director: Ariel Comia, Kat Gomez-Limchoc Art Director: Carlos Guadarrama / Copy writer: Kat Gomez-Limchoc / Accounts: Achie Chanyungco, Carrie Gaña, Grace Consolacion Director: Henry Frejas / Production House: Filmex / Producer: Chat Monteagudo / Post Production: Optima / Sound Production: Hit Productions

Ad Title: Skycable “Homerun” / Agency: McCann Worldgroup Philippines / Advertiser: CATV, Inc. Creative Director: Dino Jalandoni / Art Director: Dino Jalandoni, Jasper Cosico Copywriter: Gail Riofrio Director: Carlo Directo / Production House: Provill / Producer: Jho Moya Post Production: Ignite Media / Sound Production: Hit Productions

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thebiggerpicture Male Stereotypes in Advertising

In the Boardroom/ In the Bedroom

by Cid Reyes

Male as stupid

“A

woman should be a lady in the living room and whore in the bedroom.”

Thus have we portrayed and described women, and have expected them to behave.

By the same token—what’s good for the goose is good for the gander—“ a man should be a gentleman in the boardroom and a sex machine in the bedroom.”

For the past two issues of adobo, we have featured the various stereotypical images of women in advertising. Again, by the same token, men, too, are victimized by media and advertising— amazingly, not by subtle and insidious ways but in a manner quite blatant that men are forced to conform. In the same manner that advertising presents female bodies in “perfected” forms, so too are male bodies. All the giant billboards along Edsa (back with a vengeance and just waiting for the next mega-typhoon) attest to the obsession with the perfect human body, and woe to those who do not measure up.

Scott A. Lukas, in his Gender Ads website, provides a treasury

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“Just as many of us are outraged about the depictions of females through advertising, we should be equally concerned with how males are misrepresented in print ads.”

of images and insights on the subject. “Just as many of us are outraged about the depictions of females through advertising, we should be equally concerned with how males are misrepresented in print ads.”

Scott himself refers to Erving Goffman’s study “Gender Advertisements” (1979) which studied the myriad ways in which women are negatively depicted in popular culture.

“Of interest to this study is Goffman’s semiotic understanding of the composition of ads as it relates to the relative levels of power of men and women. It is a social fact that men still universally hold power over women in all societies, and in terms of how advertising portrays visual power, we can say that Goffman’s study still holds true in today’s media ads. The varied dimensions of posture, position of bodies, location of body parts, height and depth of figures all suggest that women are inferior, and men are superior.”

Shall we blame the Bible’s Genesis for this inequitable situation?

From whose ribs was Eve plucked out of? Even divinely inspired tales fell for it.

Thus, sociologists and semiologists have reported the result of their studies. For a pantyhose ad which claims ”Gentlemen prefer Hanes, the message delivered is that the ultimate benefit of product usage is to give men pleasure.” (Courtney and Whipple, 1983).

Nancy Chodorow’s discussion of masculinity and femininity suggest that much of the problem with the oppression of women and the maintenance of male patriarchy involves the male’s “repression and devaluation of femininity on both psychological and cultural levels.” (Scott Lukas).

On the local front, I know so many Philippine brands have just sprung up in your mind: our liquor products (“Nakatikim ka na ba…?”) and vitamin brands with their phallic-shaped capsules popping erectly out of their foil packs promising all-night performance.

Our research has yielded many fascinating, if disturbing, aspects of our subject.

While these findings are Male as heroes about the Western situation, they inevitably throw light on and trigger parallels in Philippine advertising.

Images of Men in Advertising by Tom Nakayama “What is a man?”

This may seem like an odd question, but it’s one that’s answered all the time in print ads and television commercials. Ads, with their

images of cowboys, businessmen, construction workers, sophisticates in tuxedos, muscle men and others, advertisements may seem to be flashing by casually.

But they actually represent countless—if often unconscious—decisions by writers, advertisers, producers, programmers and others about what men look like, say and even think.

“Stale Roles and Tight Buns”, a video and slide-show project of the men’s cooperative OASIS (Men Organized Against Sexism and Institutionalized Stereotypes), freezeframes these images for a closer look at what they say about contemporary cultural constructions of masculinity.

According to the advertising archetypes presented, men are in charge, self-contained and often alone. When shown with other men, they seem ready to unleash their aggression at any moment. When shown with women, they must be dominant. The male body can be used to sell any product, but whatever the fashion, the air of aloofness and barely controlled power is palpable.

Chosen from among the thousands of selections in mainstream media by OASIS volunteers, these images of men are powerful and disturbing. Only a few more recent ads focus on men in families, men with children, or men shown in partnership with women or other men.

In general, these concentrated views of manhood suggest the many ways in which advertising negatively affects men by narrowing the definition of what it means to be a man in American society. Upon reviewing them, I realized anew how much the role of the strong, silent, authoritarian, militaristic and threatening male pervades societal ideals. Although it’s neither realistic nor a positive role to emulate, it also shapes men’s views of themselves and how they measure up to masculine role models.

Fortunately, although the creators of “Stale Roles” do give scope to the stereotypes, they didn’t stop there. A few advertisers have begun to concentrate on another view of masculinity by portraying images of men who are gentle, caring, sensitive—even able to hold babies. Such images offer alternative social roles for men unwilling or unable to restrict themselves to the role of the strong, silent loner on horseback. Instead, they affirm the idea that men, like women, experience a broad range of feelings and emotions.

“Stale Roles”’ primary value, then, is as a tool that uses the media itself to strip away the mask that society has insisted men wear. The recognition that men need not deny their feelings and pretend to be something other than what they really are is the first step toward more complete images of men. Only when we understand ourselves can we demand that this understanding be reflected in the media.

Male in control

Men are in charge, self-contained and often alone. When shown with other men, they seem ready to unleash their aggression at any moment.

When shown with women, they must be dominant.

Masculinity and Advertising In its study of masculinity and sports media, the research group Children Now found that most commercials directed to male viewers tend to air during sports programming. Women rarely appear in these commercials, and when they do, they’re generally portrayed in stereotypical ways.

In fact, in his analysis of gender in advertising, author and

University of North Texas professor Steve Craig argues that women tend to be presented as “rewards” for men who choose the right product. He describes such commercials as “narratives of playful escapades away from home and family.” They operate, he says, at the level of fantasy—presenting idealized portrayals of men and women.

When he focused specifically on beer commercials, Craig found that the men were invariably “virile, slim and white”—and the women always “eager for male companionship.”

Author and academic Susan Bordo (University of Kentucky) has also analyzed gender in advertising, and agrees that men are usually portrayed as virile, muscular and powerful. Their powerful bodies dominate space in the ads. For women, the focus is on slenderness, dieting, and attaining a feminine ideal; women are always presented as not just thin, but also weak and vulnerable.

These critics and others suggest that just as traditional advertising has for decades sexually objectified women and their bodies, today’s marketing campaigns are objectifying men in the same way. A 2002 study by the University of Wisconsin suggests that this new focus on fit and muscled male bodies is causing men the same anxiety and personal insecurity that women have felt for decades.

Common Stereotypes of Men in Media Various media analysts and researchers argue that media portrayals of male characters fall within a range of stereotypes. The report Boys to Men: Media Messages About Masculinity, identifies the most popular stereotypes of male characters as the Joker, the Jock, the Strong Silent Type, the Big Shot and the Action Hero.

The Joker is a very popular character with boys, perhaps because laughter is part of their own “mask of masculinity.” A potential negative consequence of this stereotype is the assumption that boys and men should not be serious or emotional. However, researchers have also argued that humorous roles can be used to expand definitions of masculinity.

The Jock is always willing to “compromise his own long-term health; he must fight other men when necessary; he must avoid being soft; and he must be aggressive.” By demonstrating his power and strength, the jock wins the approval of other men and the adoration of women.

The Strong Silent Type Male in general focuses on “being in charge, acting decisively, containing emotion, and succeeding with women.” This stereotype reinforces the assumption that men and boys should always be in control, and that talking about one’s feelings is a sign of weakness.

The Big Shot is defined by his professional status. He is the “epitome of success, embodying the characteristics and acquiring the possessions that society deems valuable.” This stereotype suggests that a real man must be economically powerful and socially successful.

The Action Hero is “strong, but not necessarily silent. He is often angry. Above all, he is aggressive in the extreme and, increasingly over the past several decades, he engages in violent behavior.”

Another common stereotype...

The Buffoon commonly appears as a bungling father figure in TV ads and sitcoms. Usually well-intentioned and light-hearted, these characters range from slightly inept to completely hopeless when it comes to parenting their children or dealing with domestic (or workplace) issues.

CID REYES recently retired from Ace Saatchi & Saatchi.

The Creative Guild of the Philippines honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is now publisher of Larawan Books, specializing in coffee table books.

july-august 08

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privateview

cents and values

Confronting A Market Leader

D

by Nanette Franco-Diyco

riving to an important meeting one Friday, I tried a shortcut to Eastwood, Libis.

Following detailed instructions, I left the main highway of Katipunan, en route to a newly expanded road beside the Marikina River.

Out of nowhere, I chanced upon a talipapa, or a community market, preceded by a long and wide concrete wall completely painted in royal blue and bright yellow, shouting “RC Cola.” My car inched slowly through the market, punctuated by the signage of Coca Cola and RC Cola outdoor posters, crackling under the sun.

No doubt about it, RC Cola is battling the Coca Cola giant head on—and getting somewhere slowly but surely! That same weekend, I became more aware of RC Cola’s activities and presence, as two huge RC Cola trucks passed my car past Ateneo and UP. Nowhere can you find RC Cola in mass media, whether in print, radio or television. The marketing team of RC Cola has deliberately chosen below-the-line to communicate with its target market.

And rightly so. The softdrink consistently targeted the CD class, zeroing on sari-sari stores where its target generally purchases softdrinks

P

ublic relations is classic business storytelling. It is pure non-fiction. It is truth-telling in the precise same framework as any other story form—cinema, advertising and news reporting. It is fundamentally having a clear view or a big idea that focuses on a person or object. The person can be called a “victor”, and the object the “victor’s magical rock.”

Effective storytelling takes our audience on the “victor’s” journey as he goes through acid tests and distressing states to arrive at some new position.

It doesn’t matter if you’re promoting a country, company, product, political candidate or cause; if you tell the story using a consistent recipe, program ingredients, prototypes and a trail of differentiating stories, our key messages will be heard and acted on.

If you understand the importance of telling your business story to a number of audiences—customers, media, employees, investment analysts, the trade, government and even competitors—you should match that understanding with clear objectives.

In business, whoever tells the most compelling story, rules. To tell an engaging story, open with fire (a peep at the “victor’s” commonplace but believable world). Then move on and add a strong middle (the “victor’s” journey into some unusual world) and end with a tail that bites the head (the “victor’s” return to his ordinary world, but is now transformed or has morphed). A vital component of an effective story is a compelling point of view or an umbrella theme, such as “there is no substitute for persistence,” “great performance brings great result” or “it’s all in the presentation.”

In fictional storytelling, you can benchmark on hit movies like the “Titanic”, “Ghost”, “Romeo & Juliet”, and “West Side Story”. These great cinemas carry a uniform premise: true love never dies. In business storytelling, you can latch on classroom marketing cases: Apple as more

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and low-priced essentials within their respective neighborhoods.

My family drove to Antipolo, a couple of hours from Loyola Heights, for a Saturday pilgrimage to Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. Lo and behold, it looked like Antipolo was branded RC Cola Country! The city was festooned with RC Cola colors, a multitude of blue and gold banners and banderitas waved from sari-sari stores, some lined up practically side by side, for miles on end. It was definitely an ideal set-up for any product that made sari-sari stores its major distribution outlets.

It was then that I learned that the RC Cola main offices and plants were based in Antipolo. Hence, the ever-celebratory atmosphere, with the RC Cola thematic colors everywhere.

According to the marketing team, RC Cola’s primary target is the CD market. The ever-escalating cost of gasoline and goods defines the Filipino consumer’s woes, dramatically affecting RC Cola’s specific target market.

Professor of Developmental Psychology and Family Psychology, Dr. Esther J. Esteban, describes a wife’s and mother’s function to nurture the family in all areas of development, including the physical and nutritional needs of growth and development. The mother has an innate desire to give the family and children what they need and want, “especially when it comes to food and drink”. Eating is such an important social occasion in our culture, Dr. Esteban said, that this will always be a priority for the Filipino mother.

“More and more people going to the sari-sari stores ask for our brand. When the sari-sari store says it does not carry RC Cola, they do not buy what the store carries. Most hop to the next store till they find one carrying our brand.”

Today, almost by necessity, mothers are forced into frugality or sensible spending, choosing low-cost products “even if the family and children would have to re-angle their tastes.” Thus, mothers angle their antennae towards what spells good substitution.

RC Cola’s comeback is good timing indeed. It is a good-tasting carbonated cola drink. To my surprise, the RC Cola concentrate comes from Georgia, USA, which you may conclude, makes it comparable with the market leader. And, if you want to talk price, RC 8 oz. is Php5; 800

logic and magic

Telling your PR story

by Bong Osorio

friendly than IBM; Nike is all about freedom, and BMW as the ultimate in driving experience.

If you talk to newspaper editors and reporters, they will most likely tell you that one just has to pick up from hundreds of faxed, e-mailed or personally delivered press releases and see the state of storytelling in the country. You will get stunned at the poor grammar, spelling errors and complete lack of any apparent writing skills. There is a huge disconnect between journalists and public relations practitioners because of the lack of writing skills and storytelling ability.

To be an effective storyteller, we must stop trying to sell. You must learn instead the art and science of connecting with your audience, not manipulating it. Reading some books on non-fiction writing and journalism can provide superb help. Excellent titles recommended for reading include Richard Dowis’ The Lost Art of the Great Speech, William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, Don Hewitt’s Tell Me A Story, Lilian Ross’ Reporting Back and Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.

When you have mastered the theories, move on to practice,

ml is Php12; its PET 1.5 liters is Php28. Quite a savings there.

Even long-term market leaders continue to reel under tremendous pressures of a bad economy. But in this precise scenario, RC Cola is re-discovered by past consumers and continues to entice brand new consumers away from more expensive softdrinks.

A salesman says, “More and more people going to the sari-sari stores ask for our brand. When the sari-sari store says it does not carry RC Cola, they do not buy what the store carries. Most hop to the next store till they find one carrying our brand. On the business side, more and more sari-sari store owners are convinced that they earn more with our softdrinks, by sheer number of bottles bought per day.”

Whether this is a true indication of the claim, “RC Cola Here” seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. While Coca Cola loudly summons the mothers to unite the family during mealtimes with Coke in their current TV campaign, the exposure to the TV ads may ironically influence the CD mothers to unite their families during mealtimes with RC Cola. “The aspirational thrust of Coca Cola remains aspirational for the lower CDs,

no matter how engaging the commercial may be.”

What may prove dangerous to Coca Cola in the long run is that the choice may not simply be a matter of economics. There are indeed adults from the AB market who pleasantly remember drinking RC Cola in their youth. Mark Escaler, chairman of the Communication Department of the Ateneo de Manila University, and his colleague,

What may prove dangerous to Coca Cola in the long run is that the choice may not simply be a matter of economics. There are indeed adults from the AB market who pleasantly remember drinking RC Cola in their youth.

Dr. Violet Valdez, executive director of Konrad Adenauer Foundation, both declared that they would not be adverse to switching to RC Cola once in a while, if they could find the drink more readily available in their regular haunts. It may be wise for Coca Cola not to disregard the heritage of RC Cola.

Right now, RC Cola’s marketing is more focused on the sari-sari stores. RC Cola has been using comic books “to educate the sarisari store owners as far as their right to carry any and all brands is concerned.” The colorful comic books answer, graphically and in simple Pinoy language, the deepest questions, down to the littlest unspoken fears of the small entrepreneur, the sari-sari store owner.

With the mushrooming of “RC Cola Here” outdoor ads, the impact is undeniable. After school, under the scorching sun, as the teeners and tweeners walk home, pausing and drinking a cold bottle of RC Cola in front of Ka Iska’s Sari-sari store becomes the day’s highlight.

According to them, this allure began with RC Cola’s glaring invitation on the wall covering one whole block before the talipapa.

Call it non-traditional. Call it below-the-line. It is good; it is inexpensive and terrifically cost-effective communication. The crux is it delivers.

NANETTE FRANCO-DIYCO is a faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Asia & the Pacific.

She also writes a weekly advertising column in the BusinessWorld and a bi-monthly marketing column in the Food & Beverage World Magazine.

practice, and more practice. Find someone who has no vested interest in your story, then tell it, and tell it well. Be prepared for feedback as we bring our story to a defined public. The stimulus-response (S-R) communications principle teaches us that people respond based on a stimulus. In comedy, the take is, if the audience doesn’t laugh, it’s not funny. In a stage performance, if the audience doesn’t clap, it’s not a great one. In PR, the same thing holds. If the public doesn’t get it, the public won’t support it.

If you understand the importance of telling your business story to a number of audiences—customers, media, employees, investment analysts, the trade, government and even competitors—you should match that understanding with clear objectives. For example, URC, the company that started C2, the country’s most favorite refreshment; Jollibee, the number one fast food chain; and National Bookstore, founded by Nanay Coring Ramos, the leading bookstore brand in the Philippines, all have glorious stories that deserve to be told well.

Storytelling can have many platforms—staff meetings, project presentations, company events, industry conferences, community gatherings, training sessions. The list is as endless as your imagination.

You need not be great storytellers to effectively use your stories.

However, you can heighten success by preparing how you will communicate your stories and taking into account some guidelines when you’re actually sharing them.

Telling your stories right will enhance your messages. They will connect more closely with those whom we want to hear them, and increase your chance of success.

You tell stories in casual conversations. These stories often spill out without any pre-planning. While spontaneity is the norm in these settings, choosing the great stories to use in more formal venues requires anticipation. Lori Silverman of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) lists five criteria for selecting stories:

Who will watch, hear or read your story? Make sure that the story and the words and language used are appropriate for your audience.

The last thing you want is to inadvertently offend someone.

What objective are you trying to achieve? This doesn’t mean the story needs to strictly fit the topic; a metaphorical or symbolic story can be just as powerful.

Where will you physically tell the story? If the story is meant only for a certain audience, learn about the location where you’ll be delivering it.

When will you tell a story, in relation to other information that you’ll share?

If you know people will be tired or distracted, open with a story to capture their attention. If you suspect they may resist what you have to share, relay a story beforehand that helps them understand its importance. If you’re unsure that they’ll comprehend the data you have to communicate, tell a story afterwards that brings meaning to it—or tell one early on that leads into the need for the findings. If you’re skeptical that they’ll do what’s been asked of them, end with a story that speaks to the need to take action.

Telling your stories right will enhance your messages. They will connect more closely with those whom we want to hear them, and increase your chance of success. Take time to prepare what needs to be prepared and think through the impact your story will create. Tell our audience your stories from your head and heart, and your audience’ hearts and heads will likewise open.

BONG OSORIO is an active marketing communications practitioner, a multi-awarded educator and writer rolled into one. He currently heads the Corporate Communication Division of ABS-CBN, and is a professor at the University of Santo Tomas, as well as a columnist in the Philippine Star.

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marketmentor

A

Advertising That Sells

by Willy Arcilla

s the advertising world converges on Cannes to pay homage to outstanding creative, allow me to share principles from over 25 years of developing advertising—mediocre, good and great—or over 50 brands in 30 diverse categories across the Asia-Pacific.

Effective advertising must achieve all three desired consumer responses: (1) Awareness and Recall; (2) Attitude and (3) Behavior.

Most importantly, I firmly believe that the most effective advertising impacts immediately on consumer offtake, sales, market share, and therefore profitability.

There are six key elements of effective advertising:

Strong Branding, not only in the frequency of brand mentions but in establishing a strong and memorable role for the brand. A good

example is Visa’s multi-awarded “Dining Out” when Zhang Ziyi flashes her Visa card only once at the end, to pay for the broken furniture in a recreation of a memorable segment from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” As part of strong branding, effective ads dramatize the product-in-action in a “window” which evokes the consumer usage experience, e.g., appetite appeal for food and thirst-quenching moment for beverages; or glitz and glamour for jewelry and cosmetics.

Benefit Promise that is told in a compelling and dramatic way.

Sterling examples are many of the Nike ads that project the “Just do it” attitude, allowing consumers to experience the adrenalin rush in a vicarious manner.

Permission-to-Believe which, while increasingly becoming optional for brands that already enjoy saliency, are a necessary condition for newly-developing and nascent brands in order to convince consumers to prefer one’s brand over competitors. A decades-old example is the local Safeguard’s skin-germ protection campaign, leveraging the soap’s active ingredients and visualized in a trademark side-by-side wipe visual by credible health professionals.

I doubt if the best campaigns were initially created with the vision of creating a campaign. Campaigns cannot be pursued, but must ensue by first getting the key elements right in the first installment.

Comprehension is often taken for granted, but it is disturbing how some materials are produced to the point of incomprehensibility even for target consumers, supposedly for the sake of creativity or modernity. Ads are made to sell, not to please eccentric creative juries.

Uniqueness is a trait that becomes increasingly important in an increasingly cluttered environment—not just in one’s industry, but across all types of advertising. The most effective ads are bold and

THE PLAIN, UNVARNISHED TRUTH

by Lucien Dy Tioco

The beauty of research is that it offers us many ways of looking at one thing. Take the media consumption pie, for instance. These days, with mass markets quickly disintegrating and niche audiences fast on the rise, plainly being No. 1 just doesn’t hack it anymore.

This is why we at The Philippine Star often ask ourselves, where exactly are we No. 1? Does our leadership translate to any value for our clients?

In Metro Manila, which easily accounts for a third of the country’s gross domestic product and for many clients spells anywhere between 70-80 per cent of their total sales, The Philippine Star is now on top of the heap among yesterday readers from MondaySaturday with a 47.4 percent readership. This

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is according to data coming from the Nielsen Media Index Q1 2008.

As of the last semester of 2007, the Media Index had also placed The Star atop readership rankings among yesterday Metro Manila readers belonging to the ABC1 socioeconomic class. The Star gained from a 35.7 percent readership in the first semester of 2006 to 47.3 percent in the latest results.

Q1 2008 data from the Nielsen Media Research Print Advertising Information Service, which monitors advertising placements in print media, among others, also shows Philippine Star already getting the lion’s share of print advertising expenditure.

For the period January to December 2007, P2.97 billion worth of print advertising

went to us. The Star reflected a 27 percent jump in 2007 compared to its 2006 billings, and the trend has carried on to the first quarter of 2008, with The Star cornering P694 million (43.1 percent).

More than proof that The Philippine Star is the paper of choice when it comes to advertising, steady growth in share of advertising billings is a reflection of the paper’s positive attributes.

The longer the competition falsely believes for its own convenience that The Star’s success is just a myth—that the paper is highly visible because it is giving away its copies for free and that its advertising space can be bought for a song—the better it is for us.

Clearly, The Philippine Star cannot be denied its place in the heated arena that is the newspaper business. Whether the competition agrees or not, there can be no cease-and-desist order on The Star’s continued rampage.

In its latest monitoring, the Nielsen Media Index notes that The Star “continued to show steady growth on all fronts and continued to improve its readership ratings among ABC1 readers in Metro Manila” and guess who’s getting worried sick.

Need we say more?

LUCIEN DY TIOCO is vice president for Advertising in the The Philippine Star.

Just when an ad begins to “sink in” with consumers, the Marketer or Advertiser decides to change it. I have learned that Brand and Creative people experience wear-out faster than consumers, or fall guilty to the “Not Invented Here” Syndrome whenever a new guy comes aboard.

brave, carry an element of surprise and unpredictability.

Reaction is defined as an ad’s likeability and entertainment value, and by this is meant not only the popular use—or abuse—of celebrities, music or humor. People must like an ad to buy a product.

Effective advertising rises to the next level when it begins to assume the value of a campaign, by transcending boundaries and enduring the test of time, gaining traction and resonating with consumers in different countries due to deep universal insights that are cleverly leveraged to promote a brand and its benefit promise.

I doubt if the best campaigns were initially created with the vision of creating a campaign. Campaigns cannot be pursued, but must ensue by first getting the key elements right in the first installment. They are unlike the soap operas and telenovelas and more like bestselling series like “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” whose sequels and prequels arise after the success of the first movie.

Such legendary campaigns that started modestly include “Come to Marlboro Country”, Absolute Vodka’s bottle series, the Rolex series, “Intel Inside”, Mastercard’s “Priceless”, American Express’s “Don’t leave home without it.”, Nike’s “Just Do It”, Adidas’ “Impossible Is Nothing”, Singapore Airlines’ “Singapore Girl, A Great Way to Fly”, Safeguard’s “Skin-Germ Protection” and Surf’s “Wais si Lumen”. The key to a campaign is in balancing what is familiar with what is new, or in telling the same message but always in a refreshingly different way.

There appear to be three classic contradictions or trade-offs in developing effective copy. (1) Do we focus on the functional or emotional benefit; (2) Do we sell the steak or sizzle; (3) Should it be informative or entertaining? My conclusion is that the best executions

strike the perfect balance, so much so that one can no longer distinguish between two contrasting dimensions because they have been seamlessly integrated into one engaging story.

Here are six of the finer points in advertising from my collection of successful advertising. (1) Develop sharp briefs. (2) Demand great executions. (3) Discover strong consumer insights which your brand, product or advertising can capitalize on. (4) Don’t just extol your product, but extol the virtues of your user. (5) It pays to have a “Pay Off” if it helps in memorability of the brand and what the product can do for the consumer—not just for entertainment value. (6) Never ever overpromise because this raises false expectations.

When evaluating advertising studies, imagine you are the target consumer watching a TV program that is rudely interrupted by a commercial break containing 10 to 15 other ads.

(1) Start with a gut-feel reaction. Do you like it or not? Do you understand it or not? Is it unique enough to cut through the clutter or does it remind you of a competitive product or another similar advertisement? (2) Evaluate the key elements. Is it on-strategy? Does it bring to life the brand positioning? What is the role of the brand? Is the benefit promise compelling enough? Is the permission-to-believe dramatically convincing? Is the image projected consistent with consumers’ perception of the brand character?

Never tire of your advertising execution or campaign before consumers do. Just when an ad begins to “sink in” with consumers, the Marketer or Advertiser decides to change it. I have learned that Brand and Creative people experience wear-out faster than consumers, or fall guilty to the “Not Invented Here” Syndrome whenever a new guy comes aboard.

Finally, the best test of great advertising? When you never tire of seeing it repeatedly.

WILLY ARCILL A is the president of Business Mentors, Inc., and regional director of ZMG Ward Howell with 25 years of experience in various Marketing, Sales, and General Management roles across the Asia-Pacific region for MNCs and Philippine firms.

Truth in Advertising? same flavor. same recipe. new kitchen. we have moved to Unit C2A Bldg. C, Karrivin Plaza 2316 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati City t 8450218 / 3846566 f 8450217

GIRLS IN LOVE AND CRIME Love is blind. Apparently, it’s also crooked.

It began as a typical industry romance: Rich girl meets poor girl. Girls fall in love. Rich girl entrusts poor girl with her savings. Girls have a lovers’ quarrel. Poor girl runs away in tears—and with the rich girl’s money.

Rich girl wailed scandalously, and her colleagues tsk-tsk’ed in sympathy. That was, until the supposedly evil ex released the sordid details…which amazingly enough, contained no GOG action.

It turned out that Ms. Richie Rich, who is an agency producer, made her money by charging her favored production house a “retainer’s fee”, which her ex collected and hid from prying eyes. And the lovers’ quarrel? It was most likely caused by inequitable distribution of profits. Public sympathy quickly turned to derision and disgust.

Ms. Richie Rich scrambled to douse the fire by patching things up with the ex. But it was too late.

Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scammed.

Heard any good tsismis lately?

Want to start one?

Send it to: rumors@adobomagazine.com

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The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

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Asia

Dominates Cannes

Outshines the US and UK

by Angel Guerrero in Press and Outdoor

CANNES, FRANCE—For the first time in the Cannes Lions’ history, two Grands Prix were awarded in the Film Lions. The honor was shared by the epic web series for the XBox Halo 3 campaign, created by McCann Worldgroup San Francisco and TAG San Francisco, and the simple and delightful “Gorilla” spot for Cadbury from Fallon London.

Craig Davis, JWT chief creative officer and Lions jury chairman, said, “Choosing one over the other was a bit futile when, essentially, you’ve got fantastic work in both spaces.”

It was a fitting conclusion to a hotly contested awards season. These two spots won top prizes at other shows. XBox “Believe” took the Grand Clio and Best of Show in The One Show. But Cadbury “Gorilla” won the rare D&AD Black Pencil.

The XBox Halo 3 also won the Integrated Lions Grand Prix at the final awards ceremony in Cannes. The Titanium & Integrated jury was chaired by Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide.

Asia Catches Up Country Asia US UK

Film 8 38 20

Press 22 3

Outdoor 19 3 4

Radio 5 9 2

TOTAL 54 53 26

Asia’s Creative Superstars

(Metal count in all categories) Country China Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Korea Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam

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Grand Prix

Gold

Silver

1 1

4

2

5

4 1 6

3

3

2 4

1 9

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Bronze

Total

5 2 13

6 2 23 1 25 1 11 1 9 16 2 97

12 1 5 1 6 3 2 TOTAL

Projector Tokyo wins big...twice!

The US won an impressive 38 Cannes Lions in Film while the UK won 20, compared to last year’s haul of 26 for the US and nine for the UK. All in all, it was good performance for two massive markets that traditionally lead in the awards show. Not long ago, their standings were threatened by the Cannes-obsessed agencies from Brazil.

[They] predicted Asia would not do well in Cannes...Well, Asia proved them wrong.

This year, however, all eyes turned to the emerging creative superstar in Cannes: Asia.

JWT India won its first Grand Prix, in the Direct Lions for Times of India. Dentsu Tokyo won the Grand Prix in Radio for Canon digital cameras. Projector Tokyo’s three-man agency won two Grands Prix for the clothing brand Uniqlo “Uniqlock” viral campaign, one in Titanium and another in Cyber Lions.

Looking at the mainstream advertising categories of Film, Press, Outdoor and Radio, Asia won 54 Lions, while the US and UK won 53 and 26 Lions, respectively. Asia’s lead came primarily from the Press and Outdoor categories, but its overall score of 97 Lions came from 11 Asian countries—Japan (25 Lions), India (23 Lions), Thailand (16 Lions), Malaysia (11 Lions), China (6), Singapore (9), Hong Kong (2 Lions), Vietnam (2 Lions), Philippines (1 Lion), and Indonesia (1 Lion).

Asia’s stellar performance at Cannes led reporters to question why the US and the UK did not fare as well, despite several hundred entries and a tradition of strength in these categories.

Davis responded that, “in the jury room it is just the work. No countries…no political agendas.”

He went on to say, “India had a wonderful result. People who have done well have done it based on merit.”

At the Asia Pacific ADFEST, Jury President Tony Davidson predicted Asia would not

Prasoon presides over Outdoor

Dentsu bags Grand Prix for Radio

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

do well in Cannes. Likewise, AdAge reported in March that “the regional ad show that is building a global reputation as Asia’s Cannes festival—is a harbinger, there won’t be big winners from Asia at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this year.”

Well, Asia proved them wrong.

Several Asian Cannes contenders—like the Luxor print work from India, the Petronas “Tan Hong Ming” TV spot from Malaysia, the adidas Olympics ad from China, the Penguin Books campaign from Malaysia, and the Tesco ads from Thailand—scored Gold Lions.

Grand Prix in Press went to DDB South Africa for its Energizer campaign, which showed kids misbehaving when short-lived batteries deprived them of toys.

In Outdoor, Jury President Prasoon Joshi of McCann India, said “we were looking for idea that gave new language to the medium, ideas that are not adapted to the medium but made for the medium.”

The multi-platform winner, including that of a Grand Prix in Outdoor was, HBO “Voyeur” by BBDO New York. This campaign Design Lions Grand Prix. The revered Rodney Fitch was the jury president of this new gained the agency the Cannes “Agency of the Year” award. Joshi described the work as one Design Cannes category.

Other highlights included: that “competes with life in such a beautiful BBDO New York won Agency of the Year; manner, you get completely engaged.”

The Network of the Year award was The notable Cyber Grand Prix was the presented to BBDO; progressive work for “Uniqlock.” It was made The Palme d’Or, given to the best by a small team “with an ingenious approach production company, was awarded using analogue media, that you cared about, to MJZ, USA; admired by people across the spectrum,” said The Advertiser of the Year trophy was jury head Colleen DeCourcy. presented to Procter & Gamble, in The big winner in the Media Lions was honor of P&G’s continued creative and AMF Pension Fund, from Forsman & Bodeninnovative advertising. CEO and Global fors of Sweden.

Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola’s corporate identity campaign Jim Stengel, accepted the award.

by Turner Duckworth UK won the inaugural

Gabriela “Duct Tape” brings a surprising and much-needed Lion for the Philippines CANNES, FRANCE— DM9 JaymeSyfu, a Manila ad agency affiliated with the DDB network of communications companies, won the Philippine’s only Cannes Lions at the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival.

For the country, this year’s score was one of the lowest in recent memory. In contrast, the Philippines scored a Gold Lion in Radio (JW T), a Silver Lion in film (BBDO Guerrero), a Bronze Lions in Outdoor (Ogilv y & Mather), and several more in the previous two years.

DM9 JaymeSyfu’s Bronze trophy, for the Gabriela “Duct Tape” poster campaign, was the country’s first Cannes Media Lion. It competed against 2,000 entries from 76 countries in the Media category.

More surprisingly, it won in a competition usually dominated by media inde-

pendent agencies.

Shortly after the announcement, identically executed poster campaigns, like that of Amnesty International from 2005, resurfaced. Well, as the saying goes, “great minds think alike!” Nevertheless, the international jurors at Cannes, headed

by Dominic Proctor, worldwide CEO of MindShare, chose Gabriela “Duct Tape” because it was a “media effort that generated access to consumers in ways that are simultaneously innovative, engaging, encompassing and effective.”

Six advertising agencies led Manila’s performance with 14 shortlisted ads. Young DM9 JaymeSyfu brought in five —the Gabriella “Duct Tape” campaign, Vandol “Siren” and Pro Life “Regret ” radio commercials, Tinactin “Fish” poster and the Extra-

The Cannes Lions 2008 turned out to be the largest gathering and the largest number of entries in the history in the festival. Over 10,000 delegates from ad agencies, marketers, the media, production houses from 85 countries flew to the glitzy beachside city of Cannes to attend the world’s biggest and most prestigious advertising festival, held June 15-21, 2008. The Palais des Festivals was abuzz with thoughtprovoking seminars, master classes by the masters themselves, workshops, and an exhibition of the world’s best advertising and communications campaigns on display—all proving that the advertising industry is robust and very much alive.

in Design for the W WF “Glowing Sticker”.

Ogilvy & Mather, a Bronze winner last year, managed a two-fer for the DHL “Lost” in Press and Outdoor.

Last year’s first Cannes Gold Lion winner in Radio, JWT, scored one more in the shortlists. This time, it was for the Shell “Are We There Yet?” radio spot.

TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s humorously graphic “QT” for Cinemanila, and Campaigns & Grey ’s Pantene Shampoo “Hold” outdoor ad also made the cut.

Despite the high number of shortlisted ads,

...a “media effort that generated access to consumers in ways that are simultaneously innovative, engaging, encompassing and effective.”—Media Lions Jury President Dominic Procter on the “Duct Tape” win derm “Clock ” T VC. BBDO Guerrero, which already has several Cannes Lions under its belt, had four ads shortlisted: three for their client NU 107 Radio Station in Radio and Press, and one

it was a lackluster year for the Philippines. It became more apparent when latecomers like Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Korea began scoring as well, if not better.

A record of 26,000

entries from 85 countries competed for the coveted Lions at the prestigious Cannes International Advertising Festival in France. Delegates numbers also soared to over 10,000.

“It is an indication that agencies and clients across the world are embracing creativity and wishing to showcase their work at a global level at the festival,” said Philip Thomas, the festival CEO. Once again, the Philippine Daily Inquirer was the country ’s Official Festival Representative at Cannes. The newspaper’s delegates, Felipe Olarte and Rene Reinoso, gave full support to the 30member Philippine team here at Cannes. Clients from Smart Communications, Citibank, Toyota and Nestlé also graced the festival. Our two Young Lions representatives, JB Bangoy and Honey Girl Quipanes from J Romero, together with Cannes Radio juror Leigh Reyes of Y&R Philippines, hoisted the Philippine flag high.

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The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

themselves from this abuse. They are less educated, have no source of income nor savings to support themselves and their children, and are more concerned with day-to-day chores and their duties to their families more than to themselves”.

Past efforts to encourage victims and witnesses of spousal abuse to report their cases have fallen short of expectations. The agency felt that using TV and Print as the main media was the cause for this.

These channels can be distant and intimidating to women who face fear and shame in their ordeals.

Alcudia continued, “Putting messages against abuse in traditional media is indeed effective in terms of reach. However, given the 1-room and 1-TV setup of our target market, it may be difficult for her to immediately take action on reporting her husband. Especially if the husband and the children are watching or listening with her.”

So the creative team Sotto puts it as “giving thought of bringing the ads these victims the feeling closer to home, making use of a venue for trivial conof having a problem that’s cerns. As we know, telephone as normal as our everyday posts here in our country are concerns—like a broken commonly used as advertispipe or a busted TV.” ing venues for plumbers, DM9 JaymeSyfu, represented by electricians, free tambak (landfill) and more. Crudely printed numMerlee Jayme and Herbert Hernandez bers on scratch paper, painted announcements and services usually adorn these posts. arely three years in operation, DM9 Jayme Syfu, Sotto puts it as “giving these victims the feeling of having a probbrought home the very first Media Lion for its work lem that’s as normal as our everyday concerns—like a broken pipe or a “Duct Tape” for the women’s group Gabriela and came busted TV. And as such, just as easy to address if only they report it.” up with the most number of finalists from the recently Alcudia adds,” These messages on electric posts will be there for concluded 2008 Cannes Festivals. her to see and think about in her daily route, on her way to the marWith their work for Gabriela, Merlee Jayme, DM9’s chief ket, when bringing and picking up kids from school, when going out to creative officer believed that her relationship with their client of pay bills, is a perfect time to capture her attention while she’s alone.” over 10 years inspired them to think of fresh yet relevant ideas to help women and children.

“They were always open-minded with the ideas. They loved the more daring ones, the memorable ones. Our main objective had always been to find the best way to reach out to the Manila’s DM9 JaymeSyfu is titan in a tiny package. victims—whether of sex trafficking or spousal abuse.”

When it opened their doors in 2006, it was manned by only six The biggest winner among all their work for the women’s creatives and six account people. Despite its size, this agency won magroup was the recently awarded “Duct Tape” campaign. Crejor accounts and winning awards. In its first 52 weeks, they produced atives Ronnie Amador, with the help of Creative Director Louie just as many TV spots.

Sotto and Allan Montayre thought of a new way of reaching out After two and a half years, the staff has grown to 24, and the to their target market via a medium so loosely used by plumbers agency has won enough awards to make it to No. 6 in the Campaign and “lipat-bahay” services: the telephone poles.

Brief Asia Rankings for the Philippines. Managing partners Merlee After carefully studying the market, DM9’s Strategic PlanJayme and Alex Syfu credit this success to the strength of all their ner Diday Alcudia found valuable learnings. “While spousal teams in a wide range of market categories and media. abuse happens to women across all economic classes, the less It’s not for nothing that Jayme calls their little agency-that-could privileged have a harder time confronting the issue and freeing “small but credible.”

DM9 JaymeSyfu Speaks Up

On Gabriela and the Country’s 1st Media Lion

B

Team Titan

lions that Philippine Daily Inquirer sponsored. “A two spot-colored artwork of a uvula forming a fist. It was literally the translation of the message ‘strength of the voice’.”

They muttered, “That would not even pass for an A in a college plate.”

Next day, Team Germany won a Bronze. Netherlands won the Gold This year’s Young Lions Print competition revolved around Amnesty medal, while Turkey was awarded the Silver.

International. The brief was to motivate jaded citizens and build their This gave Gigay and her partner JB Bangoy pause. Were they big confidence so they could become activists for human rights. Easy enough, ideas? Were they all well executed? Was their reaction to the fist-forming until you’re told to do it within 24 hours. uvula wrong?

Nevertheless, 40 pairs of Young Lions took the challenge.

“Where will you be when we march?” was Team Philippines’ concept.

“It was karma. JB and I burst out laughing at this female team [from The pair felt that that its freshness would set them apart. Perhaps it did, but Germany],” remembers Gigay Quipanes, one of the two young Philippine not enough.

“Our ECD [Shu Manalo of J Romero Advertising] said we could have pushed it further, that it could have been simpler. The winning works had simple ideas. But how simple is ‘brilliantly simple’? We can’t gauge. Maybe we’re still young. Maybe we need Judgment 101.”

JB ponders the lesson. “When trying to cross borders and language barriers, you have to take the simplest idea and execute it creatively. Some wires must have been crossed in my head, because I thought it was about thinking creatively and executing it with simplicity. Now, I know better.”

He sounds humbled, but then quickly, he adds, “Future competitions, beware.”

Gold, The Netherlands Bronze, Germany

A Simple Lesson

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INSIDE THE LIONS’ DEN Toby Talbot

Film Lions juror and Executive Creative Director, DDB New Zealand

The judging was a great experience in so much as we all got on.

Having to sit through thousands of TV ads in six days wasn’t such a pleasure!

We watched more filmed material than any jury has ever had to endure in the history of the event. It was a marathon.

The positive side to that is that when you spend six 12-hour days in a darkened room with a bunch of strangers, they’re not strangers for long. I made some great friendships this year.

When there as many 21 people on a jury, you’re always going to get factions. The Spanishspeaking nations tend to gravitate towards one another, as do the Scandinavian countries, the Asian and the American/English. That said, there was none of the infamous block voting that Cannes juries are renowned for.

I enjoyed the fact that if your work was being discussed, you didn’t have to leave the room Crest Toothpaste “Bulldozer” TV (which happens at Clio judging). We’re all grown ups, and you wouldn’t be stupid enough to talk up your own work.

Plus I find it useful to hear what great advertising people think of my ads. These opinions I consider gold dust. It’s how you learn.

My personal favourite was a campaign for Crest toothpaste out of Saatchi New York. The degree of difficulty for toothpaste is pretty high.

And the simple insight that a smile lets you get XBOX Halo3 “Believe” away with doing all kinds of bad stuff was genius.

The executions were flawless. A lesser director would have screwed it up. The casting was sublime. The comic timing was impeccable.

How did Asia do in the Film Lions? Not great. Print and poster was a different story though. I think the crucial learning I took out of Film this year, in terms of trends, is that a shitload of CGI isn’t going to make your ad any better. Particularly when everyone else is using it. There were countless CGI “epics” out of Asia. The ads with a great idea and a superb performance were the ones you tended to remember.

Well, this year, we remembered two, in particular. For the first time ever, the Film category was divided into two sub-categories; Broadcast and Films for Other Media. Craig Davis, our jury Chair, described the distinction between the two brilliantly: “Push or pull.”

When it came to picking one winner, it proved impossible to compare such a rich, expansive campaign as that for Halo 3, which ran mainly online and one TV spot that broke all the rules, Cadbury “Gorilla”. Both are brilliant in very different ways and both stood out from the crowd. Hence, both won the Grand Prix.

If you ask me about my Cannes experience this year, I’ll be honest and say, “pretty shit.” Professionally, I was very pleased with DDB New Zealand’s tally of two Silver Lions, two Bronze and eleven Finalists. Personally, it was the hardest, toughest week I have ever done on a jury. No parties. No drinking. Just 4,600 TV ads.

It’s no coincidence that I haven’t watched the TV since I got home!

...a shitload of CGI isn’t going to make your ad any better. Particularly when everyone else is using it. There were countless CGI “epics” out of Asia. The ads with a great idea and a superb performance were the ones you tended to remember.

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Eugene Cheong

Press Lions juror and Regional Head of Copy Ogilvy & Mather Asia/Pacific, Singapore All that you’ve heard about Cannes is true.

Apart from being a creative contest, Cannes is a clash of cultures. There are four main blocs: the Anglos, the Latinos, the North Europeans and the Asians. However, the fight is mostly between the first two. Whilst the Anglos are anal and exclusive, the Latinos are compromising, consensus-building group animals. The two are natural adversaries.

At the press conference, it suddenly struck the jury that the both the UK and the US hadn’t even picked up a single Lion. Have the Latinos vanquished the Anglos?

No, the reason, it turns out, is less sinister than

I

confess, I developed an aversion to headphones. After listening to over 600 radio commercials over two days, and more than a hundred on the shortlist for two days after that, this was understandable.

As it was just us, our headphones and a formidable folder of scripts and translations, we were the anti-social jury. We retreated into silence and the occasional gulps of water. The process was smooth; we listened to the commercials straight through (we couldn’t fastforward), scored them on our iPaqs, and packed up when we finished the day ’s categories.

We discussed the wacky and the worthy over lunch, the only time we were without headphones.

Early on, I liked Sprite Zero’s “Last Girl on the Dancefloor”, one of three Shiseido spots out of Japan that spoke of a philosophy

of beauty, the Smart “Having a Laugh With Smart ” campaign, and the EOS Kiss Digital Camera “Shutter Chance” that would eventually be declared the Grand Prix.

The Shiseido spots didn’t make it, even though I thought they were hauntingly beautiful, the aural equivalent of a sequence of manga pages that depict nothing but the hero slowly walking through rain.

Was it a girl thing? A cultural thing? I don’t know, but no one else seemed to appreciate the campaign. Culture does play a role, and the more cultures you’ve been exposed to, the bet-

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

that. The English, I found out, don’t rate Cannes as their preeminent awards.

They rather prefer their very own D&AD. While the Americans, according to my New York colleagues, don’t do a lot of press advertising these days. They blame the recession and the Internet for their lack of presence in this category.

At the press conference, it suddenly struck the jury that the both the UK and the US hadn’t even picked up a single Lion. Have the Latinos vanquished the Anglos?

There were a total of 7,500 entries.

Because the jury was split up into three teams to work on the shortlist, I only managed to see a third of the work. My feeling was that quite a lot of good work didn’t survive the initial culling. For instance, the superb work for Jeep by BBDO Malaysia, which won a Gold in Outdoor didn’t even make it into Round Two. It’s a shame, and Cannes needs to ensure that the best work should, at the very least, get on the shortlist.

Because of the volume of entries, it is usually the predigested, poster-like work that succeeds in Cannes. However, there is a charming little ad for Reynolds permanent marker that made it to

Leigh Reyes

Silver. Bravo! The piece features a pair of identical twins. Only if you look closely, will you see that one of the children has a beauty spot, which had, of course, been made by a Reynolds permanent marker. Like all the best press work, the ad from JWT Mumbai enlists your participation and interacts with you without the aid of a computer.

The Indians did very well this year, taking home two Gold Lions for Luxor Highlighters and Anti-female Foeticide.

Both entries were very well crafted and involving, with latter being particularly hard-hitting.

Thailand, as usual, performed well.

They’d have walk away with two Gold Lions as well. Unfortunately, one (the better one) had to be withdrawn at the very last minute because of client issues.

Two campaigns were up for the Grand Prix: Alka-Seltzer from BBDO Bangkok and Energizer from DDB Joíburg. The jury whirled and swirled, and, in the end, chose the South African campaign. Whilst the Thai campaign was loved for its sheer stopping power, the jury felt the Energizer work goes under your skin and is the more engaging of the two.

All in all, I enjoyed Cannes this year; I had the chance to see thousands of ads. Beats partying and boozing for seven endless days.

Radio Lions juror and Executive Creative Director, Y&R Philippines

Alka-Seltzer “T-Bone Steak” print

Energizer “Paint” print

ter the chances of you appreciating creativity expressed through cultural nuances.

The opposite also holds true.

The shortlist discussion was animated and passionate, but never antagonistic.

Mark Gross, our jury president, walked the “ friendly yet authoritative” tightrope well.

My favorite quote from him, at the start of the judging: “Here’s our schedule. From 9 to 10, I’ll be tanning my front side. From 10 to 11, the back side. Just come out and bring me drinks.”

One of the judges told me, “Hey, the Philippines has a lot of entries.”

Four of these entries stood out enough from the sea of over 1,200 to be deemed shortlist-worthy. So why no metal? Two of them had evil twins

in other categories.

The other two were overwhelmed by their category mates.

Asia was wellrepresented. I heard interesting entries from Singapore, Malaysia (the Y&R Malaysia work

...the more cultures you’ve been exposed to, the better the chances of you appreciating creativity expressed through cultural nuances. The opposite also holds true. for Colgate, which took top honors in AdFest, managed a Silver), and India— but I’m sure we can do much better as a region next year.

The Gold winners were easy. When our iPaqs froze in the middle of the metal

scoring session, we resorted to counting raised hands. Marshall Music “Drums” was an almost unanimous Gold, as well as Mercedes Benz “Nothing.”

These were the other two contenders for the Grand Prix.

When we were asked to vote on Canon EOS Kiss “Shutter Chance” for Grand Prix, I saw all our hands go up. Mark captured why, when he introduced it at the awards night: “It ’s beautifully produced, it ’s wonderfully written, it ’s highly engaging, it ’s universally understood, it ’s timeless.

And most importantly it does what great radio advertising should, and that ’s perfectly demonstrate what the product ’s benefit is. I’m jealous I didn’t do this spot.

I love this spot.”

Ditto.

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INSIDE THE LIONS’ DEN Richard Copping Outdoor Lions Juror and Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore I had heard good and bad things about judging at Cannes, but my experience on the Outdoor Jury was a positive one.

You can’t prepare yourself for judging. It is all about the moment, and that moment is spread over five long days in a small room at the Palais des Festivals.

Our Jury President was Prasoon Joshi who handled the jury with respect and dignity.

It was so important to have a jury president who loves ideas, as it set a standard for judging the work. The other jury members were highly respected individuals and came from all over the world, making for a strong jury panel.

Over the first two days, we judged 5,842 entries, slightly more than last year. The 12-member jury was split into two groups, but that didn’t ...winning is really lessen the judging time.

Some were fairly fast going hard. I don’t believe there is a formula...So through the portfolios of if you didn’t win, it’s work, but I took my time enjoying the thousands of because it’s somewhat ads in front of me. of a lottery, and you’ve The Outdoor category got to keep trying. expanded a lot over the last two years, and many entries are very wordy with video reference accompanying them.

I liked simple ideas that didn’t need a 100-word explanation, but the Cannes categories were blurring more and more and allowing entries to stretch across two or three categories.

I noticed that not many of these entries made it, probably because they were over-complicated and horrible to look at after nine hours of judging. Tip: Keep your ideas and entries simple.

On the third day, we got together to re-vote the work that made the first shortlist in order to create a final shortlist, which would go to the Press on Monday. I could see then, that Asia had done very well again. Asia got 155 out of a shortlist of 601.

The Lions were decided on the fourth day, and that was when the fun began. We were all given palm pilots to vote off.

The shortlisted work was displayed on a wall, and you were asked to vote YES or NO on your palm pilot.

I thought this was odd as it cut down the debate and made the whole experience cold. Luckily for us, the system crashed, and we resorted to a show of hands and open debate. By the end of the day, Asia had 17 out of the 64 Lion winners.

The Grand Prix went unanimously to BBDO New York’s HBO Voyeur Projection Installation. I loved this for its sheer size of idea; it is so simple yet brilliantly executed. The entry had a reference video but didn’t need it, as the entry board was clear. This is true outdoor doing its job very well. It also won Grand Prix in Media.

The winners from Asia were unanimous, getting no less than ten votes (eight votes got you metal). Here are some of the Outdoor winners: Jeep (BBDO Malaysia)

A simple visual outdoor idea. An original 4x4 ad at last and not a single word needed. I just hope they create a third. Gold.

Matchbox Toy Cars (O&M Frankfurt)

My favourite work. The insight is brilliant; you wish you had done it. The photography is amazing. If not for HBO, it was my Grand Prix.

Penguin Books (Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia)

The execution of this idea is its strongpoint and got the jury up on its feet, appreciating the posters. Intriguing ads pull you in, and therefore it was awarded Gold.

Fresh Salads (LB Chicago)

A great outdoor idea with breathtaking execution. Should have been Gold. The discussion was over whether “growing on billboards” was overused. In my opinion, yes, but not like this. Silver.

HBO “Voyeur” installation

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The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

Penguin Books “Candlestick”

Sean Lam

Cyber Lions juror and Creative Director, Kinetic Singapore

G

The National Gallery Grand Tour (The Partners London)

The debate raged on this idea. Taking one of the most famous art galleries to the street, brilliant. It stayed Silver, as some felt it was not original.

Tesco (BBDO Bangkok)

The jury enjoyed this idea. Simple, original and entertaining. Silver It was an amazing experience judging at Cannes for the first time. You meet a lot of people who love what they do and are very good at it. But winning is really hard.

I don’t believe there is a formula. You just can’t predict what 12 international jury members will think of your work, or even if they’ll understand it. So if you didn’t win, it’s because it’s somewhat of a lottery, and you’ve got to keep trying.

oing through 2,700 Cyber Lions entries and eventually giving out metals after six days of intense judging was mentally very draining, but at the same time, extremely rewarding.

The relatively large jury consists of 25 top creative professionals from all over the world, and although everyone came from different cultural backgrounds as well as office structures, as a collective, there was a surprising level of consistency and similarity in our views as to what constitutes great work. There was hardly any voices raised, and all remarks were objectively and professionally delivered. I felt very humbled to work alongside such an incredibly talented bunch of people.

The standard of the entries was very good overThe standard of the entries was all, but (without very good overall, but...maybe not discrediting the great works that as exciting as previous years. The were deservingly reason could be that the interactive awarded) maybe medium has somewhat become more not as exciting as mainstream and has come of age... previous years. The reason could be that the interactive medium has somewhat become more mainstream and has come of age, so we are seeing a lot of sites with big-budget production values but lacking in the ideas department.

And this brings it a notch down in terms of user engagement.

There are however interesting works that stood out for me this year.

Sites like HBO “Voyeur” from the US, “Absolut machines” from Sweden, “Non-stop Fernando” and “Virgin Games” from the UK, which were especially inspiring due to their brilliant concepts and simplicity of execution, and most notably, sites from Japan like “Uniqlock,” “Rec You” and Axe “Laser” with their unique and fresh approach to web design.

Overall, it was a good year for Asia because of a very strong showing from Japan, taking a Grand Prix, three Golds, two Silvers and five Bronzes. India also historically won two Bronzes. The rest of Asia has a lot of catching up to do.

A total of three Grand Prix were given out One for “Uniqlock” for Uniqlo by Projector, Tokyo, Japan in the websites category. This beautiful and intricately put together website demonstrates the power and reach of online branding through the masterful use of graphic design and a quirky yet mesmerizing random sequence of female models dancing to the beat of the clock whilst showcasing the company’s clothing line. It sounds strange when you put it to words like this—go see it for yourself, and you’ll have a better idea.

Another was given to “SOL Comments” for Scandinavia Online by MEDIAFRONT, Oslo, Norway in the online advertising category. This ingenious piece of work shows that you can still be very creative with a familiar medium like banners, without coming across as trying too hard. In a nutshell, its basically banners that have “live” input from a group of copywriters on Wacom tablets, commenting wittily on news stories around the banners on the fly.

The third was given to “Year Zero” for Trent Rezner / NIN by 42 Entertainment, Pasadena, USA, in the Viral Marketing category. This allencompassing and multi-level campaign shows that viral marketing is so much more than just hitching a ride on the latest community-driven application or posting a funny video on YouTube.

Overall, I had a great time in Cannes. The place was beautiful, the weather perfect, and it lived up to its reputation as the glitziest of all advertising award shows. But more importantly, it was because of the fantastic people that I met and friends that I made along the way that made it so memorable.

Sony “Rec You”

A xe “Laser”

Uniqlo “Uniqlock”

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INSIDE THE LIONS’ DEN Chris Chui

Direct Lions juror and ECD, Leo Burnett Singapore Day 1

It ’s different being in Cannes before ‘it ’ begins.

“It ”, of course, referring to the week-long festival that is the Cannes Advertising Festival.

For one thing, it’s quieter. Outside of fellow jurors from the Promo Lions who have the same schedule and arrived the same day we did (the Tuesday before), there was absolutely no advertising crowd.

Checked into the Martinez, which was a treat. Pleased to discover I had the same driver as Brad and Angelina when they last stayed there. Close as I’ll ever get, eh?

Day 2

Ah, the first day of judging.

As a member of the Direct Chris Chui with fellow jury

weeks after returning, and it ’s still sitting neatly folded in its plastic bag. Oh, well.)

Split into a different group of five. Figured that since we were all now savv y Cannes judges, we’d zip through our quota for the day and catch the Euro championship.

Less than a hundred entries today. Half of which came under the category of “alternative media”.

Translation: Anything goes, and ambient bits were the popular modus operandi.

Wrong.

Again close to 200 entries to be judged. But today, my bits included integrated entries— which meant watching every submission prove its point across a minimum of three media.

Some were incredibly thought through. Most of it wasn’t.

From the replays, it seemed fair that Portugal won that night.

Day 3

At the end of Day 2, we were handed t-shirts from the organizers that said “Cannes Jury 2008”. Cool. Unlike some of the jurors, I figured I’d wait till the Croisette was a little more “relevant ” before I wore mine.

(Here we are, now some two

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Day 6

Metal and Grand Prix selection.

Never have I seen such a smooth system at this stage. Very much the result of our jury president, Marcio Salem’s leadership.

Awesome fellow and one of the most sincere and talented creatives I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

As it turned out, our jury awarded the least number of Golds across the whole festival.

What ’s more, half of our Golds were for a public service, which made them ineligible for the Grand Prix.

Easier still. “Times of India”, by a large majority.

Day 7

The last day of the first round–if you know what I mean.

Less than a hundred entries today. Half of which came under the category of “alternative media”. Translation: Any thing goes, and ambient bits were the popular modus operandi.

A lot faster to go through obviously. This time, we managed to get done early and even had notions about taking a boat to the neighbouring islands.

Who knew it actually rained in Cannes?

One last day of heav y lifting. International press conference.

No tough questions per se, which was good.

Didn’t see a single journalist from Southeast Asia, which was better. Just sit and pretend to be creative then.

The Direct and Promo award ceremonies ensued that evening.

Now, it ’s a Cannes tradition to show the jury at work and freeze-frame each juror before super-titling the names and country they represent. Saw myself not scratching my a** nor digging my nose. A resounding success!

Day 5

Days 8-9

Day 4

Lions jury, I knew it wasn’t going to be a simple case of looking over an ad and clicking a scanner.

It meant looking at strategies, creativity, the execution and results. Suffice to say, a lot of reading was to follow.

We were split into six groups of five jurors each. All in an effort to expedite going through 1,700 submissions— a record number for the category.

The first day, my group went through 190 entries. The beers we had after tasted a little sweeter, I thought.

work all made it to the shortlist. Of course, there are always going to be the few that get through where people go, “what/how the…” but I suppose that’s how it is.

(Saturday for anyone who thought this was a nice little junket) To come up with a name, this was “Shortlist Re-scoring” day.

Although it wasn’t the time for us to decide on the big prize, in many ways, I felt it was more important. Especially since this was when we decided who had a shot at Lions and ultimately, the Grand Prix.

Not surprisingly, it turned out to be the longest judging day, especially since every juror had to go through the top 10 percent of entries shortlisted.

For us, that number was 182, including call backs. And reviewing these meant hours of website navigation and storytelling videos, which we were encouraged to view.

Good news is, the deserving

Finally, time to relax and see the work across the other categories.

Asia looked well represented in outdoor and press. Deservedly so, I might add. The craftThe Direct Lions Jury

Breeze “Torture Test” ing was immaculate. Although I have to say the insights from the work from Latin American agencies seemed much stronger.

Day 10

Managed to squeeze in Bob Isherwood’s New Directors Showcase before my flight home. Incredibly glad I did.

There’s great directing talent out there. Now all we need is a budget!

Packed soon after and headed off to Nice International. Au revoir!

So there you have it.

10 days in the French Riviera. A pity to have missed the Film and Titanium bits but absolutely had to be back in the office. Fortunately, managed to have seen most of the winners earlier thanks to the Leo Burnett Cannes Predictions Reel.

Congratulations to all who picked up an award at Cannes.

You were in good company.

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

P

romo? Media idea? Digital? Direct? Short film? If it wasn’t blurry already, the line between them all just went totally hazy.

A week of judging the Promo Lions had me scrambling—what on earth is Promo these days?

Of course, of the nearly 1,200 entries up for consideration, it didn’t help that the really great ideas were outnumbered by the truly bad. But those few really good ones would challenge anyone’s basic concept of a promotion.

Now, some would probably define a promo as pretty much “anything with a starburst. Preferably red.”

The organizers at Cannes Lions define it as “activity designed to create immediate activation and/or offer for the sale of a product or service.”

I sat there thinking: surely, it’s any damn good idea that gets you involved immediately. And probably something that comes from New Zealand.

I wasn’t that far off.

New Zealand always seems to do exceptionally well in the Promos every year. Not only are they on good terms with sheep, but they are obviously on very good terms with their clients. You can see the closeness of that relationship in the ideas they manage to sell. New 7-Eleven “Simpson’s” Zealand clients trust their agencies—and with trust, you can be brave and bold.

The lesson is there for the rest of us.

And so the Speight’s ‘”Great Beer Delivery’”, which involved sending an entire working Speight’s Pub on a ship from Dunedin to London, was a MTV Australia “Welcome Snoop Dog” perfectly executed promotion. Just a rollickingly great idea.

But, I have to admit, even this started to look a little, dare I say, conventional.

Because around the corner lurked an idea like Halo3. This was a beautifully crafted exercise in tapping directly into the mindset of gamers, and it spanned web, television, cinema and even included a real-world Museum of Humanity.

Then there were big fun ideas like 7-Eleven’s “Simpson’s Promo” which converted a dozen 7-Eleven’s across North Playground “Hatch an Egg” America and turned them

into Kwik-E-Marts, and the subversive MTV “Welcome Snoop Dog” which had Australia campaigning to make Snoop a citizen. Both extremely different, yet both rooted in the perfect consumer experience.

But lest it seem that only big budgets produce big ideas, three of the smallest of executions were also extraordinary promotions.

Expedia.com in Germany simply hijacked the Weather Channel’s panoramic cameras. As the camera broadcast the current weather on freezing mountaintops and rainy valleys, people ran into

Rowan Chanen Promo Lions juror and Chief Creative Officer, Y&R Asia

Expedia.com “Weather Channel”

shot and unfurled banners advertising flights to Bali and the like.

Media idea or Promo? No, it was both.

Tricom Internet of the Dominican Republic was equally innovative. They enlisted an entire baseball team and had them walk out of the dugout in a stop-start motion that mimicked bad internet service.

It was almost performance art! In fact, the stunt got them a standing ovation from the crowd.

And an outdoor equipment New Zealand clients trust dealer in Sweden hatched a their agencies—and with chicken inside one of their down trust, you can be brave jackets in a truly charming and and bold. The lesson is irresistible idea which proved there for the rest of us. the warmth of their clothing.

But the big winner, taking the Grand Prix, was HBO Voyeur from BBDO and Big Spaceship. This was an amazing piece of work that really spoke directly to the heart of the brand in ways that were original, relevant and insightful. It launched with video footage projected onto the side of a New York building, designed to make it seem that you were spying on the lives of your neighbours. This extended via HBOvoyeur.com to a rich web experience and an entire feature film created especially for HBO On Demand.

This was such a complete and involving idea on so many levels.

It won big, not only for being extraordinary but because it really did re-define everything we can and should be doing in the world of advertising. Anyway you look at it, it defined Promo for me. july-august 08

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Radio Jury Leigh Reyes of Y&R Phils relaxes after jury duty

Omnicom’s Serge Dumont and BBDO’s Danny Searle

The golden couple Droga5’s Ted Royer and JEH’s Jureeporn Thaidumrong

The Philippine team on the red carpet

Adobo’s Angel and Y&R’s Leigh Reyes at the Saatchi New Directors Showcase

TBWA’s spirited Creativeat-Large John Merrifield

TBWA Chief Tom Carroll

TBWA Manila’s Jake Tesoro wins trip to Cannes after winning the global competition for the Absolut World network campaign

Asia’s Cannes Jury Presidents past and present, Prasoon Joshi and Piyush Pandey

Gods of Cannes, Philip Thomas and Terry Savage

BBDO, Network of the Year JWT worldwide creative chief Craig Davis talks about the Press Grand Prix winner

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Toyota Phils Dax Avenido enjoys Cannes

The China force, Tomas Mok and Jimmy Lam

Droga 5 Sydney’s David Nobay by the Majestic Pool

Rodney Fitch heads the inaugural Design Lions jury

Film juror Sonal Dabral

McCann’s CD, Noel Bermejo

Starcom Manila execs Dimples, Lizanne and Olive with Inquirer’s Pepito Olarte

On the red carpet is jury member Andy Blood and his gorgeous wife

Adobo Magazine stands high in Cannes!

Choose us!

Steve Clay of Lowe Manila celebrates his birthday in Cannes

South Africa gets the Press Grand Prix

The Cannes-elusive Neil French is sighted in the city with creatives

adobo’s Angel G. covers Cannes

BBDO Guerrero duo Joni Caparas and David Guerrero

Roger Makak aka Andy Greenaway and Thirasak of Creative Juice G1

Sheungyan Lo talks on China at the Asian Diversity seminar Cannes flies!

Creative couples, Jenny and Raoul Panes with Dave and Reese Ferrer

Gadget man, Graham Kelly demonstrate his Nokia phone with lens

Prasoon and Aparna Joshi shines in Cannes and Bollywood

Multi-Cannes winner and top-notch photog from Remix Thailand, Anuchai with daughter Mix

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INTEGRATED GRAND PRIX FILM GRAND PRIX Ad title: Halo 3 “Believe” Campaign / Agency: T. A.G. SF/McCann Worldgroup San Francisco Advertiser: Microsoft

FILM GRAND PRIX Ad title: “Gorilla” / Agency: Fallon London / Advertiser: Cadbury

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CANNESLIONS2008 GRANDPRIXWINNERS

For more on this campaign, read Bang for the Buck on page 126

TITANIUM GRAND PRIX CYBER GRAND PRIX Each line of dialogue is delivered as if the actor is moving past the microphone.

WOMAN :

(FADE IN) Baby stood up for the first time. (FADE OUT)

MAN

(FADE IN) I could see fireworks from my balcony. (FADE OUT)

:

WOMAN :

(FADE IN) My kids are waving to me from the roller coaster. (FADE OUT)

MAN

(FADE IN) The groom held his wife and kissed her. (FADE OUT)

:

WOMAN :

(FADE IN) Her fat cat jumped. (FADE OUT)

MAN

(FADE IN) Her baby tooth fell out. (FADE OUT)

:

WOMAN :

(FADE IN) My husband did a bungee jump. (FADE OUT) (FADE IN) Came back up. (FADE OUT) (FADE IN) Went back down again. (FADE OUT)

MAN

(FADE (FADE (FADE (FADE

:

ANNCR :

IN) IN) IN) IN)

My wife finally smiled at me. (FADE OUT) It ’s been five years (FADE OUT) since she smiled (FADE OUT) at me. (FADE OUT)

The moment you want captured won’t wait for you.

Now with a start-up time of just 2/10 of a second.

EOS Kiss digital camera. Canon Marketing Japan.

Ad title: “Uniqlock” Agency: Projector Tokyo Advertiser: Uniqlo

RADIO LIONS GRAND PRIX Ad title: “Shutter Chance” Agency: Dentsu Tokyo Advertiser: Canon Marketing Japan

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Copy: Never let their toys die

PRESS GRAND PRIX Ad title: “Pants”, “Spit”, “Park” Agency: DDB South Africa Johannesburg Advertiser: Energizer Lithium Batteries

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Projected onto the side of the building, this four-minute short film allowed viewers to become voyeurs, watching eight different apartments life, death and everything in between.

PROMO GRAND PRIX OUTDOOR GRAND PRIX Ad title: “HBO Voyeur” Agency: BBDO New York Advertiser: HBO

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CYBER GRAND PRIX Ad title: “Sol Comments” / Agency: MediaFront Oslo / Advertiser: Scandinavia Online

CYBER GRAND PRIX Ad title: “Year Zero” / Agency: 42 Entertainment Pasadena / Advertiser: Trent Reznor, NIN

For the third Cyber Grand Prix, please turn to page 101

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CANNESLIONS2008 GRANDPRIXWINNERS

On 1st January 2007, a press ad triggered such overwhelming public response that it started a movement for politcal and social change in India—a clarion call for committed Indians to step forward and pick up the challenge of a fresh political leadership. Over the next few months, that single ad snowballed into a nationwide direct response campiagn across press, television, outdoor, the internet, mobile and street level activition and reality TV.

DIRECT GRAND PRIX Ad title: Lead India Agency: JWT India Mumbai Advertiser: Bennet Coleman and Co.

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MEDIA GRAND PRIX Ad title: MMS Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors Gothenburg Advertiser: AMF Pension

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DESIGN GRAND PRIX Ad title: Coca Cola Identity / Agency: Turner Duckworth: London & San Francisco Advertiser: The Coca Cola Company

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people waited an average of an hour in line, so a few more minutes didn’t make a difference.

He delivered his brief speech and dedicated this year’s show to the late great Paul Arden, another Saatchi legend, a film director and author of It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be. With due credit, Bob shared that Paul is the originator of this much anticipated annual showcase and was revered as the epitome of this year’s theme.

Since 1991, this showcase has become more and more anticipated.

This year counts as…

Take 18 The first time I attended Cannes was in 2000. And the theme then was “Cirque de Cannes,” and the show was transformed with circus performers. The next time around, I saw the “Disruptors” with photographer and filmmaker, David Lachapelle as guest onstage.

This year’s theme was “Fearless”, and the opening act was no let down. It started with a man striding on an oversized, elevated, rotating treadmill. Pretty cool contraption to start the show with. The type I wish the TV shopping channels would peddle. Looks like hours of fun, as compared to the ones at the gym.

Also maybe something Ok Go could consider in their next video.

This “running man” performance was a reference to the fearless attitude a new director must have to succeed.

FearLess

by Dave Ferrer

W

hen you attend Cannes there is no escaping that overwhelming feeling. With the festival increasing in every way, especially attendance, shuttling from one seminar to the next workshop, award show, or party proves more challenging every year. It really is a test of mental flexibility and physical agility.

Now, if the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival is the biggest ideas show on earth, the Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase is the biggest show in Cannes.

Queuing up started around 11am, and the full show would stretch past 1pm. The line could easily be mistaken for the launch of the new iPhone. It snaked all around the Palais, around the stairways, up the next floors and around again to the top floors.

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This showcase was highly anticipated; if there was one thing you had to attend at Cannes, this was the one thing. The anticipation escalated even more as you wait in line, hoping (and praying) that they don’t run out of space at the Grand auditorium and divert you to the Debussy theatre.

The thing with this show was that it is the opening performance that is the main spectacle. You needed to see it live. Hope and luck, we found seats along the aisle pretty quickly and close to the stage. Three-D glasses were handed out, and we were all set.

Then running a bit behind schedule due to some technical difficulties, Bob Isherwood, the worldwide creative director who has been the presenter of this showcase for more than a decade, finally stepped onstage. Most

This “running man” performance was a reference to the fearless attitude a new director must have to succeed. So, as if balancing on this moving surface wouldn’t be an issue, the man progressed from a stride to a sprint.

And all along the way he was met with a progression of obstacles, from being pushed and shoved, to taking a symbolic gunshot, to being swung from the top of a higher platform just to come smashing down, symbolically, through a mock-up wall of televisions.

Reel Fearless After the opening spectacle performed

by Argentinian stage act Fuerzabruta, first up was French director Romain Gavras’ music video for the band Justice.

To stress (and that’s the name of the track) the whole point of the theme “Fearless,” this video was a total assault of the senses and sensibilities.

This film took you to a very deep, dark corner of the minds of hoodlums and the wanton hostility they unleash. This film was so controversial and in film review forums, was so criticized for the senseless violence, mildly comparing it to Stanley Kubrick’s DAVE FERRER film adaptation of is executive creative “Clockwork Orange.” director at JWT Manila Gavras succeeded

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

in grabbing you by the neck and making you squirm in your seat with disbelief at the documentation of blatant violence unleashed on innocent bystanders. The 27-year old, Gavras never let go of you until way after the film.

I exhaled and struggled to reclaim my senses The films that followed helped. With Juan Cabral’s Cadbury Gorilla, Harold Einstein’s work for Crest, Clay Weiner’s Heineken “Dude”, Benzo Theodore’s demonstrations, and Joey Garfield’s handheld fluid video. But admittedly, it was midway Keith Schofield’s “Toe Jam” by BPA (aka. Fat Boy Slim) video that I fully succeeded blocking out the Gavras violence. Not only was “Toe Jam” fearless (the women strip down to the buff), the choreography was also amusing to follow.

Analog style animation was big this year.

And a variety of techniques were implemented. Blu’s Muto wall animation project was the pick, for me. I chanced upon these films on the web some months ago and thought then, that they were awesome. But, seeing it on big screen even further emphasized the difficulty of the technique. Check out the other films: www.blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm.

Also, Johnny Kelly’s mixed media film on “Procrastination” observed it in an amusingly graphic fashion. While Luiz Adriano used cigarettes to stress that smoking has killed more people than war.

Five hundred reels from all over the world were submitted this year, and only 19 made the final cut. All, I thought were great, but the films of Schofield, Adriano, Blu, Gavras, and of course, Cabral were the ones that I felt stood out.

Have a look for yourself. Here’s the “Fearless” pack and the equally fearless production houses that worked with them: Luiz Adriano, Tribbo Post (tribbo.com) Joe Bartenhagen and Ryan Brown, Fifty Films (fiftyfilms.com) Blu, Mercurio Cinematografica (mercuriofilm.com) Juan Cabral, Blink London (blinkprods.com) Harold Einstein, Station Film (stationfilm.com) Encyclopedia Pictura, Chest Robot (ghostrobot.com) Joey Garfield, Ghost Robot (ghostrobot.com) Romain Gavras, Soxian7e Quin5e (75.tv) Jonathan Hopkins, Between The Eyes (betweentheeyes.co.uk) Johnny Kelly, Nexus Productions (nexusproductions.com)

Scott Lyon, Outsider (outsider.tv) Vincent Moon, Temporary Areas (temporaryareas.com) Nima Nourizadeh, Partizan (partisan.com) Pablo Polledri, Gorriti 4417 3 “A” (maniacplanet.com) Keith Schofield, Caviar LA (keithschofield.com) Benzo Theodore, Park Pictures (parkpictures.com) Clay Weiner, Biscuit Filmworks (biscuitfilmworks.com) Roel Wouters, Nexus Productions (nexusproductions.com) Juan Pablo Zaramella, Zaramella Animation/ JPZtudio (zaramella.com.ar)

And to see the spectacle: www.canneslions.com/saatchinewdirectors/ Or at: www.heresanidea.com For “Take 19” the Saatchi New Directors Showcase will definitely need several screenings to minimize the long queues and avoid the overspill. Or, it will just need an even bigger venue.

DESIGN drives

DESIRE

by Jed F. Busalla

Every year, Cannes Lions Festival celebrates passion for work, the uncommon sense, the genius, and the unreasonableness of the world’s best creatives. They are revered and rewarded by the industry, and every year is different. New technologies emerge; new strategies are formed, and the ever-widening perspective of what creativity means to advertising gives rise to new avenues and opportunites, and to a new category.

This year, it’s Design.

Design sits closest to the human experiJED F. BUSALL A ence of is a creative director everyday at Leo Burnett Manila life. Our daily decisions to purchase one product over another is driven by it.

The stimulus that’s created by the ads that we see everyday is a product of a well-designed, well-crafted message, translated to something sensorial that makes us “want” the experience.

Landor Associates’ executive creative director (EMEA), Peter Knapp outlined four basic rules: Make it simple. Make the message come across instantly. But finding that simple design idea can be the most challenging part. Be too simple, and you’re boring and unoriginal.

Relevant differentiation. Make it original. Make it innovative. Keep it fresh.

Avoid the cycle of similarity. Ever wonder how Steve Jobs and the guys at Apple created a revolution? Design innovation was their important criteria.

Drive preference. Or better yet, ask yourself if it will change human behavior.

Will it turn buyers into believers? If it doesn’t convince you, it’s a failure.

Make people’s pulse beat faster. It guarantees subliminal storage of your message in the consumer’s mind. Welcome unpredictability. Love it. Embrace it. Get people excited all the time.

It is by design that creativity gets impact.

People touch it, use it, experience it, have personal experience with it, and as a result, love it or hate it as it works its magic in the fourth dimension—our senses and emotions.

CARE “Burden”

Crown Relocations “Fragile”

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Dada, Data, Alpha, Beta

The Ogilvy seminar on digital marketing

by Raoul Panes

It pays to be sexy in Cannes. With a record number of seminars and workshops competing for delegates’ attention, one must know how to lure the crowd into a 45-minute mind trip. And don’t forget there are the de rigueur, all-day parties that tempt the schmoozing and boozing set.

So start with a catchy title. Put on stage some of your biggest names, in this case, Jan Leth, vice chairman—Global Digital Creative, Ogilvy Worldwide and Jean-Philippe Maheu, chief digital officer—Ogilvy North America. Now, neatly package keen observations that may have been said before, but when the audience was snoozing.

So here’s Ogilvy’s take on Digital Mar-

keting, as summarized in four principles: 1. Dada (no, it’s not cutesy lingo for “Daddy”). Like the early 20th-century movement that embraced the absurd and illogical, today’s marketing must go against convention. Surprise the world with “mash-ups”: Penguin Book’s website wetellstories.co.uk combines literature and gaming for an engaging interaction with consumers. The best example of Dadaism, to me though, is the Shreddies campaign which was inspired by an intern’s idea of selling square Shreddies as diamond Shreddies, by simply and literally positioning it with a 45-degree shift and cheekily announcing it as new and improved.

2. Data. There’s a deluge of informa-

tion in digital right now. Prime examples are twitter, digg, del.icio.us and twistori (which tracks live data on what people are uploading based on some key emotions). One must know how to navigate this sea of data to create the most captivating stories for your market. Case in point: the data crunched into the award-winning Nike+ site would look

...one must know how to lure the crowd into a 45-minute mind trip...So start with a catchy title.

Put on stage some of your biggest names. Now, neatly package keen observations that may have been said before, but when the audience was snoozing. boring and unmanageable in the hands of less creative minds. Dole Organic now tags three-digit Farm Codes on their bananas so you—if you care—can trace where your musa acuminata was grown, with a mini bio of the plantation and a Google Earth link. Tarzan’s Cheetah would have been proud.

The first challenge is to feel like a listener, and write something that will make you drop what you’re doing so you can listen.

Listeners are habitual.

Let your campaign develop.

On the upside, a listener is often habitually loyal to his radio stations.

There is a set time and routine during which she has the radio on. Such as her daily morning commute.

So rather than repeat an ad over and over again, this presents the opportunity for ideas that develop over the course of a campaign. Not unlike a radio serial. This allows the listener to follow the story as it unfolds.

by Joe Dy

Radioactivity

Eardrum Radiology Workshop

C

annes Radio Jury Chairman Mark Gross, of Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” fame describes radio as the original interactive medium. Long before computers, it was already involving the listener in the creative process.

Involving their listeners is just what award-winning radio gurus Ralph Van Dijk and Martin Sims of Eardrum did during their Radiology workshop at the Palais last June 16.

“Radiology” is Eardrum’s philosophy on how radio advertising should be done.

The radio specialist agency was co-founded by Van Dijk in 1990.

Shortly after winning a Clio for one of his first scripts, Ralph decided he’d be happy making a career out of just creating really cool radio ads. Eardrum soon racked up an impressive number of Cannes, D&AD, Clio and AWARD wins.

The workshop began with a humorous stand-up routine as Van Dijk and Sims introduced themselves

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in sing-song. The bit highlighted one of the many things wrong with most spots on the airwaves.

Insisting that radio can still prove the most fertile medium if done right, they soon gave us a crash course on proper writing and crafting, divided in six thesis statements.

Stop thinking like a writer and start feeling like a listener.

No one listens to radio. At least, not in the strictest sense.

The duo describes the listening experience as more of zoning in and out.

Having long evolved into an auxiliary medium, people are likely to be doing something else while radio provides background sounds.

The listener connects on a subconscious level. Only when something interests him does he shift attention from his other senses to his ears. He zones in on anything relevant, interesting, fresh, curious and challenging while zoning out from clichés, irritating voices, excessive information and sales pitches.

Radio is one to one. Use it to make your message relevant.

Despite the term mass media, writing radio is writing for an audience of one.

Listening to the radio is still a personal experience. Much of it relies on the audience to visualize the message. Unlike TV or Press, no two listeners have the same image in their minds. One must involve each listener in a conversation.

Talk to him, instead of at him.

Sadly, majority of spots reveal advertisers who are more preoccupied with talking about themselves than talking to the listener.

As Van Dijk and Sims put it: “Talking about yourself is equivalent to talking to yourself.”

Write from own experiences and explore all emotions.

The team also preaches how emotional benefit trumps product feature every time. And often, the best emotional insights come from personal experiences. Sincerity is more evident when drawn from a firsthand account.

They encourage scribes to explore other emotions. Attendees were asked to think back to any family crisis and see if we could translate our feelings then into a script.

Conversely, Van Dijk lamented the default setting for humor when writing radio, hence the thousands of spots trying to out-funny each other.

However, if one must be funny then remember this: It’s going to be heard over and over again. We need to take it more seriously.

Characterization and timing are mortally essential to comedy. And the funniest joke isn’t always the best one for a script. Rather, go for the right joke instead.

Cast people who sound as if they exist beyond the ad.

Keep it real, even if you have to fake it.

Sims took pains to remind us that IF we talked LIKE thiiiiis, We wouldDN’T be CREdiBLE. More likely, people would WANT to KILL us. “Repetitive and irritating may be remembered, but so are serial killers and you still wouldn’t want to meet them.”

Noting how Reality TV has gotten people used to flubbed lines and imperfections, they suggest lesser clarity might actually come across as more believable than perfect diction.

There’s more to the voice than what’s on script. His personality, how life has molded him, or how events that led up to the ad affected him will be reflected in subtle nuances of his delivery.

The pair relayed a story about this campaign they did for a virtual cop game. Their script involved testimonials from hardened crooks. For realism, they recorded an actual prisoner, in his cell. After attempts at a scripted recording, they asked him to instead speak freely about his thoughts towards cops.

Because he drew from personal experiences, in his own language complete with inflections, what they got was an ad more honest and more real than the one they’d written.

Whether it’s an experienced

IF we talked LIKE thiiiiis, We wouldDN’T be CREdiBLE. More likely, people would WANT to KILL us. “Repetitive and irritating may be remembered, but so are serial killers and you still wouldn’t want to meet them.”

3. Alpha. Or more accurately, Alpha Dog. Marketers must talk to the leader of the pack, the thought leaders and opinion makers. A study reveals that in 1997, the top three sources of information were friends and family, teachers, and religious leaders. In 2007, religious leaders were dislodged by… bloggers. The almighty power of personal venting is apparently swaying the minds

of followers. So Ogilvy espouses talking to these Web 2.0 alpha dogs. Radiohead’s Nude ReMix project is an effort that empowers its influential fans with personal music-making.

In the long run, this bond with the alphas translates to consumer loyalty that borders on fanaticism as exemplified by Apple geeks.

4. Beta.

According to Moore’s Law, the pace at which innovation comes to the market is accelerating. Never has this been truer than RAOUL PANES now. The world is is the executive in perpetual beta director of so it’s best not to Leo Burnett Manila. be left behind.

Don’t waste time trying to perfect something because it never will be. So digital marketers are advised to “beta”, determine consumer response and innovate as necessary—a process that should essentially become a neverending conversation with the consumer.

The online Lego Factory where consumers design and order their own models is a virtual toymaker-in-training program that rakes in a fortune for the Danish firm. Mistakes do come but they open up lucrative opportunities in the near future. As star-crossed lovers are wont to say, “I’ve moved on, so should you.”

In summary, Ogilvy says see the world through four lenses, and you’re better equipped for the digital future. Bits and pieces of what they espouse, I’ve heard before.

And I would hear them again in some other network’s seminar in the next days. But credit them for making “Dada, Data, Alpha, Beta” my new mantra for at least 24 hours.

Then along comes Starcom’s “Douche to Deodorant: The Good, The Bad and The Daring.” I smell something there.

actor or a thug doing life in Bilibid, what’s important is to ensure they sound real.

Radio Directing. Make sure you get the most out of your idea.

“Don’t be a committee of people who don’t know what they want.” This invariably leads to horrid performances, awful compromises, and therapy for the sound engineer.

Voice actors crave direction. Someone needs to take the director’s role. To take control, process all comments and distill them for the cast and the engineer.

Beforehand, he should understand the script, intention and structure deeply so that sessions are focused on pure performance.

Even then, the director needs to be capable of improvising. All scripts evolve. Once acted out, rewrites might be needed, to let the talent own the words.

Van Dijk and Sims gave pointers on making characters come alive. “Gaps speak volumes,” they remind us. A pause can convey more emotion than words.

Another piece of advice: The use of cross-talk.

Ever notice how in many scripts, characters always take turns speaking? Nobody does this in real life. We don’t always let the other person finish her sentence. Real conversations contain interruptions, overlaps, sub-vocals and other nuances. Little “uh-huh’s” and such between lines.

The team illustrated this by doing a live reading, twice. The first one had them taking turns while the second had them use cross-talk. Guess which sounded more realistic?

This technique is probably done best when actors are recorded together and allowed to play off each other.

Originally, the workshop intended for us to write a script at the end of the session, but they let us off easy. Instead, we were left with the aforementioned key points to take home with us. The result of which, Van Dijk and Sims hope, will be radio that connects deeper with the audience’s hearts.

And perhaps even a JOE DY is a creative Lion or Pencil, along director of JWT Manila the way.

by JONI CAPARAS, Head of Art, BBDO Guerrero

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A Real Man of Genius, Mark Gross

J Romero en force, Shu Manalo with her Young Lions, Gigay Quipanes and JB Bangoy

Creative Juice G1’s Yellow Page campaign gets scrutinized

A popular Cannes seminar in the Debussy theater Publicis Asia’s Calvin So and Kitti

JWT’s Joe Dy and Dave Ferrer catch up with Phil.

Daily Inquirer’s Rene Reinoso and Pepito Olarte

O&M Asia’s best, Eugene Cheong and Todd McCracken McCann creatives with their seafood paella

Merlee with Smart client

Saatchi Malaysia’s Adrian Mlller picks up his nth Lion

Dominican Republic’s first Cannes Gold Lion!

Eager eyes set on the pages of the latest adobo magazine

Y&R Asia’s Rowan Chanen and Eddie Choe The art of sorbet!

China wins their first Cannes Gold Lion for adidas

BBDO Malaysia’s Ronald Ng shines on stage with his son and creative partner Mun

Fish and rice in Café Roma!

Tony Bennet in Cannes The President of the world’s largest advertising festival, Philip Thomas

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The famous Cannes beach

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

Le Corbusier’s Notre-Dame Du Haut in full view!

Brangelina

Correns is declared the first organic village in France

and the

Road Less Traveled

by Angel Guerrero

CORREN, FRANCE—The world was agog when Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins at Lenval hospital, on the glamorous Promenade des Anglais waterfront in Nice, France.

Brad Pitt chose to give the scoop to a local newspaper Nice Matin instead of giving it to the foreign press, who had stalked the couple’s nest in Chateau Miraval weeks before the delivery.

Paparazzis swarmed the Chateau Miraval, in the small town of Correns, but could not catch a glimpse of Brangelina.

Associated Press reported, “This pastoral sliver of the south of France has been abuzz ever since reports emerged last week that the Brangelina clan was moving in—confirmed by the mayor of the village in question, Correns…A handful of parked cars and two men were seen from up above—one planted next to the chopper, another peering skyward through binoculars from an estate driveway.”

Château Miraval is one of the most beautiful historic domaines of Provence. Correns, which is such a small hamlet that it is not even in the local map I was carrying.

As luck would have it, I found myself at the gates of Chateau Miraval, on my way to Cannes this June. I hoped to get a taste of its certified AOC Cotes de Provence organic wine. But the lone bouncer at the chateau cut my pilgrimage short. He said I could not enter, because the chateau has become the residence to Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their four children who were planning to stay long after the arrival of their newborns.

Paparazzis, mostly Americans, were in parked cars, motorcycles, or sitting on the hedges across the gate. They invaded this otherwise beautiful and private town, accessible only through unpaved winding roads. In the few minutes that I stoood there, some locals drove past and raised their fists in protest.

One reporter who worked in his car, with his mobile phone wired to his laptop, told me that he followed the couple from Berlin, Prague, to the south of France, in hopes of selling photographs for thousands of dollars. Others waited on folding chairs with dogs in tow.

I left them and went into the city, to find out why Correns was declared the first organic town in the whole of France. It was a Sunday and the city center was quiet. Next stop was the Majestic Hotel in Cannes, to settle in for the week of advertising frenzy.

The drive with my Next year, on your way to husband—down from StrasCannes, take the long route. borg in the north, to Cannes You never know what you will in the south—is a wonderexperience along the way. fully fragrant and delicious route via Lyon, Arles, Avignon, and Aix en Provence. You could take as many detours into amazing markets; into picnic groves to savor fresh cheese, cherries, rustic baguettes with a bottle of rose wine; or simply enjoy brewed coffee at the highway rest stops, aires.

The most spectacular vision was the Notre-Dame Du Haut Chapel which, designed by Le Corbusier in 1956, sits on top of a hill in the countryside town of Ronchamp. It is considered as one of the most important and successful examples of religious architecture in the 20th century.

Next year, on your way to Cannes, take the long route. You never know what you will experience along the way.

Moule Mariniere in Aix

wine bottles from Chateau Miraval - miraval.com

The magnificent Chateau Miraval, nesting place of Brad and Angelina

Angel Guerrero amidst the paparazzis

Paul Bocous 3 - Michelin star restaurant

The Forum in Arles

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FILM GOLD LION Ad title: “Tan Hong Ming” / Agency: Leo Burnett Advertising Kuala Lumpur / Advertiser: Petronas

FILM GOLD LION Ad title: “Picnic” / Agency: JEH United Bangkok / Advertiser: Havells Sylvania (Thailand)

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CANNESLIONS2008 ASIA’SGOLDLIONWINNERS

PRESS GOLD LION Ad title: “Hitler,” “Che,” “Charlie” Agency: Leo Burnett India Mumbai Advertiser: Luxor Writing Instruments

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PRESS GOLD LION Ad title: “Crab,” “Prawns,” “Squid” Agency: BBDO Bangkok Advertiser: Ekchai Distribution Systems Co.

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CANNESLIONS2008 ASIA’SGOLDLIONWINNERS

PRESS GOLD LION Ad title: “Family Name” Agency: Contract India Mumbai Advertiser: Aadhar Anti Female Foeticide

july-august 08

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OUTDOOR GOLD LION Ad title: “Bushman & Eskimo,” “Husky & Camel” / Agency: BBDO/Proximity Malaysia / Advertiser: Chrysler Korea

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CANNESLIONS2008 ASIA’SGOLDLIONWINNERS

Zheng Zhi + 1.3 billion Chinese. Impossible is Nothing.

OUTDOOR GOLD LION Ad title: “Hu Jia,” “Zheng Zhi,” Sui Fei Fei” Agency: TBWA\China Shanghai Advertiser: Adidas

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CANNESLIONS2008 ASIA’SGOLDLIONWINNERS

OUTDOOR GOLD LION Ad title: “Affair,” “Psycho” Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Petaling Jaya Advertiser: Silverfish Books

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OUTDOOR GOLD LION Ad title: “Super Heroes,” “Family Health” Agency: Ogilv y & Mather Singapore Advertiser: FHM

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PHILIPPINESINTHECANNESLIONS2008SHORTLIST

OUTDOOR LIONS Ad title: “MRT Hold” Agency: Campaigns & Grey Advertiser: Procter & Gamble Creative Director: Yoly Ong, Rizzo Regis-Tangan, Zel E. Laurel Art Director: Diane Sipin Copy writer: Raymund Sison Print Producer: Peck Imson Print Production Manager: Emil Cruz

FILM LIONS Ad title: Cinemanila “QT” / Agency: TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Advertiser: Cinemanila International FIlm Festival / Creative Director: Melvin Mangada, Badong Abesamis / Art Director: Angela Arches, Ali Silao / Copy writer: Ryan Rubillar, Badong Abesamis / Accounts: Portia Catuira, Rica Yulo / Producer: Sunny Lucero, Francis Bagnes Production/Animation Company: Reality Films / Director: Mario Cornejo / Editor: Ronald Banawa D.O.P: Ike Avellana / Production Designer: Cristina Honrado / Post Production Co.: Larger Than Life Music Company: Soundesign / Sound Engineer: Paolo Escanillas

MEDIA BRONZE LION Ad title: “Duct Tape” Agency: DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu Advertiser: Gabriela Philppines Executive Creative Director: Eugene Demata Creative Director: Louie Sotto, Merlee Jayme Art Director: Ronnie Amador Copy writer: Louie Sotto, Ronnie Amador Graphic Artist: Allan Montayre Make-Up Artist: Marj Aznar Photographer: Paolo Gripo

WOMAN :

ANNCR

:

FILM LIONS Ad title: “Clock” / Agency: DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu / Advertiser: Splash Corporation Creative Director: Eugene Demata, Merlee Jayme, Louie Sotto / Art Director: Gogie Sinson Copy writer: Louie Sotto / Director: Jessel Monteverde Production House: Abracadabra Sound Production: Hit

Regret.

Regret naming her Edelbertha Phoemela instead of something simple like Anne.

Regret feeding her milk from a can, when you could have fed her some of your own.

Regret letting her listen to lullabies performed by some stranger instead of you.

Regret not being there when she lost her first tooth.

Regret having to tell her Santa Claus isn’t real.

Regret giving her a hamster when all she really wanted was a puppy.

Regret not letting her sleep over at Pauline’s.

Regret allowing her to go to the prom, only if her cousin was her date.

Regret all these things and much, much more, rather than regret not having her at all.

BIZ

:

CAR INTERIOR, IN MOTION

BOY

:

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

(VOICE SHIFTS TO A LOWER, PUBESCENT PITCH) Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

(FADE UNDER)

ANNCR

:

Longer, longer drives with Shell Better-Mileage gasolines.

BOY

:

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

For a different perspective on motherhood, call 421-7147.

R ADIO LIONS Ad title: “Regret” Agency:DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu Advertiser: Pro-Life Philippines Executive Creative Director: Eugene Demata Creative Director/Copy writer: Louie Sotto, Merlee Jayme Agency Producer: Steve Vesagas Account Director: Junette Laxamana Advertiser’s Supervisor: Marita Wasan Sound Engineer: Glenn Mariano, Philip Jarilla Production Company: Hit Productions Voice Talent: May Zayco

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R ADIO LIONS Ad title: “Are we there yet?”

Agency: JWT Manila Advertiser: Shell Executive Creative Director: Dave Ferrer Copy writer: Joe Dy, Kara Bautista Accounts: Carmela Quirino Producer: Maika Zialcita Production House: Hit Productions Sound Engineer: Glenn Mariano, Ramir Tiamzon

OUTDOOR LIONS Ad title: Tinactin “Fish” / Agency: DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu Advertiser: Schering Plough / Creative Director: Eugene Demata, Merlee Jayme, Jerry Hizon / Art Director: Herbert Hernandez / Copy writer: Jerry Hizon / Designer: Allan Montayre / Production House: Calypso

PRESS LIONS & OUTDOOR LIONS Ad title: “Lost” / Agency: Ogilv y & Mather / Advertiser: DHL Worldwide Express Phils. / Executive Creative Director: Gavin Simpson Copy writer: Gavin Simpson / Art Director: Gavin Simpson, Lito Gemora Print Producer: Nathaniel Figueroa (Redworks Manila) Final Artist: Eloi Aranzamendez (Redworks Manila) / Accounts: Elly Puyat, Frank Briones, Madz Malaki / Photographer: Raul Montifar

PRESS LIONS Ad title: “Vocals,” “Guitarist” Agency: BBDO Guerrero / Advertiser: NU 107 Executive Creative Director: David Guerrero Creative Director: David Guerrero, Joel Limchoc, Simon Welsh Copy writer: David Guerrero Art Director: Joel Limchoc Photographer: Dindo Villaester Illustrator: Wesley Valenzuela Typographer: Wesley Valenzuela Art Buyer: Al Salvador Account Supervisor: Angelica Tajonera

BIZ CROWD SINGER CROWD SINGER CROWD SINGER CROWD SINGER CROWD SINGER CROWD ANNCR

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

ROCK CONCERT (ROARS) (SHOUTS) Are you ready to rock?!

(ROARS BACK) (SHOUTS) I said— are you ready to rock?!

(ROARS LOUDER) (SHOUTS) I can’t hear you!

(ROARS EVEN LOUDER) (SHOUTS) I can’t hear you!

(GIVES HIM ALL IT’S GOT) No, really. (SHOUTS) I can’t hear you…. Hello?

(REALIZ ATION SINKS IN. ROAR DIES DOWN.) 20 years of Rock has an effect.

NU 107. Rocking hard since 1987.

BABY

:

(STARTS CRYING. IT GOES ON AND LOOPS INTO A SIREN-LIKE WAIL THAT WON’T END.)

ANNCR

:

For relief of the burning sensation caused by diaper rash, use Vandol. Vitamins A & D is the generic name of Vandol.

From Scherring Plough. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

R ADIO LIONS Ad title: “I can’t hear you!”

Agency: BBDO Guerrero Advertiser: NU 107 Executive Creative Director: David Guerrero Creative Director: David Guerrero, Simon Welsh, Joel Limchoc Copy writer: Simon Welsh, Patrick Buchanan Agency Producer: Idda Aguilar, Jing Abellera Account Supervisor: Angelica Tajonera Production Company: Hit Productions Director: Simon Welsh Sound Engineer: Richard Genabe, Ramir Tiamzon Artist: Apollo Abraham, Ebong

R ADIO LIONS Ad title: Vandol “Siren” Agency: DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu Advertiser: Schering-Plough Executive Creative Director: Eugene Demata Creative Director/Copy writer: Jerry Hizon, Merlee Jayme Copy writer: Allan Montayre Agency Producer: Nino Macavinta Account Director: Junette Laxamana Sound Engineer: Stein Baybay Production Company: Soundesign

july-august 08

123

The Philippines’ Official Cannes Festival Representative

I

left for Cannes 2008 with a very clear purpose—to learn more about Digital. And why not—if there is anything that’s been so hard to ignore lately, it’s all this nag about advertising is dead, and cyber, digital, branded content, and its other cousins are about to take over. For many classically trained admen like me, it became more and more alarming, listening to the many doomsday prophets. But after hearing the many different points of view in Cannes, I came home feeling more inspired than scared.

Let me use music as an analogy from one of my music icons, Tony Bennett, who was a guest speaker in Cannes. It is quite ridiculous to think that as new genres of music are introduced, old ones simply fade away.

Rock-n-roll did not replace jazz and blues. Pop did not replace rock-n-roll. Rap did not replace pop. Dance and electronica did not replace rap. (Maybe the only music that’s dead is disco but I think that’s more because the Crooner Tony Bennett discotheque itself is dead.)

Every time a new genre is born, the music industry simply becomes more interesting as it evolves with culture and people.

been the biggest shouter in the 20th century. We want to be the biggest listener in the 21st century.”

The principles here are not different from any good conversation among people in daily life. Actively listen. Profile.

Join and lead the conversation.

Don’t write an David Droga ad; say the next on “acts, not ads” interesting thing.

For instance, if you’re into cereals, talk about breakfast.

And here’s one tip we can all learn from. Learn to lose control.

You can’t control both sides of a conversation!

Never underestimate the power of a good story “Don’t let the technology get in the way of the story. Being able to tell a story around a brand is still the more important thing for any agency.” said Chuck Porter, Co-chairman of Crispin Porter+Bogusky.

The guys at Weiden+Kennedy supported this point and expounded even further, by comparing storytelling to the newer “trends” in advertising like branded entertainment.

Branded entertainment builds awareness; storytelling builds brand mythology. Branded content is transient; storytelling is timeless. Branded entertainment tends to be film-centric; storytelling is media-neutral. Branded content is one to many; storytelling is peer to peer.

One thing I definitely agree with the W&K guys is the fact that good stories show us the truth—it is truth well told.

Advertising is not dead

Similarly, advertising is taking on new “genres” and as with music, new ones don’t necessarily outdate what I’d like to now call the classics. But as with music too, people’s lives change over time, and new norms are born.

In practically every session in Cannes, classic advertising was always referenced against

by Nandy Villar interactive, digital, or mobile advertising. Whether or not it was fair was a matter of opinion, but for me, hearing arguments for the new and the classic led me to the conclusion that both are relevant and significant.

Each has its own rules, but general The complexity of our principles that apply business today can easily to both, and these are lead to mediocrity...This the ones that resonated is the bigger threat, more most with me.

It has just taken many different forms

than what the doomsday prophets of classic advertising say.

Create acts, not ads Many of the winning work, both in medals and effectiveness, are acts that were supported by ads. The classic example is Droga 5’s Tap Project— the poster-child for “acts not ads.”

Many similarly striking examples were shown this year in Cannes, but one that I found most moving was a campaign in Spain for Prodis Down Syndrome Foundation. To dramatize the point that children with Down Syndrome can be productive members of society if they are given the right opportunities, the TV spot itself was conceptualized, created, produced, and starred in by children with Down Syndrome. It was absolutely moving.

Create conversations not ads I think it was Wunderman CCO, Nick Moore who said this, and essentially it means conversations with consumers work better than one-way messages.

I heard this line many times before but being a shouter myself, it took a while for me to understand how it really works in advertising and marketing. P&G echoed a similar message: “We’ve

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The audience is intuitive—they know good from bad I think it was Tony Bennett who said this, referring to his experience with music. I believe, though, that it applies to advertising, too.

We tend to underestimate our audiences, especially Filipinos.

I hear it said many times in meetings and discussions: We need to make our ads literal because Filipino consumers are literal. Many times I find myself in the defense of the audience by saying that Filipinos are not literal. In fact, they’re visceral and highly emotive, however they are not very articulate, especially in a testing environment. And lastly…

The complexity of our business today can easily lead to mediocrity That statement was from Maurice Levy, Global Chairman of Publicis.

There is so much insight in the statement. And without having to dissect them one by one, I think it also serves as a fair warning of things to come for the agency business if we are not aware of how to navigate in the new order.

This is the bigger threat, more than what the doomsday prophets of classic advertising say.

NANDY VILLAR is managing director of McCann Erickson Philippines

BANG FOR THE BUCK Time to Engage Jurors and Consumers

THE BRAND UNIQLO THE CHALLENGE UNIQLO, a casual clothing company that began in Japan, wanted an innovative way to build its brand awareness internationally, and to promote its business expansion into the global market.

THE STRATEGY Projector Tokyo, a three-man boutique, took up UNIQLO’s challenge. It recognized the 70 million blogs worldwide as a powerful buzz-building media, and decided that bloggers could spread the brand globally.

Koichiro Tanaka, a member of Projector’s trio, explained, “For me, a blog is a window to everyday life. I read through more than 500 blogs from my RSS feed. Blogs hold people’s words, feelings and behaviors. Observing those, I came up with the idea that a clock would be an ‘expression including function’, which perfectly fits with blogs. I also had an intuition that synchronizing the ‘body expression’ with ‘sound’ would be the most primitive way of representing UNIQLO’s product.

THE IDEA A clock seemed a simple enough idea, but to make it viral, Tanaka and his co-creators tried to discover traits common to “clocks”, “dance” and “music” in order to create one experience—or the

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Reviews praised “UNIQLOck” for capturing the cool minimalism of UNIQLO’s overall brand essence through an entertaining, 24-hour website that evolved and changed over time. “rhythm of a second”. “Dance” to the rhythm of a second; play “music” to the rhythm of a second, and a clock stays in time to the rhythm of a second. The “rhythm of a second” gave all the experiences order, and created simplicity.

In other words, the clock is an application that acts as an engine of these expressions.

This is a new kind of application that plays videos and sounds based on the algorithm of a clock. The display alternates between film clips and a clock. It shuffles the film clips, plays a specific clip at a specific time, and can be pasted on to a blog.

And as a 100 percent UNIQLO-branded

Case Studies of Effective Creativity

THE AWARDS:

widget, UNIQLOCK automatically became a tool to connect UNIQLO and the world’s bloggers.

THE EXECUTION The clock was created by a variety of different Japanese artists. The time signal was created by Fantastic Plastic Machine, while the “UNIQLOck” dancers were directed and choreographed by Yuichi Kodama and AIRMAN. The special hourly dances were performed by Woomin.

As a teaser, Projector Tokyo uploaded 16 audition videos onto YouTube. Then it launched the UNIQLOCK site to start distributing the blog widget. The numerous dance videos and the clock counter appearing seamlessly one after another made viewers eager to see more.

Since the widget plays all-year round, 24/7, the dancers change their outfits according to the season. Bloggers were motivated by the website’s world map which visualized the expansion of all of the users.

Screensavers and shop installations were also released to enhance the UNIQLOck experience, from personal desktops to the UNIQLO stores.

Reviews praised “UNIQLOck” for capturing the cool minimalism of UNIQLO’s overall brand essence through an entertaining, 24-hour website that evolved and changed over time.

D& AD: Black Pencil Cannes Lions: Titanium Grand Prix and Cyber Grand Prix One Show Interactive: Best of Show and 2 Golds Clio: Interactive Grand Clio Tokyo Interactive Ad Awards: Grand Prix, Gold in Best Interactive, Best Campaign Site and Best Integrated.

THE MARKET RESULTS: Over 27,000 widgets downloaded in 76 countries Over 68 million views from 209 countries Over 500,000 views on YouTube Over 175,000 downloads Over 619,000 web pages Best of all, Cyber Lions juror and R/GA, New York EVP/CCO Nick Law noted, “Even in countries where UNIQLO doesn’t exist, it now has a brand presence.”

Credits: Creative Director: Koichiro Tanaka, Projector Inc. Producer: Takaharu Hatori, MONSTER FILMS INC. Director: Yuichi Kodama, Caviar Limited Sound Artist: Fantastic Plastic Machine Choreographer: Furitukekagyou Air:man Cinematographer: Yoshinobu Yoshida Lighting: Keizo Ichimei Art Director: Takayuki Sugihara Interactive Designer: Keiichi Tozaki Interactive Designer: Yukio Sato Executive Creative Director: Yoshiaki Nagasaki, Paragraph Producer: Hiroyuki Kojima, Paragraph Production Manager: Keigo Nakamura, MONSTER FILMS INC. Programmer: Susumu Arai, Sonicjam PR: Koji Torigata, BILCOM, Inc. PR: Ryota Sugawara,BILCOM, Inc. july-august 08

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CLASSIFIED ADS production houses 1196 Pablo Ocampo Ext., cor. Zapote St., Makati City Phone: (632) 896 2023 (632) 896 2049 Fax: (632) 895 5134 marketing@unitel.ph Contact Person: Maricel Royo

ELECTROMEDIA PRODUCTION 3rd Floor Maripola Bldg.

109 Perea Street Legaspi Village, Makati CIty Phone: (632) 840-5858 Fax: (632) 840-5015 mail@electromedia.com.ph contact persons: Amar M. Gambol Malou I. Domingo www.electromedia.com.ph

post production

Unit 108 Mile Long Bldg., Amorsolo cor. Herrera St., Legaspi Village, Makati City Ph: (632) 812-8418 Fax: (632) 892-3381 Mobile: (632) 917-840-7210 Email: accounts@montifar.com.ph www.montifar.com.ph Contact Persons: Sheila Salazar, Cherry Lyn Visda

STRAIGHT SHOOTERS Media Inc.

2663 Honduras Street, Makati City, 1200 Phils Phone: (632) 844-9360 Fax: (632) 844-9744 Email: von.villareal@filmex.ph call: Von M. Villareal Jun Garra

Q4 F/4 Salustiana D. Ty Tower, Paseo De Roxas, Makati City, Philippines 1229 phone: 830 2291/ 830 2296 call: Madonna Tarrayo/ Grace Quisias mobile: 0920 954 7551 email: madonna.tarrayo@straightshooters.ph

FISH EYE PHOTO STUDIO ADVERTISING & FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY 2450 Osmeña St., Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City Phone: (632) 895-2222 Fax: (632) 895-4827 Look for Tanya delos Reyes www.fisheye-studio.com

pr & promotions

One-stop-solutions-shop for your marketing services requirements.

•Literature Fulfillment/Trade Marketing •Merchandising & Promotions •Events management

special events EVENTS POOL (CEL) 09189171232 (FAX) 09189321267 eventspool_asv@yahoo.com

Rm. 309 Cattleya Condo 235 Salcedo St., Legaspi Vill., Makati City Phone: +632 813 7619 to 19 Fax: +632 813 8645 Email: accounts@innovisionsinc. net, ivision@mozcom.com Call: Vira Arceo, Mabel Fernando, Kat Isla

advertising photographer

301 The Peninsula Court 8735 Paseo de Roxas 1227 Makati City Tel: (632) 752 0372 to 74 Fax: (632) 752 0375 www.88storeyfilms.com Contact Persons: Cielo Sanchez, Louie Araneta

food / restaurants

Jaka Center 2111 Pasong Tamo, Makati City Telephone +632 844 3362 Fax +632 844 9140

Advertise in our classified ads section! Call +632 843 9989 or email sales@adobomagazine.com

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mr. rockefeller Greenbelt 3, Makati City Telephone +632 421 0030 Fax +632 910 0724

SELL CO (SON ET LUMIERRE) Jericho cor. Nazareth Streets, Multinational Village, Parañaque City 1708 Telefax: +632 822 3964 Email: afif@edsamail.com.ph Contact Person Khalil “Afif” O. Khodr, Jr.

Ground Floor, Net 2 Center, 3rd Ave. Corner 28th Street Crescent Park West Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (02) 856 0541 Telefax: (02) 856 0634 0917 800CHEF (2433) Email cheflaudico@yahoo.com Website www.cheflaudico.com.ph

CLASSIFIED ADS non-traditional ad medium

LED WALL

Banner Stands Interactives Dynamic Signages Point-of-Purchase Printing Services Exhibit Booth Address: 674 Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Phils. 1550 Phone: 532 6723 or 1659 or 0557 Contact Person: Peter Alan Dy Website: www.imavision.com.ph

sound production

285 Brgy. Sta. Cruz Putol, San Pablo City 4000 Laguna Cell: 0921 772 6985 Laguna: 049 246 6878 Manila: 02 699 5035 Telefax: 02 699 5036 Email: kusinasalud@gmail.com Website: www.kusinasalud.com

technical sevice & equipment rental

Argon Animation Inc.

UG 32 Cityland 8 Condominium, 9 Sen Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City Ph: (632) 813-0496 Fax: (632) 893-1734 Mobile: (632) 920-913-4670 Contact: Tim Bennet / President

LED Wall Projector Plasma TV Display Projection Screen Discussion System

114 San Francisco St., Brgy.

Plainview, Mandaluyong City Phone: 534 8888 Contact Person: Evelyn Gomez

Website: www.imatech.com.ph

outdoor media advertising

Unit V, The Gallery Building, Amorsolo Street, Makati City 1229 Tel: +632 844 1091 to 94 Fax: +632 892 5575 Contact Person: Vic Icasas

courier MacGraphics Carranz International Corp. #80 Service Road, Francisville Subdivision, Mambugan, Antipolo City, Philippines 1870 Phone: 02.681.42.80 / 02.681.32.94 / 02.250.12.09 Fax: 02.681.79.44

casting house

CASTING SERVICES MANAGEMENT, EVENTS & PLANNING “We communicate with CLARITY, HONESTY and RESPECT in all accounts” Suite 803 Antel Corporate Centre 121 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City Email: thecastinglibrary@pldtdsl.net Tel / Fax #: (632) 8437858 Contact Person: Rockie Caballero +63 926 702 5822

T: 5287-136 customerservice@2GO.com.ph

adobo magazine is growing!

We are looking for: FREELANCE WRITER Familiar with the advertising beat.

Email resume at editorial@adobomagazine.com

printing press

ADOBO MAGAZINE T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE! Call: +632 843 9989

Advertise in our classified ads section! Call +632 843 9989 or email sales@adobomagazine.com july-august 08

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Dennis, Vic & Ana finally loosen up

Salito Malca and his lovely daughter

Hit’s Mike & Angelo Villegas rock!

Embassarado

Hit Production’s cloud has a platinum lining

Angel G., fresh from Cannes

BBDO’s Simon Welsh and the beer bong champs

Three hours before the muchhyped thanksgiving bash of Hit Productions, the Philippines’ biggest audio post house, the police came and padlocked the Embassy Superclub. Panic and much gnashing of teeth ensued. As the celebrity blogger Perez Hilton might say, “Oh, the dramz!”

And it turned out to be the best party of the year.

For those of you who missed the party (or those of you who came but, to this day, are still hung over), here’s the long story, short.

Embassy, the metropolis’s poshest party venue, experienced a rash of altercations— a brawl here, a gunfight there. After the most recent fracas landed a guest in the ICU, the Mayor’s Office decided that enough was enough. Hence, the padlocks.

Negotiating with the police produced nothing; they remained as immovable as the stone heads on Easter Island, so Hit’s CFO Salito Malca and President Vic Icasas took their case to City Hall. After much begging and more gnashing of teeth, they finally convinced the Mayor to let them hold the party in

the parking lot and the small dining wing of Embassy.

Then it was Dennis Cham’s and Brian Cua’s turn to do some gnashing. With only a half hour to go, they brought out the buffet, the bar, the stage, the lights, audio equipment and the pole dancers through the fire exits (although we’re sure the dancers walked part of the way).

But it was all for the best. The change in venue brought some welcome variety to the entertainment and allowed the 650 or more ad people to mingle in ways they would never have done inside the Superclub. When they weren’t getting their groove on with the pole dancers, they were banging their heads to Joey Pepe Smith, Rizal Underground, Razorback, Brownbeat All-stars, Skarlet, Overtone and Urbandub. The drinks ran freely and the food multiplied like the proverbial six loaves of bread.

By all accounts, Hit’s event was the stuff of legend, and if we may veer away from our PG-rated English, it was a fan-effing-tastic party.

Indeed, there’s nothing like the threat of bondage to make the industry bond in high spirits.

Dino Jalandoni

Nathan Javier

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Mavens Mio Chiongson and Golda Roldan

Dennis and Brian pull it off

Tom Trinidad of Bates 141

Belai Santillan, Ompet Traspe and friends

OMG, it’s Joey Pepe Smith

Razorback’s back!

Joe Dy and the JWT gang

blackpencil’s Lilit and Mila

Taguig’s Finest keep an eye on the revelers

aR

ambush

What’s your

favorite font?

“For copy sheets, Gill Sans or Arial…. I also like Wingdings, just for the sound of it.”

Carol Ong Senior Copywriter BBH, Shanghai

“Rockwell, it’s got that retro feel. I find myself using it all the time. Although it’s not very popular, because it’s a serif.”

Joe Dy Creative Director JWT Manila

V “Avant garde.

Just the simple letters in avant garde. Seems low profile. Fits my personality.”

Fajar Rusli Film Director Jakarta

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Gs H

“Helvetica Neue. It is so clean. The neue form is modern and light. I do not use it a lot in the ads because I am a copywriter and I do not want to impose my view on the art directors (laughs).”

Eugene Cheong Regional Head of Copy Ogilvy Asia

“Gill Sans Light. It has got the classic of Helvetica but it is still very modern. And everytime I use it, it’s easily read and even from a far distance and it just looks good.”

Tay Guan Hin Regional Executive Creative Director JWT Asia

P

“My fave is Palatino. Palatino’s my fave because it is easily available, works well in any size and it’s one of those few faces I can still reproduce by hand using my Rotring!”

Neil French

F

“It’s either Avant Garde or Futura…. I’ve decided on Futura, even though I always confuse it with Avant Garde.”

Ricky Villabona Film Director Manila

“anything, so long as it’s bold.”

“Someone once told a joke that went: if Joel [Limchoc, her husband] was asked “What kind of font would Kat be?” he would say, “Kahit ano, basta (anything, so long as it’s) bold.”

Kat Gomez-Limchoc Creative Director PC&V Communications

avq “If Kat were a font?... Dingbat?...I don’t know.

I shouldn’t answer this question.”

Joel Limchoc Executive Creative Director BBDO Guerrero