adobo magazine | September - October 2008 by Sanserif, Inc.

Issue #17 Sept-Oct 2008

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AGENCY OF THE YEAR SPECIAL World Chiefs Michael Maedel, JWT Tom Carroll, TBWA Exclusive Paul Middleditch PROFILE Barry Munchik Dodie Lucas BRANDS & BEIJING MAD ABOUT The Mystery of TV Production Costs Enlightenment Piyush Pandey Creative Review by Rowan Chanen, Y&R Asia

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BBDO Guerrero Catches Up 2007 AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Issue #17 Sep-Oct 2008

CONTENTS

TOP STORIES

BBDO Guerrero wins Agency of the Year Miles Young heads Ogilvy Worldwide 04 10AM joins Bates141 network 06 JimenezBasic takes on Publicis name TV5 retakes no.3 shortly after launch

12 CATCH UP: 2007 Agency of the Year EXCLUSIVES 08 Tom Carroll, President & CEO TBWA Worldwide 60 Between takes with director Paul Middleditch

PROFILE

Revving up for the pole position What Makes Munchik Tick?

46 Sound Bites with Dodie Lucas 52 Michael Maedel: 94

82 BRANDS & BEIJING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANGEL GUERRERO

EDITOR ROCELLE

ARAGON

COLUMNISTS CID REYES NANETTE FRANCO-DIYCO

BONG OSORIO WILLY ARCILLA

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT HARRY MOSQUERA WRITERS ALEXANDRA CASTRO OSCAR GOMEZ, JR

RALPH MENDOZA CRYSTAL REBUCAS BUDJIT TESORO AYE UBALDO

ART DIRECTORS JERRY MANALILI

LECH VELASCO

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT AMANDA LOPEZ BUSINESS ASSISTANT

MAFEL HEBULAN

110 BOOK REVIEW

by Joey Campillo, Lowe Manila

111 FOOD REVIEW by Socky Pitargue, PC&V Philippines 66 CREATIVE REVIEW

by Rowan Chanen, Y&R Asia

70 PRIVATE VIEW The Bigger Picture by Cid Reyes Cents & Values by Nanette Franco-Diyco

Logic & Magic by Bong Osorio Market Mentor by Willy Arcilla

REGULAR FEATURES

39 40

adobo Ads of the Month The adobo Centerfold Ambush Bang for the Buck Creative Showcase / Philippines Mad About TV Production Costs PhD’s Tubetalk Truth in Advertising

MARKETING & SALES EXECUTIVES

PHILIPP BALBUENA AILEEN MARIANO

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topstories

BBDO/Guerrero wins Agency of the Year

Completing first “Triple Crown” of Philippine agency titles On August 29, BBDO Guerrero was named Agency of the Year for the first time, winning Best in Creative and Best in Industry Leadership. The increasingly competitive Overall Media Excellence award went to Mindshare, which also won for Business Performance. The win makes the agency the first to hold the agency 'Triple Crown' of titles at one time: Campaign Brief Asia's Philippines Agency of the Year, the Araw (Philippine Ad Congress) Agency Award, and now the 4As Agency of the Year.

"It is a great testament to the hard work of every single member of the agency and the ongoing support of all our clients.” The agency had an outstanding year in 2007, in terms of new business wins and international creative recognition. "We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our 10th year than achieving this outstanding result," added agency founder David Guerrero. Or as one internal

blog put it after the AOY, brimming with understandable elation, “Sa amin na ang Araw, sa amin pa rin ang gabi.” (“We own the day, and now we own the night!”; “Araw” is the Filipino word for Sun.) The AOY award is in fact the perfect prelude for yet another BBDO Guerrero/ Proximity Philippines milestone: their 10th Anniversary, on October 10, 2008. The anniversary gala will be graced by special guests Serge Dumont, President of Omnicom Asia, and Chris Thomas, Chairman and CEO of BBDO & Proximity Asia Pacific.

From Asia-Pacific to the world:

Miles Young heads Ogilvy Worldwide Miles Young, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Asia Pacific, has been appointed global CEO of The Ogilvy Group, the world’s third largest agency group. He succeeds Shelly Lazarus, who led the group for 11 years and will remain Chairman. Both appointments take effect January 1, 2009. Observers say that the choice of Young indicates the future of the global ad business. In 13 years in the Asia-Pacific, Young not only built Ogilvy into a creative power, but did so by nurturing local rather than expat talent, and by creating a truly integrated offering rather than just classical advertising. Shelly Lazarus developed her career in the US; two of Young’s successes are China and India—where he built Ogilvy into market leader in both of the region’s rising economic powers. Under Young, Ogilvy led the industry in the world’s fastest growing region, consistently out performing competitors

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in terms of creative recognition. Under his leadership, Ogilvy has seen huge leaps in scale and creativity across disciplines: market leadership in India and China; in Japan as a now prominent player; with strong success in Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, and as a creative powerhouse in Singapore. Making the announcement, WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said, “Miles brings to the role of CEO a deep understanding, not only of European and Asian markets, but also of the role that new technologies—and integrated thinking—bring to our business.” Succeeding Young as chairman of O&M Asia-Pacific is Tim Isaac, formerly head of the network’s Southeast Asia region. Also part of O&M Asia-Pacific’s leadership team are Peter Heath, in the new post of Chief Executive Officer, and Tham Khai Meng, as Co-Chairman with Isaac. (Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Young in adobo’s next issue.)

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newsline Petron appoints Starcom as AOR

One of local media’s biggest single accounts changed hands in July, when Petron Phils. awarded its $10 million media AOR to Starcom Mediavest, over Carat, OMD and Universal McCann (UM). The company is one of the Philippines’ top 20 ad spenders. “We chose Starcom because of greater efficiencies and practicality of its tools which led to an insightful strategy appropriate for our industry,” said Charmaine Canillas, Petron advertising and promotions director. Canillas also wields power unrelated to her budget, as president of client body the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA). The account was UM’s second big loss to Starcom, after Coca-Cola AOR earlier this year. Creative for Petron is currently shared by three agencies: Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Lowe. Following the media pitch, there is speculation that Petron may consolidate its creative business as well. Petron registered a 31% drop in net profits for its first quarter, despite a rise in sales volume.

Droga and Sagmeister to Strike at Kidlat Awards 2009

On March 5 to 9, 2009, the Creative Guild Philippines’ “Kidlat Awards” brings to Boracay no other than Dave Droga and Stefan Sagmeister, to head the juries of Broadcast and Print, and Design and Interactive, respectively. Dubbed “world’s best creative director,” Dave Droga is the most-awarded advertising creative at the Cannes Lions, with 48 Lions and three Grand Prixs. Stefan Sagmeister is the founder of Sagmeister, Inc., one of most respected companies in the design trade. Among his iconic creations are album covers for Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones and David Byrne. BBDO Guerrero chairman and Creative Guild president David Guerrero said of Droga’s and Sagmeister’s upcoming jury duty, “Our aim is to inspire all the talented members of our industry to move forward and improve the competitiveness of our clients by seizing the opportunities the global market presents.”

Singapore Creative Hot Shop 10AM joins Bates 141 network Singapore – 10AM Communications, a Singaporebased creative hot shop founded by creative entrepreneur Lim Sau Hoong, has joined Bates 141, a WPP company. “We are delighted to welcome a creative jewel like 10AM to the group and look forward to working with Sau Hoong and her colleagues,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP. “10AM is much more than a

With a small but highly talented and young team, 10AM is moving into design, music and content, plus movie production and curatorial duties for both regional and international shows. Bank of China

tokidoki, Pixar highlight Graphika Manila 2008

Highlighting this year’s Graphika Manila International Multimedia Design Conference were visits from two design idols: Simone Legno (aka tokidoki) and Pixar animator Kristophe Vergne (Wall-E, Ratatouille). Held yearly since 2006, the September 20 conference gathered over 1,300 design enthusiasts for a day of hardcore design chat. Other speakers are Robert Alejandro, principal of raadesign; AJ Dimarucot and Caliph8 of Collision Theory; and Ivan Despi and Pauline Vicencio of motion graphics firm Acid House.

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creative star in Singapore; its brilliance stands out across Asia,” said Jeffrey Yu, Chairman, Bates 141. Within seven years Sau Hoong established 10AM as a creative force not just in Singapore, but also in the Mandarin-speaking Greater China markets. Earlier this year, Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, cited Sau Hoong as a role model for Sino-Singaporean ties. Dr. Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, added, “the

industry needs more people like Lim Sau Hoong.” As Patron of the Arts and winner of the President’s Design Award, Sau Hoong is regularly involved in top-level discussions with the Singapore Government on how to take the nation to the next level for the arts and creative thinking. In China, Sau Hoong’s campaign for Bank of China has garnered more than 70 advertising awards including Cannes Lions and Asia Pacific Media Awards. 10AM has since worked on China’s largest national TV network CCTV’s corporate campaign. Sau Hoong’s work for CCTV2 has been regarded as one of the most influential pieces in China and the campaign line for CCTV was voted the most memorable slogan in China. Lim Sau Hoong began her career at Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, where she spent 11 years working her way from Junior Copywriter to Creative Director. In October 2000, Sau Hoong co-founded her own agency, 10AM Communications. She has represented Singapore on the jury for Cannes, Clio, as well as the prestigious President Design Award, Singapore. In 2006, she was also voted Singapore’s three most influential media persons. With a small but highly talented and young team, 10AM is moving into design, music and content, plus movie production and curatorial duties for both regional and international shows. 10AM will report to Bates141 Chairman, Jeffrey Yu, but will continue to work

independently, yet collaborate closely with Bates141. “There is an incredible strategic and cultural fit between 10AM and Bates141. With an extensive network coverage across Asia, Bates141 can add muscle to 10AM’s growth and provide the network strength for our clients seeking regional coverage,” said Sau Hoong. Bates141’s clients include among others, AIG, Audi, Bayer, BMW, Cheung Kong, Dell, E-Trade, Google, Fiat, Heineken, HSBC, Huawei, IKEA, Jollibee, LG Electronics, Mengniu, Pizza Hut, Remy, Shanghai General Motors, Shell, Telkom Indonesia, Uni-President and Virgin Mobile. CCTV

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newsline OgilvyAction integrates with Ogilvy 360, key teams join Bates141

Bearing the Ogilvy name but physically and conceptually closer to WPP sister agency Bates141, OgilvyAction formally integrates with Ogilvy on Oct. 1, as part of the network’s 360 offering. Key teams from Ogilvy Action, however, will be joining Bates141. Former OgilvyAction General Manager Angel Antonio joins as GM & Chief Action Officer, handling Account Management, Activation & Logistics Planning, and New Business; Joey Ong joins as Creative Director and Head of Art, directly handling activations. Bates141 Co-GM and ECD Cats Guerrero retains those duties, as well as responsibility for strategic planning. Meanwhile, the talent that grew OgilvyAction’s globally-aligned business will move with their accounts. Account Director Diana Gener and Account Manager Carlo Tan will accompany these brands – including British-American Tobacco, Lady’s Choice, Kotex and Huggies – as they integrate with the Ogilvy network. “This strengthens both agencies,” says Randy Aquino, who heads Ogilvy in the Philippines. “Ogilvy Action is fully integrated into Ogilvy, complete with its tools; in turn, 141 and its tools are strongly activated into Bates.” According to Aquino, the move will also allow OgilvyAction to focus on retail analytics and shopper marketing, including its trademark property, the Last Mile.

From Cannes to Corned Beef

The smiling boy in a recent corned beef campaign may be new to most viewers. But 7-year old Kurt Olarte, or Winwin, was a hit amongst Filipino delegates at this year’s Cannes Advertising Festival. Winwin is Pepito Olarte’s (VP of Philippines Daily Inquirer) grandson and his lucky sidekick at the festival. Perky, smart and chatty, Winwin charmed many in Cannes and is now popular among talent agents as well.

Nielsen Media Research Partners with San Beda Colllege

The lion roars louder

JimenezBasic takes on Publicis name

On Monday, Sept. 1, JimenezBasic formally took on the Publicis name. With the largest creativeonly billings in the country and a heritage of building Filipino brands, the agency took on its holding company’s name toward gaining more global business and a clearer identity for the agency as part of Publicis. According to co-CEO Bebot Ngo, the move does

not in any way affect existing network account assignments. The agency’s management, financials, and talent pool will remain separate from other local Publicis entities: creative agency Publicis Manila and media agencies Starcom and Zenith Optimedia. Statements aside, the name change still fuelled speculation. Observers immediately assumed that the newer Publicis was gunning

Shake Mo Ratings Mo

TV5 retakes No. 3 shortly after launch

Nielsen Media Research (NMR), and San Beda College of Alabang’s Dept. of Communication and Media Studies have formalized their academic partnership. The cooperation will include a primer on the practical application of research, development of a Media Research Curriculum, and the formation of a Nielsen Media Club.

2GO Strengthens Supply Chain

2GO, the total supply chain solutions provider of the Aboitiz Transport System, recently acquired ScanAsia Overseas, Inc., a leading importer and distributor of fine food and beverages. 2GO and ScanAsia will now bring the world’s finest food to vast regions in the country in the most efficient way possible. Sabin M. Aboitiz, 2GO president and CEO, said “Together, we will build a formidable organization – a full supply chain solutions provider. Our mission is to help our country and our customers gain competitive advantage by lowering overall supply chain cost by eliminating processes, layers and middlemen where there is no value added.”

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for globally-aligned Nestle, but its direct conflict with Monde Nissin (Lucky Me) makes that impossible. Publicis Manila President Matec Villanueva even received congratulatory text messages from friends who assumed the two creative agencies were merging. With multiple agencies carrying the name of one network a common situation in the region, it will all settle down eventually.

At press time, newly relaunched ABC 5 had achieved its goal of #3 behind the battling monoliths of GMA and ABS-CBN. The spot was previously occupied by QTV, a local lifestyle channel backed by GMA. The rating is a bright spot for the Associated Broadcasting Company, which many are watching closely to see if the network can sustain the

momentum of its latest programming revamp. The new station targets the progressive Pinoy, a TV5-coined term for C-D viewers 30 years old and below, whose tastes are shaped by cable and internet but do not necessarily enjoy home access to it. All the shows are beamed with clearer picture quality after ABC retooled its transmission facilities. The station is run by a local group backed by Malaysian media investment fund MBP Primedia. In March 2008, Primedia closed a long-term block airtime deal with ABC’s owners for ‘fresh, innovative, and relevant’ programs. Heading the station is CEO Chris Sy, former General Manager of EMI Music Philippines and United International Pictures. At launch, TV5’s programming included original dramas, local reality shows based on sports, talent, and horror, comedy shows, a dating game and a revamped version of their hit Shall We Dance. A first for Philippine free TV, 5Max Movies! is an impressive nightly lineup that includes Spiderman, Terminator, Bad Boys, Maid in Manhattan, 13 going on 30, Crying Ladies and more. Nickelodeon hits dubbed in Filipino, popular Anime titles, and a locally produced music show called MP3 will target the coveted tween-and-teen audience.

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adobo exclusive

Tom Carroll

President & CEO, TBWA Worldwide

Interview by Angel Guerrero

n Cannes this year, adobo magazine’s Editorin-Chief Angel Guerrero met up with Tom Carroll, President & CEO of TBWA Worldwide, in the presidential suite of the swanky Carlton Hotel to talk about life in advertising and Asia. Tom Carroll is one of the key architects that transformed TBWA from an agency of great creative shops around the world into one of the most effective networks in the world. During his tenure with TBWA, the network has been recognized by both Advertising Age and Adweek magazines as “Global Agency Network of the Year” and is consistently ranked as one of the top five most creatively awarded networks in the world. adobo: You took on the worldwide role of TBWA from Jean Marie Dru. How was the transition like for you from running the North American office and into the global role? Let’s start with just air miles! It has been incredible. The difference is, you don’t realize what we have done in 10 years and how fast we have grown the agency. There is this consistency around the world and that makes it easier for me and I have to thank Jean-Marie for that. He has built a brand. TBWA is a brand and no matter where you go in the world people talk about how everyone practices Disruption (At TBWA\, Disruption is both a philosophy and a methodology, the agency’s tool for change). A good creative criteria of what makes good work, what’s a good idea. It is actually easy. I do not know what it would be like if we were a company with no point of difference.

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Tom was president of TBWA Los Angeles in 1999 and soon took on additional responsibilities as President of the Americas 2002. With his passion for creating big ideas which he knew could literally change the world, he leapt into the role of Vice Chairman and since 2007 was named President & CEO of TBWA Worldwide. Today, Tom is helping transform TBWA once again by orchestrating the implementation of Media Arts Model into the network. This challenges the entire network to understand, brand by brand, how people are using media across their lives. Grounded in Disruption, Media Arts is a philosophy that puts all the ways a brand connects at the center of what the agency creates.

I do not have to change anything, I do not have to invent anything. I just have to pay attention and hope that we grow, are energized, keep doing great work and get good people. I picked up this thing that is well built and I get to drive it! I am lucky. Jean-Marie and Lee Clow are big names and are smart guys. When you are following them, you try to live up to those standards and hope the network lives up to those standards. I am amazed at how many people want to work with us. Just here in Cannes, the number of people from all over the world have come up to me and say “I want to work with you guys”. adobo: Are Jean-Marie and Lee Clow still very involved? Extremely. They hand in more responsibility to myself and John Hunt. But they are right here in the middle of everything. I was just

with Jean-Marie this morning. I talk to Lee Clow all the time. It has just been a smooth transition. adobo: We heard about the Creative Revolution in TBWA that you are starting up, how different is that from the Disruption philosophy? I do not think it is different. I think Disruption gave us a way of thinking. Disruption gives you a criteria to do something different and better. You can’t be ordinary. The Creative Revolution that we call Media Arts is just an understanding of how people are using media across their lives. Before, there used to be three ways to reach people. Now there are 20. And each brand is different, some use digital, some are TV-sensitive, or packaging-sensitive or PRsensitive, every brand is different and more complex. It’s not that hard, not that big a deal, it is just another way of working. It is fun

because no one has the answers but it’s fun trying it figure it out. adobo: Lee Clow is now the Global Director of Media Arts? Lee Clow is a creative guy who has always been a big media person. Most good creative people think in terms of media; he is one who has always been obsessed with media. He is not just about the idea, but where and how it is applied. And he loves that! adobo: How will you bring the Media Arts concept across your network? More clients are coming up to us and saying “Here is the issue, you sort it out for us”. Before they used to try and do it themselves. They want a digital company or a PR company. Now they tell us that we are the brand stewards and ask us to manage it for them and tell them what to do. It is hard to bring five different people together, it is hard to have five chiefs. Someone has to be in charge of the idea. It is much better that way. adobo: Does that impact on the structure of the two companies, TBWA and Tequila? They are one brand. I never considered Tequila as a separate brand, it has always been a part of the thinking. Now I don’t know where Tequila starts and where TBWA ends. We are much more seamless now than we ever before because you have to be. It does not seem like the

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adobo exclusive iPhone 3G TVC

same business 10 years ago. Before you would start with TV; now, sometimes TV is the last thing you show. adobo: You have Disruption Days with clients. How does it work? If I could spend 50% of my time in Disruption Days, I would do it for a living. You used to write a strategy and you used to have a strategy session. You get the brief and everyone sits in the room, and the agency would say, “Here’s the brief,” and it would be with a small team, you have to convince the marketing guys, then the sales people, then senior management. In Disruption Days, for example, there are 25 clients and 25 agency people. From the president of the company down to research, legal, finance, sales, everybody’s in the room. We write the brief together and we have 50 people on the same page as opposed to the agency trying to sell the idea to the client. We write it together, you get together in the early stages, so that once you try to make the work or you take the brand to market, everybody is on the same page. The batting average is better. Pedigree is a good case

study, a truly global campaign where we run the same idea all over: “Everything we do is for the love of dogs.” We had our global disruption day, and we said, “You are no longer a dog food company, you are a dog company, you are in the dog business.” Which is how we came up with the big idea “Everything we do is for the love of dogs.” People would start coming to work with their dogs, they have their dogs sketched on their calling cards. In Tokyo they moved out of a company where they could not bring dogs. That subtle shift hit everybody. It impacted everybody around the world.

advertising. And then you get Lee Clow and John Hunt, great creative people, and you put all that together. That is how I can explain how TBWA became so successful so fast. Most agencies do not have all these many powerful people.

adobo: What have you picked up from Jean-Marie Dru having worked with him all these years? He is much more thoughtful I am impulsive. He really weighs things and thinks things through. He gets it and then comes back to you in three days, I want to solve everything in 10 minutes. More and more I wait and I am a little less impulsive and a little more French. The French love to examine everything and turn every small issue into a huge political science project. The value in that is really great. For me it is fantastic. He is smart and you [have to] be around smart people.

adobo: How do you assess Asia? It is too fast, just exploding. The work from China is massive. Our best agency is maybe in Thailand, with Creative Juice and TBWA Thailand. Maybe pound for pound it’s the best office that we have. The guys in Korea are brilliant, unbelievably good businessmen. They are smart and do great work. No matter where I go to different offices, I feel people share the same values about creative and ideas and big ideas. But everybody sings off the same sheet. Asia is catching up faster, not just in volume but in quality of thinking. Asia is growing twice as fast as any place else. The biggest thing is the people. It is hard to get people, hard to keep people. They are getting better every year. It’s extremely competitive. We are lucky. There is a huge volume of great work everywhere. Asia has been particularly good for TBWA. And what Keith Smith has built all by himself -- I can’t believe what he has done in 10 years in Asia! The amount of effort he has put into TBWA Asia Pacific is mind boggling. Media Arts is more dolled up in Asia because of mobile, the significant number of people using cellphones. Internet is not a hit like it is in other markets like Europe or the States. Just the scope and the size of the markets in Asia -China will be twice the size of the US in 2020. It is fast and big. I am not going to worry about the US, it is still the largest ad market, the largest economy, and it is going to be that way while I am in the business. A writer from Newsweek said, “America, the country that created the

Disruption in action: Adidas “Impossible Sprint” billboard

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adobo: You were head of North America for TBWA and you won Global Agency of the Year. How did you get that big in such a highly competitive market? This is all serendipity. It’s a combination: take a little bit of Bill Tragos, who started TBWA and want it to be a multicultural global company, then you add some Jean-Marie Dru who had this idea of Disruption and a real understanding of what makes great

adobo: What kind of people does TBWA look for? The one characteristic that we look for is you have to be brave. You can’t exist in our company if you are not brave. You will be eaten alive. You will not make it. I was with Phil Brett in Singapore and watching him with client. I love the guy, he is just all guts!

global economy, needs to decide if it wants to globalize itself.” But I think there is no shortage of enthusiasm to be part of a global economy. With the Beijing Olympics, China will be wide open. The Olympics is a pivotal and dramatic part of its change. I love the Olympics, I go every year and know everything about it. I’m a big skier, and I was an athlete. adobo: Creative Awards versus winning an Effie? First of all, it is not news, like some big insight. This business is built up into one simple fundamental proposition, it is recognition and money and that’s what people want so awards are important. That is how you recruit people. Clients love it. In fact there are so many clients here now in Cannes. Every time you win an award they say, “when do I get my copy of the award?” I think more clients get it. 10 years ago there was a backlash against awards shows, “Well they are only in it for the awards”. I haven’t heard that for a long time. If some markets do not understand the importance of awards, then you are behind the popular wisdom. That used to be the case in the US but not anymore. A perfect example: five year ago, AMA, the association of national advertisers, had a convention with only 200 people, this year it is up to 1,600 people. Clients are so into being a part of popular culture, they are so into it. They want to be part of it and author it. You will see it in Asia. adobo: What do you do outside of advertising? I raise kids. I have a 6 and a 4 year old. I started late! I am 52. I am workaholic, I travel a lot because I like people. It is just the way I do it. adobo: What do you like about our business? I like the ideas. When you walk into a room and you see ten ideas and if two of them are great, you are over the moon! And then there is that one idea that is genius, that’s what brings you back. If you hit it out of the park, that is what drags you back. Our business can be hard and frustrating, but for me when you look at the work from around the world and when I put together a global reel, it is just amazing!

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On the industry’s biggest night, he was working. He had chosen to attend an online and client presentation with his ECD. That, at least, would not be a disappointment. Then he got the text about their second award, the one that sealed the deal, and suddenly “we couldn’t run fast enough.” So it was that when his agency finally received the award they’d waited a decade for, David Guerrero literally had to Catch Up.

eld at Greenbelt 5’s Fashion Walk, complete with an entry arch, and neon catwalk, this year’s 4As Agency of the Year ceremony should have been perfect for the industry’s fashionista fantasies. But taking the night’s “Catch Up” theme somewhat literally, the organizers left little time for gratuitous vamping.

Too close to call The speed of the program was particularly ironic given the anticipation for this year’s race, one of the toughest calls in recent years. There was a running man logo, but no clear front-runner. Finalists were not released until the night itself—an important step considering that only Best in Creative finalists could win Agency of the Year. Even the industry’s usual soothsayers were silent.

The speed of the program was particularly ironic given the anticipation for this year’s race. There was a running man logo, but no clear front-runner. Only seven agencies were eligible to win, because only seven had entered all four categories. Strikingly, those agencies did not include industry pillars McCann Worldgroup (a five time AOY winner, with a near-monopoly of categories except for Best in Creative), Leo Burnett, Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi and Y&R. Thus the field of qualifiers narrowed almost entirely to agencies that were medium-sized or smaller: BBDO/Guerrero, DDB, DM9 JaymeSyfu, JimenezBasic, Lowe, TBWA/ Santiago Mangada Puno, and WPP/JWT. It was an unusual situation for the 4As Agency of the Year. Known locally as the AOY, the competition is on its eleventh year. Its winners’ list is a potted social history of the last decade of Philippine advertising, name changes and all: JimenezBasic (2006), TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno (2003-2005), McCann-Erickson (1997-98, 2000-2002) and Ace Saatchi & Saatchi (1999). Category winners included Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO Guerrero Ortega,

Hemisphere Leo Burnett, Jimenez D’arcy/ JimenezBasic, Lowe, McCann, O&M, TBWA\SMP and JWT Manila. Media Excellence Awards had been won by Mindshare, Starcom (then still part of Leo Burnett) and Universal McCann. Past Production House of the Year winners include Unitel, Industria, Filmex, Provill, Hit, Sound Design, Giraffe X, Chromagraph and Femar. Production: Measuring craft This year, Calypso was a surprise (and surprised) winner for Print Production. When Creative Director Benn Almazar called his office with the good news, they assumed he was joking. Provill received its second consecutive award as Broadcast Production House of the Year. Hit Productions kept up its near-monopoly of Audio Production House of the Year, having won eight times out of ten (the other two years went to Sound Design). Of course, quality of work is the primary way to judge a production house. The submission was strictly limited to a tight sample of finished product: three for film (including packaged cost for each), six for radio and nine for print. No profiles, no business results, no equipment upgrades or customer evaluations. Yes, it is about craft, not popularity or business acumen. But adobo has to wonder, are three examples really enough to judge that? Media Excellence: A new name It was the third consecutive Media Excellence award for Mindshare, which shared the evening’s honors with Media Creativity winner OMD. With its industry prominence and statistically dazzling case studies (this is media after all), Mindshare’s win had been likely. But the award for low-profile OMD stunned everyone—including the agency itself, which had no representatives present to go onstage. While both agencies’ sterling performance is unquestioned, once again we can only speculate about the results of a truly complete competition, meaning one with Starcom in it. Though it holds some of the most significant chunks of AOR business in the country, Starcom is ineligible because it has declined to join the 4As. For the second year in a row, the industrydefining hardball player was conspicuous in its absence.

Ad Agency Categories: Professionalism triumphs In the creative agency categories, three out of four awards went to repeat winners. BBDO received Best in Industry Leadership for the second consecutive year, largely in recognition of agency founder David Guerrero’s constant, consistent efforts to raise the profile of Filipino creativity. JimenezBasic won Management of Business, which it won last year together with Agency of the Year. With 24% profitability and the highest creative-only income in the country, they were an obvious contender. But their winning case study dwelled mainly on an extensive internal revamp conducted throughout 2007—one that also sets the stage for JimenezBasic’s assumption of the Publicis name, which took effect the very next Monday. For Best in Market Performance, TBWA\SMP was recognized for the runaway success of its campaigns for Del Monte Fit-n-Right and KFC’s Fully Loaded Meal. They had won this award twice before, in 2003 and 2004. Considering that TBWA’s stunning three-year AOY streak had been anchored on creative brilliance—and that they remained a finalist for Best in Creative this year—it was rich validation indeed. As in previous years, the biggest suspense was in the Creative category, which went to O&M last year after years of domination by TBWA. With JWT and DM9 JaymeSyfu fresh from Clio and Cannes wins —as the DM9 team pointed out in its “Cannes Dark Horse” shirts—it was a genuine toss up. But ultimately it was BBDO’s campaignable creativity for big brands that earned the nod from the judges, themselves the industry’s creative elite. This may also reflect the fact that in tough times, scam ads come to seem self-indulgent rather than exuberant.

The biggest suspense was in the Creative category. But in the end, it was campaignable creativity for big brands that earned the judges’ nod.

Having won two of the four categories, BBDO was the obvious winner for Agency of the Year. Perennial finalists, the team went onstage without its founder, who arrived shortly after the announcement. Celebrating afterward at nearby M Café, the agency guzzled Moet and made exhilarated calls to regional officers. If anyone got a little inebriated, it was okay— they’d waited 10 years after all. september-october 08

2007 Agency of the Year Awards BEST IN CREATIVITY

“All big brands. Fewer posters.” –Joel Limchoc BBDO also benefited from a rule change. For the first time, agencies were allowed to submit campaigns rather than single ads, which ultimately rewards bigger thinking over the quick payoff.

FINALISTS

DM9 JaymeSyfu / Ogilvy & Mather TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno / WPP/JWT

BEST IN MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS

The advertising agency has become The Consumer Connections Company, organized in quadrants with the consumer at the center

In 2007, JimenezBasic re-engineered itself while remaining efficient and profitable (24% this year). Recognizing a changing landscape, business was refocused around one insight: “the new consumer” is more important than the “new media.” Empowered consumers are the final arbiters of purchase, and of how they are engaged. They choose: to be visible or not, to be attentive or simply curious, to postpone interest or disagree. From this insight came the following changes: mapping changes around the agency, matching current skills with needs, then identifying and acquiring new skills, and restructuring according to the new consumer. The advertising agency has become The Consumer Connections Company, organized in quadrants with the consumer at the center: dramatization covers traditional tri-media, plus areas requiring storytelling; visibility captures imagination immediately, with traditional packaging or display, plus ambient, kinetic and architectural media; permission recognizes consumers’ power to decide, and uses digital media to “recruit” consumers in developing the brand; activation involves skills that generate consumer involvement in activities that bring the brand’s personality to life.

FINALISTS

BBDO/Guerrero / Lowe, Inc. / Ogilvy & Mather / TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno

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2007 Agency of the Year Awards BEST IN MARKET PERFORMANCE

TBWA submitted two case studies, Del Monte Fit & Right and KFC’s Fully Loaded Meal. Del Monte Fit & Right had new packaging and a new feature, the inclusion of fat-burning L-Carnitine. The celebrity-led campaign significanty contributed to Del Monte’s total beverage business, exceeding targets by 30% and grabbing share from its main competitor. More tellingly, it has created a new category as copycat products rushed to market. Meanwhile, KFC’s Fully Loaded Meal was itself, as the case study put it, “a me-three product”, late to the game in a cutthroat market. Faced with client reluctance, TBWA\SMP sold the idea with a Disruption Day, a session that “puts to bear the power of Disruption in overturning marketplace conventions.” The agency practically created its own product—one that proved amazingly successful, exceeding targets by +32%.

FINALISTS JimenezBasic / McCann Worldgroup Ogilvy & Mather / WPP/JWT

BEST IN INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY SERVICE

The agency’s 2007 case rested mainly on David Guerrero’s appointment as Jury Chairman at Cannes. From that platform, the agency founder promoted Filipino creativity through media appearances and interviews. Other venues where this was achieved were as a speaker at the Asian Outdoor Advertising Awards, and as the first Filipino judge at Australia’s AWARD. To raise the value of creativity to Clients, the agency promoted The Effies, bringing the Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Effies to Manila to give a seminar attended by most Agency leaders. Pro bono campaigns included WWF, Unicef and the Effieaward winning Childhope Asia; community service included an Art Class module that had up to 12 agency people at a time regularly teaching street kids in Luneta Park, and a Christmas Party in Museo Pampanga where Santa had a gift for every child.

FINALISTS DDB Philippines / DM9 JaymeSyfu / Leo Burnett TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno

The agency’s 2007 case rested mainly its promotion of Filipino creativity worldwide. 16

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2007 Agency of the Year Awards In 2007, MindShare changed its business model for faster growth. Instead of relying on increasing media budgets and waiting for sizable media pitches, the agency put Destination Planning at the heart of doing business. This opened up MindShare’s opportunities, both to expand clients’ spend and proactively go after new business in the absence of media AOR pitches. To build this new business model, MindShare hired a General Manager to drive Destination Planning; gave individual focus on the planning and buying teams, plus dedicated nearly 1,500 hours to Destination Planning training among staff. They also maximized planning tools, for media-

neutral solutions and the flexibility to go after media-related needs of new clients. MindShare also invested in key planning tools in 2007: * 3D DATA SOFTWARE – A quantitative consumer study that is the basis of media strategies. * AGENCY-FUNDED RESEARCH, to uncover emerging trends * ECONOMETRIC MODELLING – Marketing analytics that refines marketing KPIs linked to business performance * ENCOUNTERS – A quantitative study to understand contact points All this helped MindShare grow by 40% compared to 2006. Special services grew by 391%, and existing clients’ spend

OVERALL MEDIA EXCELLENCE & BEST IN BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

BEST IN MEDIA CREATIVITY

Hershey Kisses: No hoax e-mail “Send this email to 10 friends + the administrator at happiness@yehey.com and win 1 of 10 [speciallydesigned] Chocofones.” With this message, a meager P42,000 investment yielded a 21% increase in sales and 14% improvement in market share. Online response rate was an unprecedented 71%. Anlene: Break the record, not your bones With the brand benefit of stronger bones in mind, Anlene Milk called a DANCE ASSEMBLY. Over 8,000 strong-boned Filipinas danced their way to a world record—beating Ireland for most number of dance participants in a single event, and making a worthy stand against osteoporosis. The buzz found its way to leading TV stations, major publications, internet fora and blogs. Brand sales grew by 6% and market shares by 10%, in a highly competitive category. The event generated media values 3x higher than what was invested.

FINALISTS

Maxus / Mediacom / Mindshare / Universal McCann

september-october 08

grew by 43%. Three new businesses were won without a pitch, and 100% of existing clients were retained.

FINALISTS

Maxus / Mediacom / Mediaedge Universal McCann

Instead of relying on increasing media budgets and waiting for sizable media pitches, the agency put Destination Planning at the heart of doing business.

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2007 Agency of the Year Awards RADIO PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR

TV PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR

Lotus Spa “Corporitual” RC KBP Radio Awards “Buy Now” RC Comic Quest “Mind Reader” RC

Gatorade "EQUAL" Metrobank Femme Visa "POWER ONE" Close-Up Lovapalooza "E-HEADS"

FINALISTS Film Experts / Reality Entertainment / Straight Shooters / Unitel

FINALISTS Cutting Edge / Digitrax / Sound Design

PRINT PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR

“Finally, we hit the jackpot! It felt so good to live in glory. This is truly a remarkable recognition of our work, and we share it with all our valued clients.” FINALISTS

FEMAR / Globedez / Graphis et Amore / Sushi Graphics

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2007 Agency of the Year Awards Zenith Optimedia’s top girl, Kiran Vaswani

Electromedia’s Amar Gambol and Adboard Executive Director Alex Castro

Egay Navalta The guy every agency must know: PDI’s Pepito Olarte

On the sidelines: Lilit Reyes and Steve Clay

Hit!man Vic Icasas can’t stop smiling

VaVoom: industry pillars Vanne Tomada and Venus Navalta

One network’s two queens: Sue Dimacali and Merlee Jayme

What is SounDesign’s Raul Blay contemplating?

Ad Foundation chair Johnip Cua Group M’s Mitos Borromeo

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2007 Agency of the Year Awards The unstoppable Mon & Abby Jimenez

DDB’s Susan Dimacali and ABS-CBN’s March Ventosa

Good times to be a suit: Paul Roebuck, BBDO and Randy Aquino, O&M JWT’s Jos Ortega makes a rare after-dark appearance

Dark (shirted) horses: DM9 JaymeSyfu

Jayjay Calero and Linda Gamboa

DDB’s big boss Gil Chua

You talkin’ to me? TBWA’s Marci Reyes

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you to all the agencies, advertisers, producers, creatives, directors and talents for making us the eight-time Audio Production House of The Year

www.hitproductions.net

september-october 08

movers THE HOUSE THAT MATT BUILT

The biggest mover of all is Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. The agency is leaving its early1990s offices in the heart of Makati’s adland for a gleaming white home in Chino Roces Ave., aka Pasong Tamo Extension. Gutted and rebuilt from a former car showroom, with a modest front but ample depth and breadth inside, the office embodies the fresh start of Seddon-era Saatchi. The move is set for November.

AT LAST: KENNY CHOO NAMED NEW ECD AT O&M MANILA

After a long search to replace Gavin Simpson, O&M Manila has signed up ECD Kenny Choo. The 2008 Cannes Lionawarded Choo joins fresh from Ogilv y ’s office in the world’s hottest consumer market, Shanghai. Before that, he had stints at Leo Burnett Taiwan, TBWA, Batey, Y&R and Bozell in Singapore.

DIRECTOR KEN CHUNG SIGNS EXCLUSIVELY WITH PROVILL

Hong Kong-based director/cinematographer Ken Chung has sealed an exclusive partnership with Provill for Philippine projects. Since he began directing in 1994, Chung’s work has reached finalist status in the NY and London Film Festivals. In the Philippines, Chung has worked on ads for Coca-Cola, among other clients. He takes on the roles of DOP and artistic consultant for Provill alongside his line producer, May Francisco.

PETER ACUñA BECOMES DEPUTY ECD AT MCCANN

In June, Peter Acuña was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Deputy Executive Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup. One of the rare local talents to spend his career with one agency, Acuña joined McCann fresh from the UP College of Fine Arts, where he was recruited at his thesis defense by panelist Emily Abrera. Acuña is known for work on CocaCola, Unilever, Nestle and Bayer.

OWEN BOBADILLA, DANTE DIZON STEP UP AT TBWA\TEQUILA

Owen Bobadilla takes on a new role as Chief Integrator for TBWA\ TEQUILA Manila and Digital Interactive. She has been with TBWA\ since 2003, when she was invited to set up TEQUILA\Manila as a Managing Director. Owen joins Managing Partners, Jimmy Santiago, Melvin Mangada and Tong Puno in preparing the agency for the future. The agency has also promoted Dante Dizon to Associate Creative Director, for a combination of accounts from TBWA\ and TEQUILA\ in the move towards integration.

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The emerging advertising landscape was discussed and dissected by the crowd of agency brass, trade professionals, educators, and technical and creative producers that gathered on August 28-29, at the Hotel Intercon. The 2008 ASAP Conference, was the first major event of the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines after the acknowledged success of its trade exhibit for the last Ad Congress. Officially opened by Merlee Jayme, CCO of DM9 JaymeSyfu, the conference is the first in a series of activities to commemorate ASAP’s 30th Anniversary.

Nothing has Changed. The Medium is Still the Message. Publicis Manila Chairman and CEO Matec Villanueva spoke on the Rise of New Media, providing concrete examples through the successful Nescafe 3-in-1 Cup in Hand campaign for teens. The campaign featured full-length music video style TV ads featuring popular Filipino bands Hale and Parokya ni Edgar. On mounting a campaign without a budget, Villanueva showed how Publicis used guerilla-style YouTube video of ordinary citizens being treated like celebrities, with the tagline “Pagkakataon mo nang sumikat.” Digital media

“Music has a high imprinting quality with slow decay... Jingles are assets. Music creates a buzz.” Let Me Entertain You Top agency executives presented the freshest work out of the advertising alleys. BBDO Guerrero CCO David Guerrero lined up a collection to answer ‘how can TV ads compete with digital media?’ For example, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Gorilla TV ad (set to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight) instantly returned Phil Collins to the top ten. The brand’s market share grew by 20%, sales by 9%. The YouTube video elicited hundreds of comments, 80 Facebook groups and 10 million unique views—and a number of spoofs. “Spoofs are proof of your success,” quipped Guerrero. “Once the stuff is out there, it’s out there.” Though he acknowledged that digital content has no shortcuts, and in fact probably requires more thinking than traditional media, it still is not a threat. Because digital entry into Philippine soil is not only inevitable, but will be quick and widespread, it should be treated as an opportunity. “If you want your product watched, you have to entertain. It is through emotional affinity with the brand. It is with the heart, not the head,” Guerrero stated.

Yoly Ong

currently supports traditional, though it is changing at light speed. Villanueva advised that “The only way to understand (digital media) is to use it and embrace it because it is the medium of the future market. At the end, nothing has changed. The medium is still the message.” Fence-sitters reside in the darkest recesses of Hell. Campaigns & Grey Group Chairman Yoly Ong pitched her advocacy, Corporate Social Responsibility. At the onset, Ong warned that advocacy was not for the fearful. But she made a case for multinational companies whose earnings grew after adopting an advocacy. From United Nations efforts to fight abuse of women and children, to environmental conservation and Bill Gates’ Creative Capitalism at Davos, Ong imparted the conscionable aspect of big bucks poured into no-returns investment. That poverty is the unequal distribution of wealth, as Ong quotes from Harvard University, is obvious. Much of Ong’s presentation was lighthearted but punch-hitting. Perhaps, exactly how advocacy should be. Are You Experienced? Under ASAP’s Events Management Sector, headed by Allen Velez of a.s.v. Events Pool, the Conference took on a different ambience. It felt transported to another time and another show. As lead speaker of Experiential Marketing, Velez and other sector members -- Butch Albarracin (Center for Pop Music), Norelyn Babiera (Fiera de Manila), Vince Reyes (Executive Decisions), Max Feliciano (Brand on Demand), and Gus Aldeguer (G.A. Productions), joined by Centrex’s Jose Yulo Jr. -- moved the pace from single speaker, to panel discussion, to Q&A, then on to a dramatic entrance of performers to launch the

Sector’s Code of Ethics, the first copies of which were raffled to lucky delegates. Without realizing it, the delegates experienced different types of events in a seamless transition. Work with a Pro A talk from a different perspective, literally, was the Advertising Photographers Sector’s The Next Shot: Directing Photography. Raul Montifar, ASAP’s Sector Head, was joined by Kathy Chua (AdPhoto), Mario Babiera (Photosynthesis), Francis Rivera (Fotoresources), and Meo Remalante. The quintet capably imparted the importance of understanding the intricacies of advertising photo-graphy, far beyond technical aspects of quality, terminology and Photoshop ability. For her part, Kathy Chua stressed two important factors for a successful campaign: knowing your photographer, and working with professionals. “It is important that the project brief is clear from pre-production so that (photographers) can at least be prepared with the right insurance,” said the witty Chua. Of Alaska, Seiko Wallet and the Man Who Packs a Wallop One of the most enthusiastic presentations was The Language of a Jingle, by husband and wife tandem Roy and Lisa Del Valle of Noisy Neighbors, and Mike Villegas of Hit Productions. Villegas, guitar in tow, entertained and enlightened delegates with different versions of his now ten-year-old Red Horse MusikLaban jingle. By presenting the same song in acoustic, blues rock, rockabilly and metal, Villegas proved

how music, melody, and mood constituted the essence of a jingle. “Music has a high imprinting quality with slow decay,” explained Del Valle. Award-winning producer Del Valle led everyone down memory lane with jingles like “Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska” and “Seiko, Seiko Wallet. Ang Wallet na- Maswerti! … Balat nito ay Genuine … International pa ang mga Design!” The Intercon Ballroom became a 100-delegate sing-along. Then came the showstopper: YC Bikini Briefs. “Imagine a man waking up in the morning with a smile on his face, excited to face the day as he slips into his YC Bikini Briefs because he knows… he packs a wallop!,” narrated Del Valle, to an audience already on the floor with laughter. Of the brand, he asked, “Buhay pa ba iyon? Buhayin natin! I will do the jingle for free!” YC jingle for Free! YC jingle for Free!” “Jingles are assets. Music creates a buzz,” said Del Valle. Indeed. Even when the campaign — and sometimes even the brand — is long gone, we still sing the jingle. With such weighty topics on the menu, there was no time for seconds. But there was some time for games. Hewlett Packard’s General Manager Jenny Sotto-Siquioco showed a video on Digital Printing and Customization, then awarded iPod shuffles to two lucky delegates. And that was just half of the Conference. The 2008 ASAP Conference was as seamlessly produced as you would expect from a 30-year old outfit of advertising veterans. Crafted from expertise and experience, ASAP has its sails unfurled and billowing, riding The Next Wind.

movers ACE SA A ATCHI & SA ATCHI ROPES IN PR DIRECTOR CHARO LOGARTA

After ten years of reporting for ABS-CBN, Charo Logarta is no stranger to local news drama – she has been tear-gassed at the Manila Pen incident and has narrowly escaped injury at the Glorietta bombing. Now, Logarta takes on the plum role of PR director for Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. Said Ace Saatchi & Saatchi president Matt Seddon, “This fearless and bold spirit is just what we need for the new Ace Saatchi.”

PAM GARCIA BOARDS JWT SHIP AS EXECUTIVE PLANNING DIRECTOR

The brain behind Lowe’s groundbreaking work for Surf, Pam’s input was recognized twice in the Unilever ABC Awards. As she moves to JWT as Executive Planning Director, JWT CEO Jos Ortega said, “She brings with her a very intimate understanding of low and middle income consumers, who are the primary sources of business for most of our clients.” Garcia’s accounts at Lowe included Close-up, Domex, J&J, Alaska, and Dole.

MANNY DEL ROSARIO JOINS NEW THINKERS FROM O&M

Past ASAP Chairman Von Villareal and past President Egay Navalta join conference committee members Allen Velez, Cherry Salazar, Mico Mallari and Norelyn Babiera.

“I just want it to matter.” So said long-time O&M CD Manny del Rosario, who was on the BBDO start-up team before ultimately returning to Ogilvy. New Thinkers is a 15-person agency, run by ex-Ogilvy suit Celina Matias and Jun Estrella, who is soon to retire. Del Rosario joins as Executive Creative Director.

ADFORMATIX HAILS NEW CHIEF, LIANE VERGARA

Da Events Code of Ethics is Decoded and Launched Months of patient work have paid off and Da Events Code, the ASAP Events Management Group Code of Ethics was launched at the 2008 ASAP Conference. Led by Sector Head Allen Velez of Events Pool, the publication is the first and only one of its kind in the industry. Designed specifically to uphold fair and professional trade, the Events Management Code of Ethics is espoused by the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP) and other Advertising Board of the Philippines member associations. The launch

of the Da Events Code coincided with the ASAP Conference at the Hotel Intercon on August 28. After the Sector ratified the contents of the Code of Ethics last July 8, it underwent rigid legal scrutiny before seeing print. The publication contains an extensive glossary of the technical terms and professional jargon associated with the events management trade provided for the benefit of clients. Said Velez, “It is important that (the clients) are on the same page with the events producers and managers because they will always question technical

items and specifications on the proposal. Now we speak the same language.” Da Events Code generated a number of nods from ASAP delegates, most of who were entertained by the thematic and dramatic launch. With the advent of new media, and perhaps the tri-media restrictions on certain products, there is a growing demand for organized, managed event productions. The ASAP Events Management Group adheres to the standard rules of engagement and the conduct of professional trade practice stipulated in the publication.

Adformatix COO Liane Vergara has assumed presidency of Adformatix. Vergara has had 25 years of experience in marketing communications. Her campaign for Janssen’s Nizoral is now being used to teach advertising to Janssen brand managers in Belgium. Key Adformatix accounts include Wyeth (Clusivol, Promil, Bona, Progress, Centrum, and Robitussin), Universal Motors (Nissan), Sharp, and Mister Donut, with Wyeth Consumer Healthcare as a sizable mediaonly business.

TRIXIE DIYCO SKIPS TO SA ATCHI

Creative Director Trixie Diyco joined Ace Saatchi & Saatchi in mid-August. The young CD heads a spunky all-female team, handling business from P&G and Mead Johnson. She is credited with work on BioLink VCO Shampoo and Bayantel, both part of BBDO’s Agency of the Year entry submission.

ONG HEADS NIKE SOUTHEAST ASIA MARKETING

Beijing - Sharon Ong, general manager of the BJ08 team and former marketing manager of Nike Malaysia has been named marketing director for Nike Southeast Asia replacing Tim Parkinson. Parkinson has since moved to the UK become chief marketing officer for Umbro. september-october 08

movers Y&R ASIA SAYS HELLO TO NEW CCO MARCUS REBESCHINI

Singapore - Y&R Asia’s finds a new Chief Creative Officer in Marcus Rebischini. Fresh from TBWA\Chiat Day New York, he fills the void left by Rowan Chanen. Previously, Rebeschini’s team propelled TBWA\Singapore to the top in the region, earning several Agency of the Year citations. With a Gold Lion, a shared #1 position with ex-partner Rob Kleman in Campaign Brief Asia’s 2006 Creative Rankings, and hundreds of global and regional awards under Rebeschini’s belt, Y&R Asia president Ambar Brahmachary, said in a published statement, the move “is an important statement about Y&R Asia’s direction.”

GRAHAM KELLY SAYS SO LONG TO TBWA\SINGAPORE

Singapore - TBWA\Singapore Executive Creative Director and Integrated Creative Chief Graham Kelly leaves his post in November this year. The multi-awarded Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and O&M veteran was BBH Japan’s ECD before joining TBWA\Singapore. Kelly said, “I had three key objectives when I joined: improve our creative standards, make the agency more integrated, and win some major new accounts. With all the creative awards we’ve won over the last 18 months, I’ve met the targets I set myself.” TBWA\ Singapore won both Sentosa Resorts and Singapore Airlines during Kelly’s stay.

OGILV Y & MATHER ASIA PACIFIC ANNOUNCES NEW MANAGEMENT

Hong Kong - Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific Chaiman, Miles Young, who will move to New York at the year end, announced that Tim Isaac will be his successor. Isaac joined the agency in 1995 and is a veteran of the business in Asia. He will operate with Tham Khai Meng as CoChairman. Simultaneously, Paul Heath is designated to the new post of Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific. Heath originally joined O&M as a graduate trainee in 1987, and then rejoined Ogilvy in Asia in 2003. Most recently he was tasked with leading the Agency’s advertising network, in which he has achieved record new business gains.

LEO BURNETT NAMES MANJIT SINGH CFO FOR SINGAPORE & MALAYSIA

Hong Kong - Leo Burnett has appointed Manjit Singh as Chief Financial Officer for the network’s operations in Singapore and Malaysia. Manjit was most recently Deputy Finance Director for Ogilvy Singapore Group and Regional Finance Partner for Neo@Ogilvy Asia Pacific. Manjit will report directly to Michael Clelland, Chief Financial Officer for Leo Burnett Asia Pacific, with dotted line reporting to Tan Kien Eng, Managing Director for Leo Burnett Malaysia and Kurt Viertel, Managing Director for Leo Burnett Singapore.

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Goaaaaaallll! The 1st Adobo Plate, August 9, Esteban School Field Even the weather cooperated for the 1st Adobo Plate. Initially organized with four agencies (BBDO-Guerrero, O&M, Saatchi and Saatchi and DM9 JaymeSyfu) and 5-a-Side teams, the tournament became more exciting with the last-minute arrival of the IMPAQINTERACTIVE United Agency Team, aka the Squatters. Formed by Ricky Santillan of Dual Action Blender and Miguel Mercado of J. Romero, the black-clad Squatters blended members from JWT, McCann, Prodigy and TBWA. Brainchild of Caloy Sambrano (DM9JaymeSyfu), Bixie Reyes (BBDO-Guerrero) and Bob Guerrero (Saatchi & Saatchi), this brawn-inspired event was to give stressed-out creatives a deadline to drop the alcohol, cut the fat, and do battle on a different pitch. And battle it out they did. With fancy footwork, crafty passing, super saves, marvelous goals—and all the competitiveness, obsession and impromptu-yet-inspired teamwork of agency people. Though sans hooligans, chanting and face paint, in true football fashion, eye-popping WAGs (wives and girlfriends) were in full force. Leading throughout most of the day,

DM9 JaymeSyfu met BBDO-Guerrero at the finals—which ended in an upset, 2-nil to BBDOGuerrero. The Golden Boot went to BBDOGuerrero striker Bixie Reyes. The First Adobo Plate was not only about inter-agency camaraderie via football, though. Teams Ogilvy & Mather and IMPAQINTERACTIVE United Agency had female players who held their own, playing solid defense and making a few goals. Luisa Garcia of O&M, who did not expect that kind of turnout and support from the agencies, described the entire fest as great fun, and was “happy that there was a fair number of girls that played! And kicked some butts!” For the organizers, the day was a smash success. Playing for runner-up DM9 JaymeSyfu, organizer Sambrano did not feel like a loser. “Leaving the field was not at all painful, [even] on the losing end. It was more than an accomplishment to be part of a first-ever tournament which was well received and a final played between two deserving teams,” said the defender and midfielder Sambrano. For the magazine, would the success of the 1st Adobo Plate inter-agency football league give Barclay’s a run for its money?

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movers KEY MANAGEMENT CHANGES OGILV YONE MALAYSIA

Malaysia - Leading direct and digital agency OgilvyOne Malaysia promotes ECD Selina Ang to the newly created position of executive director. Selina will take on a dual role as she maintains her executive creative director’s title. Scott McBride, managing director of OceanSeventy in Glasgow, joins the agency as general manager Other hires include Stanley Tay (ex-Yahoo! South East Asia) as media director at Neo@Ogilvy, and Gerald Lim (ex-Microsoft) as senior consultant, OgilvyOne.

JWT WORLDWIDE’S CRAIG DAVIS CALLS IT A DAY

London - JWT Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Craig Davis steps down next year to return to native Australia. CCO since 2005, Davis raised JWT’s creative profile, making it fourth most-awarded network at Cannes this year. JWT CEO Bob Jeffrey lauds Davis’ internal initiatives, such as his worldwide creative council, global creative challenge, and the installment of new JWT creative leaders the world over. Before JWT, Davis was star creative at Saatchi & Saatchi in Singapore. Davis remains in the London head office until 2009 to “ensure a smooth transition.”

Jean-Paul Burge steps up to CEO at BBDO/PROXIMITY Singapore

BBDO/Proximity Singapore Managing Director Jean-Paul Burge becomes Chief Executive Officer this month. He reports to Chris Thomas, Chairman & CEO for BBDO and Proximity Asia Pacific. Said Thomas, “Jean-Paul has attracted high-profile talent, won numerous business accounts, and has grown existing business. He led the fight to win SingTel and Guinness in competitive pitches and developed an offering that attracted network clients to be centralized out of the Singapore office, notably in the last 18 months, Mercedes Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, and Masterfoods.” BBDO/Proximity Singapore holds premier regional clients Fonterra, P&G, and Visa.

STEPHEN ALLAN NAMED CEO OF MEDIACOM WORLDWIDE

London - Stephen Allan, previously CEO of GroupM UK, has been named Chairman & CEO of MediaCom Worldwide. He succeeds Alexander Schmidt-Vogel, who has taken on the newly established role of CEO Global Trading of GroupM Worldwide. Stephen Allan joined The Media Business at the age of 18, and as its Managing Director, helped grow the agency before it was merged with MediaCom in 1999. Under Stephen as CEO, the MediaCom TMB agency quadrupled its billings in only five years, and became the #1 agency in the UK market. Irwin Gotlieb, CEO of GroupM, stated: “Stephen has invested his heart in the MediaCom and GroupM networks over the years. When the opportunity came up for him to continue shaping and growing the business in a significant, potent manner, he jumped at the chance. We are thrilled to have won Steve as CEO for MediaCom globally.”

september-october 08

Sayonara, Richard

M Café Sept 5

“We read all the blog comments, all the greeting cards, the gifts, the leaving cards. Then [my wife] Marite said, ‘Would you trade any of these for a Gold Cannes Lion?’ NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. True, I can’t put all those sentiments on the shelf in my new office. I won’t appear on the front cover of adobo magazine holding them. But I’ll take them with me as a reminder of how fortunate and privileged I’ve been to meet and work with you all. But don’t think for a minute that that lets you off the hook. Next year we WILL win at Cannes, we WILL win Agency of the Year, and I’ll be on a plane from Tokyo and we’ll drink like there’s no tomorrow. Leo Burnett Manila – what a fantastic place.” ••• Over nine years, Chief Creative Officer Richard Irvine led Leo Burnett Manila to six Ad of the Year Awards, three Best of Show Awards, and iconic commercials such as McDonald’s ‘Lolo’. In 2007 he became the first foreigner inducted into the Philippines’ Creative Guild Hall of Fame. He departs to lead Burnett affiliate Beacon Communcations, in Tokyo.

BLOWING SMOKE

An Eheads Post-Mortem

The country’s Fab Four in a U2 inspired stage

Change of venue, change of sponsors, cancellation and revival, a dramatic sad ending – the Eheads Reunion is surely one of the more bizarre marketing sagas of recent years. Around February 2008, a group of junior managers from Philip Morris Phils. started drumbeating for the show. Diehard fans, the young marketers felt it was time to deliver the band and its music back to fans. Not lost on them, of course, was the unsurpassed marketing opportunity it presented. On July 1, Republic Act 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, took effect, banning the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products from mass media, stage shows, etc.—including the Internet. A tug-o-war ensued. At one end the Department of Health and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance, Philippines (FCAP); and at the other end, Philip Morris. Philip Morris was careful to comply with RA 9211 to the letter. The concert would be a free, private event. No tickets would be sold: by word of mouth, fans were directed to a website, asked to complete a form and cite a verifiable, government accepted ID. Only those 18 and above would then receive an invitation. Over 20,000 fans logged on. Band members had their own guest lists; guitarist Marcus Adoro even issued an open invitation on his personal site for fans to add their names to his guest list. All chaotic but expected— until the DOH-FCAP stepped in, calling upon the band to refuse the sponsorship. FCAP’s Executive Director, Dr. Maricar Limpin,

beseeched the band to admit that, “They have a bigger responsibility to their fans. To the young people.” DOH Undersecretary Alex Padilla threatened to, “sanction (Philip Morris) as per the Law, a criminal offense against RA 9211.” On July 30, Philip Morris CEO Louis Camilleri issued a statement that the “Promotional event you refer to is an invitation-only event, not open to the general public. Restricted to our trade partners and adult smokers.” In observance of the law, the concert would have no media coverage. No MYX or MTV; no professional cameras, only small, personal ones.

Philippines, would eventually take on the task. Tickets were sold to the general public 12 years old and up, or at least 4 feet in height. The concert was on, again. With this outcome, FCAP’s Limpin said “All’s well that ends well. We are happy with this development. This is victory for all of us.” Amidst all this, co-manager Day Cabuhat took a logical perspective. “The Philip Morris people are fans. They just wanted to see the band together again. They pulled out because the politics involved lost sight of the music. It took the music away from the band and their fans.” Cabuhat continued, “The band just wants to play. Whether or not it is a tobacco company, (the concert) will sell itself.” She adds, “It’s funny because a number of politicians and their kids are on the guest lists.” Epilogue: Saturday, August 30, Bonifacio Global City Open Field. Over 60,000 people attend, including many well below 18 years old. A group of friends flew in from Singapore. Across generations and social classes, the audience was held together by the music. It was not just the E-Heads who reunited, but the fans as well. Even after the show was cut short by Buendia’s collapse (he had a heart attack last year, and his mother had passed away two days before), the fans understood. They bowed their heads for his recovery, and peacefully trooped out in silence. Disappointment aside, seeing their idols together again was

The saga spotlights difficulties for two categories: tobacco and advocacies. Would the concert happen or not? The question ping-ponged almost daily throughout July. Asked in early August, drummer Raimund Marasigan simply said, “please, just talk to the organizer.” Vocalist Ely Buendia echoed the statement on national TV. With DOH/FCAP hanging tough, Philip Morris pulled out with barely a week to go. The show was off. Three days later, the band’s recording company Sony-BMG was reported to step in. But how would the record label ever come up with the multi-million-peso budget, much of which had already been spent? Radio Head Media Solutions Inc. , an affiliate of MTV

victory enough. Victory for the band, who were paid good money for the music. Victorious in the knowledge that at least 60,000 Metro Manila fans adored them. Excluded from the love-in were, of course, the DOH/FCAP. Despite their laudable intentions, the group came off as party poopers. They only wanted to stop tobacco, not the concert, but the damage is done. DOH/FCAP have been alienated from the very same young people they desperately need to reach. As photographer and former rock club owner Kat Palasi put it, “The efforts of (DOH/ FCAP) are understandable. But they should learn how to get their message across.” Drama aside, the saga is interesting for brand marketers because it spotlights the difficulty that tobacco will continue to face. Tobacco has long been a key sponsor of events too “fringe” or simply too expensive for familyfriendly products with other options. With internet promotion banned, tobacco marketers and event organizers will have to be even more creative. During the concert, media was everywhere – and sponsors’ banners were not, resulting in a magnificently uncluttered landscape for the cameras. Philip Morris was officially out, yet they emerged the heroic cool kid, with a database of over 20,000 direct, voluntary names. In open air, people were free to smoke, without the strict adult-only supervision Philip Morris would have had to enforce. And smoke they did – 12year-olds, four-foot-tall kids and anyone else be damned. Was that the victory that FCAP and DOH claim for themselves? september-october 08

Procast, Inc.

Your Strategy, Their Flexibility

Due to the widespread need for promotions that go beyond the sales drive and the rising trend in conceptual brand building, Procast has come to master the ever-changing field of belowthe-line marketing, providing clients with a professional team that is fully equipped to run promotions on local, regional, and nationwide scales. Backed by a dynamic workforce from the field of manpower management and promotional activations,

Procast’s foundations are built on professionalism, flexibility, and a wide range of experience in events. Having had clients such as Citibank, Monde Nissin, Dong-A Pharmaceutical, and Winston cigarettes, Procast specializes in tours, media tie-ups, samplings, store-to-store, and house-tohouse operations. Reach them by phone at +63(2) 6716831, 6723558, 6716472, 6718705, fax +63(2) 6712698, email info@procast-inc. com, or visit www.procast-inc.com to find out more about Procast, Inc. Promotions and Casting.

adalike

newbiz/pitches Publicis JimenezBasic Now Minute Maid’s Main Squeeze

Publicis JimenezBasic revealed their involvement with the launch of premium juice drink Minute Maid Pulpy Orange. The account was won in a pitch against Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong. Said Publicis JimenezBasic joint CEO Bebot Ngo of the Coca-Cola distributed brand, “We’re happy the market has been very receptive.” Judging from the delirious online reaction, that is an understatement.

Mindshare wins in 2008

2008 was a bumper year for Mindshare. Besides their award as 2007 Media Agency of the Year (their third in a row), the media independent won a set of Ace-Saatchi and Saatchi aligned accounts: Roche, General Mills, Haagen-Dazs, SM Residences, SM Supermarket and Hypermarket and SM Investment Corp. Other new business includes HK Disneyland, HK Tourism Board, Sunlife and Ayala Land out of home.

BBDO wins new projects from Ayala Land, Silverworks

In August, BBDO Guerrero was awarded two new projects from Ayala Land. The agency will now manage strategy and creative for Ayala Land Premier’s Montecito and a new Avida residential condominium in Makati. Montecito was won after a pitch against two other agencies, Avida after a pitch against Harrison Communications. It was the second mid-year win for BBDO Guerrero, after being named creative agency for Silverworks in June. The account was formerly with Campaigns & Grey.

Harrison strengthens hold on Globe; wins Seaoil, 2Go and more

July and August were landmark new business months for McCann sister agency Harrison Communications. In July, Harrison won the Globe Brand Youth account for wireless, broadband and multi-media applications. The business was awarded after a pitch against Publicis JimenezBasic and TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno. Harrison was subsequently awarded the entire Globe consumer broadband and landline business – this time without a pitch. Other Harrison wins include Seaoil, 2Go Corporate and B2B, three new assignments from Lamoiyan, and the UN World Food Program. Said Managing Partner Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, “We are pleased as punch. These are brands we love, for markets we know inside out, and as always, the Harry team will pull out all stops.”

DDB Indonesia Keeps Indosat

Amnesty International, Gabriela “Duct Tape”, DM9 JaymeSyfu “This is how freedom of speech is respected in Belarus”

Indosat, Indonesia’s telco giant has retained DDB Indonesia to handle its creative account after holding a four-way pitch with Octovate, Ogivly & Mather and McCann Erickson. According to a published report, “the telco giant had been searching for a ‘super agency’ to handle its various businesses, which include cellular, fixed-line telephony, pay-TV and internet services.” Indosat became one of the first major advertisers in Indonesia to agree to pay a pitch fee. september-october 08

newbiz/pitches Maybank, Ortigas select J.Romero & Associates

Maybank has selected J.Romero & Associates to launch a new product after a three-way pitch involving Dentsu and Redworks. According to Miguel Mercado, JRA’s recently appointed managing director, the bank sought a fresh approach to creative and a holistic approach to communication. The account was awarded in September; billings and further details are not yet available. In August, J. Romero was also handed media and creative for Circulo Verde, a new project from their existing client Ortigas. One of the country’s largest property developers, Ortigas awarded the project without a pitch but after seeing presentations from two other agencies. Billings are estimated at P60 million.

Image Dimension Wins USAID Bird Flu Pitch

Image Dimension was recently awarded the communications program of USAID’s Bird Flu. It bested Campaigns in the second phase of the pitch. Four agencies submitted proposals for the campaign at the initial phase of the pitch. The USAID program for Avian Influenza Preparedness aims to mobilize various sectors of society, including Local Government Units, civil society, communities, the agriculture and health sectors, in a concerted effort that will at best, keep the Philippines bird-flu free.

OgilvyAction on a newbiz roll

OgilvyAction is living up to its name with a string of recent wins, including Knorr, Seaoil, Pru-Life, HSBC, Equal Sweetener and Johnson & Johnson’s. The Knorr throughthe-line pitch was won against six other agencies, and resulted not only in local business, but a commission for Unilever’s global point-of-sale work. For Pru-Life, a product manifesto pitch was so successful that it evolved into a full TVC. For HSBC, OgilvyAction will be working with sister agency Bates 141, HSBC’s agency of record.

CRUSH lands three Asia Brewery brands

Asia Brewery Incorporated (ABI) has appointed TNBT’s CRUSH Philippines to handle communications for its brands ZeroCal, Absolute Water and 100plus. ZeroCal, lightly carbonated flavoured water, will tap CRUSH to handle its full communication ranging from ATL to BTL. CRUSH will also handle the country’s biggest bottled water brand, Absolute Water’s Corporate Social Responsibility campaign in a tie up with UNICEF. On top of the two brands, isotonic sports beverage 100plus has also tapped CRUSH to strengthen their position and generate awareness in the Philippines.

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TBWA\SMP helps UNICEF turns texters into donors

For UNICEF, the Pinoy pocket has always been a nearly empty one. A popular notion of the worldwide NGO is that their aid goes to their poster children, like orphaned Adrijana from Kosovo, or poor Ndugu, bobbleheaded from disease in Somalia. Though we’re eager to shove our Filipino hospitality down many a foreigner’s throat, we reserve our charitable efforts for the needy we can call our own. Cue TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s UNICEF Para sa Batang Pinoy (for the Filipino Child). The tri-media campaign stripped away the apathy for UNICEF by taking the plight of Filipino kids in remote areas and driving it straight into the hearts of the mobile phone-toting masses. The ads gave us Biboy, a 7-year old who treks 2 hours – across a river and rice field, up a couple of foothills, down a long dirt road – just to make it to class. “If you really want to send a smile, send a child to school. Your text is your donation.” UNICEF tied up with telecoms to convert text responses into Php1.00/ US$0.02 pledges, petitioning

further support by sending texters with postpaid mobile phone accounts a direct mailer of black ink on sepia paper that evoked a children’s storybook. The initiative was so earnest, it would have gotten Scrooge himself to reach for this checkbook. In the end, ‘Batang Pinoy’ won DIWA TV Ad of the Month for December 2006, a Bronze for both Film and Direct Response at 2007’s Ad Con, and most recently, a Gold Dragon for

Direct Marketing at this year’s Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia, which comes with a finalist place in the Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide MAA Globes awards later this year. For TBWA\Tequila, it proved that two agencies could integrate for a shared goal. For UNICEF and kids like Biboy all over the country, so used to getting little more than an averted glance, the PhP2.5M/US$60,000 from Batang Pinoy’s pledge drive surely counted for the most.

TV / Cinema materials Creative Director: Melvin Mangada Copywriter: Badong Abesamis, Melvin Mangada Art Director: Jake Tesoro Producers: Cheese Bagnes\Sunny Lucero Production House: Provill Director\DOP: Trevor Hone Post-Production Company: Roadrunner Scorer: Kahlil Refuerzo Music Company: SounDesign Account Management: Vanessa Escobar Planners: Issa Ignacio, Jimmy Santiago Print materials Creative Directors: Melvin Mangada Copywriter: Marci Reyes Art Director: Jake Tesoro Final Artist: Romar Quiroz Producer: May Dalisay\Karen Parreño Acct Management: Vanessa Escobar, Yas Sanchez Planners: Issa Ignacio\Jimmy Santiago Direct Mail materials Creative Director: Marci Reyes Copywriter: Knox Balbastro Art Director: Cacay Kho Account Management: Pam Ignacio Producer: May Dalisay Final Artist: Romar Quiroz Illustrator: Cacay Kho\CJ de Silva

A wider, wilder playground

by Ralph Mendoza

The 4th Backdoor Arts & Music Festival adobo magazine was honored to take part in the much-awaited 4th BACKDOOR VENTURES ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL, from August 29-31 at SM Megatrade. Supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and MTV Philippines, the four-year old festival raised the bar yet again to offer spectators a wider, wilder playground: a superb cross-genre band lineup, photography workshop, drum clinic, Cosplay fashion art show, short film showings, and more remarkable exhibits. On Friday’s opening, the “modern primitives” of ethnotribal group Kadangyan kicked things off with a kulaleng (native bamboo flute) and gangsa (brass gongs) piece. As PULP EditorIn-Chief Vernon Go cut the ribbon, host Bernard Palanca introduced the show, then segued right to the Halili-Cruz Ballet. Spontaneous jam sessions erupted as well. “What began as a two-man jam escalated to a whole crowd within the booths,” recalls veteran percussionist Paul Zialcita. This year’s festival catered to a host of music taste buds, with a stellar lineup of performers: violinist Denise Santos Huang, Johnny Alegre Affinity, Sinosikat?, DJs Impulse, Crockan & Marula

of Spain, Drip, Yosha, Bembol Rockers, Queso, Joey Pepe Smith & Wally Gonzalez, The Dawn, Kjwan, Kenyo, Olivia, Kadangyan, Sing India, The Late Isabel, Lala, Reklamo, Mayonnaise, Check, Julianne, Freestyle, 18th Issue, Pack of Wolvz, Sidewinder, Timog, Miko Pepito, Nityalila, Four Leaf Clover, Anwind, FMD, Project Ganymede, Eternal Now, Project Fusion, Scarlet Tears, Matilda, The Chongkeys, Chubibo, RJ Jimenez, Tutti, Alakpa, Coffeebreak Island, Skabeche, The Spaceflower Show, Cosmic Love and many more. The Music Source, Bose and Friendster were among the event’s new partners, joining returning backers JB Music, Hero, Argon Animations and Filigrenasia. Aside from adobo magazine and MTV, several media partners also provided coverage: Philippine Star, Bounce Magazine, Playground Magazine, Mangaholix, Jam 88.3, NU 107, 88DB, Musik Lokal & ClickTheCity.com. Festival director Jay Viriña is grateful for the success of his three-day event. “We try to outdo ourselves each year. This is our way of bringing the arts closer to our growing community. Hopefully, in coming years we can have a bigger venue to reach a wider audience. For now, we’ll take it step by step.”

september-october 08

Centrex at 25

Designing a New Identity To call Centrex Corporation president Jose Luis U. Yulo Jr., an accomplished entrepreneur is an understatement. Yet despite his impressive 11-page curriculum vita, the gentleman carries a suave, even languid demeanor. Make no mistake though; the soft-spoken Yulo is rapier-sharp and cougar-quick. Nothing escapes the man. The youngest-ever board member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce at age 27, he was part of a group that approached thenFirst Lady Imelda Marcos with the dream of a Philippine version of the renowned Canton Fair. This was the late 1970s, and there was no venue to stage the dream. In the Philippine version of deus ex machina, enter the late Leandro Locsin, National Artist for Architecture, and the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibitions (Philcite) was built. Being the youngest, Yulo was appointed Project Chairman. He organized the building of Philcite, and managed it for 13 years. During his term, Philcite held 27 events in a year for every trade imaginable. Philcite has since burned to the ground and been rebuilt as Star City (a useful metaphor indeed for the country’s economic direction). And Yulo has since been quietly adding to his CV.

“Our design and quality are already at their [European] level. A number of Filipino designers already work for these companies. Economy and country do not matter. We have the ability.” While Philcite was in operation, there was no science to the exhibit trade. Exhibits were built by hand and real wood was used for the booths. At an events trade exhibit in Germany, Yulo stumbled upon Octanorm, an aluminumbased, modular mountable construction system not unlike Lego. Fired up by the challenge of bringing world-standard exhibit technology to the Philippines, Yulo underwent rigid Bureau of Investments tech-transfer fees and other requirements to create Centrex. Then he wangled himself a licensing agreement with Octanorm. “When I started, there were many copycats, with China in the picture. Centrex locally makes what it can at Octanorm standards, and imports what we cannot make,” said Yulo. It was not always smooth sailing. Competitors slashed prices, but Centrex did not, maintaining its level of quality instead. And while many clients transferred, they came back burned. “We give value for money. We own up if we make mistakes and don’t charge the clients. We honor what we say. Centrex built dependability with time, and clients learned we were not just out to make a buck,” Yulo smiled assuringly.

september-october 08

‘As good as Europe’ With exhibits and trade fairs popping up everywhere, Centrex also has branches in Cebu and Davao. There are three factors to consider in the exposition business. The venue, the organizers (the people who use the venue), and the supplier-designer-contractor, Centrex. But Centrex no longer organizes events, preferring to focus on design and building. In fact, Centrex builds where the events are. As one of 151 Octanorm members worldwide, it can mount exhibits in 56 other countries. If a Philippine company joins an event in Spain, Centrex can design here and Spain’s Octanorm counterpart can build it there. Reversely, Centrex can do the same thing for a French company exhibiting in the Philippines. As Yulo revealed, “Not all Philippine companies participate abroad. Only multinational companies that exhibit or do international events know this. The Octanorm Service Partner International (OSPI) is the biggest global network in terms of designs and exhibitions. Centrex is the Octanorm service partner in the Philippines.” Judging by the awestruck comments during the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress—“as good as Las Vegas” and “just like Europe”—the Philippines, in fact, has come a long way in exhibit quality. Yulo agrees, “We are already comparable. The only difference is that [in Europe] they have more money to spend, they can afford bigger space to accommodate double-stands, 100-200sqm structures like a regular building. The spending power relates to the size of the market. But our design and quality are already at their level. A number of Filipino designers already work for these companies. Economy and country do not matter. We have the ability.”

permanent plans like airports, malls and museums. To the trade, Yulo remains its Yoda. More than a wise man, he is a Jedi Master, champion of the craft. Asked about the viability of the exhibit industry in this virtual age, Yulo replied, “Events, trade fairs and exhibitions are live, 3D forms of advertising. These are experiential, sight, sound and feel. The internet has started to take hold of this. In Germany, they have been discussing video, Internet and online, but in the end man is still a social animal. They had exhibitions first before the small box, which is TV. Now, the small box may be the monitor to go online, and exhibitions thought the small box would compete with them. But still events happen and in fact, the trade is growing. People put their best foot forward in exhibitions because it is a social event.” “Some cultures measure life in sets of 12 years. At 12, you’re about to become a teenager. At 24, fresh out of college, you begin to make a name for yourself. That’s why women should not get married before the age of 25, men all the more so,” mused Yulo. And at 25, a corporation like Centrex reinvents itself.

A reinvention at 25 Trade show trivia : In the Philippines, the terms ‘international’ and ‘exposition’ are loosely used. * Bazaars are not exhibitions. A real exhibition does not allow sales on the floor, but is more to introduce a product, generate inquiries and conduct surveys and training. While the rush of cheaper competition hurt Centrex’s share of the low-end market, it effectively preserved their hold on the high end. Centrex made a crucial decision to invest in design rather than just the system. China eventually joined the World Trade Organization and had to abide by its rules. Launching in September is a yearlong campaign for the Centrex Design Studio. While it once mainly sold booth systems, Centrex now designs and creates custom-built stands, interiors and commercial displays, even for

* By the term itself, exhibit means display. Thematics is important. The term ‘Exposition’ demands a duration of at least six months, and requires registration with the Union des Foires Internationales (UFI), also known as The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, with more than 520 members from 84 countries. * The term ‘International’ requires 10% of participants booked by international companies.

newbiz/pitches Euro RSCG Manila Gets Boehringer Ingelheim

German pharmaceutical, Boehringer Ingelheim has appointed Euro RSCG Manila as its Agency of Record. This is a move by the company to consolidate its consumer health care business under one agency. Euro RSCG Managing Director Norman Agatep said the choice of agency was based on “the strength of our strategic thinking, creative execution, dedicated servicing and campaign results.” Euro RSCG was handed the creative account for Pharmaton vitamins and Buscopan, formerly handled by Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett, respectively. The media account was handed to Vizeum/Media Force, an Aegis Media agency.

Levi’s 501: Outdoor Unbuttoned

Burnett Hong Kong Grabs Heineken Business

Another landmark for Manila’s billboard jungle: the Levi’s Colossal, one of the largest outdoor ads in the world, unbuttoned on EDSA on Aug. 16. Big enough to house 10 NBA courts or 500 cars, the Colossal involved 2.35 terabytes, 500 hours’ computer time and 15,120 manhours, 130 liters of ink and 5 km of rapelling rope. All to display giantsized hotness and the barrier-smashing spirit of Levi’s 501s.

Youthenics

The 2008 Strategic Marketing Conference 28 July 2008, Araneta Coliseum The Philippine Marketing Association recently organized the 2008 Strategic Marketing Conference (Stratmark) at Araneta Coliseum. Attended by student delegates from 51 colleges nationwide, from Ateneo de Davao to the University of the Cordilleras and St. Louis University of Baguio. A cross-section of Metro Manila was represented, by Polytechnic University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, San Beda College, St. Scholastica’s College, Miriam College and the University of Sto. Tomas. The conference was deemed “a success in teaching the young ones the real deal about the Philippine consumer market,” said PMA President Alex Flores. Behind the PMA’s drive to establish a youth-oriented marketing conference is the belief that the youth holds influence

in the field of consumerism. The Stratmark conference provided fresh insight on the growing youth market. Based on research, speakers shared information on how to trigger the interest of the coutry’s future, from what products to hook them with, to how to advertise to them. Stratmark’s speakers included renowned figures in advertising and media: Jade Manalaysay-Tulio, VP for marketing of HBC Home of Beauty Exclusives Inc., who presented a case study on the tweens market, and March Ventosa, ABS-CBN’s head of marketing, who featured his take on Branded Entertainment. Included as well were Jos Ortega, CEO of J Walter Thompson who showed “The World’s Best Youth-Driven Ads,” and lastly, Prof. Henry Tenedero, president of Center for Learning and Teaching Styles Philippines, for “Gotcha! The Filipino Genius Building Empires of the Future.” One of the highlights of the event was from A pril Timbol-Yap’s talk “Strike a Pose: Iconic Cool among Today’s Youth.” Yap is the Insights deput y director of Mindshare, winner of Media Agency of the Year. Said Timbol-Yap,” The youth are the “holy grail” of marketing. They’re iconic, they are posed… they are the trend-bringers.”

Hong Kong – Leo Burnett Arc Hong Kong lands the Heineken beer business beating incumbent Tequila. With the win, the agency is tasked with developing a year’s worth of throughthe-line campaigns in an increasingly fragmented yet growing spirits market. The campaign will make use of a full array of media channels such as television, print, digital, retail and drinking outlets, to reach the 20- to 30-year old trendy and aspirational in Hong Kong, as well as expatriates who are always on the move. “This is another great win for Leo Burnett Arc in 2008,” said Ben Stobart, Client Service Director at Leo Burnett Arc Hong Kong.

BBDO China to Drive Mercedes-Benz Business

Beijing - Mercedes-Benz handed their brand creative business to BBDO in China. This assignment expands BBDO’s hold on the account since as it already handles Mercedes in South East Asia, India and Europe. “Mercedes-Benz is a very important client for BBDO globally and we’re delighted to have entered into a strong partnership with them in China,” said BBDO China CEO Carol Potter.

Universal McCann Gets A Dose of BASF

Hong Kong – Universal McCann is now global media agency of record for German chemical multinational BASF, following a 10-month media review that included Mindshare. Universal will be managing from its Hong Kong base media planning and buying for the world’s largest chemical company, which spans seven Asian markets and zeroes in on China, India, and Japan. Overseeing BASF group’s above-the-line creative communications throughout Europe, Asia, Latin, and North America is Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, an independently owned agency with origins in the US. With major business segmented into chemicals, plastics, performance products, functional solutions, agricultural solutions and, oil and gas and 160-odd group divisions on its shoulders, BASF’s renewed Asian focus underlines the $8.5B the chemical company has been investing in production sites across Asia since 1990. september-october 08

Thirasak Thanapatanakul John Merrifield

The Print War is on! Top Asian creatives judge first TINTA Awards Got a recent, littleseen print ad that you think deserves wider renown? Those who want to get their print work seen by the best in the business should prepare their entries to the The 1st Philippine Press Awards, Tinta Awards 2008. Recently launched by the United Print Media Group (UPMG) to encourage creativity and excellence in print advertising, the competition will be juried by a prestigious and multi-awarded panel of Creative Directors.

The three regional jurors are John Merrifield, Creative At Large of TBWA\Asia Pacific; Tay Guan Hin, JWT Asia; and Thirasak Tanapatanakul of Creative Juice\G1 Bangkok. All have won bushels of highlevel creative awards; two have served as jury heads for the print competitions of top global award shows. John Merrifield joined TBWA\Japan in 2003. Five months after joining he earned global acclaim for his ‘Vertical Football’ billboard and ‘Impossible Sprint’ for adidas. Chairman of the Print, Innovative & Integrated jury for the 2006 Clios, John has won multiple top awards at Cannes, the One Show, the Clios, AdFest, the Asian Advertising Awards, AWARD, ADC, and multiple acceptances in D&AD, Communication Arts

september-october 08

and The Work. He was named Asia’s Creative of the Year 2004 and topped the Asia/Pacific Creative Rankings in 2004. He was also a member of the 2007 D&AD jury. It will be Merrifield’s second visit to the Philippines, after his judging at the Ad Congress in Cebu some years ago. Tay Guan Hin of JWT Asia is the next regional juror. Guan joined JWT in 2005 and was elected to the Worldwide Creative Council. He is only the second Asian to chair the Clio Awards for print, poster, innovative media and integrated campaigns. His awards include Gold Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio, AdFest, Award and Spikes; of the Gunn Report’s top 10 campaigns, three are his. Guan has judged for D&AD, One Show, AdFest, Spikes & Award in Sydney and Cannes in 2007. This year, under his leadership, JWT Manila and Jakarta brought home the Philippines’s first Gold Lion and Indonesia’s first Lion, a Bronze. He was Chief of Jury for the inaugural Asia Outdoor Advertising Awards, and Jury President for Outdoor in Adfest 2008. (Those who attended his talk at Adfest 2007 will remember that Guan is also an enthusiastic amateur magician.) Rounding up the list of regional jurors is Thirasak Tanapatanakul, of Creative Juice\G1 Bangkok. One of the most internationally respected Asians in advertising, Thirasak has won Gold Lions, Gold Clios, Yellow Pencil D&AD, One Show Pencils, Andy Awards of Excellence and 2 Grand Prix in the Asia Pacific Ad Fest. Since joining Creative Juice\G1 (TBWA) in 2004, he has been

the driving force behind the agency’s boosts in worldwide rankings. He was also awarded ‘No. 1 Creative in Asia 2006’ and was the highest ranking “human” in 2007’s Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings. He was also named ‘Asia Pacific Creative of the Year 2005’ by Media Asia. Furthermore, Creative Juice\G1 won ‘Asia’s Agency of the Year 2006’ by Campaign Brief Asia and ‘Asia Pacific Office of the Year 2005’ by Media Asia. Thirasak has also represented Thailand on the juries of many international award shows, including Cannes Film 2006, Clio TV & Cinema 2008, D&AD Film 2007, Andy Awards 2007-8, Young Guns 2007, World Press Awards 2008, etc. The regional jurors join an intimidating selection of local talent: Raul Castro of McCann Erickson Worldgroup, Steve Clay of Lowe Manila, Dave Ferrer of JWT Phils., David Guerrero of BBDO Guerrero, Merlee Jayme of DM9 Jayme/ Syfu, Melvin Mangada of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, Raoul Panes of Leo Burnett Phils. and Leigh Reyes of Y&R Phils. The Tinta Awards 2008 are open to all Philippine-based advertising agencies, media independents, print media publishers and advertisers. All entries must have been published in magazine or newspaper publications in the Philippines, for the first time between Aug. 1, 2007–Sept. 30, 2008. Entry forms and contest guidelines can be downloaded from www.philippinetintaawards. com; inquire at info@ philippinetintaawards.com or call 638-9478 local 104.

Tinta Judges

Tay Guan Hin

David Guerrero

Melvin Mangada

Raul Castro

Leigh Reyes

Steve Clay

Merlee Jayme

Dave Ferrer

Raoul Panes

CALENDAR Deadline for Entries September 30, 2008 Judging October 13 & 14, 2008 TINTA AWARDS DAY OCTOBER 15, 2008 Judges' Talks 9:00AM - 12:00NN Exhibit of Finalists 10:00AM - Onwards Tinta Awards Ceremony 7:00PM - 10:30PM

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Cinemalaya 2008 winners photographed by Paolo Feliciano

“Jay”

Full Length category Best Film Jay by Francis Xavier E. Pasion Baron Geisler

Best Editing Kate Serraon, Chuck Gutierrez Francis Pasion for Jay

Best Actress winner Mylene Dizon and co-star TJ Trinidad in a scene from 100

Best Supporting Actor Yul Servo for Brutus

Chris Martinez’s 100 Dominates Cinemalaya 2008 Chris Martinez’s 100, a story of a dying woman’s increasing to-do list before entering the pearly gates, won Best Direction and Best Screenplay at Cinemalaya 2008. 100 also won Best Actress for Mylene Dizon, Best Supporting Actress for Eugene Domingo, and the Audience Choice Award for Full Length Film. Martinez, former creative director at Basic Advertising, earned accolades for directing technique and depiction. 100 is a collaboration between a number of advertising personalities. Marlon Rivera, Publicis president, was co-executive producer. Straightshooters, an advertising film production outfit owned by Tony Gloria, shot the film in a record 14 days. Brian Cua of Hit Productions created the musical score. Industry solidarity can be seen on-cam as well: PhD Media Network General Manager Lawrence Tan lent his condo as location, and the cast includes star character actress (and former McCann creative director) Tessie Tomas. Director/writer Martinez credited Rivera for his guidance and

belief in the project; as well as Madonna Tarrayo, Straightshooters managing director, for “forcing” him to join Cinemalaya. The Cinemalaya 2008 jury is comprised of film critic and writer Lito B. Zulueta;

vals, including the Cannes Film Festival. On this its fourth year, the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition is gaining ground, and how. Held from July 11 to 20, the shows ran out of tickets, and

Marlon Rivera with the cast and crew of “100”

Best Actor Baron Geisler for Jay

“Brutus”

Best Original Musical Score Joey Ayala for Brutus Best Cinematography Jay Abello for Brutus Dan Villegas for Huling Pasada Best Sound Toto Sorioso-Sound Engineer Lito Cruz-Soundman for Ranchero Best Production Design Cristina Honrado for Baby Angelo Special Jury Prize Tara Illenberger for Brutus Short Feature category Best Film Milo Tolentino for Andong “God Only Knows”

Best Director Mark V. Reyes for God Only Knows Best Screenplay Milo Tolentino for Andong.

film actor Cesar Montano; Ansgar Vogt, Berlin International Film Festival programmer; Kim Ji-Seok, co-founder and program director of the Pusan International Film Festival and Max Tessier, Asian and Japanese cinema expert and artistic consultant for international film festi-

the CCP was jampacked with alternative performances— performance artists and music bands—at the lobby. An all-digital film festival whose only objective, then and now, is to offer a venue for fresh, visionary and artistic cinema for Filipinos by Filipinos, Cinemalaya is Cinemagaling!

Special Jury Prize Anna G. Bigornia for My Pet Audience Choice Award God Only Knows Special Jury Citation Sheron R. Dayoc for Angan-Angan

september-october 08

iamninoy

i am a new kind of campaign Those old enough will remember that Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino died a bloody death on Sunday, the 21st of August 1983. Earlier that year, a young quartet from Dublin had released an anthemic album called War. In the shellshocked aftermath of the murder, scrappy local music mag Jingle printed a daring full-page tableau: Ninoy sprawled on the tarmac, superimposed with Bono’s lyrics for “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. Twenty-five years later, Ninoy is just a glimmer of memory. But Bono, a global Pied Piper, has led two generations to activism with poetry, music, his gift of gab and a guitar pick. With such a symbiotic history, it’s little wonder that Rafa Lopa, chief of staff to exPresident Cora-zon Aquino, would be inspired (or should that be inspiRED) by Bono’s Project Red to launch a full-year, nationwide campaign to introduce Ninoy to the new generation of Pinoys. “From the start, Tita Cory said ‘Think of a campaign to

talk to the young people,” Lopa explained. Initial discussions started last year, but elections and illness pushed the project to the back burner. Meanwhile, Lopa organized his Ateneo class silver anniversary and hooked up with classmate and good friend Raul Castro, who just happens to be McCann’s Chief Creative Officer. “I had already discussed this earlier with Emily Abrera, another good friend. “Alam mo naman kaming mga walang pera (In the nature of the penniless), we use the goodwill of good friends.” With the inclusion of McCann creative director George Belardo, the Ninoy project was resurrected.

“You cannot preach to young people nowadays. They don’t like being told what to do. But you can show them an example of someone who had choices – and chose to do something for his country.” − Rafael Lopa, Aquino Foundation

adobo reactions I was reading adobo and your interview with Richard Irvine and all the nice kind platitudes showered upon him by his agency colleagues. Ok, this may not be too kind. I was just disappointed that in applauding himself, he has likened himself to Magellan descending upon Cebu to teach Lapu-Lapu and the lowly natives some western lessons on civilization. Let’s put some authentic retelling of history, just for the record. 1. When Richard descended upon this country in 1999, on the good ship Constantine, there was an agency called Hemisphere-Leo Burnett (and not just Hemisphere) chosen by Leo Burnett-Chicago as worthy enough to be a partner of the Leo Burnett organization— since 1983. 2. And this agency had an outstanding record helping clients like Procter and Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, General Foods, Banco Filipino etc. with creative work that rang the cash register. 3. And where the creatives had the last say on creatives. I know, because I decreed as part of our “burnettism” that creatives had the last say on creative materials and not some account director. Since 1983. In fact even before Burnett

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chose us as their equity partner. (At that moment when he was “horrified”, as he gleefully recounted in your interview, it is quite possible that he was too busy looking at his Paul Smith shirt to notice the job on hand that the account director had to make the decision for him. I dunno, but I was still there at that time and creatives ruled. Absolutely and definitely. If that incident really happened, I wonder why Richard did not see me to complain.) 4.But yeah, I remember Richard and Michael did have a “total reboot” idea at that time. A transformation idea: how to spend the money of the agency for an expensive office at Enterprise. Applause. Applause. Really nice office. Again, it’s just for the record. No hard feelings. I wish him good luck at his new posting in Japan. I know this great master will likewise teach the Japanese grasshoppers a lesson or two on the art of civilization. Yeah, he’ll probably teach them to be civilized and fry the sashimi. Thanks. -Greg Garcia, former chairman, Hemisphere Leo Burnett

campaign to prompt the youth to find out about Ninoy and make them understand the human being who, having already escaped persecution, returned to serve his country. And he served by sacrificing his life. Though Ninoy immortalized the statement ‘The Filipino is worth dying for,’ the campaign has updated that to ‘The Filipino is worth living for.’ Explained Lopa, “We want the Ninoy brand to live through. That we all can be a hero in small, humble ways.” The idea was simple; making it sustainable for a year was much less so. Making it nationwide was, well, a wider problem. Speaking to mall owners nationwide, Lopa found overwhelming support. Media pledged centerspreads in major dailies. The Ayala Foundation has mounted its own photo exhibit, in Glorietta and Trinoma. Lopa just needed to merge the efforts. While Project Red used Apple, Armani and Gap, I AM NINOY has its own cool crew. Graphic/fashion labels Team Manila and Analog Soul have produced their own Ninoy designs on shirts, shoes, totes and pins. Designs for sports apparel are coming from Rudy Project, and sports events are in the works. In another Project Red infusion, the campaign benefits a choice charity. Lopa hopes that buyers of any I AM NINOY item will take time to learn about the campaign’s chosen charity, and support can snowball. Already in tow is Diether Ocampo’s KIDS

There [is] a Ninoy in all of us waiting to come out... Being a hero may sound difficult, but being a bit of a hero in small personal ways is very much possible. − Chino Jayme, 27 McCann copywriter Brand: NINOY. Campaign: I AM A HERO. How can we evolve Ninoy as a Brand? McCann’s first presentation was flawless. Mainly inspired by the youth-oriented, pop fashion Project Red, other ideas proved equally significant in shaping the campaign. The genius use of Ninoy’s black glasses was inspired by the Che Guevarra faceicon phenomenon. “These young people don’t even know who Che is!,” laughs Lopa. In the same manner that they do not know Ninoy Aquino. Asked who Ninoy was 25 years later, the answers ranged from “the guy on the 500 peso bill” to “the airport.” Perhaps worse than just being father to celebrity Kris Aquino, a number of young people actually thought he was once the nation’s president. By asking, “If you were to see our country through the eyes of young people, what would you see?,” Lopa embarked on a

Foundation. A soft-spoken champion of children and pets, Ocampo was dead serious, stating, “It is unfortunate that young people would rather listen to celebrities. So once you commit yourself, you better be true to your word.” For Lopa, now is the time to work harder, opening doors for private associations and groups to join, and always hoping that the campaigns will live beyond one year. “The first stop is the young ones because it is when you are young that you’re more receptive to new things. The challenge is to squeeze the campaign into their short attention span and crammed existence.” The campaign is also youthful in its open-source “organization.” Unlike most campaigns, it is not centrally controlled, with a slew of skeds and mandatories requiring consensus. The visuals

are prompts and iamninoy.com is a bulletin board, but the rest is up to the individual. For partners and young people alike, there are no must-sees and must-says, only a must-do. Do your own thing, in your own way. Remix, mash up, DIY -- the more voices the better. Speaking of many voices, what about politics? Though she shuns comment, ex-President Aquino’s views on current events are well known; is this really Project Yellow? “Ninoy is nonpartisan. The stress is on the human being he was,” Lopa emphasizes, perhaps trying to keep the campaign from being tarred by the disgust that many young people profess for politics. The sociable, youthful Lopa ends on a light note. Asked if I AM NINOY would ever go couture, he replies with relish, “We’re not closing doors, they’re the ones with money.”

Issue #15 May-June 2008

PHP180

THE ISSUE THAT GOES TO CANNES

SAATCHI & SAATCHI SINGAPORE

Asia’s No.1 Creative Agency THE ADFEST SPECIAL Earth Hour Honored by Spikes 2008 Special World Press Awards Recap by Neil French PROFILE Andy Greenaway Hit Productions Roger Makak & Asia’s Creative Rankings ONLINE MEDIA REPORT The Power of Blogs The Filipino Web Diaspora Creative Review by Toby Talbot, DDB NZ FAREWELL Paul Arden BANG FOR THE BUCK by Prasoon Joshi Was a monkey the key to their success?

The Cannes Lions Primer 100% recycled paper www.adobomagazine.com

Enjoyed your coverage (of the Roger Makak cover story in adobo magazine). I think it was fair and balanced. And also a good read. I’ve given a copy to my dad.

Nice piece on Yasmin Ahmad!

Hi Angel – I’ve just spent a happy half an hour browsing through the Cannes Special Edition of Adobo! The publication is obviously going from strength to strength - congratulations.

-Andy Greenaway, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia

- Linda Locke Godmother Consulting, Singapore

- Rachel Dennis, Director of Corporate Segment Marketing, Getty Images New York september-october 08

PROFILE

he Tower Club at night seems to take on an altogether different personality, unlike during the day. It becomes a bit more subdued, and laid back. And, save for the music of live entertainment at the Baron’s Bar, somewhat more hushed than lunch hour. Ah, but the view from the top is exhilarating. From the bar’s vantage point of the 32nd floor, the clutter of neon, honking vehicles and exhaust fumes at street level seem so far away. And the outline of the city that stretches out for kilometers in every direction is pulsing with so much energy and promise that a summer night can hardly contain. The suave ambience of the Baron’s Bar, with its comfortable couches, seems just the right setting to have an engaging conversation with the loquacious Arnedo “Dodie” Lucas. For nearly 30 years, Dodie has been at the forefront of the sound recording and sound engineering side of the advertising business. His recording studio, Audio Arts, specialized in advertising material soundtracks, and was favored by many agency producers and creatives. A self-admitted “hi-fi addict,” he leveraged a longtime hobby into a business. His first job, at Procter & Gamble, had nothing to do with audio. Dodie was drawn to the world of advertising, albeit on the supplier side, for three simple reasons. The first was a quest for excellence, which to him was inherent in every requirement that advertising practitioners were committed to deliver to their clients. Second was a respect for core competencies. Advertising practitioners, he noted, knew

SOUND BITES WITH

DODIE LUCAS by Harry Mosquera

a perfect audio chain together. Also, acoustic designers are now readily available and reasonably priced.” During those technologically Dark Ages, television soundtracks were somewhat primitive. Dodie remembers those times: “The situ-

Interestingly, Dodie was more self-taught in the sound recording side of the business that he has helped influence through the years. their places in the scheme of things. They had a professional respect for the talents and capacities of the people they worked with, knowing that each had a contribution to make in the entire project. And third, the industry had a capacity and willingness to pay for quality work, which had the elements of professionalism and fairness to it. Nowadays, Dodie wistfully notes, values seem to have changed in the advertising industry. Of course, soundtrack production has evolved dramatically since the 1970s. “The plug and play equipment we have today precludes making drastically wrong equipment decisions,” Dodie recalls. “Previously, a savvy studio operator had an advantage over the lessthan-savvy operator in his ability to connect

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ation for TV soundtracks then was you could have bad sound but good sync or good sound but bad sync—never have them both good.” During filming, one usually records live sound, but Dodie recounts, “once the sound gets transferred to tape on a dilapidated open reel tape recorder, used only by the advertising producers, the crisp sound goes out the door.” Then a second layer is added on the first track of the VTR. “This is fine,” Dodie says, “until you have to spot another layer. This is also fine if it’s just SFX that’s being spotted. However, if you have to lip sync an entire script, you encounter an insurmountable problem.” Dodie, ever the audio addict and entrepreneur, found tape deck synchronizers unsuitable for soundtrack use in advertising

materials. Then by the mid-1980s, audio equipment began using computer exclusively. When he became convinced of its technology, he formed Audio Post. Through Electromedia’s head honcho Amar Gambol, he got into a strategic relationship with Video Post. The implications for the advertising industry with this new technology were tremendous. Before Audio Post, Dodie says, slice-of-life commercials were a minority, and jingle-based commercials ruled the airwaves. Within a six-month period, there was a decided shift towards the slice-of-life executions. After a year, film-type soundtracks, with their lush sound layering and effects, became the industry norm. Naturally, it did not take long for intrepid producers to ask for more layers, more perfect lip synchronization, more subtle music mix levels. “My engineers also became more adept at sound design,” he remembers proudly. “They had access to tens of thousands of sound effects, and even recorded their own. They also did Foley, which they learned from doing film features.” In fact, Audio Post engineers are the most-awarded sound technicians in the film industry, perhaps the best known of which is Mike Idioma. For Dodie, exceptional sound engineering must produce natural sound accurately. In the advertising context, this means mostly the talent’s voice. “This must sound as true to the natural voice of the talent as possible,” Dodie insists.

“This is now relatively easy to achieve because of excellent state of the art digital equipment and microphones are reasonably priced.” Suppliers also now routinely use acoustic designers to do their recording studios. There was a time, though, when “the reality of sound was based on the experience,” as Dodie puts it, and not on objective technical parameters. He recalls when a technical error, like an off-sync sound, was considered a “style” that was much in vogue in the 1980’s. To his horror, it was an example of how “if you repeat it enough, it becomes truth.” Dodie takes comfort in the technical aspect of sound recording to ensure that certain standards are met; otherwise, everything else becomes relative. And while advances in technology have helped in pushing the creative boundaries of the business, Dodie has a caution: if technology leads to carelessness, then it is not good. As if in agreement, the earnest singer by the piano

“If ever our country can become richer, I hope to see music being done using session musicians using natural instruments.”

hits an off-note, a rather unbaronial irritation that is easily forgiven by the more memorable sound bites offered nonstop by Dodie, in between drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Interestingly, Dodie was more self-taught in the sound recording side of the business that he has helped influence through the years. His educational background (he has a degree in Chemistry), he believes, has allowed him “to pore over the mathematics of audio engineering and makes it more understandable.” Dodie anticipates that in the near future, the evolution of sound engineering in the Philippines will be a mixed bag. “In the Hi-Fi field there is a return to analog,” he observes. “However, for advertising, digital with all of its workflow advantages and quality consistency will not move there. If ever our country can become richer, I hope to see music being done using session musicians using natural instruments.” Like most of the industry’s seniors, Dodie recognizes that advertising faces many challenges. Proliferation in all its aspects is one; lack of agreed-upon benchmarks is another. There is also the problem of lower consumer purchasing power, and the lack of enough risk takers to shake up the status quo. “However, the industry has shown infinite capacity to learn and adjust,” Dodie says. “The problem lies in our slowness in realizing the existence of the problem, the creation of a consensus on how to solve the problem and the

will and courage to solve it when a solution is agreed upon.” Even if his end of the advertising business has been mostly on the supplier side, Dodie feels the drive for creativity is an important ingredient for the continuing growth of the industry. On creative benchmarks, Dodie believes there are two schools of thought: One is, “We do not have to measure to any standard but ours. Creative advertising is not measurable by jurors.” The other is, “We need benchmarks to measure our degree of development and progress.” “I believe that a measure of each thought is required for the truth,” he says. “However, the bigger issue is, why do advertisers take solace in the perceived effectiveness of tried and tested concepts. Why cannot the agencies convince their advertiser partners to believe in the contrary? Therefore, the battlefield is again in the mind and in the heart. It could be rooted in past experience that needs to be exorcised.” For his success in the business, Dodie acknowledges the mentorship offered by veterans like Raul Ortega, Tony Asuncion and Chi Carreon. And he includes Amar Gambol, Linda Gamboa, Momie Joya, Louie Morales and Jose Sy as among those “who helped form me.” Dodie, however, considers the late media mogul Eugenio “Geny” Lopez, Jr. of ABS-CBN as his idol in business. “I have every respect for him,” he says. “Even before I became linked with ABS-CBN through Audio Post and later the Road Runner Network, I had worked with him in the One Asia Assembly and in the Media Citizen’s Quick Count.” Perhaps the result of his Dominican and Salesian training as a young boy, Dodie carries his Catholicism openly and unapologetically. Even at an early age, he confesses to being able to “connect the Church’s teaching with the Bible.” “I don’t find Catholicism as a hindrance to success,” he says. “In fact, I find it as very reasonable and eminently practical.” Even if many advertising practitioners may find the idea incompatible, Dodie opines that advertising professionals can, and should, integrate their Christianity in the workplace. “Advertising should have no problem integrating Christianity,” he argues. “This industry talks about subjects like Truth, CoCreation, Disruption, Time, Creating Ideas, Relationship and To be Valued. These are metaphysical ideas that Christianity has the ability of illuminating. Ideas particularly, require transcendental thinking, and that is the expertise of Christianity.” If Dodie sees the world through the lens of faith, fate has somehow brought him to a new sense of mission. Now in-between businesses after the Road Runner Network, Dodie is again experimenting with new technology—this time, cellphone television which he feels fills a niche for alternative programming. As an experimental channel, he envisions it to be a user-generated medium, and hopes it will be online by the second half of 2008. With three daughters and one son, Dodie stresses to his children the importance of reliance on God and not material wealth. Being a person for others even at personal sacrifice is another. As much as possible, he and his wife try to impart these important life lessons by example. Dodie shares his secret for marital bliss: “The Gospel message for couples is to be one. It’s a good thing.” By any measure, that is certainly sound advice. september-october 08

Breast cancer ads by Publicis JimenezBasic

ON OUR MINDS

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We print these works in tribute to the colleagues and friends who have succumbed -- and the many more who survive. To schedule a mammogram, contact your office health provider or call icanserve at 687-3942.

A 16-year veteran at Campaigns & Grey, print producer Peck Imson turned to painting partly to fund her sister Olynâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chemotherapy. Turning blight into beauty, Imson completed 22 paintings within a year. Her March 2007 exhibit Simply the Breast was dedicated to Olyn, who lost the battle against the disease three months later at age 44.

september-october 08

regionalnewsbriefs David Nobay of Droga5 is AWARD Chairman of Judges

Sydney – The Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association (AWARD) recently announced its line-up of judges and named David Nobay as Chairman. Nobay, Droga5 Sydney creative chairman, will chair a committee of 80 judges from Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Eligible entries for AWARD 2008 are works appearing from July 9, 2007 to July 15, 2008. “It seems a bit rhetorical to say this appointment is an honour, but frankly it is. The committee has pulled together quite a line-up of talent, and to be asked to direct them (if only from the shadows) is a fascinating, if intimidating, opportunity,“ says Nobay. AWARD has over nine panels, with each having its own individual Chairman Judge from the AWARD Committee. Entries in the thousands are currently being processed across all categories. AWARD Finalists will be released in October 2008, and winners will be announced at the AWARD Awards Presentation Evening on November 27 at The Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.

Amy Gebhardt named KODAK AWARD New Director Of The Year

On September 17, Amy Gebhardt, of Sydney’s Exit Films, was named KODAK AWARD New Director of the Year. As winner, she received 10 x 400 loads of 35mm Kodak Motion Picture Film, valued at approximately AUS$4,000. Now on its second year, the competition is run by the Australian creative show AWARD. Finalists were selected from entries from eight Asia-Pacific countries. The other finalists were Dael Oates, Prodigy; Sam Peacocke, Robbers Dog Films; and Rong Soralamp, Phenomena.

Suzuki Kickstarts Asean Football Federation Cup

Bangkok - An expired Tiger brewery contract has left the Asean Football Federation temporarily sponsorless, but the group has since tied up with Suzuki for its biennial soccer tournament. Anthea Chee of tournament management World Sport Group said, “Having done it for four tournaments, Tiger opted for a break in the last edition.” “Sponsorship is the lifeblood of the game and we are fortunate to have secured a wonderful new partner,” said AFF president Ahmad Rithauddeen. The tournament name now changes from Tiger Cup to Suzuki Cup and will be co-hosted in Indonesia and Thailand after a five-team qualifying tournament in Cambodia this October.

september-october 08

Insightful Revelations On

Consumer Insights by Budjit Tesoro

Norelco Bodygroomer “Shave Every where”T VC

“It’s the bridge between the consumer and the brand that changes behavior,” is how Peter Rodenbeck, DDB Asia’s strategic planning director, defines a consumer insight. According to him, insights can be elusive. Finding the ultimate “clutter-cutter” that creates that near-impossible bond between your consumer and brand is like looking for a pin in a haystack, which sent a buzz across Tropezz resto-bar packed with PANA members, strategic and media planners, all eager to get the lowdown on effective insights. Often confused with the existing consumer belief, insights are actually honest truths, something people can grasp completely and empathize with. A premise that will make consumers excitedly say “that’s so true!” instead of the nonchalant “that’s true,” as Peter carefully pointed out. “You’ll know that it’s an insight if you feel it in your gut. Listen to your intuition. You have to immerse yourself in your target market. Spend a few hours with them. Get to talk with them

No matter how honest an insight is, it would totally be useless if it gets drowned in mandatory layers of messages.

and see how they live, how they eat. Listen to what they talk about. Go to their workplace or their homes. There’s no other way to get to know what makes them tick.” Peter gave an amazing account of how, on one of his Philippine explorations, a one-hour conversation (which started with his companion asking for a taste of a roasted suckling pig) with a fisherman’s family turned into Sociology 101, enlightening him on the cultural, religious and familial beliefs of the Filipino OFW. His experience only goes to prove that focus group discussions just don’t get the job done anymore. People never speak from the heart in controlled environments. Powerful insights might be distinguished from ho-hum insights on the basis of how they affect the person at the receiving end of your ad. Such insights should be allowed to come alive in the execution. No matter how honest an insight is, it would totally be useless if it gets drowned in mandatory layers of messages, reducing the brand’s chances of penetrating your consumer’s minds to create that connection between your brand and consumer. To demonstrate how powerful insights can be, Peter presented several ads and identified both the consumer belief and consumer insight. A hilarious TV spot for Norelco Body Groomer clearly demonstrated how an insight

regionalnewsbriefs

ADFEST UNVEILS 2009 THEME Bangkok- ADFEST has unveiled the theme for next year’s event, which will also double as the festival’s permanent tagline. Developed by Ben Welsh, executive creative director at M&C Saatchi in Sydney,‘Made in Asia’ reflects ADFEST’s heritage. “ADFEST is the only regional advertising festival that originates in Asia, by Asians for Asians. ADFEST

is immensely proud of its role in helping to develop the careers of young creative talent for the entire region, befitting its slogan,” says Vinit Surapongchai, chairman of the ADFEST working committee. ADFEST President Jimmy Lam says that ‘Made

in Asia’ ref lects how far the Asia Pacific has evolved over the past decade in terms of its innovation, ideas and creativity. “[We are] Asia’s own awards show. It showcases the best work made in Asia, much of which takes its place amongst the world’s most awarded work. As a result, careers are made at ADFEST. With booming economies across the region,

‘Made in Asia’ is a proud and increasingly relevant claim,” says Lam. Of course, not so long ago the words ‘Made in Asia’ were associated with mass produced, poorly produced products, says Lam: “It’s a label many Asians were

got the male populace to accept the relatively new (and embarrassing) concept of shaving below the neck. Hinged on this insight: in this era of metrosexuals, shaving is not just about maintenance. Now, it’s about enhancing your assets; the spot featured a robed, hairless man expressing his joy and satisfaction over his bald armpits, chest and privates. (Check out shaveeverywhere.com to see him enjoying the fruits of body grooming.) Sales skyrocketed, doubled in 2006 and bagged a Cannes Gold Cyber Lion for Norelco.

You have to immerse yourself in your target market. Spend a few hours with them. Get to talk with them and see how they live, how they eat. Insights were likewise, resonant in these ads: The Knorr Frozen Foods TV spot leveraged on the insight that microwaveables are devoid of taste, and are therefore considered bad. Apparently, the word “frozen” was believed to be bad. Capitalizing on this insight, the creative team equated the word “frozen” with the F word, producing a TVC replete with bleeps to censor

It’s a label many Asians were embarrassed about... Those days are long gone. embarassed of because it seemed to indicate inferiority to Europe and the United States. Those days are long gone. Asia has captured the world’s imagination with its products, brands, design, art and commercial creativity.” ADFEST will bring the tagline to life as the theme for next year’s festival, which runs 19-21 March 2009 in Pattaya. Next year’s ADFEST will include 13 categories for Film, Press, Poster, Print Craft, Film Craft, Outdoor, Cyber, Direct, Radio, Design as well as INNOVA and 360 Lotus categories for innovative and integrated campaigns. The Film Craft jury will also select the region’s best New Director.

the word “frozen” each time it was uttered. Such an execution was cascaded into the print ads and collaterals, eventually sending Knorr Frozen Foods back to its saleable status. With the objective of convincing couples to have more babies despite the expenses of raising one, the Johnson & Johnson campaign featured first-time dads spending quality time at home. Built on the insight that having a baby changes everything for men, ads showcased endearing visuals such as a baby sleeping on his dad’s chest paired with witty copy “Rock `n Roll can be as cool as Rock-a-bye,” sent the message loud and clear. Budweiser radio spots harped on the insight that we usually celebrate the extraordinary, when in fact we have to celebrate the ordinary in all of us. Such a universal insight won the campaign a Cannes Silver Radio Lion. Peter then launched into the different kinds of insights, citing specific examples for brand (Honda), competitive (Avis), cultural (Shanghai Tang), motivational (Nike), product (VW) and usage (Dulco) insights. Noting that 90% of briefs he’d come across in Asia regrettably stopped at the consumer belief, he compels that we “be single–minded in our message. Take care not to relegate the insight to a mere copy point. It should be given a lift. Protect and shelter the insight.”

Leo Burnett Sri Lanka hosts Leo Foundations Asia Pacific workshop

Colombo - Leo Burnett Solutions Inc., the Sri Lankan office of internationally acclaimed advertising agency network Leo Burnett Worldwide, will host up to 30 young advertising professionals from across the Asia Pacific region to an intensive four-day workshop – Leo Foundations 2008, Sri Lanka. Leo Foundations will focus on the complete cycle of the business starting with understanding the client’s issues and marketing objectives, how to position a brand, gain powerful insights and how to write great briefs, moving forward to brainstorming ideas. The final module will focus on how to create great communications, evaluate it and present it. Michael Wood (Chairman, Leo Burnett – Greater China) and Michelle Kristula-Green (President- Leo Burnett – Asia Pacific) will attend the final sessions, and will play the role of client. Leo Foundations has been coordinated by LBSI in conjunction with Linda Locke, Chief Executive Officer of Godmother Consulting Pte Ltd.

Malaysian Code of Advertising Revised

Kuala Lumpur – The Malaysian Code of Ethics objectives are to promote and enforce high standards in advertisements, to investigate complaints and ensure that the system works in the public interest, said Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Shiekh Fadzir, chairman of ASA, the Advertising Standards Authority Malaysia. “The code covers all advertisements within the print media, billboards, leaflets and labels amongst many others; all of which account for over 60% of the country’s advertising expenditure.” The revised third edition of the code contain new sections on Environmental Claims, Motoring, Property Advertising and Database Marketing. It has dropped specific rules on cigarette advertising, as tobacco companies have agreed to selfregulate by not advertising cigarettes. The industry organisation -- comprising the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) and the Malaysian Newspapers Publishers Association (MBPA) -- set up the Advertising Standards Authority Malaysia (ASA) to administer the code.

New Magazine Unfolds in Malaysia

Sledgehammer Communications (M) Sdn Bnd has launched its second magazine: a new business title called Marketing, for business readers keen to grapple with the fast-changing Malaysian marketplace. “We had always wanted to go into the mass publishing space. ADOI is very much a niche title for the advertising and media industry. With Marketing however, our content will touch all facets of the business spectrum that deal with marketing, and we know every company has a marketing component that needs to shine,” said publisher Ham Singh. september-october 08

exclusive

MICHAEL MAEDEL

REVVING UP FOR THE POLE POSITION by Harry Mosquera

ichael Maedel, global president of J. Walter Thompson (JWT), loves to race. It may not be immediately evident in his calm, measured demeanor, but his intense blue eyes hint at a sharpness of focus that is at ease to the thrill of the speedways as well as the fluid turns of today’s interconnected business environment. Michael began his career in the Frankfurt office of Young & Rubicam in the early 70’s. In the late 80’s he moved on to Ted Bates Werbagentur-Frankfurt as chairman. Eventually he joined JWT Germany as chairman in 1990. Later, when he was named global president of JWT, Michael raised eyebrows when he decided to hold office in Singapore – not in New York or London. In the advertising world, this unprecedented move is like Zeus descending from Olympus. From a strategic perspective, though, moving to Asia makes good sense. Michael’s presence in Singapore provides JWT with a unique opportunity to strengthen relations with clients at the highest levels, in some of the world’s fastest growing consumer markets like China and India. Indeed, Asia hosts more than half of the world’s population, has aggressive export economies that now compete with the West, and accounts for a rapidly growing portion of global advertising and marketing spending. Being based in the region also allows him to be involved with emerging local brands that are about to break into the international marketplace. “An agency is only as good as its understanding of local markets,” Michael says, and adds that it is important to engage local clients in their own countries. In fact, Michael’s tenth visit to Manila coincided with the appointment of Jos Ortega, formerly of BBDO Guerrero Ortega and BrandLab, as the chief operating officer of JWT Philippines. He took the opportunity to meet with key clients, along with Jos, and was pleased to observe, without exaggerating, that “Jos knows everybody!” Acknowledged as one of the best strategic thinkers in Philippine advertising, Jos previously worked for Lintas (now known as Lowe) and Ogilvy & Mather. “We will be building on Jos’s experience and thought leadership to spearhead efforts to broaden our offerings, and to grow the office in terms of quality of work,” Michael shares. JWT Manila, Michael notes, plays an im-

september-october 08

portant role in the region for the agency’s Unilever client. “Manila,” he says, “has a real sense of energy, and growing sense of optimism.” His assessment of the Philippine office is upbeat. “If you look at the higher quality of the creative product, this is also reflected in the strong showing of JWT Manila in creative competitions,” he enthuses. “And where there is creative excellence, there is success in the market.” Creative excellence, Michael reveals, is a central

Michael sees his role as leader as “helping put people together.” Taller than the average Asian, and with a slight German accent, Michael can be mistaken for the stereotypical Western Big Boss – serious, detached and imperious. point of the global agenda for JWT. He wants to create a passion for a cause to understand the business of clients, and in the process, assure clients that they have a partner that knows what they need. “At the end of the day, only cutting-edge work matters,” he says. “The better the work, the better the impact to client.” To emphasize the importance of creative excellence, JWT has instituted a “World Wide Creative Challenge” where the agency’s creative leaders meet up quarterly to evaluate JWT work worldwide. The creative product is rated from “1” or “rubbish,” as Michael colorfully calls it, to “10” or “world-class quality.” And he has specifically set up for Asia a “Passion Group” to promote what he describes as “a deep-rooted commitment to work and what’s needed to evolve it.” Michael sees his role as leader as “helping put people together.” Taller than the average Asian, and with a slight German accent, Michael can be mistaken for the stereotypical

Western Big Boss – serious, detached and imperious. Yet, up close and personal, he comes across as warm, witty and knowledgeable. He considers emotional intelligence a key characteristic for a successful leader. “You must have sensitivity to put people together as a team,” he says, pointing out that JWT has as a resource 11,000 people worldwide. “It is a network of talents which we can tap to work for our clients.” Michael relates that JWT has an agency culture that encourages and empowers employees. “I’d like our people to operate without fear,” he declares. “I encourage them to experiment. Try something new. Be entrepreneurial. It’s alright to make mistakes.” And, of course, learn from those mistakes. He divulges that JWT ran research on a “Happiness Quotient” to discover how agency people feel about how they were treated. “It gave a clear picture of an agency,” he says. It also underscores an urgent issue in the adver-

Having been to Manila many times, he observes that “driving in the city… can be inspired.” But compared to India’s traffic, Manila “is heaven.” tising industry worldwide: talent management. “Every good guy who leaves the agency is a loss for me,” he admits. “It’s important that we provide emotional and financial rewards.” Talent management is related to another important issue for the industry: the fee payment system applied for most clients. “It sucks!” Michael says unequivocally. “It’s based on a wrong paradigm. Payment must be based on the value that we create. We must move from cost-based to value-based billing.” As clients are exploring more and more alternative approaches beyond traditional advertising solutions, Michael anticipates that an area of opportunity for JWT lies in

activation, where consumers can experience the brand personally. He is in particular an advocate for shopper marketing, because research shows that 80% of purchase decisions are made in front of the store shelves. “Shopper marketing is action focused to bring customers to buy,” he says. “How do I connect to the customer in the store? How do customers react to the brand?” In addition, Michael believes that “digital will be the center of all we do.” And he continues, “Mobile marketing is the next big thing. There will be a convergence between retail and mobile phone marketing. It is a connectivity that will link to people’s needs.” For Michael, however, the biggest challenge for the advertising industry today is the continuing price volatility of global oil prices, which is affecting not only national economies, but is also having profound effects on consumer behavior. “Whether good times or bad, it’s the only time we’ve got,” Michael muses, “and complaining doesn’t help... Every problem presents an opportunity.” For clients who are cutting back on budgets during crisis periods, he presents this reality check: “Historically, we’ve seen that if you cut back, it costs you more to get back your investments in the marketplace.” In his estimation, the greater impact of the present economic crunch is here to stay. “There will be a fundamental change in industry,” he predicts. “Cars will be made differently. Gas guzzlers will be a thing of the past. Banks will behave differently, especially in terms of loan exposures and high risk speculative activities.” In the next five years, Michael sees JWT Philippines “growing and delivering great work in every respect.” He is confident JWT will continue to

attract the best talents, and will be “the most sought-after agency by clients.” He is keeping an eye nevertheless on the local offices of Ogilvy, which he regards as “a formidable competitor,” and BBDO, which he considers “a very impressive shop as TBWA.” These agencies, Michael allows, are comparable in talent and capability across Asia. In the race for recognition, Michael is aiming for JWT to be the best. “It’s not about being the biggest in billings size,” he says. “Money is always the result of something, not the start of something. To be the best focuses on quality.” Quality is a sentiment that drives Michael, even in private. As an Austrian, he confesses to a weakness for sweets, and a passion for skiing. “In Austria,” he explains, “the best skiing is on fresh powder… it’s an out-of-the-world experience!” In the region, he is looking forward to hitting the slopes in Japan and New Zealand. He is an avid racer of classic, pre-1964 Jaguar automobiles. “It’s true, I like speed. The faster it moves, the better,” he avers. “It was my dream as a boy to go around the tracks.” But why choose classic Jaguars? “It’s a brand I’ve always liked,” he says. “I find Jaguars aesthetically fascinating, and racing them is a test of your skills.” Living in Singapore, however, does not provide him the opportunity to pursue his favorite pastime. “If I had a Jaguar there and stepped on the gas, I’d be in Malaysia in five minutes,” he jokes. Having been to Manila many times, he observes that “driving in the city… can be inspired.” But compared to India’s traffic, Manila “is heaven.” “Indians seem to be driven by a death wish,” he recalls. “Being on their roads is such an experience. I was convinced that 25% of the population was being killed daily. But somehow, it works for them!” In the Philippines, India, or anywhere else in the world, one thing is worth looking out for: JWT is in the running for pole position with an experienced driver like Michael at the wheel.

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

July 2008 Raw School “Cry”, “Eat (Tanke)”, “Eat (Tony)” Posters Agency: JimenezBasic / Advertiser: Creative Guild of the Philippines / Creative Director: Third Domingo Art Director: Nina Jimenez, Vlad Jamison / Copywriter: Nina Jimenez / Photo credits: adobo Magazine, Found Images, Stock

september-october 08

regionalnewsbriefs Dentsu Establishes Dentsu Creative Force

Tokyo - Dentsu Inc. announced the establishment of a new company, Dentsu Creative Force, to strengthen expertise and increase efficiency in Dentsu Group’s creative production which includes promotion and management. The new company will consolidate the creative production processes throughout Dentsu and the Dentsu Group to secure their creative talent and to increase efficiency. In a statement from the company, they said that “Dentsu Creative Force aims to respond to the long-term, global diversification of creative production and administration resulting from the expansion of Dentsu’s creative business and to further improve the overall creative production quality of the Dentsu Group.”

McCann Gets Proton on Cruise Control

In a tri-month pitch involving M&C Saatchi, TBWAISCMalaysia, and JWT, incumbent McCann Erickson retains Malaysian auto manufacturer Proton. On the heels of a 2008 PMAA Gold Dragon for brand-building for their work on the Proton “Persona” - one of two newly launched Proton vehicles - McCann Malaysia managing director Tony Savarithmu has confirmed their hold on the carmaker’s US $14M account, with sister agency Universal McCann handling media planning and buying. Proton is looking to counter tumultuous financial states and bolster its overseas profile with the launch of an MPV model later this year. Proton rejoins McCann Malaysia’s string of clients, which include Coca-Cola, Nestle, Sime Darby, Mastercard, and L’Oreal.

The Nine Network Blazes Trail With Scorched

Australian television studio Nine Network has launched “Scorched,” the country’s first multi-platform drama project. “Scorched” is set in Sydney, where 240 days have gone without rain, the city’s water supply is depleting, and severe bush-fires have risen. The drama first came out on the web in the form of fictional online news reports, websites linked to events in the story, and “Cassie Has Dreams,” an online-only series of 20 3 minute long “webisodes” featuring characters from Scorched on ninemsn channel scorched.tv.

Saatchi & Saatchi’s Kevin Roberts Answers Telecom NZ’s Call

Saatchi & Saatchi global CEO Kevin Roberts has joined the board of Telecom New Zealand. According to Telecom NZ chairman Wayne Boyd, the selection was made after a 3-month “intensive and rigorous search process” in a bid to ramp up the telecom’s marketing and branding smarts. “Kevin is passionate about ideas, innovation, good corporate practice, and the progress of New Zealand,” said Boyd. An NZ citizen, Roberts has headed Saatchi & Saatchi for 11 years now. He is also the author of “Lovemarks: the future beyond brands” (2006).

september-october 08

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang Japanese, Singaporean Creatives Bust a Cap with ADC Young Guns 6 Title

New York - Global creative collective Art Directors Club proclaims the freshest crop of advertising, design, and visual communications prodigies the world over to make the 6th class of ADC Young Guns. A biennial competition founded in 1996, the ADC Young Guns class inducts qualified creative professionals ages 23 to 30 into an ever-growing fraternity of relentless greatness. And with alums such as Stefan Sagmeister (YG1), Rei Inamoto (YG4), James Victore (YG1), Ryan McGinness (YG2), floto+warner (YG5), Alexander Gelman (YG1), Deanne Cheuk (YG4), Todd St. John (YG1), Scott Stowell (YG3), and Mike Mills (YG1), there is no question at all that these folks have serious game.

Morris Lee

Shun Kawakami

This year, official bragging rights go to a multi-discipline, massively talented roster of 50. Art director Naoki Ga of Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, graphic designer Shun Kawakami of artless Inc., Japan, and Morris Lee of art and design unit Momorobo, Singapore, are the three Asians to each land a sweet spot in the final list of Chosen Ones and adobo magazine is nothing short of stoked to share a continent with three of these wunderkinds.

Naoki Ga

adalike

Durex “Global Sex Survey” Posters 2005

The Hong Kong Jockey Club “Mark Six Lottery” Posters O&M Hong Kong, 2008

september-october 08

Enlightenment at Cannes:

Piyush Pandey Speaks

“I

f l sell two kilos of icing, who will buy it? One must have great cake before you put icing. If you have great cake only then will you last.” Thus speaketh Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy & Mather India group president, national creative director, and one of India’s most celebrated creatives. Having gone from trainee account executive to Executive Chairman, Pandey can definitely have his cake and eat it, too. Casually addressing the Master Class session at the recent Cannes Lions 2008, Pandey was in his realm, enthralling the young creatives and imparting 25 years’ worth of expertise and experience. “The real award is in the streets.” So states the guru, more credibly because he has Lions to spare. His point was not to demean Cannes, but that a Lion means little if succeeding campaigns fall short in audience impact. Creatives are paid to create ads that are effective – meaning ads that deeply connect, and are intuitively understood. He continues, “If the people in the street all agree on one ad (your ad), then you have made it.” His well-chosen example? Budweiser’s “Wazzup” and “Real Men of Genius” campaigns. Both are over a decade old now – but ad geeks and everyday beer guzzlers who’ve never even heard of Cannes can still quote them almost verbatim.

“If you understand that it is about mindlessness, then you will do work that works wonderfully for the heart but not for the mind.” Nothing is boring if you are interesting. Stuck with a boring product? Pandey showed the difference imagination can make. The product is Hilti cement. The ad shows the ghosts of a father and

september-october 08

son, reminiscing how much they miss life. To cheer up his son, dad starts running toward a theatre. Their mirth mingling, the tandem runs joyously through trees and gravestones. As the son races past, dad looks ahead and tries desperately to stop him. Too late. The son splats into a block of Hilti, and dies all over again. Simple, surprising, hilarious – and utterly, totally based on the product. Snacking is mindless. Says Pandey, “If you understand that it is about mindlessness, then you will do work that works wonderfully for the heart but not for the mind.” But, oh what mindless advertising adventures we will have. To demonstrate, he chose a campaign for new snack chip variants. One ad featured flamingoes, the other bangles. There was no relation at all, except in sound: flamingo=bingo; bangles=mad angles. A simple rhyme; indeed, mindless. But it was cunning mindlessness: in six months, the brand was 20% ahead of their competitor Pepsi. You are hired to do ads for the country where you are from. Aim to be relevant. Another highlight of the talk was a pair of ads using stereotypical Bollywood suspense scenes. The first featured a household with members so engrossed in their individual miseries that no one notices a gas leak except the catatonic grandfather; the second shows a kidnap victim desperate to escape, yet agonizingly careful not to break a bottle at the edge of the device she’s using to cut the ropes. Both ads stop just short of a horrific ending, then the copy appears: India versus Pakistan. Get used to the tension. To the rest of the world it’s just a cricket match. But we weren’t the ones watching. Pandey teaches that creatives shouldn’t be concerned about how their ads will play internationally. Creatives are paid to create for their locale; it is relevance there that matters, and anything else is gravy. (He should know: having been both a cricket master and tea taster en route to becoming the first Asian on the Cannes Board of Directors, Pandey is proof that one

can be both quintessentially Indian and globally relevant.) Charm does NOT work in Cannes. You have to be a bit of a bastard. “Somebody has to die.” In his award-winning Mentos series, Pandey displayed his famously mischievous sense of humor. A barber messes up his client’s haircut with a giant sneeze. Rather than endure the client’s ire, he connives with the shop’s janitor. With the janitor directly behind

“...continuity, endurance and connection to the streets are what will make you into the Drogas of advertising.”

The Integrated Marketing Communications Effectiveness Awards, launched by the University of Asia and the Pacific in 2005, aspires to be the benchmark and resource for effective integrated marketing campaigns that value both business results and social progress. The first of its kind in the Philippines, in its third year the IMCEA now welcomes entries from other Asian countries, introducing new categories “Most Effective Teens Brand Campaign,” “Most Effective Family-Oriented Brand Campaign,” and the “Effectiveness Agency of the Year Award.” The board of judges has drawn in the most respected names in advertising: Emily Abrera, JJ Calero, Minyong Ordoñez, Jose Cuisia Jr., Vicente Dinglasan, Delfin Gonzalez Jr., Nanette Diyco, Mariles Gustilo, Rey Icasas, Barbara Locsin, Abby, Jimenez, Raul Alvarez, Nena Barredo, Lorenzo Barros, Nonna Nañagas, Jaime Puno, and March Ventosa. The awards come in Gold, Silver, and Bronze, with Gold winners qualifying for the “Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award” for most effective achievement in integration via business performance while firmly committing to social goals. Though Publicis Manila won Gold in “Best Innovative and Integrated Media Campaign” for 2007’s “Choose Wellness, Choose Nestlé,”

the client, the latter is fooled into believing that he is looking at his head. Learn at Cannes. Implement in the streets. Pandey illustrated this with a video of a live street drama. A fight breaks out in a restaurant. As the event slowly enraptures the crowd, they are informed that it is an enactment. While their attention is arrested, a number of people go around the restaurant with placards announcing the opening. The campaign was an award-winning success, prodding Pandey to add, “The Jury sometimes visits the streets.” He emphasized the importance of research, noting that advertising that can cross over from the street to Cannes is usually born of hard-earned learning. Campaigns take time to grow to be a (big) brand.

Pandey talks about how a product, “with 1/50th of the budget Coca-Cola spends for advertising,” could develop into a moneymaker bigger than Coca-Cola. Pandey used the historic transformation of M-seal adhesives (via the Fevicol ads he created) to show how a brand employed all the relevant points of ad-making to win top-of-mind awareness. The man behind the much-quoted “Anyone who believes that strategy is more important than creative is an idiot. And you can quote me on that,” had more than wise words to dispense. He had enlightenment to spare. Addressing cooler-than-thou young guns at Cannes, the unassuming guru ended with this: “As you go out to make careers for yourselves, continuity, endurance and connection to the streets are what will make you into the Drogas of advertising.”

Pandey appeared in Campaign Brief Asia’s print series featuring Asia’s hottest creatives.

the last IMCEA Platinum Award was given in 2005. Advertising and communication agencies and clients whose campaigns have used more than one communication channel are eligible to enter. Entries must discuss the impact of competitive environment, pricing, distribution, and other factors affecting market equilibrium. Result evidence must relate to campaign objectives and provide data sources, research involved, and time period covered. The case study must show brand profitability as a result of the IMC investments made and discuss the campaign’s contribution to the betterment of society. Deadline for submission is April 17, 2009. For inquiries, call Dette Malayo at 637-0912 loc 393 or email dmalayo@uap.edu.ph. The 3rd IMCEA 2009 is organized by the University of Asia and the Pacific, in partnership with the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines and BusinessWorld. Category sponsors are Millward Brown Asia Pacific-Philippines, Radio Mindanao Network and Philippine Survey and Research CenterResearch International. Media sponsors are adobo magazine and FocusMedia Audiovisuals. september-october 08

Asia Creative New Business League August 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)

McCann WorldGroup

31.4

Hanes India

25.2

Ogilvy

Proton Global , Sun DTH Ind, Jianlibao Chi, Maybank Sin, Kotak Bank India mCheck Ind, Sara Lee Ind, IDBI India, Skinfood Korea

33.8

Kotak Bank Ind, Future Grp Ind

25.1

DDB

IndoSat Indonesia, Mayora Indonesia

25.2

Quality House Thailand

24.2

Euro RSCG

19.0

PRPG Cellucom India

18.5

Bates

F&N Foods Sin, Parkson Mal, Carlsberg Gree Mal, Airtel Ind, AMD China Xian Janssen China, Arle Foods India

16.2

7 Eleven Singapore

16.0

BBDO

LVMH China, Lotte India, Avida Towers Philippines

16.5

Pizza Hut Singapore

14.2

Lowe

Hanes India, JNJ OTC Indonesia

14.0

CDO Philippines

13.7

Grey Group

16.7

My FM India

13.4

Publicis

Eli Lilly Australia, Cathay Financial Taiwan, Viet Vietnam 3M China, Western Union HK

13.9

Wyeth HK

10.6

Y&R

Danone Water Asia, Rebisco Philippines

17.8

Telstra Australia

9.2

JWT

Kraft Australia, Kingfisher India

14.7

Oswal India, Sun DTH India

9.0

TBWA

Jinro Korea, VGN India, Federated Farmers of NZ

13.1

Unilab Tuseran Philippines

6.7

Leo Burnett

Heineken BTL HK, Madura India

7.3

F&N Foods Singapore

3.4

Saatchi & Saatchi

Mengniu White Milk China, Vatti China

5.1

Maybank Singapore

3.4

Draft FCB

Ricola HK, China

3.2

Kraft Australia (part)

2.0

BBH

Bloomberg Singapore, Lux BTL China

1.7

Wieden & Kennedy

A1 GP India

0.3

M&C Saatchi

Glitz Cameras India

10.2

VW Singapore

(0.5)

METHODOLOGY The R3 New Business League has been compiled each of the last 70 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.

Good to Know

adobo magazine’s editorial team has officially been diagnosed with the proverbial “foot in mouth disease.” In last issue’s Events Calendar, the magazine published the wrong contact information and website for Backdoor Ventures Art & Music Festival. Instead of NCCA’s digits, it should have put those of Backdoor Ventures: Tel: 951-3646, Cel: (0918) 540-3248; and online, backdoorvent.multiply.com. adobo apologizes for whatever distresses this has caused. As for our affliction, we’re already on our way to recovery, we promise. In our last issue, the photograph of Artistshop staff installing/removing a Hope cigarettes sticker was used for an article other than that for which the photo had been provided. adobo regrets the error.

september-october 08

exclusive

Bataan, Seinfeld and one very Big Ad Between takes with director Paul Middleditch

f you want an ad with Angst and Deep Significance, Paul Middleditch is not your man. Listed as one of Campaign Brief Asia’s top directors, he cleaned up at Cannes in 2008 with MTV Australia’s “Welcome Snoop”, and in 2006 with the epically silly Carlton “Big Ad.” Meeting Middleditch during one of his rare Asian TV shoots, adobo grabbed the chance to get inside a comic mind. ••• What makes a good commercial? A GOOD IDEA. The best work is about original ideas, something you haven’t seen. Risky ideas make good ads. As a film director you’re just enhancing good ideas. They never get any better than the piece of paper. You can improve them, but they never inherently get any better. ••• I’m fascinated by comedy, by humor. Whenever I see Seinfeld – I still think they were doing extraordinary things, that stuff’s timeless. I’m [also] a big fan of Dr. Strangelove. ••• I was just a kid when I started. I was doing Super8 when I was 10, then my father bought me maybe one of the first-ever VHS units. I’d make Plasticine dinosaurs and monsters, and my family would get devoured

september-october 08

As a film director you’re just enhancing good ideas. They never get any better than the piece of paper. You can improve them, but they never inherently get any better. by them. When I was about 12, there was a student competition in New Zealand among all the high schools. My first ‘serious’ film was called “The Final Stand”, about the Bataan Peninsula (shot in my backyard in Wellington). It was about three soldiers and a supply ship; a very comic-book, “Boys Heroic” kind of film. It won the prize, actually. My second one, “The Letter” was about the First World War, about my grandmother’s brother who was killed in the Somme. It was only 6 minutes long, but it got the hook into me. These were just student films, but they were shown on national tv and judged by professionals -- Vincent Ward, Jane Campion, Sam Neill. People started looking at what I was doing. ••• How did I get my start? I got offered music

videos in school at 17. I did about 30, till I was about 21. At 20, I was asked to my first TV job by Saatchis Wellington. So I’m 40 now, and I’ve been directing for 20 years. That’s about 1700 [ads] now, and [according to our historical reel,] about 170 awards. ••• There’s a quite ungenerous nature that’s come about, with the internet, blogs, Campaign Brief and so on. It’s good to have a forum to show work, but when it comes down to personal attacks, very negative and destructive… Any creative industry will have that, but I find it really disheartening. It can get ugly. I don’t really look at it, but I’m sure there’s plenty of people gunning for my head. A lot of the best creatives I’ve worked with have been hit too. But there’s a positive side [to the net]: the few

MTV “Australia Welcomes Snoop Dogg” Lowe Hunt Sydney

We wanted just to do something really stupid. I like that we got the idiocy correct. times I go see my work shown, to hear a big crowd of people really laughing and being entertained. In the last 5 years, with the internet, the whole world sees it. I like the fact that I can make stuff that makes people laugh, and they really enjoy it. That’s a positive reason to do it, for sure. ••• On the Big Ad (2006): Everything we did was the right thing to complement the idea. I thought it was a great idea, just a very original one. I didn’t get a board, they basically had the music, their lyrics, some ideas and a few pre-visualized frames of this giant beer being formed. But I basically storyboarded the entire thing into an animatic with the music, then we sort of timed what we wanted to shoot. Believe it or not, I “choreographed” all of that. We wanted just to do something really stupid. I like that we got the idiocy correct. There were 350 extras, shot in 3 days. Everything on the ground is real, from above is enhanced… Oh, we’ve got to get going. ••• With that, Middleditch gets up from lunch to finish creating another laugh-so-hard-yousnort-your-coffee YouTube classic. Besides many ads, Middleditch has also directed two feature films – both with their fair share of Angst and Deep Significance. As Middleditch worked, adobo cornered his longtime producing partner, Peter Masterton:

Carlton Draught “Made From Beer ” George Patterson & Partners

We met through a mutual friend, a drunken Scottish dramatist called Billy MacKinnon. [Paul] was this young director,

just arrived from New Zealand. … We decided to make a low-budget film in 1996, and then we started working as a team, doing ads as well. He’s got FANTASTIC energy, I try and bring him down as much as I can. He loves shooting film, lives for being on set.We’ve got a similar sense of humor, and we both love working a lot. We balance each other out. He’s full of energy and I’m more the business side of things. [On Middleditch’s reputation as one of the highest-paid directors in Australia]: No, no, we hardly get paid anything! As a director, Paul’s technically really accomplished. He completely understands film story-telling and comic timing. When he gets a script he links the important parts, thematically and dramatically… The Big Ad was a collaboration with so many people, but the casting, that ‘fence interaction’ joke, the sense of timing, that’s Paul. [“Big Ad” is widely assumed to have narrowly lost the Cannes Grand Prix to another beer spectacle, Guinness “Evolution.”] Where do we like to work? Wherever there’s a good idea. We like doing funny ads, we don’t much care where they come from. Apropos of that last comment, the spot being shot was produced by a Manila agency for a regional client. Though not yet airing at presstime, the ad was shot by Andrew Lesley − an Oscar-winning cinematographer whose work includes Lord of the Rings, Babe, and Peter Jackson’s forthcoming The Lovely Bones − and is, by all accounts, very, very funny.

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L OR NA L . TA BU E NA

Joint CEO, Production Village

Eldest Daughter was expected to take over the family business. She would have obeyed, of course, but the business was garment chemicals. She loved garments, but chemicals… There was one other thing though: a little company that her father had set up with friends, for weddings and parties. So Eldest Daughter closed her jeans shop and picked up a piece of equipment then rare in Manila: a video camera. That was 20 years ago. Today, Eldest Daughter has a business of her own, and her own Eldest Son works for her. The business just happens to be Provill, an industry giant and 2007 Production House of the Year. “Money really likes her,” people say. “She’s a business natural.” She’s also considered one of the most attractive women in an industry that’s full of them, even with a son who’s old enough to direct his own TV ads -- and art direct this shoot: “Mom, we need to see your legs.” Providing quiet support from the side, Beloved Husband, who managed a minstrel’s rise to stardom before accepting pleas to help run Provill, simply said, “Hey, I want a copy of THAT shot!” Ask Eldest Daughter how the business grew, and she’ll laugh a bit. Flip her hair. Like any kingpin, she’ll give all the credit to the people around her. She’ll smile about the old hands (mostly men) who underestimated a pretty, privileged girl wading into a rough business in the ‘80s. She’ll talk about the great team that runs Provill, giving her time for family, for church, for golf. She’ll mention, only because you ask, that she first pretended to understand the figures accountants showed her -- but then she took accounting classes until she really did. That her business didn’t fold in the 1986 crisis—it flourished. That she first took up golf because she didn’t want male clients condescending to her. That she gambled on huge premises in a former factory because she got tired of burning money on rent. That you learn from people you don’t like or who don’t like you, because those are the people who make you better. Iron sharpens iron, she says. Spoken like a true kingpin. But not all kingpins flip their hair.

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Photography: Raymund Isaac / Cinematography: Take Onishi Production Design: Mitoy Sta. Ana / Make-up: Cristine Duque / Concept: Luis Daniel Tabuena

adobocenterfold

september-october 08

A chat with Jeffrey Yu & Peter Sandor, Bates141

“I want people to be curious”

hen HSBC was still Hongkong Bank, and Nokia had 2% market share, they engaged an agency called Bates. Two decades later, they are both household names, and HSBC is still an anchor client. In the Philippines, Bates141 runs under the radar of the agency melee. But its work for HSBC remains a bright spot in bank advertising, and its activations are a consistent winner in regional promotions awards. There’s even more to come, as adobo learned when Bates141 Chairman Jeffrey Yu visited Manila in June. Himself instrumental in pitching HSBC globally, Yu tells us about the changes looming in Bates141, a proudly Asian organization holding its own with the globals in the world’s fastest-growing region.

An Asian network ‘What brings me here?’ I should be coming here more often! Peter [Sandor, Bates141 Philippines CEO] arrived earlier this year, and we are now looking at a 5-year-plan across the region. We are doing well, but we are not contented with our current size, and we should never be contented with our creative product.

If you look at our business card, it represents a new position putting two brands together, Bates & 141. The whole world of communication has changed. 141 used to be an activation brand, Bates an advertising brand. But really, there’s only one client and they only want one agency. Since we became a WPP agency, [the network] has been very helpful. Our size has increased significantly. We intend to grow even more, and the Philippines is a big part of that. But we do not want to be no.1 in size because we are not a global brand, we are an Asian one. [The world] talks about China and India, where we are in the top six or seven ; we also do well in the mature markets, Hongkong and Singapore. Next to be pushed are Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia. The Philippines is important not just for itself, but as a talent source for other markets. We already have Filipinos working for us in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, even China. Curiosity, activation & awards For 60 yrs in a row [Bates141

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was] the top winner in the AsiaPacific promotional awards, but now we want to get back into advertising. I don’t want this agency to have lines -- not above, below or even through the line. It’s just ideas. Activation is something that captures you and brings you across. It gets the brand into your hand, lets you experience what it is to be involved with it. A lot of people don’t understand that ‘activation’ is about closing the deal. Activation turns a shopper into a buyer. Advertising can create liking; to convert liking to actual purchase, it’s activation. There’s a lot more science there than in the awareness part. We started with full-service agencies. Then we created ‘fee systems,’ gave away commissions, etc. and now we are scrambling for income. But it’s not just income, it’s also about being more responsible. Client is asking us to do something, which is not to make an ad, but to SELL. The ideas can come at any touchpoint.

Consumers are changing faster than the brands. I don’t want people who just go back to the client with the ad they asked for. Peter Sandor: We also have a lot of computer-based, realtime tools to help analyze what’s happening right in the stores. These give us the credentials to go back to client with recommendations for the right activations and promotions. It’s an integrated approach; one team that can work on anything, not corridors of revenue like others

Advertising is the business of change. People hire us to change something. have. Clients still seem to want one point of contact. [On the agency side,] we have given over the master communicator role to the client, to the marketing directors. They understand the whole process more, while we only make the ads. … For us, being medium-sized, there is nothing to untangle, no partitions to remove. Put all the planners and thinkers and project team and creatives together.

Peter: In fact, a lot of big brands have regionally-dictated advertising. The opportunity for creativity is in areas that amplify the brand’s message and localize it. There is activation strategy, and activation execution. It’s all about the thinking, the ideas. [Which is great because] there is a natural creativity here. Vietnam has beautiful art, but the educational process has not encouraged creativity as much as it has ticking boxes. It’s changing though, and the Filipino staff are part of that. The level of creativity is good here; it’s not just Thailand that can be THE creative guys in Southeast Asia. Jeffrey: It also has to do with the affordability of

entering Cannes. Singapore has a government strategy to promote creativity, and a lot of regional agency offices that want to win awards. [At Bates] the region will support the cost of entry. [Peter:] But we want to win for ads that have been effective for our clients, not ones you run once on the back of the chamber of commerce magazine. We judge our success by our clients’ success. Clients are realizing that they’ve got to innovate to stand out.

Jeffrey: We want our people to understand change, be observant of it. I want people to be very curious. It’s the only way to save our industry, to say “I’m a curious little bastard.” Consumers are changing faster than the brands. I don’t want people who just go back to the client with the ad they asked for. Advertising is the business of change. People hire us to change something. We should be able to smell it, tell people what is changing and how to communicate it. Peter: Activation is projectbased at the moment. But I think that will change, especially as clients realize the constant need for activation, [which] is very measurable if you research as you go along. Jeffrey: In fact, if you look at a lot of the ideas that won at the last Cannes, they’re not ads. HBO Voyeur, Uniqlock -- they’re all about storytelling. A lot of creative people who refused to look at anything else are thinking, “If Cannes can do it, so can I.”

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CREATIVE REVIEW by Rowan Chanen Former Chief Creative Officer, Y&R Brands Asia

Rowan Chanen’s work has been recognized at all the major festivals, including Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Clio Awards, New York Festivals, London International Advertising Festival, World Press Awards, Australian AWARD, and AdFest. He began his advertising career at DDB Melbourne (where he won campaign of the year for his first creative assignment) and later moved to Bates in Hong Kong. At Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, he became one of Campaign Brief’s “Top 10 Creatives in Asia,” helping Saatchi & Saatchi clinch the title “International Agency of the Year” in Advertising Age.

I love adobo magazine. But I hate these reviews. Honestly, we all have skeletons in the closet. Work that we’d really rather hide away; the kind of stuff that we’d be very happy if they towed it out to sea and dumped it as nuclear waste. Such is the nature of the little dog and pony show that we affectionately call ‘Advertising’. It’s a strange business indeed. Let’s face it, every creative worth his or her salt sits at their desk in front of a brand new brief and says: “Ok, this time we’re going to do something brilliant”. And then you actually read the brief - and discover it is a mess. Or you find out the deadline - and you have an hour. Or you come up against a CD or a suit determined to sink the ship before it even sails out the door. Or you present to a client who has a very good reason for killing your brilliant idea. Or 999 not so very good reasons. Either way - you’re screwed. And so you end up making ads like the ones below. No doubt everybody had the best of intentions - but somewhere, somehow, some way, so much went so wrong. However, I’m going to surprise you. I’ve actually found something brilliant in each of them:

His last project as Y&R Asia Chief Creative Officer is the second edition of the agency’s creative book, “Making a Mark.” In the foreword, Chanen lays down the standard by which he lives: “our business is not simply about what we leave behind, it is about the difference we make to every client’s business.” I love the great outdoors and this spot is the best advocate for hunting and camping. After a hearty bowl of noodles I’d be very happy to hunt down the obnoxious talent featured here. And perhaps the director as well. Lucky Me “Echo” TVC JimenezBasic

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Yes, I know incest is frowned upon. But this spot actually gives good reason for marrying your brother - at the very least you’ll double your wardrobe. Fab “Baby Boy” TVC PC&V Communications

An excellent reminder to all men out there never to play with doll houses. Unless you are planning on marrying your sister - in which case, see the Fab spot mentioned above. Globe “Big” TVC Harrison Communications

I’ve always maintained that baseball is a very dangerous game. This spot is an excellent reminder to switch to something much safer - like synchronized swimming. Skycable “Homerun” TVC McCann Worldgroup Philippines

september-october 08

CREATIVEREVIEW

Rowan Chanen, Regional Executive Creative Officer, Y&R Brands Asia

I love the Venus razor. Normally I have trouble getting my fishnets off in a hurry, but with this little baby they’ll drop off all by themselves.

Those Rogin tablets are magic. My girlfriend and I have been taking two a night for the last 6 months and they really work. So far, no sign of babies anywhere. Rogin-E “Waiting Room” TVC JWT Manila

Gillete Venus “Backlit” Outdoor BBDO Guerrero

Frankly this is a real eye opener. Until now I’ve been taking advice on homemaking issues from Martha Stewart. But from now on - I’ll be consulting the animal kingdom. What great advice. Meralco “Tsk Tsk Tsk” TVC JimenezBasic

september-october 08

CREATIVEREVIEW

Rowan Chanen, Regional Executive Creative Officer, Y&R Brands Asia

I think they are really onto something here. As soon as I finish this review, I’m off to speak to the Toyota people about patenting the new Corolla Hot-Plate Cooktop Roof attachment. (Sorry folks - not available for convertibles.) McDonald’s “Cook” TVC Leo Burnett Manila

Again, excellent community service here. Folks - please do remember that your siblings always tell you the truth about everything in life. Mine told me I was adopted. I spent 25 years in therapy. Thanks bro. Nissin Seafood “Pearl” TVC Campaigns & Grey

After reading this ad I’m getting myself registered with the Canine Club. And if I were you, I’d do the same. They have shows and competitions! Hey if you can’t bring home a Gold Lion from Cannes, then a Gold Medal from the Canine Club is a pretty good substitute. Philippine Canine Club, Inc “Dogs” Image Dimensions

september-october 08

thebiggerpicture

I Love You! I Hate You! Or, the Americanization of the Philippines by Cid Reyes “ I think you’re very rude… You know, you are the first Filipino who has ever spoken to me like this.” “ The trouble with you is that you are not used to Filipinos talking back to Americans.”

“P

ortraits of a Tangled Relationship” is the intriguing title of a coffee table book that was gifted to us by Sonia Ner, former Executive Director of the Ayala Museum and one of the book’s several authors. The relationship referred to us is that between the Philippines and the United States, and while the passing book-browser may construe from the title that the subject is about a failed marriage, he may not be far off the mark. For the relationship between the two countries is one fraught with conflicting emotions, alternating between affection and tension, stability and hostility, friendship and enmity. The book features an extended essay by Jose Y. Dalisay, titled “A Pledge Remembered,”

-Philippine Ambassador Leon Ma. Guerrero and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Walter S. Robertson in an argument on the thorny issue of parity rights and war damage payments, cited by Lewis Gleeck, Jr. in Dissolving the Colonial Bond, 1984

unfurling “the history of the engagement and entanglement of both nations since the Americans occupied the country in 1898. More than 60 years after the Philippines ceased being a US colony, the relationship continues to be described as ‘special’ by both, and the book is an attempt to sift through layers that make up this historically and emotionally charged description.” Too, the book is an anthology of photographs and paragraphs, news accounts and anecdotes, stories and poems, songs and quotations, all researched by Crispina Reyes, Mabi David, Jose Maria A. Cariño, and Sonia P. Ner. Taking the cue from this format, we did our own similar research, but appropriately for adobo, the focus is on Philippine marketing, advertising, language, culture, and communication. Enjoy!

Today our young copywriters have a tendency to get dazzled by those glossy Clio awards. Little do they realize that Clio commercials have their own milieu. They fail to appreciate native communication, which is incredibly unexploited. Even with business and commerce looking up during the first two decades of the twentieth century, advertising was handled largely in a “slipshod fashion,” as one writer put it. Most American firms established during this period had advertising managers to take care of their advertising requirements. The advertisingconscious Americans brought with them some advertisements. These, however, were direct lifts from the American milieu, and of course, unsuitable to the local market. For example, a 1918

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Pacific Commercial Company advertisement for Buick cars in The Citizen utilized a matted illustration of one American girl hat, parasol and all… Almost all of the print ads of these American import-export houses,including those peddling canned goods, soaps and other merchandise, used ” repro American-made ads.” In less than two decades of colonization, Manila and the Philippines had become Americanized. Credit this to the swift and efficient public

administration and massbased public education that the Americans pursued in the country. The “ advertising” that it instituted among the people not only sold their products but more significantly, their thinking, their mentality, their lifestyle. Escolta in old Manila remained the shopping mecca of the elite and of American-made goods. -Advertising in the Philippines, Visitacion R. dela Torre

•••

We are basically Malay. But the Spaniards ruled us for 300 years and, among other things, gave us our principal religion. Then the Americans took over, were dislodged for a while by the Japanese, came back and have never left since. The Japanese have

also returned and do not seem to have any intention of leaving. So here is a people that look like Malaysians, Indonesians, Chinese, Spanish and Amerasians; praying in the Spanish manner, thoroughly at home with Chinese food, watching American programs… on Japanese-made TV sets. But deep down is a Filipino soul, unique and indomitable, which influences the manner by which these alien values take hold… McDonalds is in Manila, and what could be more American? It’s a big hit because of this. On the other hand, its biggest competitor is a local brand, Jollibee Hamburger, which is positioned as the one with the superior taste. Try figuring that one out. And what about Hope cigarettes? This brand now outsells Philip Morris 100s, a genuine

American brand. Talk about outAmericanizing the Americans… The Westernized value orientation cuts across all socioeconomic and age levels… Talking about Westerns, the Cowboy is a folk hero responsible for developing the macho culture, the stuff of which many male-oriented campaigns are made. Take a look at this commercial for a new product (Red Horse). Needless to say, in a country which is predominantly young - and where even the old won’t admit it - the American softdrinks have succeeded in Coca-Colonizing us. (Coca-Cola “ Coke Is It”.) Indeed, the Americans have done a thorough marketing job on us. And they haven’t even had to sell in our own language. They taught us English and did it so well, we’re supposed to be the third largest English speaking country in the world. - Culture and Creativity: The Philippine Experience, a speech delivered by Gregorio B. Macabenta at the 14th Asian Advertising Congress, Seoul Korea, June 18-21, 1984

•••

Long ago, we presented to an American in Procter & Gamble a radio script that starts with “Misis! Sayang! Sayang ang panahon na ginugugol ‘nyo sa pagkukusot ng labada!” We could not translate “sayang” properly to the poor Gringo. It’s a strong word. But only we can understand it… Today our young copywriters have a tendency to get dazzled by those glossy Clio awards. Little do they realize that Clio commercials

The main characteristic of Pinoy pop is imitation. And so we have the actor Eddie Mesa who made it big as the Elvis Presley of the Philippines. have their own milieu. They fail to appreciate native communication, which is incredibly unexploited… (After playing a Grepalife Insurance song). Ed McCabe can’t elicit emotions like this. Only we can. Because we live here. So unless you want to migrate to the U.S. and work at a mailroom on Madison Avenue, don’t be an Ed McCabe. David Ogilvy can tell you his experience and the lessons he learned in structuring copy, but he cannot help you in the gut and the chemistry of communication. That’s strictly ours. When we switch on our native selves, the world of creativity is more exhilarating and palpable. To top it all, the consumer can feel the intimacy of our message. Right in our backyard a treasure of ideas lies buried. Bungkalin mo, baby! - The Filipino Creativity, a speech delivered by Minyong Ordoñez at the 1988 Advertising Congress

•••

The mountain of print ads and radio-TV commercials, the supermarket and drugstore shelves crowded with endless rows of lotions, creams, and other potions shamelessly promising “a rosy-white skin in a week”, carry

this status ploy within sight and hearing of everyone. It is far from new, of course. The feminine custom of whitening Asian skin with cosmetic aids of every kind has been with us for centuries. Generations of Filipino women have been raised with the yearning for Caucasian-white skin. They have blanched and bleached with the use of native limes (kalamansi) or pumice and by stoically staying away from the sun’s ray, shielding their faces with parasols and fans to attain the pale, chalky skin that is admittedly the most beautiful. But there’s been a new onslaught from foreign firms, from Pond’s and Nivea to Estee Lauder and Lancome, eager to enter the Asian market now pumped up with prosperity and modernization… I’m not trying to ruin the skin-whitening industry. Bleach and sunblock if you like. But, for goodness sake, know where it comes from. It comes from deep wounds in the national soul caused by hundreds of years of prejudice, discrimination, and rejection by reason of skin pigmentation. It amounts to a denial of self and is one of the most absurd effects of colonization.

The main characteristic of Pinoy pop is imitation. And so we have the actor Eddie Mesa who made it big as the Elvis Presley of the Philippines at Clover Theater, and Chito Bertol, perennial Elvis Presley winner in TV shows (whose daughter is named Liza Marie). Other Elvises are Rico Gutierrez, Edgar Opida, Eddie Suiza and a female one (now retired) named Cora Adajar who was given a guitar by the pop idol. Victor Wood was the Tom Jones of the Philippines, Bobby Gonzales the Johnny Ray, Bert Nievera the Johnny Mathis, Flor de Jesus the Joni James, Virgie Panganiban the Doris Day, Manding Evangelista the Frank Sinatra, Ric Fajardo the Harry Belafonte, Walter Perez the country singer Roy Orbison (And many of them are second generation!) - Pinoy Pop Culture, Gilda Cordero Fernando and M.G. Chavez

•••

“My… brother… is … not… a… pig!” - Nora Aunor, in the movie “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos,” confronting an American soldier who has just shot her sibling in Clark Airbase. Directed by Lupita Kashiwahara.

- Skin Whitening, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, June 2, 2000

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. september-october 08

privateview

cents and values

From Burgers to Pain Killers by Nanette Franco-Diyco

he elderly couple in bed, with the wife asking her husband if he still loves her, ends with the winning celebratory chant of McDonald’s “Pa-cheeseburger ka naman!” This TV commercial elicited a big chuckle, considering the thoroughly unexpected elderly characters ready and able to gobble up a Cheeseburger for their midnight snack. I thought the two simply spelled exuberant good health even if you’re in your twilight years. With the ad’s first frames before the reveal, it was not surprising that most, if not all viewers thought that the ad would be trumpeting another over-the-counter pharmaceutical product. The truth of the matter is that I instantly mistook it for one of those commercials that alleviate or dispel pain among the elderly and adults. Great abruption there. (This is the latest of McDonald’s long-running successful series of tactical 15-seconders ending with “Burger, burger, burger!” It smacks of market leadership, so confident that DDB dares to hop way out of McDonald’s traditional cast of young talents.). Come to think of it, there are a couple of striking TV campaigns for pharmaceutical products that actually deal with alleviating pain. These ongoing series of Biogesic and Flanax are quite different from the

s a follow through to my column in the last issue, let me share some thoughts on Philippine PR practice---yesterday, today and tomorrow. There are a number of views on this topic, most conspicuous of which are the manifold challenges that face the Filipino PR professional today; challenges that put PR’s credibility and integrity on the defensive. Where exactly is Pinoy PR? Here are some observations generated from several dialogues with known PR practitioners.

1. PR is recklessly called the “dark art”, practiced by partying PR men and women in expensive watering holes or golf courses or “under the table” and “ATM-based dealings” entered into by PR people with huge relationship building and nurturing funds. Still others describe it as organized lying, “envelopmental” communications or spin doctoring. These are unmerited and unfair labels indeed, for a career that hinges largely on great storytelling---speaking out and speaking true. 2. After more than 40 years, there is still no industry body to provide data on PR expenditures, billings and rankings (of PR agencies, consultancies and corporate communications offices) that can provide an indicative figure on how much the PR business is worth. There is a burgeoning number of PR associations—PRSP, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Public Relations Organizations of the Philippines (PROP), International Public Relations Association. (IPRA), the membership of which is divided between corporate practitioners and independent, freelance consultancies and PR agencies. Even so, nobody knows the collective expenditures of all activities that are labeled PR. 3. PRSP has arrested its internal problems. Celebrating its 50th year, it has become omnipresent again in promoting the craft. The IABC pushes for greater professionalism, and together with other PR groups, the two aggressively recruit members and stage events that bring PR specialists together for training and social interactions. 4. One-man shows and “lean and mean” PR outfits with “specialized” services are proliferating, complete with fancy titles: “eventologists”, image accelerators, media relations specialists, experience marketers. PR multinational companies, though have token

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traditional hard-sell cure-all commercials, in that the viewer is left with quite a warm feeling for the two brands, from two competing pharmaceutical companies, way after the commercials have ended. Both campaigns don’t focus on the problematic pain. They instead only deal with the solution, showing that you’re kept actively moving and healthy. This is a significant common denominator that depicts only the joyful side of the cure. In the case of United Laboratories’ Biogesic, it’s simply a case of good simple copy that comes straight from someone who’s so busy and can’t afford even a bit of a headache. McCann-Erickson chose an excellent endorser, the clean-cut young celebrity John Lloyd Cruz. He comes out hale and hearty, talking straight to the camera. He doesn’t overact; he just acts himself in various everyday situations that nonetheless still project drama. If you re-analyse it, John Lloyd,

Nice glossy shots. Good art direction, unhurried pacing and continuous flow sans cuts. The entire series makes you look at Biogesic as a friend. perhaps because he looks and acts like the boy next door, appeals to men and women of all ages, specially middle-aged mothers. I particularly like the newest of the series, directed by Jeorge Agcaoli, where John Lloyd again talks straight to the camera, walking through the airport – and only stops when the airport pager announces that it’s boarding time. The other versions of the series were equally relevant – like when

Biogesic “Ingat” TVC

logic and magic

PR is not just publicity by Bong Osorio presence, the most visible of PR continues to which are Fleishman & Hillard face a credibility (Cosette Romero) and Weber Shandwick (Mike Toledo). crisis. This stems There are local operations from a significant that give the global names a for their money—Agatep & gap between theory run Associates, Eon, Buensalido & and practice, Associates, Larc & Asset, Virtusio PR, Perceptions, Stratworks, where issues of and Merk’s Media, to name a identity, ethics few. International names such as Burson Marsteller, Hill & and competence Knowlton and Edelman are undermine the absent from the Philippine PR while ad agencies with profession’s standing. landscape, PR services — Ogilvy PR, CAPRI

for Campaigns (Yoly Ong and Richard Arboleda) among others—make up the bulk of the PR players. 5. The PR Industry’s challenges have expanded through the years, foremost of which is the lack of qualified professionals who can deliver the demanding requirements of PR with aplomb. There is also the

Flanax “Kuya” TVC

Lloyd kneels to tie his gym shoes before a work-out. Nice glossy shots. Good art direction, unhurried pacing and continuous flow sans cuts. The entire series makes you look at Biogesic as a friend. You feel that there is no time to waste, where you’re not completely hand-held by Biogesic, to get well in a jiffy. The other equally effective pharmaceutical TV ad series is Roche Phils.’ Flanax. The newly launched commercial, created by Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, is the second of the Flanax series extolling nostalgia. Both situations chosen by Saatchi, then and now, easily connect with its target market on an emotional level. Then, Director Onat Diaz is able to leave the rational decision of purchase to last longer with the Flanax target market. I like the stories woven around Flanax, where happy family life goes on while recalling past years, when youthful husbands could bike long distances or climb up long and steep steps during their youth. Both executions go nostalgic with flashbacks, quickly bringing in the past to connect with the present. There’s a euphoria of wellness all around. I remember reviewing the first of the series, where two brothers energetically race each other with their bikes. Then the viewers are brought back to the present where the same brothers race each other again during a reunion in the old family grounds.

unavailability of sophisticated measurement and evaluation systems that can quantify PR’s substantive contribution in achieving an organization’s short-term and long-term goals. Added to the list are the absence of a culture of research among PR practitioners and organizations, and the low appreciation of PR’s role in the world of business, government service and non-profit groups. 6. PR continues to face a credibility crisis. This stems from a significant gap between theory and practice, where issues of identity, ethics and competence undermine the profession’s standing. Indeed, the lack of respect for PR as a profession is a critical challenge, particularly in view of the climate of distrust in which practitioners operate. 7. Despite its strategic function, PR continues to be perceived as simply publicity. So long as PR agency clients or company CEOs assume that media relations is all PR people do, practitioners will be limited in their ability to provide comprehensive services. For people working in PR agencies, generating earned space and time is one of the most common client demands, and is often the key determinant of a practitioner’s effectiveness. 8. Some members of the news media, no matter how starved they are for stories, remain reasonably unconvinced of the newsworthiness of leads and leaks from PR’s media relations offices. Sad to say, and in many instances, they rarely view PR people as equal partners in what should otherwise be a mutually advantageous affiliation. 9. Knee-jerk handling of crisis has also become associated with PR. This is brought to bear by several widely reported PR disasters that have likewise reinforced PR’s reputation as the art of “sweeping the dirt under the rug.” This negative view is often aggravated by the actuations of some practitioners who, wittingly or not, publicly brag about what they can accomplish and how well they can spin or turn things around. In the eyes of some communicators, PR is almost solely linked with after-thefact damage control, and this tag casts doubt on the integrity of clients as well as on practitioners. 10. PR people need to establish a strong professional persona, which should embody as well as promote the more positive face of the PR discipline. A communications campaign on behalf of the PR profession itself could be considered—something like a “PR for PR” program that will tell the story of PR and make the targeted publics appreciate its importance.

In the end, the Flanax TVC empowers its audience to break free from the shackles of pain – shackles that restrain and brand them debilitated

The currently running TV material features a recollection of the romantic proposal of long ago, where wife and husband climbed the steep grotto steps for Our Lady’s blessing. This same couple makes a deliberate trip to their romantic spot after years and years. “The ad portrays the Flanax user’s confidence and ability to climb up the long and steep grotto steps. The absence of pain is reinforced when he kneels down to closely re-enact the wedding proposal.” Says Gigi Garcia, Saatchi VP-client services director, “The key characters in the TVC not only match the target’s demographics, they also embody qualities which are aspirational to the target: they are unfazed by pain, confident, attractive, impressive and know how to deal with the situation so they have an amazing time. “In the end, the Flanax TVC empowers its audience to break free from the shackles of pain – shackles that restrain and brand them debilitated. It helps dispel the notion that having arthritis and rheumatism is like a death sentence, that there is no hope – that suffering is a given and one just has to deal with it. Now, sufferers can look forward to a longer lasting love affair with life by putting all the pain behind them – thanks to Flanax.” McDo’s humor, Biogesic’s direct sell, Flanax’s emotional tug. At the very end, they all pitch a great sell. Do I hear clients chanting, “Burger, burger, burger”?! 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 BusinessWorld and a bi-monthly marketing column in Food & Beverage World Magazine.

11. A good accreditation system can erase some competency questions on PR. To eliminate the doubt, it should become mandatory, and appropriate educational qualifications secured by practitioners and demanded by employers. Corollarily, reform in the PR education systems could be initiated to teach standards of practice (including ethics), as well as valid and reliable research and evaluation techniques while enforcing professional standards of proficiency in written and verbal communication skills. 12. Synergy and integration could be critical. Strictly consider that when all product and corporate messages are strategically coordinated, the effect is greater than when advertising, sales promotions, PR and other implements are planned as stand-alone executions. Sometimes the individual platforms compete for budget and impact and may even have inconsistent messages. 13. Consider specialization in the practice. The US experience is a benchmark. The practice has turned area and target-specific. The PR route that one takes can either be driven by type of issue (environment, family planning), industry (Fashion, IT, Real Estate), policy (health, education), and target market segment (teens, mothers, fathers, geriatrics). Specialization requires expertise and thorough knowledge on the chosen field. 14. The need for a PR Board is urgent and critical. If there is an Advertising Board that looks over the advertising industry, there should also be a PR Board to help chart the course for the practice---defining general principles and ethical standards for the trade, and outlining the implementing rules and regulations of the profession. PR—yesterday, today and tomorrow---is anchored on one universal principle. It should at all times be based on great performance that brings great result. Nobody, I believe, will argue with that. 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. september-october 08

privateview

marketmentor Turnaround Thinking:

Turning Crisis into Opportunity

by Willy Arcilla

mid trying economic times worldwide -- and with the world’s eyes on China -- we can draw inspiration from the famous Chinese definition of ‘Crisis’ : ‘Danger’ + ‘Opportunity’. With the wisdom of a 5,000 year civilization, the combination puts difficult situations in perspective and inspires a search for the silver lining. The world’s great thinkers advise that every ‘Problem’ offers a ‘Solution’ to be discovered; even Failure is a part of Success. We have all read tales of epic turnarounds in business, sports, warfare -- and most inspiring, the economic miracles of formerly impoverished nations. Such sagas spring from the most trying adversity; but the combination of inspirational leadership and a resilient people – athletes or soldiers, employees or civil society – have managed transformations nothing short of radical, snatching victory from certain defeat. Decidedly, the key factor is boldness and bravery, breakthrough strategies and brilliant executions we can call “Turnaround Thinking”.

Here are some great turnaround tales, from different fields. NEW COKE VS CLASSIC COKE – We’ve all read about New Coke — the sweet secret that was one of the biggest blunders in Marketing history. Coke sought to blunt Pepsi’s share gains with a bold “Taste Test Challenge” and consumer acceptance for a sweeter cola. With clever thinking and humility, they turned the fiasco into triumph within weeks, relaunching Classic Coke to appease loyal fans. What ensued was a period of Coke’s strongest sales growth, fueled by drinkers’ rekindled ardor for “the real thing”. TASTE OF A HEALTHY GENERATION – Soon, Pepsi realized its nemesis had recovered from its fumble. With their shares slipping, Pepsi changed the game − capitalizing on growing healthconsciousness with beverages such as Tropicana and Gatorade, joining Unilever for Lipton tea and launching Aquafina water. Pepsi may have lost the cola battle − but with healthy drinks they won the ultimate battle for consumers’ throats.

Having defined crisis, China has also defined turnaround MARLBORO GIRL – Not many may be aware that Marlboro was first positioned for female smokers, and it bombed. In the late 1960s, Jay Levinson, world-renowned author of “Guerilla Marketing,” came up with a bold, brave solution − not only repositioning Marlboro for men, but even using the “man’s man” as endorser to become an enduring marketing icon – the Marlboro Cowboy. MT. PINATUBO – Once the world’s greatest volcanic eruption and the source of catastrophic damage in 1991, Mt. Pinatubo is now a major source of quarrying revenue for the provincial government, aside from expediting the closure of the controversial US bases in Clark and Subic. 1997 ASIAN CRISIS – As the Asia-Pacific teetered on the brink of

Adstounding @ 22! Philippine Star Celebrates 22 Years of Success On July 25, 2008, the Philippine Star toasted over 20 years of success with an Adstounding celebration honoring its advertisers. Themed ADSTOUNDING @ 22, the event featured international acts like thespian Joanna Ampil, hip-hop champions the Philippine All

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Stars, and pop sensation Billy Crawford along with some of the best local artists, such as Kris Lawrence, Imago and Sandwich. Even the STAR’s very own vice president for advertising, Lucien Dy Tioco, proved that the STAR knows a thing or two about having fun, gamely joining Billy Crawford onstage to dance to the tune of his international hit song “Bright Lights.” Besides the performances, guests were also treated to over P2M in prizes in several exciting game segments. Among the most coveted items were Canon Digital Cameras, Technomarine Watches, Samsung Mobile Phones, and Asus Laptops. But everyone clearly waited for the evening’s biggest loot, the grand prize of P100,000 in cash. And just when everyone thought it was over, another surprise was announced – an impromptu cash raffle wherein five more people won P20,000 each! Bacardi, who took care of cocktails for the night, kept the crowd going and certainly added to the fun. For the STAR, its valued clients and agency partners, the evening was a huge success. Cheers to the STAR for 22 Adstounding years, and here’s to more good times ahead.

currency contagion, different governments and businesses responded with different measures. Those who bit the bullet suffered in the short term, but have emerged stronger, wiser and healthier. Closer to home, we have seen Andrew Tan transform his debt-ridden Megaworld to refocus on the BPO industry, while Manny Pangilinan exited Bonifacio Global City to refocus on PLDT. Both have been eminently successful: Andrew Tan is the youngest US$ billionaire, and PLDT is the country’s largest company with P400 B in market capitalization. For the ongoing global stock market ‘corrections’, Warren Buffett says, “Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.” 2008 FOOD & FUEL CRISIS – The influential Stanford economist Paul Romer quipped, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Let us turn this crisis into a wake-up call to achieve self-sufficiency in food production, reduce dependence on imported oil and accelerate the search for alternative sources of renewable energy. WORLD WAR II – The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor served only to awaken a sleeping giant. The US came back with a vengeance, with the remains of the USS Arizona a testament to the heroism of American sailors. The gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers in the Fall of Bataan (and Corregidor) bought Gen. Douglas MacArthur precious time to launch a counter-attack that liberated Southeast Asia. Ironically, Japanese bounced back as well, rising from humiliation to realize their dream of a Greater East Asia CoProsperity Sphere ─ albeit peace-fully – with Toyota and Honda, Sony and Toshiba, Sega and Nintendo. Even riches-to-rags-to-riches taipan John Gokongwei mused, ‘The war was the great equalizer’ that leveled the playing field in commerce and industry. MISTAKES INTO MIRACLES – Even accidents have turned into wonderful inventions, with serendipity fathering many a success. Legend has it that Ivory soap’s long-running “99.9% Pure. It floats” campaign resulted from a technical error in the mixture of air that caused a bar of Ivory to float in water. Coca-Cola was born when too much carbonation

was unwittingly dispensed into a syrup (bought in pharmacies) in a soda fountain. Velcro was invented by mountaineer George de Mestral who was intrigued by burrs, the plant seed-sacs that clung to his pants in a nature walk. Viagra was originally developed by Pfizer scientists for heart ailments, but respondents in an extended-home-use test found an unexpected side effect. ZERO TO HERO – Perhaps no one has captured the imagination of basketball fans more than Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. Languishing as a benchwarmer and playing “Zero” minutes at the University of Arizona, he unleashed his magic and talent to score points and win games. As a reminder of his humble start, he adopted the number “0” for his jersey. DAVID VS. GOLIATH – Even as Jewish soldiers shuddered at the sight of Goliath, “He’s too big, we can’t win,” the young David must have said, “He’s so big, I can’t miss.” This is one of the most powerful paradigm shifts we can glean from biblical accounts, from which today’s marketing leaders can draw inspiration for their own business challenges as they strive to outsmart and outwit strong, well-entrenched competitors. SINNERS & SAINTS – On a deeper personal level and higher spiritual plane, allow me to quote from our parish priest, “Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.” Lastly, there is the great turnaround of China itself. A nation of 300 million mired in poverty, China has ascended to become the world’s 3rd largest economy, an Olympic host country and the undisputed indicator of the future, all within an incredible 30 years. Having defined Crisis centuries ago, today’s China shows us all: see the Danger, but focus on the Opportunity. WILLY ARCILL A is President of Business Mentors, Inc., a management consultancy firm, and Regional Director of ZMG Ward Howell, Inc., a leading provider of human capital solutions. He has had a 25 year career throughout the Asia-Pacific.

version 2008 coming soon

for updates, please visit

www.adobomagazine.com

september-october 08

FocusMedia &

Up with People Foundation present

Bringing the World Together The Philippine Tour

FocusMedia is working with Up with People Foundation in presenting “Bringing the World Together ” the Up with People Philippine Tour. Up with People, an international nonprofit organization based in the United States, has only one thing in mind – to build bridges of understanding among people of dif ferent race, culture and background. Up with People exists today to spark people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world while building bridges of

september-october 08

understanding as a foundation for world peace. The Up with People cast of 100 young people from 25 different countries will be in the Philippines from November 17 to December 16, 2008. The Up with People Show is a community celebration which features original and international songs, and utilizes the universal language of music and dance to inspire, energize and educate. One of the key aspects of the Up with People Program is Community Par tners.

Like last year, Up with People plans to work again with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Gawad Kalinga, Virlanie Foundation, Kaibigan Ermita Outreach Foundation, Inc., Philippine Association for Citizens with Developmental and Learning Disabilities Inc., KYTHE, ERDA Tech Foundation, Makabata School Foundation Inc., and others in its series of at least ten days immersion and community service programs in its target communitie s.

MUSICAL BENEFIT PERFORMANCES December 2 and 3, 2008 Meralco Theater Date TBA Subic Bay Freeport Zone

This is done through community ser vice and highlights the following activities: building houses, custom-designed classroom teaching, painting classrooms, teaching Music, cleaning facilities, musical per formances, 30 -minute school assembly shows, positive messages & spirit re-enforces/complements classroom curriculum, constructing websites as well as sponsor presence at each school, among others.

Opportunities to support Up with People are present to corporate and individual entities. Company Corporate Social Responsibility and brands exposures in both the musical benefit performances and the community service programs will be accorded to Program supporters. For inquiries, please call Selwin de Jesus at 722-7722, 7244495 to 97.

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 september-october 08

BOMB & CANE Obama & McCain’s Media Arsenal by Ralph M. Mendoza

n recent weeks, the tone of America’s presidential campaign has visibly evolved, judging from ads from the Obama and McCain camps. As expected, social niceties were only a prelude to a more aggressive arena—one that will likely draw even more calculated assaults by both nominees heading into the fall. Surely, such calculation has always meant the most thorough type of political advertising. We have seen campaigns run the gamut of approaches in their effort to persuasively prop up a certain image. Obama’s success is immensely due to his own charisma, but campaign veteran David Axelrod is also answerable. Since teaming up with Obama in 1992, Axelrod has been a guiding force in every way possible. He has crafted ad upon ad for Obama’s 2004 Senate bid, coined the chant Yes, We Can, run a nifty press strategy and implemented the overall line of attack. Axelrod’s chemistry with fellow Chicagoan Obama can be traced to his successful campaign for Deval Patrick, who became Massachusetts’ first black governor in 2006. Despite no advertising background, “Ax” honed his creativity with campaigns for Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, for whom he pitched his

Obama’s poster came pro-bono from graphic designer Shepard Fairey, better known for his work on Andre the Giant.

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As polls tighten in the coming months, both nominees are sure to get their share of heat, be it from media, the discerning public or an influential ally once-widely used Bridge To The 21st Century and Symphony Of Hope—a phrase not exactly poles apart from Obama’s Politics Of Hope. Obama, of course, went on to win his Senate bid by landslide, and it is no surprise to see Axelrod’s political magic tapped again in 2008, this time as chief strategist and media adviser. Axelrod and team eventually agreed to adopt a Change-oriented, peoplefocused theme—Change We Can Believe In. Obama’s camp also experimented with new media: joining Facebook, launching FightTheSmears.com and uploading to YouTube. Even English soul singer Joss Stone was personally requested by Obama to compose and record a song for his campaign— all part of a plan to usher exhaustive changes in healthcare, energy, and education. McCain, on the other hand, has been brewing an entirely different scheme. For most of his thriving campaign, he has staunchly relayed his extensive combat experience, promoted the Iraq war and advocated pretty much anything vaguely pro-growth and national security, as suggested by his slogan Country First. Now that the rivalry has narrowed down to two, McCain has taken sweeping measures to ensure that the confetti falls on his head and no one else’s. Speaking of which, McCain reportedly spent more than he racked up last June, shelling out a hefty $16 million on advertising as opposed to Obama’s $5 million. McCain also recently overhauled his campaign team, appointing Steve Schmidt as

his senior strategist and PR expert. Schimdt, like Axelrod, has had some remarkable runs. He was once the tough-talking spokesman for Vice President Dick Cheney, and was instrumental in California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign. Schmidt has been tasked to get things going for McCain’s bid despite a jarring reputation that the Republican has long resorted to peculiar strategies to win. These days, McCain just might get what he wants (or not), especially from voters who don’t like surprises and would rather play it safe at the polls. Lately there have been a number of blame games, where McCain has unabashedly earned star player status, if not yet MVP. Aside from the ad Celeb, which compared Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, McCain has also accused Obama of several other things, one of which was Obama “would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign” and the overexposed Troops spot, which asserted that Obama chose to go to the gym over a chance to visit wounded troops in Germany last July. (The latter seems to have been more than countered by Obama’s Kuwait army base 3-point shot, a YouTube favorite that proved a literal and figurative slam dunk.) Tactics like this are all about gaining leverage, or simply securing it. It’ll never be “just for fun,” as McCain retorted. Sometimes, even Obama initiates. The once-spotless Democrat has accused McCain of neglecting comprehensive immigration reform in front of Hispanic groups. Obama has also called McCain a failure in terms of his energy policy, saying he was inactive for the longest time. As polls tighten in the coming months, both nominees are sure to get their share of heat, be it from media, the discerning public or an influential ally who ditches you last minute for the smallest of reasons. People don’t easily forget ads sometimes, so it becomes pivotal not only to outdo each other in damage control, but to identify the harm before it even happens.

globalroundup

TOP 20 Advertisers Q1, 2008

RANK

ADVERTISERS

Ad Spend

Unilver Phils, Inc

9,038

15%

P&G Phils., Inc

4,683

-12%

Nestle Phils., Inc.

4,677

61%

UniLab, Inc.

4,502

20%

Colgate-Palmolive Phils., Inc.

4,128

36%

Smart Communications, Inc.

1,276

73%

Johnson & Johnson Phils., Inc.

1,227

24%

Herbs & Nature Corp.

1,214

157%

Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils., Inc.

1,151

185%

Globe Telecom, Inc.

1,007

-11%

Monde Nissin Corp.

932

69%

Mead Johnson Phils., Inc

897

19%

Jollibee Foods Corp.

786

82%

Wyeth Phils., Inc

891

12%

PAGCOR

697

36%

Universal Robina Corp.

694

16%

San Miguel Brewing Group

670

13%

Tanduay Distillers, Inc.

657

23%

Golden Arches Development Corp.

594

51%

Del Monte Phils.

551

336%

D&AD 2008 Annual launched: Digital vs Anti-Digital

London – The spanking new D&AD Annual 2008 was released on Sept. 18, exclusively for D&AD members. Designed by Neville Brody from Research Studios, the book is themed ‘Digital vs Anti Digital’. The book includes hyperlinks to videos with judges from the D&AD Awards 2008, interviews with creatives on the future of the industry, and most importantly, links directly to the work. For the first time, all of the work will be published online, as well as in the iconic book. D&AD members picked up their copy at the launch, held at the Royal College of Art in London. The launch coincides with the opening of D&AD’s first exhibition of all 45 of its Annuals. Part of the London Design Festival, “Pencil – 45 Years of Creativity from the D&AD Annuals” will be open from 19-23 September.

Corbis Celebrates Women in Sports with New Futuristic Imagery

London – Corbis (www.corbis.com) recently announced the addition of futuristic sports imagery to its collection. The imagery by acclaimed photographer Jason Joyce is featured along with iconic athletes, contemporary champions and action shots from leading sporting events on Corbis’ sports microsite www.corbis.com/sports. The new imagery by Joyce features women fencers, swimmers, archers, weightlifters, soccer players and others in high-concept futuristic settings. The images have been carefully retouched for a clean, vibrant, surreal look. The concept and storyboard for the London shoot was conceived and managed by Corbis Art Director Martin Yates. Joyce designed the set-up and lighting so that the images would be suitable for the post-production team to manipulate. Retouching was handled at Corbis, and a 3-D designer created the backgrounds using state-of-theart 3-D imaging software.

15th Golden Drum Advertising Festival: Media Meeting 2008

Ljubljana – The Golden Drum Media Meeting and Media Awards Competition has been an integral part of the Festival since 2002 on Oct. 5-7, 2008. The twoday seminar about media development has become important to everyone working in marketing communications and other media sectors. The Media Meeting will bring together a selection of speakers; the opening of the Golden Drum festival and Slovenian night party; awards ceremony of the Golden Drum European winners; exhibition of all print entries at Golden Drum; and the Exhibition of Portorož Piran Advertising Awards finalists.

september-october 08

globalroundup Interpublic Completes Strategic Transaction In Middle East and North Africa

New York – The Interpublic Group announced that it has concluded a key transaction in the Middle East and North Africa region, increasing its stake in the Middle East Communication Networks (MCN) from minority position to 51% ownership. Headquartered in Dubai, MCN is the region’s premier marketing services management company with 60 offices across 14 countries. Since 1968, MCN agencies have serviced many of the world’s largest marketers and a diversified group of local clients with the full range of marketing and advertising services throughout the MENA region. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. “This is an important step for IPG that allows us to build on an existing relationship with an exceptional company. The strong management group in place at MCN has unrivalled experience in the region, and we will continue to support them and their agency teams,” commented Michael I. Roth, Chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group.

JWT Survey Reveals that Americans are More Hopeful Than Other Cultures about Finding “The One”

New York — Americans are widely optimistic about love in the modern era, according to a survey released today by JWT, the largest advertising agency in the US and fourth largest in the world. Compared with other cultures surveyed, Americans are more hopeful about finding “the one”—57% are optimistic vs. 51% in the UK, 47% in China and 42% in France. The random online study, conducted in late January, surveyed consumers in the four countries to determine the impact of the digital age on love, relationships, dating, sex and social mores. Some findings: a majority of Americans are optimistic about having a loving relationship with their partner; a majority of Americans believe there is at least one perfect partner in the world for everyone; for a significant percentage of American men, the Internet has become a key source of sexual inspiration and education: close to half say they have found useful information on sex and relationships online (vs. 32% of women). Says Ann Mack, director of trendspotting at JWT, “Since the Internet makes it far easier to connect with people, especially specific types, it’s fueling our hopes and expectations for love and lust. It’s also driving a trend toward starting fresh—leaving lackluster relationships in hopes of finding something better.”

september-october 08

Quit In Style

Global competition for creatives under 30 The prestigious, fiercely competitive Young Guns show – a worldwide contest for creatives under 30 years of age, with professional and student divisions – recently launched its call for entries. Young Creatives are to upload work they’ve created specifically around the theme, which will resonate with anyone who’s ever toiled in our industry’s salt mines: ‘Quit in Style’. “Quit in Style” is the Guns’ first foray into recognizing User Generated Content, “an area that sits at the forefront of the industry’s future yet is largely ignored on the global awards circuit.” The theme grew out of an idea by Droga 5 to create a new category, Craft in Quitting, which ultimately grew into the whole contest theme for the year. The idea, fittingly enough, originated with Droga5’s youngest team, Ben Smith and Neil McGuirk. We’ll quote from Droga5’s press release, one of the rare ones that actually does say it all. In the words of Droga5 Sydney’s Creative Head Matty Burton: “Some of us are still young enough to remember the lashing we got as juniors… [It’s] like army

of the month •

boot camp, but with less sleep and more beatings! Quit in Style is designed to become a sort of secret “Fight Club” for junior creatives, where they can meet to compare war stories and more importantly ideas of getting one over on their slave master CDs before they move on to the next challenge. It’s basically a tool-box for the underdogs.” His co-CD Cameron Blackley adds, “We’ve created over 25 films thanks to collaborating with directors from as far away as HungryMan in New York and greatguns in Los Angeles but I think it’s just the beginning. Juniors are nothing if not crafty, and when they realize they can become infamous … I reckon they won’t need much encouragement to pull out the camcorder.” Those who prefer more uplifting themes can check out the separate Young Gun of the Month contest, which closes on the last day of every month. Before entering, check out the Showcase of previous winners. If you genuinely think you have a chance, then you can fork out the entry fees, which begin at A$100.

AUGUST

The YoungGun of the Month - August results are in, as judged by Josh Lancaster from Colenso BBDO: Professional YoungGun of the Month Matt Sellars & Cory Bellringer from Y&R Auckland NZ for their Microsoft - Anti-Virus Campaign. Student YoungGun of the Month Ana C. Galvez from The Art Institute of California-San Diego for her Monster Posters for Monster.com idea.

globalroundup New York Festivals Announces Partnership with China’s SiTV

New York - New York Festivals has formed an exclusive media partnership with China’s SiTV – (Shanghai Media Group), to be featured on the program XiYuan - Advertising Forum. XiYuan has just celebrated its first anniversary and is the only television program in China dedicated to the advertising industry. This strategic liaison between SiTV and the Festivals is paramount to the success of the NYF’s reach within China, by targeting the more than 1 million people in China’s growing advertising industry. NYF President Michael O’Rourke commented, “I think it’s incredibly important to showcase winning work from each agency. Developing content partners around the world enables us to provide true recognition to our winners while both entertaining and educating creatives all over the globe.”

New D&AD President Challenges Peers to Inspire the Next Creative Generation

The World’s Biggest Ad by TBWA\Tequila Singapore and–You? In line with its multi-awarded print campaign for Photolibrary’s royalty-free images, TBWA/Tequila Singapore recently launched a viral campaign with some unexpected collaborators: its competitors. The world’s biggest campaign invites the world to contribute -- via custombuilt Flash applications that allow any user to develop a section of the ad. After uploading a contribution, the user invites

colleagues to follow suit. The aim is to snowball the collaboration far beyond TBWA/Tequila Singapore’s network, to reach creatives everywhere. When complete, the world’s biggest ad will be exhibited as mammoth posters at trade shows and ad festivals. All contributors will be given creative credits. To be one of them, visit http://www. theworldsbiggestad.com.

Truth in Advertising? Under the table and dreaming Tragically, Shameless Young Producer was born too late for the days of zillion-peso kickbacks. Having trained briefly at a Big Agency before seeing the fees that free-lancers were (legally) charging, SYP went freelance very quickly, very young. Clearly, the stories of the old days got to him. During bidding for a job from Big Agency #2, a senior freelance producer – who had supervised SYP at Big Agency #1 and been underwhelmed by the latter’s abilities -- heard that SYP had demanded a gratuity using the phrase “under the table.” The senior freelancer’s amused comment? “Under the table? What table?! Freelancers don’t even HAVE tables!” Unfortunate phrasing aside, it seems SYP will be whispered about but not formally punished. Why? Because these are tough times, and SYP seems to have a lock on Big Agency #2’s very active TV accounts. Senior producer suspects that some-one inside Big Agency #2 keeps steering projects to SYP, for reasons unknown but not hard to imagine. So the next time your TVC CE seems absurdly high, ask a few questions about “Miscellaneous.”

Heard any good tsismis lately? Want to start one? Send it to: rumors@adobomagazine.com

D&AD announced that Garrick Hamm will become its President on Sept. 18. Hamm will use his year to motivate his peers to encourage new talent. “Our industry and agencies are dead without the next wave of creative thinkers. Few of us were born geniuses. Remember – we all started somewhere,” said Hamm.   “When I first joined the D&AD Executive I was in awe of the amount of other work D&AD does. I had thought it was about 3 people running the awards – I had no idea about the education side. Every year about £2millon is ploughed back into programmes that wouldn’t exist without the time and energy spent by experienced creatives. The next generation is our creative lifeline and the work we do to support them is what makes D&AD special and different.”    Hamm will be D&AD’s leading ambassador and spokesperson for the next 12 months.

WPP appoints John O’Keeffe to Worldwide Creative Director, WPP

WPP announce the appointment of John O’Keeffe, former Executive Creative Director of BBH, to Worldwide Creative Director of WPP. He will report directly to WPP CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell. In this new full time role, O’Keefe will work with WPP companies globally - across agencies, disciplines and clients - to help raise creative standards. O’Keeffe, 45, is one of Britain’s most distinguished creative directors, with a reputation for inspiring original, inventive work. During his tenure. BBH won 21 Agency of the Year Awards; he has been named Campaign magazine’s Creative Director of the Year twice running. Among the WPP networks that O’Keefe will supervise are JWT, Ogilvy and Bates. september-october 08

B E I J I N G september-october 08

As if five mascots weren’t enough onstage, Beijing’s very own five Fuwa were still flanked with a Great Wall-long string of ad campaigns. Cuddly symbols of peace aside, it was, after all, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and every company is somehow pardoned for treating the Chinese capital as a sponsorship paradise. Even the thousands of doting parents who have named their babies Aoyun (Chinese for “the Olympics”) are excused as well. Since Beijing won its bid over Paris and Toronto—among seven other cities—to host the Olympic Games back in 2001, an ad blitz like no other has pervaded both its metropolis and the rest of the world. Global giants Adidas, Coca-Cola Co., Eastman Kodak Co., General Electric, Haier, Lenovo, Manulife Financial, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Sinopec and Visa are only 12 of the 63 enterprises (the highest ever) that have become either worldwide partners, sponsors or exclusive suppliers of the Beijing Games. Irrefutably, only one thing unifies all 63 of them: their scalding desire for each and every single one of 1.3 billion Chinese consumers to remember their brand. Amidst such a tall order, some brands have truly upheld the 2008 Summer Olympics more than ever. McDonald’s, for one, launched

not a worldwide partner, wasted no time in making its dent. Forced to share the official domestic beer sponsorship with Yanjing Beer, Tsingtao tapped China’s Hunan TV to launch Tsingtao Beer - I am the Champion, a nationwide TV program, to promote China’s beautiful cultural sites and the emotional magic of the Games. These days, sponsors seem to have it easy in coming up with an ad for the Olympics. Have the likes of Morgan Freeman (a huge hill of plus points for this though) narrate the virtues of such a stratospheric event, flash “Go World,” mention how long Visa has been in partnership with the games, toss in a torch somewhere there and you have an ad. Simplicity can certainly be on target, but not always remarkably fresh. This is where Volkswagen rolls in. Dubbed the Green Fleet, 5,000 Volkswagen vehicles were supplied for the Beijing Games. New models like the Mogotan 2.0 TDI, Sagitar 1.4 TSI, Touran EcoFuel and Tiguan 2.0 TDI were all arranged by Volkswagen to provide transportation between Olympic venues. China Daily has reported that these cars feature advanced engines, speed-changing boxes and clean fuel, all of which have met Euro-V emission standards. The People’s Car is now China’s Car. But perhaps one of the most dynamic partners to ever team up with the Olympics is China’s Lenovo Group, the world’s fourth largest PC manufacturer. After sponsoring the 2006 Torino Olympics, Lenovo continued its streak by designing the torch for the 2008 Olympics, an honor they beat 300 other designers for. What’s more, even prior to the games, Lenovo already allowed athletes from different sports and regions around the world to blog about their experiences through Voices of the Olympic Games “McDonald’s Champion Kids” a day (www.summergames.lenovo.com). after 8-8-8. Aided by Olympic gold With the help of Blogger.com, this medalist Michael Phelps, the program campaign evolved to a much more allowed over 200 children from personalized, hands-on effort that 40 countries to travel and see the connected Olympic enthusiasts to Beijing Games. their champions. In doing so, Lenovo Leo Burnett Sydney’s TVC for reaped a reliable, technology-oriented McDonald’s had a cleverly active hand brand image, while addressing the in encouraging kids to sign up online. emotional need of the The 60-seconder featured a boy public to hear from musing about his passion for tennis their country’s and his fulfilled dream of going to the delegates and be Olympics with his mother. Meshing inspired by their 2D black and white animation on the achievements. walls of his room with live action, the Come to think ad brought to life the boy’s aspirations. of it, the most visible It made you feel good. And it was (and presumably, visibly a far cry from etching Olympic effective) campaigns logos on tumblers and Happy Meals were actually from back in the ‘90s. the Beijing Games Tsingtao Brewery Group, though itself. Despite the

KA-CHING! by Ralph Mendoza

2008 Beijing Olympics many brands that either lauded or hounded its every move, the Olympics found its sanctuary this year in the hands of Beijing. From methodically arranging the Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nest, to the creative and logistical marvel that was the opening ceremony, to attaching both their emblem Dancing Beijing and slogan One World, One Dream to virtually every sidewalk and wok, China could not have done a better job at integrating the Olympics to their way of life. But you can even say that China surpassed the entire idea of marketing altogether, since its people were simply all in it together. And I mean, together. They zealously revered the challenge and took it upon themselves to further reinvent the Olympics. All in all, Olympic ad

Olympic ad campaigns are fascinating not just for themselves, but also for the tremendous measures each company resorts to in order to gain a rightful spot in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hearts and minds.

campaigns are fascinating not just for themselves, but also for the tremendous measures each company resorts to in order to gain a rightful spot in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hearts and minds. Each brand concocted its own means of pitching in what they did best, be it in terms of information technology, transportation, human resources, or even beer. For creatives, it became an occasion where they were shoved to rise above their default solutions to generate campaigns that both humanized their brand and advocated the Olympic ideals that started it all. I guess you can call that a bona fide win-win situation.

september-october 08

2008 Beijing Olympics

O F G O L D S

AND GOLDEN ARCHES McDo in Beijing

It started with a wave of homesickness by Americans in France. During the 1968 Games in Grenoble, McDonald’s airlifted burgers just to give the team a taste of home. The rest, as they say, is history. In this long partnership, 2008 was another year of firsts. As Official Restaurant and the only branded sponsor providing food for athletes, media and spectators, McDonald’s opened 4 new restaurants especially for the Games. All four served a full menu of global items, plus a new item introduced to the world: the Corn Cup, a local Chinese favorite. With two restaurants open 24 hours (in the Main Press Center and the Olympic Village), the yellow arches were a beacon of familiarity for athletes, press and spectators. Even hardcore organic foodies queue up for burgers, salads and even McCafe espresso. The 24-hour restaurants served approximately 10,000 athletes and 4,500 media a day; the two other stores set new records as well, with over 20,000 visitors per day. McDonald’s Retail North is in fact the world’s largest free-standing McDonald’s.

september-october 08

McDonald’s also ran two global programs at Beijing: the McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew and the McDonald’s Champion Kids. McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew This program, which began in 2002, brings the best McDonald’s restaurant employees worldwide to the Games, to serve the world’s best athletes. This year, an unprecedented 1,400 McDonald’s crew members from 36 countries were flown in. The super servers toured China, watched the Games live and even met Rafael Nadal and Michael Phelps. A champion team on its own, the Crew exemplifies the Olympic values of hard work, excellence, and teamwork.

McDonald’s Champion Kids Debuting at the Beijing Games was the McDonald’s Champion Kids Program, an offshoot of the company’s commitment to children’s well-being. Over 200 bright, talented kids from all over the world went to Beijing for an unforgettable time. Five Champion Kids represented the Philippines: Miguel Narcida, Mauro Acot, Sari Suplido, Nica Satoquia and Georgette Ang. Drawn from all over the country, the children returned from Beijing gushing with memories. Through its Giant pandas, seeing the long-standing Great Wall, partnership, meeting feeding Olympic athletes legends and Champion Kids and feeding from other spirits, countries— McDonald’s all are indelibly truly brought stamped in the kids’ minds. the Olympic Games to life. Champion Kid Mauro Acot sums it up: “McDonald’s just gave me the most memorable event of my childhood life. Being a part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is a dream come true and meeting other kids from around the world is a great bonus. It is really one world and one dream!” Gushy but heartfelt, it all brings back to the wide-eyed wonder of childhood (and gee-whiz branding). Through its long-standing partnership, feeding athletes and feeding spirits, McDonald’s truly brought the Olympic Games to life.

september-october 08

For 16 days straight in August, it was difficult not to get swept up in the frenzy over “superhuman” feats by Michael Phelps and Usain “Lighting” Bolt at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. These iconic stars led the charge for an event that’s been dubbed “the greatest show on earth.” It’s a marketing truism that the Olympics, held every four years, transcends its sporting nature. It’s become more of a cultural phenomenon—one of the few left—that brings everyone to the TV. Much of the audience for the Games doesn’t follow sports at all; much of the interest draws from the sense of occasion and the appeal of seeing all the determination, training and focus etched on athletes’ faces. For sure, Beijing’s coming-out party also displayed undeniable magnitude that captured the world’s imagination: $40 billion spent on stadiums and infrastructure compared with $9.5 billion in the 2004 Athens Olympics; $1.7 billion revenues for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from broadcast rights alone from a mere $1.2 million earned from the 1960 Rome Olympics; and $21 billion spent for environmental improvements around Beijing. Almost 11,000 athletes attended the games, and were served 80,000 meals per day by the Olympic Village’s 24-hour catering service. Olympic marketing deals are an excellent opportunity to communicate with consumers. Not surprisingly, at least a dozen companies coughed up eight- to nine-figure dollar sums for the privilege of slapping the five rings on their brand identities. The likes of Coca Cola, McDonalds, Kodak, Adidas, GE, Samsung, Omega and Visa invest a significant portion of their brand budgets to enter an elite club of “official worldwide partners” of the games.

september-october 08

G L O B A L G O L D

L O C A L C A S H

CALTEX, MICROSOFT STEP UP FOR THE PHILIPPINE TEAM by Oscar Gomez There’s an even greater number of marketers buying TV commercial time to reach all types of consumers, including a high percentage of women and young viewers. In the US alone, more than 100 advertisers spent more than $1 billion to sponsor Beijing coverage. The large female viewership for the Olympics and the spate of spots intended for women are anomalies in TV sports. Most coverage of athletics is watched by men, which means most commercials during sports programs are aimed at male viewers. If not all brands are created equal, then not everybody can cash in on interest in the Games,

right? Hardly. Many marketers who couldn’t afford global sponsorships still found ways to piggyback on the event. According to the Wall Street Journal, Australian mining firm BHP provided raw materials from its mines in Chile and Australia to make the 6,000 gold, silver and bronze medals for Olympic and Paralympic winners--plus 51,000 commemorative medals. The 13.04 kilos of gold it contributed was valued at about $340,000 at current market prices.

...many local sponsors hop onto the ideals of achieving national pride and honor through the games. Among the myriad sponsors of the US Olympic Committee, for instance, is one company that makes scrapbooks and picture frames. The IOC allows national committees to cut their own sponsorship deals, and many local sponsors hop onto the ideals of achieving national pride and honor through the games. Companies like Microsoft Philippines and Caltex Philippines directed their first-ever Olympic sponsorships toward the preparations of Filipino athletes. Through their “Olympinoy” campaign, Microsoft Philippines invited awareness of the Philippine team by creating ads and web content featuring the different athletes’ stories. “We wanted to highlight the athletes’ personal stories because we felt they were good role models for our youth and could inspire our countrymen,” says Microsoft Philippines OEM Marketing Manager Ivan Franco. The company also rode the Olympic fever through a raffle among buyers of its original software licenses. Microsoft Philippines donated P1 million as well to the Philippine Olympic Committee’s training fund for this year’s 15 Filipino Olympians. Caltex, on the other hand, handed over P3.3 million to the POC and gave P10,000 worth of Caltex Star Cash cards to each Beijing-bound Filipino athlete and coach for purchases at Caltex gas stations and StarMart outlets. Caltex helped stir public support and awareness through brand merchandising and promotions, advertising, and charity events that bore the slogan “Driving the Dream for Olympic Gold.” “Caltex service stations connect with people from all

walks of life, and we know how proud and passionate they are when it comes to national-level sport,” explains Caltex Country Chairman Randy Johnson. Like many small nations, Team Philippines in Beijing ended up basking in the glory of just showing up. Unlike rich and powerful China, Russia and the US for whom the medal count is all that counts, the Beijing experience of Filipino athletes lasted only a few minutes, or seconds, of unsuccessful competition. While sponsors didn’t go in with blind expectations, they’ve been known to hedge their bets, ready to jump into a marketing bandwagon just in case a rare Olympian feat is scored by a Filipino. After coming home from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with a hard-fought silver medal, boxer Mansueto Velasco saw companies pile on cash, cars and other gifts estimated to have exceeded P15 million. (For the overwhelmed Velasco, retirement suddenly became an attractive option; he would opt out in favor of a less physically demanding career as sitcom actor). This year’s pledged incentives for the elusive gold medal hit P9.2 million, a jackpot that additional sponsors were expected to double if the goal was attained. It’s a far cry from the old Olympic ideal of amateur athletes competing purely for the love of the sport. Prohibitions on paying Olympic athletes were discontinued in the 1980s after then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch felt that asking athletes to go without pay was exploitive. He of course was also making a practical concession to the demands of the real (and commercial) world.

Caltex promised three years’ supply of fuel and lubricants for a Filipino athlete, and his or her coach, who’d bring home the country’s first Olympic gold, offering two years and one year’s supply as well for silver and bronze medalists. Microsoft allotted a portion of every product sold to a pot meant for a goldwinning athlete. The pot, which has reached over P1 million, has been turned over to fund training for the next Olympics.

2008 Beijing Olympics An architectural extravaganza,, the “Bird Nest” Beijing Olympics stadium designed by Herzog and DeMeuron

Live grunts at the Men’s tennis semi-final between tennis superstars Nadal and Djokovic

Coca-Cola subway posters

Heading home, Philippine team swimming coach Jason Calanog and swimmers Ryan Paolo Arabejo and Daniel Coakley

Mo Guerrero with Philippine Boxing hope Harry Tañamor

Beijing locals stream into the Olympic site

adobo’s Angel catches a weekend in Beijing

Micheal Phelps makes Olympic history! The Bubble Cube, home to the swimming events lights up.

Inside the Birds Nest where Jamaica reigns supreme

TBWA Shanghai’s award winning poster for adidas in full view

september-october 08

EVENTS CALENDAR Public Relations Society of the Philippines 15th Public Relations Congress September 16-17, 2008 Hotel Intercontinental Makati, Philippines Tel : +632 638 0010 to 12 www.prsp.ph Media 360 Asia Summit September 16-18, 2008 MGM Grand Macau Tel : +65 6579 0538 events@media.com.hk Asian Marketing Effectiveness September 17, 2008 MGM Grand Macau Tel: +65 6579 0538 events@media.com.hk Grafika Manila 2008 September 20-21, 2008 Premier Cinema, Mall of Asia Tel : +63 2 701 3647 1st Marketing Summit SSC-Junior Marketing Association Building Brands September 24, 2008 St. Scholasticaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College Tel : +63 927 872 9210 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 MORES 9th National Research Congress MRxxx: Mores at 30 September 24-26, 2008 Hotel Stotsenberg, Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Tel : +63 2 533 6653 Fax : +63 2 531 5204 www.mores.com.ph John Caples International Awards Call for Entries Deadline : September 29, 2008 pilar.mustafa@haymarketmedia.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

HELVETICA

The Collegian Assembly-PUP AdGenda September 27, 2008 SM Megatrade Conference Center www.pup.edu.ph The Al Ries Brand Strategy Forum October 01, 2008 Dusit Hotel, Makati City www.saltandlightventures.net United Print Media Group Tinta Awards, The Philippine Press Awards October 15, 2008 Makati City Email : angelita.tan@gmail.com www.philippinetintaawards.com Philippine Junior Marketing Association rE2mix: Reaching Events and Entertainment Marketing Borders October 10, 2008 Arcadea Bar and Resto, Malate Tel : + 63 906 409 2178, +63 922 306 1817 www.pjmaforum.tk 7th Agora Conference Philippine Marketing Association October 20, 2008 Grand Ballroom, Hotel Intercontinental Manila Tel : + 63 2 634 5722 www.philmarketing.com.ph 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 Singapore Creative Circle Awards 2008 November 05, 2008 Shangri-la Hotel, Island Ballroom Singapore http://creativecircle.com.sg/gongshow London International Awards November 10, 2008 Hippodrome Leicester Square, London www.liaawards.com

Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas KBP Annual Meeting November 13-15, 2008 Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay Tel : +63 2 815 1990 to 92 www.kbp.org.ph Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas 34th Top Level Management Conference (TLMC) November 13-15, 2008 Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay Tel : +63 2 815 1990 to 92 www.kbp.org.ph Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas 17th Golden Dove Awards November 14, 2008 Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay Tel : +63 2 815 1990 to 92 www.kbp.org.ph Asia Pacific PR Awards November 20, 2008 Hong Kong www.PRawardsasia.com Digital Media Awards November 26, 2008 Shanghai www.digitalmediaawardsasia.com 3rd Student Advertising Congress November 27-28, 2008 AFP Theatre, Quezon City Tel : +63 2 889 6794, +63 917 813 5027 4As Singapore 60th Anniversary Celebration November 2008 www.4As.org.sg 4As Singapore Creative Circle Awards November 2008 www.4As.org.sg Advertising Suppliers Assocation of the Philippines Pearl Anniversary December 1, 2008 Palacio de Maynila Tel : +63 2 893 0738, 893 0564 Fax : +63 2 893 0404 www.asapmanila.org.ph Asia Agency of the Year Awards December 10, 2008 Singapore www.aoyawards.com

1st OA AP Badminton Tournament

SUPER LIMITED

The first feature of adobo main course. Very few copies. Call Philipp at 845-0218.

september-october 08

The combined force of Jimenez Basic & Publicis Manila made them the Class A Champion during the 1st OA AP Badminton Tournament held on July 26 th at The Zone.

Filipinos Flip over Friendster In the Philippines for both the eBusiness and Social Networking and 2nd IMMAP Conferences, rockstargeek David Jones, VP for Global Marketing shows why Friendster is not just trendster. For millions of Filipinos, it’s here to stay. Or should that be, because of..?

until September 2007. Seventyfive percent of Singapore’s internet population uses Friendster. The launch of Friendster in Chinese proved very useful in Singapore, as well as the launch in May of Friendster in Vietnamese. A fifth of Indonesia’s 20 million users are on Friendster.

From Ebay to Friendster, the boyish David Jones

“Filipinos are cross-cultural. The fan profile we have on the site has to include American media, Filipino media, artists and celebrities. Not necessarily Filipino-specific, but global perspective.” The Philippines With over 14 million internet users, the Philippine Friendster phenomenon is thrilling to the San Francisco-based social networking website. In March, 13.2 million Filipinos came to Friendster. That’s 94% of the entire population of Philippine internet users. With googling now an accepted verb, what’s your Friendster? is a common question. Sort of asking for a valid social I.D. “Filipinos are cross-cultural. The fan profile we have on the site has to include American media, Filipino media, artists and celebrities. Not necessarily Filipino-specific, but global in perspective.” The busiest time for the Friendster server in San Francisco is the middle of the night. That is the middle of the day in the Philippines. Friendster’s heaviest traffic is Monday, at the start of business hours in the Philippines, when everyone returns to work after the weekend. This despite a significant number of Philippine companies blocking access to the site during office hours, an occurrence known to Jones and that he thinks is insane. “There are legitimate uses for Friendster. When you have a meeting with someone you have not met, you can find their picture and know a little about them. We think that people who use Friendster to plan going out with colleagues or just plain socialize are well-adjusted, well-rounded people, and people with good social lives are better workers.” Perhaps not unlike bringing pets to work that recent studies show actually make employees more enthusiastic with work and less reluctant to render overtime. Asian Connection Friendster was solely in English

As a quarter of Malaysia’s 15 million users, too, prior to localizing the site. By the first week of June, Friendster in Bahasa Indonesia and Malay were launched. Of 51 million internet users in the Asian region, 23 million or 45% is on Friendster. “Filipinos and Asians in general are spread out around the world. Filipinos are a socially-connected, family-oriented, friendly people. San Francisco is a Fil-Am center. Friendster took off because of expats, English speaking, and very social people.” By Jones’s own admissions, the biggest challenge for the world’s largest social network and its staff of 65 was deciding what to do next and what to prioritize. With the largest number of internet users found in Asia (38% of total worldwide), Friendster decided to focus on Asians—wherever they were and what was important to them. “You have to be 16 years old to open a Friendster account. One person joins Friendster every second. That’s 80,000 a day.” Friendster on your phone Friendster joined the bandwagon of web giants complementing their internet presence through mobile access, a move that begs the question of prudence with mobile applications currently in demand only in Japan and Korea. “Japan is an extreme example where more content is viewed on mobile than the web (having) just crossed that threshold where more than 50% of internet usage is through the mobile phone,” said Jones, but quickly explained, “Even with access to a mobile phone, not everyone has internet access. The phones may technically work, but (the user) is not signed up for internet with the carrier. But now many sign up and we kind

“You have to be 16 years old to open a Friendster account. One person joins Friendster every second. That’s 80,000 a day.” of expect that some have been thinking of getting internet access on their phones to access Friendster.” Jones made it clear, however, that they are not here to make money for the Globes and Smarts of the world. Revenue from Friendster’s site is 100% advertising, and the global shift to mobile will not be any different. Though hindered by confidential internal plans, actual advertising is still at its initial stages and no actual projection of shares from website and mobile sites can be derived, the total ad pie will

grow as total time spent on Friendster grows. The social site is expecting an increase in active users, either through page use or the preferred metric, minutes of use. Its mobile advertising, launched in July, has revenue streams and layered revenue space staggered throughout the year, where advertisers have access to tens of millions of mobile users projected by 2009. “If you think online advertising is emerging in Asia, mobile advertising is even bigger,” said Jones. september-october 08

An expose Gayle Troberman of the digital marketing frenzy byGlobal Manager for Branded Entertainment, MSN reported by Grace Marci In a world where just about anyone can produce content and brands can easily find their way into people’s facebook pages, games, music and instant chats – how do brands know when, where and how to engage? At the Asia Pacific Media Forum last April, Gayle Troberman of Microsoft gave some sobering and sage advice for marketers, brand owners – and yes, advertising agencies. Think about the way you surf the net. You have 4 or 5 favorite sites that you visit every day, maybe twice a day. The start-up page (which you programmed into your computer) – MSN or google or yahoo – mostly something with one-click access to your e-mail addy. Check your mail. Next. The tsismis (gossip) blog. Scan scan. No one you know. Scroll. Yesterdays tsiz. Next. Your favorite online shopping site. Scan scan scroll. Next. Read the online newspaper. Read? More like scan it. A headline here. A subhead there. First sentence, second sentence. Next. Obama Obama. Tinggg! Instant messenger. Back to your mailbox. Next. You’re not A-D-D. That’s how real people navigate the web. Millions of them. So if the average net-connected white collar guy spends 4-6 hours a day online, by and large he’s wandering — clicking into some banner ad (maybe),

Axe.com

“A lot of digital marketing is creating a lot of cool fun – but all that doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t drive the brand.” or poking thru some blurb that sounds mildly interesting. It’s called Infosnapping. A lot of places we find ourselves in online are serendipitous. And marketers hope hope hope that one of those places is…their ad. Or their

banner. Or their content. Or a game they invested in to push the brand. Once they’ve got the infosnapper reeled in, the trick is to HOLD him there… ten seconds, 20 … 30…. If you get him to 60, hey, that’s undivided attention − involvement that’s paid off better than the average ad spot, at a fraction of the cost! Gayle gives this great piece of advice to marketers: Don’t abuse his attention span. Short. Sweet. Interesting. Nuf said. Next. Some brands have really gone beyond short and sweet and managed to keep the conversation going with their customers.

Dove.com has done a great job with its site talking about self esteem issues, women, vanity, grooming, community, aging…. and touting their products in a nonintimidating way. Axe.com manages to be cool, funny, irreverent…. And truly engaging. Of course, there are the ten thousand other brands that manage to be trying hard-cool … and irritating too. Think pop-up ads. According to Troberman, last year USD80 million was spent annoying customers! Earlier this year I was going through Click-the-City, checking out movies and screening hours – and Pop! An animated window opens announcing a new antidandruff shampoo. Ok animation,

The Boomerang Awards 2008

Big Brands Online

Pepsi, Nestle lead in Boomerang awards

Nestle and Pepsi emerged as progressive advertisers at the recent Boomerang Awards, run by the Internet Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) and judged by a panel that included Friendster VP David Jones and Proximity regional director for Asia Simon Bond. Of 12 winners, Pepsi and Nestle had three each; leading agencies were Proximity, Wolfpac and Havoc Digital, with two awards each. Proximity, "Pepsi Max Kill The Sugar"

september-october 08

Mainstream advertising just missed the early worm. It was the media independents that dared to explore the possibilities of digital.

cute guy, new news, thank you…. Then I want to know about my movie option… Pop! Same product, same idiot guy … the brand has the gall to — Pop! — stand in front of the – Pop! — very info that – Pop! — I am looking for! After 5 successive episodes of this the model doesn’t seem so cute, the brand is burned in my memory as one that’s so starved

for attention it is willing to annoy the last shred of interest out of me, and possibly thousands of potential customers. (Ironically the shampoo came from the SAME client company that did an elegant digital job of Dove and Axe!) For the longest time advertising agencies have resisted digital. Mostly because we thought it spoke a different language, with technological advantages that would make our own (and ourselves) has-beens in no time. It’s like Hollywood feeling threatened by the introduction of TV. But at its heart, everything on the web is meant to connect to consumers in the best way possible; tapping into their interests and weaving a good story. To lead them to buy into you -- and buy you -- without abusing their attention span. And what better skill to snare the ADD-afflicted infosnapper than the discipline of a 30-second story?

Mainstream advertising just missed the early worm. Or gave up too soon. It was the media independents that dared to explore the possibilities of digital. Troberman says “A lot of digital marketing is creating a lot of cool fun – but all that doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t drive the brand.” Marketers look at the cool stuff on the web and suffer a syndrome called GMOOT – as in, Get… Me… One… Of… Those. Gotta have interactive. Gotta have mobile content. Gotta have Zoom. Gotta have a podcast. And sure, they can call people that can deliver the technology and the methodology – few or none of which are sitting in the mainstream ad agencies. And perhaps, in an eagerness to respond (and capture some business of course), digital gottahaves for these brands are created almost overnight. But no one – not even the client — asks the tough

Dove - campaign for real beauty website

question: WHAT is this going to do for my business? What is the role of a branded game in the whole communication mix? Who’s going to play it? And does it add value to your brand equity among the customers that matter? What’s the role of podcast? Of mobile content? In digital, form should follow function, or brands are simply chasing the fad. GMOOT. Troberman shares the (not so secret) idea that the most successful digital marketing solutions developed by MSN had the client at the table from day one. To the digital developers — Understand the business model. Understand the big picture. And always ask — What will this do for our business? To the ad agencies – Play from your strengths. No one tells short, snappy instantaneous stories like you. To any brand that wants presence in the confused cacophony that is the web, and in the equally confused tanglewood that is the consumer mind — Gayle Troberman advocates restraint. As the title of her talk aptly says − Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. A former Creative Director, GRACE MARCI is Director of Strategic Workshops at BrandLab.

Euro RSCG Manila, "The Philippines. Explore. Experience. Return: the HappySlip Blogs Campaign"

Havoc Digital "NESCAFE 3in1 ClickClique!" Account Executives: Shen Acosta, Paolo Defensor Production Team: Havoc Digital, Inc. (Glenn Del Rosario, Juancho Deveraturda, Greg Joseph Diaz, Jose Joaquin, and Ryan Resurreccion) Design: Publicis

Best Innovative Proximity, "Pepsi Max Kill The Sugar" / Pepsico International Inc. – Phils. Cyber Gold: Havoc Digital, "Smart Bro Sugod” / Smart Communications. Silver: Euro RSCG Manila, "The Philippines. Explore. Experience. Return: the HappySlip Blogs Campaign" Department of Tourism Bronze: New Media World Wide, "Clear Online Campaign" / Unilever Mobile Gold: Wolfpac Mobile and Proximity Phils, "Pepsi 1-in-5 Panalo!" / Pepsi Cola Products Phils., Inc. Silver: Wolfpac Mobile, "CoffeeMate Challenge" / Nestle Phils., Inc. Bronze: Snapworx Inc., "711 Doubles Promo" / 7-Eleven & San Miguel Beer Integrated Gold: Havoc Digital, "NESCAFE 3in1 ClickClique!" / Nestle Phils., Inc. Silver: Globe Telecom, "Give Me A Name" for Nestle Phils., Inc. Bronze: Proximity, "PepSikat Challenge" / Pepsico International Inc. - Phils.

september-october 08

Writer Ralph Mendoza with the staff

Boss Lady Angel Guerrero

adobo columnist Bong Osorio Lexmediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Olive Luna

adobo office blessing

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Office designer Marta Pedrosa-Welsh with hubby Simon Welsh

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PROFILE You may not know Barry Munchik’s name, but you definitely know his work. Velocity Films has swept nearly every existing award for production excellence. Besides over 25 Cannes Lions, they have an even rarer Cannes honor: as one of the top 10 production outlets in the Palme d’Or standings for the past two years. Keith Rose, Velocity’s pioneer director, has been inducted into the Clio TV Hall of Fame for BMW “Mouse”, besides being named one of Shots’ 100 Advertising People of all time. Recent Velocity TVCs include Allan Gray “Beautiful” (2008 Silver Lion), Sony “Thread” (latest in the Bravia series), MTN “Clap” (proudly South African but utterly non-political, featured in D&AD, a One Show finalist, Bronze Clio and 2008 Bronze Lion) “Ism” and “Reach for a Dream” (both Gold Lions), and Virgin “Love Story” (Silvers at Cannes and Clio, One Show Pencil and voted No. 1 international commercial for 2005 by Campaign UK).

BMW “Mouse”

What makes Munchik tick?

ohannesburg, South Africa -- a city known for poverty and crime, where car-jackings vie with gang wars for headline space. Johannesburg, also known as home base for Velocity Films, the production house that has brought home over 25 Cannes Lions and bagged a spot in the Clio Hall of Fame. With his company is acknowledged as one of the world’s best, we have to wonder: what makes the guy behind the company, Barry Munchik, tick? Beginnings Stateside Born in Brooklyn but raised in Miami, Barry started off as a Business Comm major, before jumping to Film Appreciation: “I grew up with television, and every Saturday I’d end up at the movies. I just gravitated to storytelling.

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I started my first company, Associated Filmmakers, in 1970. I didn’t follow orders well, so I thought I might as well open up my own shop.” At the time Miami’s commercial industry was just starting up, and the city just starting to become a fashionable place to shoot. Munchik made his bones on educational shoots, documentaries and corporate training films until 1976, when he sold his share and moved to LA to do features and TV series. Europe Calling Barry eventually drifted back to commercials. Then his world opened up: “I did my first European holiday, and I was fascinated, just gobsmacked. So I came back into the office 3 weeks later, and said to Lee Lacey, who I was working for at that time: “we should be shooting more over there”, and he said “when can you

pack your bags?” Two weeks later Barry found himself Executive Producer at Lee Lacey London, a stint which lasted several years. “It was good education, being beaten up by all the Brits, learning international production, banking and how to make sure that productions happen all around the world.” Then Barry was hired to start and run an in-house production company for Y&R New York, where he met Keith Rose, his partner to this day. “I was looking for a specific director for a job, we started talking, and eventually we decided to start a production company, probably in Europe.”

Milan, centrally located cities that were convenient for international production and creative growth. But those days coincided with historic political upheaval in South Africa --including Nelson Mandela’s rumored release. As Keith already had a small following in South Africa, the pair made a calculated business decision, with the fervent hope that the political clime would shift in their favor. As Barry recalls: “As I was having my goodbye party in New York, they were releasing Mandela from prison. I had a whole sitting room full of South African expats sitting around with tears in their eyes.”

Johannesburg? Thinking of a base, Barry and Keith considered Switzerland or

Velocity Takes Off With that as a sign – almost a benediction – Velocity hit the

Virgin Atlantic “Love Story”

Allan Gray Insurance “Beautiful”

Sony Bravia “Threads”

You stay in the business, eating all the shit you have to eat every day, because if you’re doing good work, it becomes bearable. ground running. With apartheid’s legal apparatus abolished, global sanctions were lifted, clearing the way for the company’s greater worldwide visibility. In less than a year, Velocity was doing production services for outside directors on location in South Africa, as well as bringing in French and Italian ads for local shoots. Starting as a singledirector shop, they had three directors by their second year. “It’s a perception thing, [working here]” says Barry. “We’ve had a busier summer just doing production services than over the last 8 years. And of the 2- or 3,000 creatives that have been out to South Africa with us over the last 18 years, we’ve never had anybody hurt. You want everybody to be

safe and to have a great time and go back and tell his or her friends.” Not that it’s been perfect: “The xenophobic violence in the townships, although it doesn’t affect me day to day, is a bad vibe. But Africa is my home now. I take care of my family, raise my little girls, ride my bicycle. I mean, life in South Africa is like suburban life anyplace. Right now the climate is stable, I think people have always been overly pessimistic about South Africa because of the rest of the things that goes on in the continent.” Velocity Now Now organized as two companies, Velocity and its boutique Bouffant Films have a total of 16 directors in their stable. In SA, Velocity has been regarded as the 800-pound gorilla, the behemoth of the Southern Hemisphere. But as run by Barry and Keith Rose, it’s still a company that insists on quality, value for money, and building relationships. According to Barry: “We never really got into a factory kind of mentality, so Keith and Greg and Adrian work at their own pace, a very English kind of pace where everything is handcrafted. All the prep, the casting, the location scouting is

hand done. So it seems big, but at the end of the day it’s just a multi-director shop, which just so happens to be in South Africa.” Essential Barry For Barry, the production business is simple. You do good work, the money follows; everything else is solvable if the work is good. If the work is mediocre, there’s always going to be problems. Velocity Films also stands its ground for quality. Munchik says: “A lot of clients don’t see the value of spending an extra $25,000 on a shot, or on better wardrobe, or why do we need a crane, or why do we need to feed the crew, you know, all of the questions that we thought we’d answered 30 years ago. And a lot of those times you’re speaking to the purchasing head of a large company who knows nothing about film production. At the end of the day you’re going to have to be willing to stand on principle and walk away from that job. The business is about the celebration of creativity, and I think that’s what a lot of agencies have forgotten over the years.” After 38 years in the business, why is he still at it? Barry says: “As an owner of a production house and as an executive

producer, I think you stay in the business, eating all the shit you have to eat every day, because if you’re doing good work, it becomes bearable. I also get a lot of satisfaction out of raising young directors, doing some-thing with their careers, trying to point them in the right direction, and teaching them how to grow in the future. I still love the business, the guys that are in it, the craziness… I still love telling stories, and I love circuses, and I love watching crews get out on the road, and all the trucks moving out and setting up, and getting the shots and coming back and cutting it and getting it together, I love the process; so to me, maybe I’m dense, but I really love it. And as long as I’m doing better and better creative work, after 38 years, it’s still in my blood.” South Africa’s challenges could make even our local business climate look rosy -yet Velocity Films has thrived both financially and creatively. Filipinos could learn a lot from Barry Munchik & Keith Rose’s clear-eyed loyalty to a country that is not even their own, yet where they’ve put down roots and brought honor (and visitors) to for the past 18 years. september-october 08

mediascape Star World brings Jimmy Kimmel Live! exclusively to Asia

Late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! turned to the internet, more specifically YouTube, to become one of TV’s most buzzedabout shows. Last year, Kimmel’s then girlfriend Sarah Silverman surprised the host with a now-infamous video featuring Matt Damon detailing the couple’s alleged affair. A month later, Kimmel counterpunched with his own starstudded parody, topbilled by Damon’s best friend, Ben Affleck. These gimmicks catapulted the show to new heights. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is now airing in Asia, courtesy of Star World. We have yet to see Jimmy Kimmel topple the late night TV greats, but he’s well on his way to making waves in Asian television.

Pussycat Dolls get Girlicious on ETC

Follow 15 determined women on the road to fame in Pussycat Dolls present: GIRLICIOUS, which premiered Sept. 12, Fridays at 10pm, only on ETC. Having hit it big with the Dolls, founder Robin Antin launches a brand new girl group called Girlicious: new look, new sound and a whole new attitude. But you aren’t born Girlicious -- you have to earn it. Fifteen girls will compete for just three slots, through a “Pussycat Dolls Boot Camp”, vocal lessons and gruelling dance practice with Antin and co-taskmasters Mikey Minden and Kenn Hicks. Host Mark McGrath will be joined in different episodes by members of the Pussycat Dolls. Judges include Geffen Records Chairman Ron Fair and rap tabloid staple Lil’ Kim. ETC will be whipping up viewer participation with two promos: the Girlicious Pick of the Week, and the Girlicious Dancing Game. Consumers can log on to www.etc.com.ph to win gift packs and exclusive premium items.

C/S ORIGIN HITS CABLE

Expanded from C/S on RPN Channel 9, C/S Origin recently debuted on Global Destiny Channel 29, showcasing two acclaimed new Crime/Suspense series, “Life,” and the “Dresden Files.” “Life” is an episodic drama ala “24.” Former detective Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) is freed after 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. His partner is Det. Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), an ex-undercover narcotics agent and recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Their investigations bring emotional closure -- and new clues to the main mystery of who framed Charlie Crews. In “The Dresden Files,” Paul Blackthorne is Harry Dresden, an ordinary private eye with extraordinary abilities and a wry sense of humor. Where hubris and bad bones lead the causes of crime, Harry Dresden sees the otherworldly malice of supernatural villains. He uses his powers to champion the underdog against all manner of dark forces -- for $500 a day. The show is based on the best-selling series of novels by Jim Butcher.

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Media independent Carat asks brands:

WHAT’S YOUR DQ? CONSUMER & COMMUNICATION TRENDS: ARE YOU READY? Aug. 12, 2008, M-Café

One of the first major events for new Carat Phils. GM Cookie Bartolome, this breakfast was a thoughtprovoking look at current knowledge in the quicksilver world of digital marketing. Speakers from Carat affiliates Synovate and Isobar discussed why brands had to go online; reps from mobile marketer Snapworx and Microsoft’s Digital Advertising Solution offered suggestions on how we might do so.

Brands must take control of their online presence−even while accepting that the connected, selective, empowered consumer controls nearly everything else: “Interest me, or I WILL game, I WILL text.” Speaking for Synovate, Managing Director Carole Sarthou cited numbers from the company’s Asian Youth Study that confirm our suspicions: gadgets have captured our children, and old media is fast losing out. There were some surprises, though: despite their apparent omnipresence, apparently only 55% of Metro Manila resi-dents from 8-24 years old report owning a personal mobile phone. We are slightly behind in computer/mp3 player ownership, but are parity in game consoles. Apparently, today’s youth spend as much as 10 hours a day on TV or internet, and 23 minutes a day playing games on electronic devices. (If it’s any consolation, the regional average is almost twice that, at 38 minutes a day.) Regarding internet use, it was reported to be slightly higher in Manila, where it is slightly higher at home; outside Manila, for younger audiences and in the C and D social economic classes, internet

cafes were the access point. What do we do on the internet? While both genders reported the same core activities, there were slight differences that echo gender preconceptions. Women chat, communicate and share photos; men search for information, play games and download music. When it came to search, there were two surprises. Yahoo came in slightly ahead of Google – and with all that could be found online, 30% of respondents admitted going online for horoscopes. Isobar’s Barney Loehnis discussed regional trends, warning, among other things, that brands must take control of their online presence— even while accepting that

be both free and accurate.) From the vendor side, Art Policarpio of Snapworx discussed how mobile phone marketing can reach consumers beyond the expected youth or techie segments. One of his most memorable local examples was of a highly successful text promotion for diabetes medication. Policarpio also touted Bluetooth as a free, content-rich delivery system, one that exceeds the usual text couponing and ringtones to send video and direct consumers to WAP sites. Microsoft’s Arlene Amarante showed that these days, ‘creating a digital presence’ demands quite a bit more than having your 12-year-old post

Diesel Heidis: In 2007, two girls “hijacked” the entire Diesel site with seven days of webcam footage. With zero media money, the campaign sold out Diesel’s underwear range, replaced the offline campaign, and drew an average of 85,000 visitors daily.

the connected, selective, empowered consumer controls nearly everything else. Marketers can no longer assume that consumers must watch or listen to them – “Interest me, or I WILL game, I WILL text.” They must engage with consumers, not merely to transmit content from on high (as in traditional media) but to genuinely dialogue. They must actively shape their presence, or else others will do it for them. For marketers used to control and a rigid three-month campaign cycle, it is a very different way of thinking, Loehnis admits. But we have no choice. (We need only think of our own behavior as consumers, fearlessly turning to our computers for information that we expect to

your TVCs on YouTube. Because while the world can see it, they also see your competition, your detractors (especially in the case of major corporations), and millions of incredibly bad amateur videos. Microsoft’s Digital Advertising solution gives marketers an alternative, using MSN as a channel to deliver professionally produced, interactive branded content. Advertisers like Colgate and Axe have gotten impressive results from local efforts. For the audience of brand marketers, it was a brisk but well-spent morning. If you weren’t questioning your digital strategy (or the lack of it) by noon, you probably weren’t listening. Clearly a case of low DQ (that’s Digital Quotient to you).

Raul Blay singing “ You Are So Beautiful”

Creative Juice’s Tanke Tankeko

Carl of Blue Bottle

Leo Burnett’s Lilit Reyes

Sound Design’s Pope Paredes

SounDesign at 11

Rock Out Rock On

August 30 Mag:Net High Street

Just two blocks from where the Eheads were reuniting, a group of adheads were partying -- Rockeoke style! Bongo Ferraren and Raul Blay, SounDesign wise men (it’s not just the white hair), brought the house down with all-time Fab Four faves, reflecting the fact that there are only two Beatles still alive. With freeflowing booze and fun, the party rocked on till 2am.

Ron Cortes, Lissa del Valle, Andre Calixtro

Rachel Bush, Catoy de Valle, Chris Rhodes

Noisy Neighbors 7th Anniversary

adobo’s Aye Ubaldo with Maricor Juntado

August 1 ICE Vodka Bar Husband and wife team Roy and Lissa Del Valle celebrated seven years of words, music, and jingles to swear by with industry friends and guests. Holding its own against the big boys, and growing louder with each passing year, Noisy Neighbors creates proudly Pinoymade music.

Andre Calixtro, Xavier Pepito, Nathan Day

Roy del Valle, Guada Reyes, Kettle Mata

Gerald Santos Pam Pajarllo september-october 08

mediascape AXN presents The Amazing Race Asia 3

The toughest race ever, the third season of The Amazing Race will surely be packed with action and brain-drain moments. Mr. Ricky Ow, Senior Vice- President and General Manager of SPE Networks - Asia, the parent network of AXN, explains, “It will be the toughest race ever as there will be many challenges the contestants will not expect and be mentally prepared for. The teams will have shorter resting time, the journey will be harder, and the speed of the race will be faster and more intense. This combined with the new cast, you can expect many dramatic moments, tears, twists and turns, and an overall thrilling ride for viewers!” This year’s pack is composed of teams from India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Korea and the Philippines. Notable faces include former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova who also happens to be the wife of Thailand’s highest ranking tennis player, Project Runway Malaysia’s host Bernie Chan and the first ever Korean team, brothers William and Isaac Hong. The season runs from September 4 to November 23 including the specials.

Mad Men Returns on 2nd Avenue Primetime

Top Chef 3: Miami

Boil it up, break it down, bring it on. Dubbed “the sharpest cooking show on television” by Variety magazine, Top Chef brings sauce and spice to 2 nd Avenue this September. In its third season, Bravo’s hit reality series brings together 15 rising chefs to battle it out under the white-hot sun of Miami Beach, Florida. Actress, model, and award-winning cookbook writer Padma Lakshmi reclaims hosting duties,

while recurring judges Craft Restaurants co-founder Tom Colicchio, Food & Wine’s Gail Simmons, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy food expert Ted Allen infuse gastro-nomic venom into the judging. Upping the ante is the show’s main venue, the historic and luxurious Fontainebleau Hotel. Every week, the “cheftestants” face a Quickfire Challenge — cook a dish following specific orders within one hour — and an Elimination Challenge, preparing one or more dishes to meet the challenge brief. The dishes are sampled then rated – then each week, one who doesn’t make the cut is asked to pack their knives and go. The winning contestant

gets a feature spread in Food & Wine magazine, a chance to showcase at the annual Food & Wine Classic in the posh ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, a “gourmet dream vacation” – a culinary tour of the French Alps − $100,000 in prize money courtesy of Glad, and most of all, the bragging rights that come with the title, “Top Chef.” Starting September 17, don’t miss out as bright, young chefs Sara M., Clay, Joey, Dale, Tre, Hung, Micah, Sandee, Lia, Chris, Sara N., Brian, Casey, Howie, and Camille boil it up, break it down, and bring it on—to the dinner table— in Top Chef 3: Miami. Wednesday nights at 9 with replays every Sunday at 5pm, only on 2 nd Avenue.

OMD to release Pathway Study in November 2008 The hot-blooded, stone cold advertising foxes of vintage Madison Avenue are back. 2nd Avenue treats us to a second helping of multi-awarded series Mad Men. Both a drama and a comedy, with more than a smidgen of nostalgia, the show is a dazzling homage to the high-minded chutzpah of the advertising industry in the 1960’s – an era when men threw their weight around and women’s lib had yet to be found. The protagonist/anti-hero is Don Draper, genius creative director for Sterling Cooper, handling Lucky Strike cigarettes. It’s the early sixties: Nixon’s presidential campaign has yet to materialize, Reader’s Digest is almost universally read, and big tobacco is desperate for a way to spin an expose linking smoking to cancer. The golden age of Madison Avenue had no room for sincerity; people wanted the full smoke and mirrors and everything that came in-between. Setting Mad Men apart from every other TV series is that it doesn’t try hard to entertain audiences; it’s the gloss and wit that compel you to watch it. As a New York Times review aptly states, the show “walks the line between tongue-in-cheek knowingness and know-it-all parody,” and quite rightly so. Walk that line with Don Draper and the rest of the Mad Men Thursday nights at 9, with repeats on Sunday nights at 10, on 2nd Avenue.

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Omnicom Media Group, the media service company of OMD and PHD, has completed fieldwork for its consumer study Pathway across eight Asian markets: China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The results will study would be released in early November 2008. OMD and PHD management teams are excited about the insights that this study would bring to the table that would allow sharper communication planning. Every market had its own set of contributions to the survey, and the Philippines market had to execute its own fieldwork, and results thereof. Hermie de Leon, President/CEO, OMG Philippines “Pathway will equip our planners to better understand consumer interactions with various channels and touchpoints through their path to purchase, and thereby, develop a sharper, consumercentric communication plan.”

The consumer purchase journey is a series of relationships between the brand and their consumers. The relationships can be understood through various dimensions such as duration, the role of media, and consumer involvement with the product and brand. To better understand this process and relationships by category types, OMG designed Pathway, a study that maps the consumers’ path to the cash register. For some products, the path to purchase could be simple, involving quick decisions such as buying a

burger. In others, it could take months if not years to make a decision such as buying a car or property. Pathway promises to offer insights into the marketplace dynamics of a category that will help contextualize communications planning and pinpoint the true role for communications; consumer’s path to purchase in terms of its duration and configuration; the relative influence of 20-plus channels at each stage of the purchase cycle and the level of consumer involvement and more. Pathway, which was conducted in 14 countries in Europe and in the US in 2007, showed interesting results on consumer behaviour in these markets. For example, Pathway on the grooming category in Europe showed that European consumers tend not be involved in the grooming category; 21% enjoy shopping for skin care products, whereas 51% enjoy shopping for electronic items.

september-october 08