adobo magazine | September - October 2009

Design Legend Stefan Sagmeister

His über-creative life away from agencies and New York BBDO GUERRERO / PROXIMITY PHILS. IS AGENCY OF THE YEAR BANG FOR THE BUCK: BURGER KING “WHOPPER FREAKOUT” NIELSEN HALF-YEAR REPORT

MANILA DESIGN WEEK NEW YORK FESTIVALS GOES TO MANILA

CORY’S LAST MARCH MEDIA IN MOURNING

SPIKES ASIA 2009 PRIMER

MAD ABOUT: SKIN CARE ADS

SELLING THE PHILIPPINES TO FILIPINOS AND THE WORLD

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: NON-TRAD SHOWCASE

Issue #23 Sept-Oct 2009 Philippines P180 Indonesia IDR 100k Malaysia MYR 15 Singapore SGD 10 Hong Kong Thailand

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Issue #23 Sept-Oct 2009 P180

The Word on Advertising

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TOP STORIES

New York Festivals Awards Kicks off in Manila 06 Manila Design Week 24 Cory's Last March: Media in Mourning 25 Harrison Downsizes

10 2008 Agency Of the Year EXCLUSIVE 55 Saatchi's Mad Men 58 Selling the Philippines

84 The Nielsen Half-Year Report

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ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS

DVD REVIEW: The Curious Case

of Benjamin Button 43 FILM REVIEW: Art & Copy

CREATIVE REVIEW 44 by Farrokh Madon

McCann Erickson Singapore

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to the Filipinos and the world Stefan Sagmeister Takes Off

PRIVATE VIEW 99 Logic & Magic by Bong Osorio 98 The Bigger Picture by Cid Reyes

MAD ABOUT

120Skin Care ads

REGIONAL 52 Spikes Asia 2009 51 New York Festival Fetes Neil French 50 Omnicom Gives Love to Asia 54 McCann Wins Top Honours

at Singapore Effies

DIGITALSCAPE 79 Cyber Lions Report

REGULAR FEATURES

Ads of the Month Ad Alike Ambush Centerfold Bang for the Buck Cloned R3 New Business Scoreboard Signs of the Times Truth in Advertising Creative Showcase

BBDO GUERRERO / PROXIMITY PHILS. Agency of the Year...again EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANGEL GUERRERO

EDITOR

CYNTHIA

DAYCO

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

HARRY MOSQUERA

SENIOR WRITER

AYE UBALDO

COLUMNISTS

CID REYES BONG OSORIO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

EXCEL DYQUIANGCO IGGY JAVELLANA LALISSA SINGSON IDA TORRES

ART DIRECTOR

LECH VELASCO EDITORIAL ASSITANT

NICA SERRANO

CONTRIBUTING ARTIST

JED-ANGELO SEGOVIA

BUSINESS MANAGER

MAFEL HEBULAN

MARKETING & SALES EXECUTIVES

PHILIPP BALBUENA LIEZL MONTEMAYOR

FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: EVERYWHERE WE SHOOT everywhereweshoot.com PHOTO EDITOR: Manny Vailoces

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New York Festivals Awards Kicks Off in Manila Three Philippine advertising agencies and their advertiser clients were among the 23 Southeast Asian winners in the 2009 New York Festivals (NYF) International Advertising Awards. They received their trophies during the Manila leg of the award show’s world tour, held July 23 at The Establishment in Bonifacio Global City.

The honors went to DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu’s “Cat” print ad for Drixine Decongestant; Y&R Philippines’ avant-garde “Mirror” for iProtect spray, and Lowe Philippines’ “Joint” poster for Viva Video City.

In addition, three local radio ads were awarded finalist certificates. Namely, DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu’s “Hotline” for Nat Geo; Y&R’s “Car Illusion” for iProtect, and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s “Hope” for Cancer Warriors Foundation.

Hosted by adobo magazine, Manila was the first destination of The 2009 NYF International Advertising Awards World Tour outside the US. The other cities on the tour include Shanghai, Santiago de Chile, Mumbai, Madrid and ends in New York. New York Festivals President Michael O’Rourke was Manila show’s guest of honor.

NYF President Michael O'Rourke and adobo's Angel Guerrero

Nandy Villar presents medal to winners DM9 JaymeSyfu

SoFA so good!

Catwalkers join in the fun

A bumper crop for ASEAN

Of the 23 medals, Singapore counted 11 for itself, while neighbor Malaysia got seven. The Philippines earned three, and Thailand, two.

Ten of the medals were gold. BBDO/ Proximity Malaysia received four Gold World Medal for its Jeep Campaign, followed by Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Singapore with three Gold World Medals for the Architectural Organization. Leo Burnett Thailand, Y&R Thailand, and EURO RSCG Singapore, received one Gold World Medal each.

Silver World Medals went to BBDO/ Proximity Malaysia, Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Singapore, and XM Asia Pacific Pte Ltd respectively.

Both Y&R Malaysia and Y&R Singapore received two Bronze World Medals each. Aside from three winners from the Philippines, other Bronze recipients were EURO RSCG Singapore, Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide Singapore, and XM Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. Many of agency networks were tied for several places in the tally. Both Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide and Y&R led with six medals apiece.

BBDO/Proximity came in at third with five, while EURO RSCG and XM Asia Pacific Pte Ltd were tied at fourth with two each; DDB, TBWA and Lowe take the rear with one each.

Manhattan in Manila

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adobo magazine’s publisher Angel Guerrero welcomed NYF President Michael O’Rourke and 200 of the industry’s top executives and NYF winners, to an evening that evoked Manhattan in Manila. Guests helped themselves to cocktails and apples stamped with “I NYF” To add dollops of New York style, the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA) walked the runway a la Sex and the City, wearing haute couture designs by Amina Aranaz Alunan and Kate Torralba. Awit Awardee Skarlet and DJ Brian Cua provided the musical entertainment. september-october '09

Y&R: Winning never gets old

Former colleagues Peepo David and Ryder Aquino

Have you heard...?

Media Magnet 's Trisha Uy

Ooopsss... Designer Kate Torralba with NU's Atom Henares

The Lowe Manila creative team

Wishcraft 's Jard Locsin Clara Balaguer from Team Manila to New York Beaming: Blue Bottle's Mio Chiongson and Bates 141 Peter Sandor

Belay Santillan

Roadrunner 's Rick Hawthorne and Phil. Daily Inquirer 's Pepito Olarte

Gold • Jeep "Husky Camel", "Bushman Eskimo", BBDO/Proximity Malaysia

Gold • Architecture Society Singapore "Directory" Leo Burnett / Arc Worldwide Singapore

Bronze • Video City "Joint" Lowe Philippines

Bronze • Drixine "Cat", DM9 JaymeSyfu

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MANILADESIGNWEEK Design never lacks for diversity in the Philippines, but for the first Manila Design Week, its devotees agreed to move in the same direction—even if not to the same beat—to bring Filipino talent to the fore.

From August 8 to 15, Manila Design Week wove its way across the Metro. From Mall of Asia in Pasay City to Cubao X in Quezon City, Manila Design Week took on everything. From doodling to fashion shoots, T-shirts to Hollywood blockbusters, collaboration to monotheistic adoration, from the ridiculous to the noble—everything was aural, visual and visceral art.

For organizers Jowee Alviar and Mon Punzalan of Team Manila, the event is a major step forward. “The basic premise of Manila Design Week is to provide a forum for Pinoy artists, then go from local to international,” said Alviar.

“Gusto naming ma-involve ang mga graphic designers para maging united ang industry (Our aim is to involve graphic designers to form a united industry),” added Punzalan.

Public Art Public Art opened Manila Design Week, transforming Bonifacio High Street into an interactive art gallery, a fete junket of artists and kibitzers. Boards full of diversity, doodles, spray paint, mixed media developed with each blink, looking like fresh each time.

Graffiti and doodling art: Eyesore no more.

Murals testament to towering creativity.

The godfather of Agit-Pop, Ron English’s artwork being video’d,

Future Design

Cubao Experience

Top design schools from the Metro sent the finest samples from their crop of young talents. Result? An array of colorful images and screaming text, a glimpse into Future Designs.

Runner-up Leo Royo: Concept and creation completed in three hours

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Are you Cubao X -perienced? Motion graphics, musical acts and stage antics on a hot, frenetic night. Furball, Acidhouse, Bluerain and Underground Logic looped senses-boggling esoteria. Music and magic— graphic style.

Creative Collaboration Circumventing artistic tantrums, eight teams of artists collaborated on the editorial: Beautiful Functional. Pulling all stops, the artists responded in 3D, elctronica, multi- and mixed media and avant garde, plus a few fashion-and-graphic artsheavy pieces.

Photographer Jake Verzosa comes out of the box creation in 3D

Pop columnist-critic Tim Yap in rapt attention

Design Dialogue Let’s Talk Pinoy Branding Design Dialogue organizer, adobo magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero with panelists

Melvin Mangada, creating globally renowned, original Filipino advertising

Neo-historian Carlos Celdran, off the street and into the theatre

What’s a Filipino without discourse? With the possible exception of karaoke, nothing identifies Filipinos as much as a love of discussion and debate.

Design Dialogue gathered visual communicators, advertising and media practitioners, graphic designers, neo-historians, cultural revivalists, and members of the academe for just that chance.

The pioneer Design Dialogue, organized by adobo magazine featured speakers were DDB Philippines ECD Teeny Gonzales, on “Ako Mismo”; McCann Erickson MD Nandy Villar on “I Am Ninoy”; TBWA\SMP’s CCO Melvin Mangada on “Design in Advertising”; BBDO Guerrero’s David Guerrero on “Branding a Country”; Jowee Alviar of Team Manila on “Manila’s Visual Culture” and performance artist and tour guide Carlos Celdran on “Pocket Manila”.

Photographer Neal Oshima’s images of the Philippines capped the presentations.

Robert Alejandro, RAA Design founder and owner, and Clara Balaguer of Team Manila followed the talks with Project 20/20.

Inspired by a European effort called Democreated,

Project 20/20 is part discussion, part manifesto on the rebranding of the Philippines. The long-term goal is to present the project to Malacañang as a symbolic but feasible initiative. True to its numbers, organizers of Project 20/20 plan a full implementation by 2020.

Swedish bestselling author of IdeaBook, Fredrik Hären’s perspective from a developed world was a welcome twist to the emerging paradigms. With Balaguer, Celdran and Guerrero espousing the importance of a unifying, symbolic Filipino icon, Joey Ong of Bates 141 chimed in: “What could be more iconic than the map of the Philippines?”

As the country’s communicators, creatives and conceptualists convened and connected, Design Dialogue provided the setting: intimate, insightful and introspective— yet expansive—exchange on being a Filipino. Perhaps even, a celebration of. In light of Manila Design Week, Design Dialogue was a forum on national identity, citizen responsibility and social awareness with the purpose of projecting one quintessential Filipino brand. september-october '09

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MANILADESIGNWEEK

GRAPHIKA MANILA Ludo Schorno of Brand New School

Stefan Sagmeister

Chris Alzmann of Industrial Light & Magic

photographs by EVERY WHERE WE SHOOT

What used to be an annual stand-alone event, Graphika Manila 09 has become the culmination of Manila Design Week 2009. Like its two precedent episodes, Graphika Manila 09 introduced its roster of groundbreaking local artists, and a few top-notch international names.

Establishing an extremist perspective, cute-as-a-button Ryan Vergara and Garovs Garovillo of Everywhere We Shoot stuck their

business card in the design books in popular, high-end bookstores. (How enterprising can one get?) At one point, Vergara showed a video of a photo shoot where they made frail Ely Buendia of Eraserheads dance like Mick Jagger.

They deadpanned, “We’re glad nothing bad happened to him then.”

In a theater full of graphic designers and artists, adobo magazine featured recent eye-popping campaigns that blew away the

Brand New School shows off its motion graphics

adobo: advertising + design = awards

D&AD, Cannes Lion and other global shows.

The pair of editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero and editor Cynthia Dayco explored the delicate marriage of design and advertising and how the most successful campaigns is built on both disciplines.

To have George Lucas as a boss is perhaps a daunting task or a dream come true. For Alzmann, it was both. As visual effects art director for Industrial Light and Magic, Chris Alzmann created the fun stuff on “Van Helsing”, “Star Trek”, “Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, “War of the Worlds” as well as “Terminator: Salvation”.

Thanks to his boss’s skiing accident, Brand New School’s Ludo Schorno landed in Manila.

This motion graphics shop is responsible for most of MTV2 and VH1 interstitials and opening billboards. Schorno’s presence at Graphika Manila is proof of graphic design’s reign over pop music and TV. The finale, Stefan Sagmeister’s talk, was an extraordinary show-and-tell. He wove meditation, Bali, his portfolio, and an impromptu Ode to Clients, featuring lyrics the artist penned that morning. It was an amazing material from the artist who designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, David Byrne and Lou Reed.

True to Filipino fashion, the global trio was deluged with autograph and photo-op requests that left both speakers and organizers agog. Graphic designers, cross-pollinating pop culture, may be the next pop stars. If they aren’t already.

BBDO GUERRERO / PROXIMITY PHILS. EARNS ITS SECOND YEAR ON TOP We have a very clear sense of who we are as an organization and how we add value to our client's business, and in spite of economic and competitive challenges, we've stayed true to that.

Paul Roebuck, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity CEO

D

AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2008

efinitely, it was a night for the books. And juxtaposition.

Appropriately enough, host Edu Manzano opened the show by quoting Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

Thus started the Philippine Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies' (4As-P) celebration of the year 2008, when recession hindered business growth but created new opportunities; when weekly pitches strained agency resources but spread the wealth.

This year's awards show exhibited the same pattern: previous champions held their own, but challengers gained so much ground; no one knew for sure how each round would turn out.

Dark horse DM9 JaymeSyfu established a menacing presence in the AOY, by being a finalist in every creative agency category. Sister agency DDB Philippines did one better by winning Best in Market Performance, its first in AOY history.

Thirty creative and media agencies and production houses vied for the AOY's oversized metal plates, and last night, the victory was spread across the room.

David Guerrero must have cast a nervous look at his competitors, as DM9, DDB, Publicis JimenezBasic and even Leo Burnett threatened to catch up with BBDO Guerrero. (Had McCann Erickson not withdrawn from competition several weeks ago, it may have also given everyone a run for the money.) When former AOY winner TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno clinched the trump category, Best in Creative, more than a few thought the brief rule of BBDO Guerrero was as good as ended.

In the end, however, BBDO Guerrero not only won Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service; it was named Agency of the Year for the second year in a row.

The media agency categories were less suspenseful. While Universal McCann won Best in Business Performance, MindShare wrest back Best in Media Creativity and held onto the Overall Media Excellence plate, for the fourth year in a row.

The search for Production Houses of the Year yielded similar results. Hit Productions was named Radio Production House of the Year, an honor it has held nine times. Likewise, Femar and Filmex became threetime winners of Print Production House of the Year and TV Production House of the Year, respectively.

Established in 1997, the 4As-P's Agency of the Year Awards judges creative and media agencies on the basis of case studies, and production houses on the strength of their best ads in a given year. It awards its plum prize, Agency of the Year, to the creative agency that is a finalist in the Best in Creative category and accumulates the highest score across four categories: Best in Creative, Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service, Best in Market Performance and Best in Management of Business. Since its inception, the Agency of the Year has been given to McCann Erickson five times and to TBWA/Santiago Mangada Puno, three times.

At the end of the evening, AOY Committee Chairman Randy Aquino (O&M) was pleased. Thirty creative and media agencies and production houses vied for the AOY's oversized metal plates, and last night, the victory was spread across the room. He was reassured that finally, the industry getting the message.

"People are now into the pursuit of excellence, in all aspects of agency life."

JWT's Jos Ortega

TBWA\SMP: Nice to have this back

AOY Advisers Jayjay Calero & Johnip Cua

Edu Manzano's partner in crime, SGV 's Lito Montes

TBWA\SMP 's Jimmy Santiago, Tong Puno bookends

Alex Syfu and Edg Samson

Old pals Leigh Reyes & Kayen Zialcita

AOY AWARDS 2008 Best in Creative

TBWA\ Santiago MANGADA PUNO

FINALISTS BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Phils.

DM9 JaymeSyfu • JWT • Leo Burnett 2007 BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Phils.

MOTILLIUM “Obama in Manila” Multi-Media Integrated Campaign

BOYSEN “Trees” Press/PR

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KFC Shrimp Surfers “Macho” T VC

CINEMANIL A “Waterworld” Poster

FIREFLY “Easy Find” Poster Campaign (Attic\Living Room\Bath)

MER ALCO “Tipid Tips” Collaterals Campaign

AOY AWARDS 2008 MCDONALD'S "BURGER, BURGER" This campaign was done to reacquaint the market with its products and assert its expertise as a burger brand. To do this, DDB tried to reposition McDonald's cheeseburgers as an everyday indulgence.

The TVC's tapped into the insight that the most mundane excuse is enough reason to celebrate and have a cheeseburger. DDB invented the burger chant and optimized its use to achieve high memorability even with meager budgets.

The results: a growth index of 153 and the added bonus of being able to permeate Pinoy pop culture, giving McDonald's extended media mileage and a potency never seen before in a cheeseburger campaign.

Best in Market Performance

DDB PHILIPPINES FINALISTS DM9 JaymeSyfu • JWT • Lowe • Ogilvy & Mather 2007 TBWA\SMP

SMART, "ME NA ME" Early 2008, Globe aggressively pushed its prepaid promo offers with the intention of capturing Smart Buddy's market share. With its core consumers responding positively to Globe's efforts, Smart Buddy was slowly being forced into an impending price war. Smart Buddy knew that it had to respond, but not at the risk of turning the brand into a purely price brand.

Smart Buddy strategy was simple: it placed functionality into an emotional plane. By the end of the campaign, Smart Buddy regained market share from competition and increased its number of subscribers.

2007. Last year, Publicis JimenezBasic conducted an internal reformation oriented towards an Empowered Consumer. New quadrants were developed to address not only the new media environment but the new consumers who wanted to be engaged in this new environment.

2008. In spite of the turbulent economic conditions the agency set out to evangelize clients on Empowered Consumer Orientation.

It was risky to sell a new idea to clients in an economic downturn, just when clients were risk-averse. However, clients old and new responded well to the evangelization.

Pitch wins: Sky Flakes, San Miguel Oktoberfest, Globe Multimedia, Jollibee Teen Website, Globe Business Solutions, Enervon Prime and Growee.

New business awarded: Monterey, BMeg, Philweb and eTelecare.

Best in Management of Business

PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC FINALISTS BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Phils.

DDB Philippines • DM9 JaymeSyfu Leo Burnett 2007 Publicis JimenezBasic

All told, Publicis JimenezBasic increased its gross revenue by eight percent, in spite of the economic downturn. The Agency also achieved a profit margin of 31 percent, the highest since Basic Advertising and Jimenez Advertising merged in 2003.

This record year came from our uncompromising focus on the empowered consumer, through economic prosperity or adversity.

AOY AWARDS 2008 BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines was founded upon the belief that Filipino agencies can compete with the best in the world.

In the ten years since its founding, it endeavored to prove this, and in so doing, raise the profile of Filipino advertising worldwide.

This means it has to: • exploit opportunities to promote our industry on the world stage • nurture and mentor the next generation of Filipino creative talent This year, David Guerrero used the opportunity provided by judging international shows to promote Filipino creativity, acting as chairman of Asia Pacific AdFest Radio Jury, judging D&AD in the UK, and speaking at the International Radio Day in Germany .

Back home David took over leadership of the Creative Guild. Under his leadership, the Guild organized workshops to further develop our industry's creative talents.

Furthermore, the agency implemented two key projects that provided opportunity to train and share knowledge and skills to young talents‚ "Miami Ad School Internship" and Asymetrical Art Director.

In addition to David's leadership of the Guild, BBDO Guerrero's GM Belay Santillan became a board director of 4As-P, and Proximity's GM Leah Jimenez, board director of the Interactive Marketing Association of the Philippines

Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service

BBDO guerrero / proximity PHILIPPINES

FINALISTS DDB Philippines • DM9 JaymeSyfu • Leo Burnett • TBWA\SMP 2007 BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines

The AOY Board of Directors

Dave Ferrer shows up at the AOY!

DDB: First time is the sweetest

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september-october '09

Woo's Mon & Abby

AOY AWARDS 2008 Overall Media Excellence & Best in Media Creativity

mindshare

2008 was a period of adjustment for MindShare as it had to cope with the changes of the worldwide agency restructure. At the heart of this restructure is the focus on digital and "non-traditional" solutions to its clients needs. A dedicated digital person was hired, and the staff had Digital 101 training. This restructure, together with all of Mindshare's existing tools and services, enabled it to deliver different solutions to the different needs of its clients. The revenues from digital, activation, and branded content

showed growth of a minimum of 88 percent to a high of 197 percent.

The case studies MindShare chose to highlight reflects this focus on delivering non-traditional solutions. One case study is the use of a digital campaign for Havaianas, where with just digital as the main medium, the sales targets for the store at the Boni High Street was achieved.

The other case study is the use of a non-traditional site for Nike‚ the silos of a factory on C5. Nike's strategic use of

its OOH sites as one of its main media (together with digital) has always contributed to the brand's success.

Finalists Maxus • Mediaedge:cia OMD Philippines • PhD Media Network 2007 OMD Philippines

Best in Media Business Performance

UNIVERSAL MCCANN In 2008, UM posted its highest revenue, increased profitability and garnered multiple global awards, including gifting the Philippines its first Cannes Lion medal from a media agency. A remarkable feat, in contrast to UM's tough start for the past year. Focusing on people and talent development, and growing globally competitive services, UM boosted employee satisfaction ratings and upped morale, yielding a most outstanding performance.

Venus Navalta, Universal McCann's managing director says, "What took place in 2008 is a testament to UM's strength and resiliency. In the midst of trials, we did not falter; rather, we lived out our curiosities.

What resulted was a triumph of hard work and right management tactics.

This mindset will remain within the whole UM team, as we take on future challenges in the radically changing media landscape."

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Finalists Maxus • Mediaedge:cia • MindShare • OMD Philippines 2007 MindShare

AOY AWARDS 2008

This is the third Production House of the Year award for Filmex.

TVC ENTRIES Unicef "Lipad", DentsuINDIO

TV Production House of the Year

All-purpose Cream "Offering", Nestle McCann WorldGroup

FILMEX

Bayantel "Chase", BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Phils Finalists 88 Storey Films • Production Village Straight Shooters • UNITEL 2007 Production Village

Radio Proudction House of the Year

hit productions Production House of the Year for a record ninth time TVC ENTRIES Magic Chips “Bakeman”, Harrison Communications Surf “Rebel Yell”, Unilever, Lowe Manila

Knorr Cubes “Kumukolok” Unilever Brandworks Surf “Dobolspeed”, Unilever Lowe Manila

Nescafe Iced Coffee “Triomphe”, Nestle, Publicis

Finalists AdFarm • Digitrax • SounDesign

Radio Commercials 5310 Express Music “Pool Hall”, Nokia , JWT Manila

2007 Hit Productions

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AOY AWARDS 2008 Print Production House of the Year

Femar has won three times: 2004, 2006, 2008

FEMAR INTEGRATED INC.

PRINT ENTRIES Fort Bonifacio Global City McCann Worldgroup Coke “Mermaid” and “Angel”, McCann Worldgroup Levi’s, Harrison Communications Finalists Calypso, Nxt ColoUr 2007 Calypso

Cheers, Eugene

PJB's Bebot Sy & co.

Having way too much fun

Merlee & Edu catch up

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newsline McCann Erickson leads at Unilab Rave award s

Unilab, the country’s top pharmaceutical company recognizes work and accomplishments of their club agencies. This year, McCann Erickson’s campaign for Skelan “Ayos na ang Buto-Buto” was most awarded, earning several citations including Best Campaign for the Medium Budget category.

Other campaigns awarded were Biogesic “Ingat”, Citation for Creative Development; and Ceelin’s “Bakuna”, Best Print Ad. Among McCann Erickson’s laurels, the Unilab Rave Award recognizing excellent management went to Yvonne Salcedo, for Best Account Servicing and McCann, the Best Account Servicing Team. Salcedo is the first individual cited with the said award.

Ad campaign for Filipino knowledge workers to air internationally

An international advertising campaign to introduce and promote Filipino knowledge workers is now in its pre-production stage, according to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines (Seipi) team up to pursue this endeavor, with Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Philippines at the creative department. BPAP and Seipi seek funds through the Export Development Council’s P1-billion support fund, which has already been released by the DTI for allocation.

The 160-million campaign fund will be majorly spent towards buying airtime from international news channels. Unlike the “Wow Philippines” tourism ad, this new campaign will focus on the skills of the Filipino workers and not on tourist destinations.

Industry big winners at Cinemalaya V

No longer a bridge too far. Industry creativity has bridged the link through indie filmmaking. “Last Supper No. 3” from Veronica Velasco and Jinky Laurel won Cinemalaya Film Festival 2009 Best Picture.

McCann WorldGroup creative director Vic Acedillo, Jr. won Best Screenplay for “Nerseri”. Another name inextricably linked to McCann Erickson, is Tessie Tomas who claimed the trophy for Best Supporting actress for “Sanglaan”.

The night, however, was most memorable for RoadRunner Network Inc., coproducer of two full-length feature finalists.

“Dinig Sana Kita” by Mike Sandejas won the National Council for children’s Television Award and the Audience Choice Awards for full-length category. Musical arrangercomposer Francis Reyes also won the Best Original Musical Score for the film. Ralston Jover’s “Baseko Bakal Boys” won the first Cinemalaya Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (Netpac) prize.

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Cory's Last March Media in Mourning Politics often pits a country’s presidency and its own media, in a perpetual arm-wrestling match. The Philippines is no exception, save perhaps when its one media darling, former President Cory Aquino, passed away last August 1, after 18-month battle with cancer.

In a cathartic display of grief, media mourned in a way that hasn’t been seen since President Ramon Magsaysay’s death in 1957.

For the traditional nine days of mourning, or the pasiyam, the Philippine Daily Inquirer abandoned its usual blue masthead and strayed into the frays of yellow. To pay respects to the late Philippine leader, who made the sunny color her trademark, the PDI took on a honeymustard shade (presumably, to avoid confusion with another major daily). It was a poignant gesture, since the publication owed much of its

In life, Cory might not have had the glamour of a Princess Diana or a Michael Jackson, but her sacrifice and her contribution to Philippine democracy earned her one last grand march, lovingly and memorably played out on all media and without scandal.

Photograph by Tin Sanchez

credibility and popularity to Cory’s own rise to power.

Elsewhere on TV, radio and online, media entities made similar tributes. As the official network for the coverage on Cory’s wake and funeral, ABS-CBN broadcast a torrent of music videos, farewells from its stable of talents, and several of her iconic sound bites.

In cable TV land, all of Solar’s eight niche channels tied yellow ribbons on their station IDs. As did many websites on the Internet. Yahoo Philippines’ purple logo was beribboned on its homepage, and it also opened a blog in tribute. Netizens added yellow ribbons to their avatars and sites. Gmanews.tv followed Aquino’s cancer timeline, and milestones in her political and personal life were posted on abscbnnews.com.

Even at a televised University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball game, usually a rabid clash of La Salle green and Ateneo blue, thousands of fans were united in Cory yellow.

However, despite the solemnity of the coverage, there were unbelievable moments that erupted most spectacularly and went viral overnight.

There was the Wowowee blunder, committed by game show host Willie Revillame,

when his program shared screen time with the Aquino funeral cortege. Complaining about the unfortunate juxtaposition, his onair rant made him the most vilified celebrity (again) on TV and on the web.

Journalists fared no better, as reporter after reporter unwittingly interchanged the names of current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with Aquino’s—live on both radio and TV. One reporter referred to the deceased as “Gloria Aquino.”

Fortunately, a gaffe on live broadcast is fleeting and easily forgotten; one on print, as Manila Bulletin found out, is forever.

The oldest of Philippine dailies has always shied away from controversy, but when a photo—of former President Aquino’s casket—ran with the caption “Military honor guard carefully moves the coffin of President Arroyo out of the Manila Cathedral,” readers caught, clipped, scanned and sent the slip post-haste through the Internet.

If it’s any consolation to Manila Bulletin, Yahoo!

Philippines and ABSCBNnews. com did it first. Last Sunday, the web portal published an ABSCBN news story, wherein the same faux pas was committed not once, but five times.

Given the local and international interest, ABSCBNnews.com reported that cyber criminals capitalized on the surge in online searches for news about Aquino by leading them to sites that download malicious software.

Internet security firm Trend Micro said searching with the words “Corazon Aquino’s death” led users to several malicious sites. A Trojan arrived as a file dropped by other malware and were downloaded unknowingly by waylaid visitors.

In life, Cory might not have had the glamour of a Princess Diana or a Michael Jackson, but her sacrifice and her contribution to Philippine democracy earned her one last grand march, lovingly and memorably played out on all media and without scandal. For that alone, she outshone them all.

Harrison downsizes Harrison Communications, the affiliated agency of McCann Worldgroup, has downsized and declared certain positions redundant.

This was confirmed by Managing Director Maricel Arenas, who spoke to adobo as the rumors hit the streets.

The word is that the agency took a hit on an undisclosed piece of Globe Telecoms business. All of Globe’s ad agencies sign nondisclosure agreements and are keeping mum on the movements in this multi-level account. According to one undisclosed source, Publicis JimenezBasic seems to be streaming more of the Globe business its way.

Harrison Communications is the lead ad agency for Globe, one of the country’s largest telcos and biggest advertisers. Any movement out of the agency negatively affects its financial position.

Arenas remarked, “We’ve always been strong, financially prudent, and well-managed business. The employees involved have been compensated fairly.”

With a note of confidence she added, “We are pressing on creating effective work that’s engaging targets and generating good business results. I am confident we will get through this bump.”

Arena’s co-managing director in Harrison, Dino Laurena, was recently seconded to Universal McCann, Worldgroup’s media agency. His transfer should provide some relief to the nervous nellies keeping an eye on Harrison’s overhead.

After DDB secured ownership of the Rapp Collins network early this year, it appears to have dissolved Rapp Collin’s Manila office.

Lulu de la Peňa, the officer-in-charge after former Managing Director Eric Domagas DDB Phils President Gil Chua moved to advertiser and DDB Asia COO Peter Rawlings Splash, and creative director Karen Rapp Collins Not Dissolving, Fernandez, are allegedly Shifts focus to data analytics no longer with the CRM specialist agency.

Four of its 15 staff were absorbed by DDB. The remaining eleven were retrenched.

Gil Chua, DDB Philippines president, clarified the matter. “ It is not true. We are not dissolving Rapp. We are just transforming Rapp, following the worldwide vision of being focused on data-driven marketing,” said Chua.

In a related article in Media, Rapp Asia CEO Mohammed Sirajuddeen stated, “Rapp Collins has always been a direct marketing and promotional agency. The new Rapp Philippines, like the other Rapp agencies from around the region, will now be focused on data driven marketing—this is our future…This allows us to search out and invest in new talent the skills in data, analytics and digital.”

Chua added, “Since majority of Rapp’s employees’ expertise is above the line advertising, we believe mas mabuti (it is for the better) that they be absorbed by DDB.” Rapp is currently looking for data analytics experts. september-october '09

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newsline San Miguel to sell stake in Purefoods, other businesses

In line with its plan of diversification, food and beverage giant San Miguel Corporation confirmed the sale of 49 percent of San Miguel Pure Foods Co., while continually keeping the 51 percent majority in the shares. Talks with overseas investors are ongoing.

San Miguel plans to sell its international beer operations to domestic unit San Miguel Brewery, Inc., with the deal to finalize this year; and offer 10 to 14 percent of its packaging business through an initial public offering by 2010.

Gains from the said sales will be used to fund the conglomerate’s future projects and investments.

P&G Philippines appoints new president

Cracking and Understanding the Boomerang Awards In the recently concluded Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) 2009 Conference, the Boomerang Awards—which showcases the best in digital marketing campaigns—was also held with moderate fanfare. No, not because digital advertising isn’t important in the country (believe me, it’s already very much alive), but mainly because there aren’t that many players, and the nominations and end results aren’t as publicized yet.

In short, as much as we would have wanted more digital campaigns to be highlighted, we are

As reported in Manila Bulletin, Procter & Gamble Philippines appoints Turkish national Siddik Tetik as the company’s new president and general manager.

Tetik succeeds American James Lafferty, who recently retired to pursue personal interests. To ensure a smooth transition, Lafferty remains with P&G for the next six months.

Prior to his new appointment, Tetik led P&G’s Gillette business in Greater China, and according to Lafferty, has a vast experience in developing markets around the world.

“Tree-huggers” line McArthur Highway

In an attempt to save 1,200 trees from being cut-off, artists of the Alaya Chamber of Arts painted human figures hugging the trees along McArthur Highway in Pampanga.

This is the artists’ answer to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recent announcement of its road expansion plan, with the trees lining along the said highway as casualty.

More than paintings, their work of art is a protest against any means of the trees destruction. The “tree-huggers”, as the painted figures are called, will hold up and embrace their beloved trees.

OA AP President sddresses storm concerns

With the rainy season comes a statement from the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP). The country’s pioneer OOH group rejuvenates its stand to regulate and standardize the outdoor advertising industry.

Top of the agenda: Billboards. The OAAP addresses a number of critical matters concerning the panoramic contraptions of tarp, wood and steel.

Billboards contain elements that include sites, construction, materials, observance of safety measures and operational and ethical practices of outdoor advertising displays. The OAAP stresses vigilance in the wake of recent history, the mighty Milenyo, and so the call for strict adherence to governmental policies, structural specifications and code of ethical conduct is timely

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september-october '09

Best Innovation, Gold • Awesome Philippines

left with only a handful of valid yet still deserving entries. That being said, kudos to Proximity for bringing home the bacon, and netting itself four out of the nine total awards, including the Gold Boomerangs for Mobile and Cyber.

I would like however, to give a deeper insight on the selection of the finalists. To elaborate, the nominees under their respective categories should also include metrics for success, i.e. above average CTRs, substantial increase in traffic, etc.

True, the entries this year provided more than enough metrics, however, a number of online BOOMERANG 2009 Winners Cyber Boomerang Gold, Proximity Phils. /BBDO Guerrero Nescafe "Palistuhan" Silver, Arc Worldwide, Marlboro Campaign Bronze, DentsuINDIO, Honda Jazz Mobile Boomerang Gold, Proximity Phils. /BBDO Guerrero Quaker Oats Eat Well and Win Promo Silver, Proximity Phils. /BBDO Guerrero Pampers Hearts Club Integrated Boomerang Gold, Tribal DDB, Sandbox Silver, EGG, Madonna Mania Bronze, Proximity Phils. /BBDO Guerrero Pepsi Kada Can Best Innovation Gold, Media Contacts, Awesome Philippines

marketing specialists, including myself, believe that there should have been more to the selection than that.

For example, one finalist and winner was able to take home the award simply because it had the biggest ATL budget—a budget that happened to include an Electronic Direct Marketing (EDM) in its communication strategy. Of course, if the objective of the campaign entails an EDM, then, by all means, include it—but to have a whole campaign be labelled as “fully digital” simply because they used email as a communication tool is a gross misunderstanding of the functions and capabilities of the digital medium.

Let me give an example, and frankly, I won’t get tired of using this case for future reference.

“Lola Techie”, who first enjoyed celebrity status via her TVCs, continued her dominance of the youth market by injecting herself visibly in the social media tools in use today. Not only was she visible via the different websites (i.e. Facebook, Friendster, Multiply, Plurk and Twitter), she was also highly interactive—she actually spoke to her readers, commented on her and other people’s Plurks and Facebook statuses, and even made sure her episodes on YouTube would be “viralled out”. She even made sure— with her now enormous audience—that follow-up campaigns and viral videos (i.e. Teachlola.com) would benefit from her traffic by constantly promoting those offshoots as well.

Of course, we all know that Lola Techie is just the face behind the strategic genius BayanDSL propaganda, but putting a face to a campaign so your audience can relate is the stroke of genius that this whole thing needed. And because of her online persona and multitude of “social media outposts” you have more than enough metrics to keep client happy—everything from your standard views and hits to the more important activity and interaction metrics, immersion with your brand, etc. Sure, video views are important, but what’s more important is how long they stay to watch your viral videos, how many times they watch it, how often they forward and share it, and more.

My colleagues and I colleagues are not bashing the selection process of the Boomerang awards, nor are we discounting or belittling the finalists and winners themselves.

What we are harping upon is a better understanding of what a fully digital campaign should be, complete with its package of success metrics.

Using the digital medium is not an afterthought—it should be a well-executed, thoroughly planned out and intrinsic part of the overall strategy. Your digital executions bring your campaign together in a more intricate, yet complete and integrated design. Remember, digital is throughthe-line advertising.

Iggy Javellana is the head of Advergaming at Level Up! Inc. Email him at iggy.javellana@ gmail.com. Incidentally, that is also his Friendster, Multiply, Twitter, Plurk, Linked In and Facebook account.

movers Grupo Sorbetero appointed Marco Estacio and Chitchat Diangson as creative directors, tasked to connect consumers and brands. Estacio hails from Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy, while Diangson is a product of JWT and ABS-CBN. Former account director of Leo Burnett Shanghai, Rachel Ang joins the agency as business development head.

Globe Telecoms recently hired Bunny Aguilar as division head of Convergent Communication Channels handling media, activation, PR, and digital.

Prior to his job at Globe, Aguilar was the general manager of Mindshare. As one of the industry’s youngest high-level suits, his previous roles include business unit head at Ogilvy & Mather, account director at Leo Burnett, and held a similar position at Lowe.

Lola Techie Bayan’s pokesperson Bayan’s TV campaign introduced her to the public, but it was the Internet that made her a star.

Meet “Lola Techie”, the 67-year-old grandma who is so well versed on the internet, she can buddy poke and drop kick you just like that.

Bayan Telecommunications’s agency, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity came up with the campaign for Bayan DSL that promises simple, hassle-free Internet—so easy, even grandmas can use it.

To date, Lola Techie has about 95,000 Facebook fans. Her posts receive hundreds of comments and thousands of thumbs up.

“Ang Dali!” says the ad.

In a sea of broadband service advertisements featuring young people, Lola Techie is one ironic piece of eye candy.

Brandie Tan, head of Art at BBDO Guerrero, explains, “It breaks the idea that if your target is a 21-year-old, you have to show them a 21-year-old. Here, even if you show them an old person, you show them something they can relate to.”

“She’s speaking their language. It’s easy to relate to because all have grandmothers,” adds Tin Sanchez, head of Copy.

Almost immediately, she became a household name. In just two months from its release, the

UNITEL has a new director on board, Erin Pascual. The young director is sought after for his proficiency in special effects and motion graphics. Previously with Straight Shooters Media Inc., Pascual has done spots for clients ranging from telecommunications, food, personal care, cars, to retail outlets.

popular grandma got spoofed in comedy TV shows “Going Bulilit” and “Banana Split”.

Online Success

Social networking sites played a key role in its success. Lola Techie is in Twitter, Multiply, Plurk, YouTube and enjoys a promising presence in Facebook.

To date, Lola Techie has about 95,000 Facebook fans. Her posts receive hundreds of comments and thousands of thumbs up. Online users interact with her on a personal level.

In a blog entry by Creative Director Lilit Reyes, he mentioned how Facebook has become a new venue for advertising. Referring to an upcoming independent film that uses the site for low-cost marketing.

To quote Reyes, “It just goes to show that marketing has truly gone beyond advertising, and yes, advertising agencies and TV networks, and media agencies.”

“We really plan to maximize Lola Techie because she’s a good spokesperson for the brand.

People react positively to her. She’s naturally charming,” said Sanchez.

Tan added, “It feels like a real campaign. If you do one commercial, it runs as 30s, then after a few weeks, as 15s. Then, it’s over after three months and you’ll never hear from it again. Compared to this, its life is more than three months.”

And as everyone on Facebook knows, a virtual life can be just as satisfying and profitable as a real one.

Last June, Dentsu Philippines promoted eight employees: Chan dela Calzada, associate creative director; Grace Hilario, account director; Jek Inocencio, account director; Mike Calaquian, to executive creative director; Joee Manalo, director for account management services; Lyli Eleuterio, associate creative director; Erika Canoy-Sanchez, business development director; and Mickey de Castro, director for media services.

TNBT’s CRUSH Philippines welcomes Jenny Nadong as the agency’s newest executive creative director. Nadong leads CRUSH’s creative team while building strength in the agency’s holistic creative efforts.

Formerly, Jenny was creative director at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, handling major accounts such as P&G’s Safeguard and MeadJohnson’s Lactum. She was also senior copywriter at Lowe, handling Unilever and SMART. september-october '09

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TAMBULI AWARDS

by Minyong Ordoñez

Cultural Values as framework for effective consumer communication The Tambuli Awards honors advertising success that incorporated values for enhancing brand benefits. The award is unique because it gives tribute to the accomplishments of both client and ad agency, not only for generating more sales but also for a remarkable partnership work style.

Values-oriented advertising is naturally inspired by Filipino culture in macro sense and family values in micro sense.

In 1986, our agency convinced our client Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to advertise promoting Filipino virtues as the hallmark of professionalism. The advertising had a judo-effect in changing the DBP image from a crony bank to a professional institution.

Jollibee The power of TV commercials value lies in its in the 80’s and centered on ability to mirror 90’s Filipino family identities, values, giving our client the cutting empathize edge in beating sentiments McDonald’s to the chagrin of the and connect Americans. People the thoughts still remember between the Jollibee ads such as “Ligaw” sender and (Courtship), “Lola”, the receiver and “Jennifer” 25 of messages, years after airing.

Duty Free’s both of whom “Bababalik Ka are natives Rin” (You’ll Come Home), a of the same saccharine TV tribe. campaign in the late 80’s, hit the raw nerve of homesick OCW’s, and the client cried all the way to the bank.

Coca-cola, winner of this year’s Tambuli Platinum awards, used family togetherness as the heart-stirring theme to boost the sales of its big sized bottle.

In most value-added campaigns, a dimension of brand goodwill enhanced brand benefits to fill the need for a consumer relationship, the aspect of advertising that fostered brand loyalty and continuous brand growth.

Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign

Carmencita Esteban Platinum Award Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 / Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Most Effective Family-Oriented Brand Campaign GOLD Coca-Cola Family Bonding Campaign 2009 / Client: The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Selecta Ice Cream: Dad Proof / Client: Unilever RFM Ice Cream / Agency: Lowe, Inc. Effectiveness Agency of the Year McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. Effectiveness Advertiser of the Year Award The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Best Small Budget Product Brand Campaign Silver Johnson’s Baby Oil: Botelya / Client: Johnson and Johnson’s / Agency: Universal McCann Best Small Budget Service Brand Campaign Silver Earth Hour 2008 / Client: W WF Philippines / Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Ronald McDonald House Charities / Client: Golden Arches Development Corporation Agency: DDB Philippines Best Established Product Brand Campaign Silver Greenwich Pizza Overloaded Campaign / Client: Fresh ‘n Famous Foods Inc. Agency: Publicis JimenezBasic Best Integrated Internal Marketing Program Silver Cavite: Be Part of the Revolution / Client: Provincial Government of Cavite / Agency: EON Leo-Burnett Humankind Philosophy / Client & Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Best Innovative and Integrated Media Campaign Silver BPInoy Learning Program / Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Toblerone’s National Thank You Day / Client: Kraft Food Philippines, Inc. Agency: GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications, Inc. Most Effective Teens Brand Campaign Silver ArtPetron: Pro-Youth, Pro-Filipino / Client: Petron Corporation Agency: Studio 5 Designs, Inc. IAMNINOY/ Client: Benigno S. Aquino Foundation Agency: McCann Erickson Philippines, Inc. McDonald’s Cheeseburgers / Client: Golden Arches Philippines / Agency: DDB Philippines Search for Ten Outstanding Expat Pinoy Children / Client: Bank of the Philippine Islands Agency: McCann Worldgroup

The big universe of total media populace that views advertising, oftentimes shunned by niche marketing, focuses only on the target market pyschographic. When there’s an overspill in viewership, flawed judgment happens.

This was obvious in the case of a TV ad that portrayed teenagers acting out bad manners meant as humor. The agency justified it because the teen target market considered the scene funny and not offensive at all. But what about the rest of the viewers who were parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts who were raising their children on tenets of good manners?

And what about that liquor brand that used an idiom for pornographic double talk as attention getter, but when decent people protested, the client’s lawyers argued that

withdrawing the ad was a violation of the free speech?

Insulting the intelligence of the consumer is an ancient complaint against advertising.

So is treating women as sex objects. Must the protesting public be called narrow-minded and medieval? Or should the advertiser be rebuked for disrespect and bad taste?

To avoid indiscretions, creators of advertising must periodically revisit the enormous power of their craft. They must not lose sight that their branch of communication conveys the ephemeral and substance aspects to the viewing public. The ephemeral deals with changes, transitions and aspirations. The substance aspect, with truth, permanence, and transcendence.

The culture of advertising and the culture of the consumers differ in size and orientation.

Advertising is fundamentally a business of

The managing partners

TBWA\SMP moves with pride “You give them an office; you get employees. You give them a gallery; you get artists.”

That’s what Melvin Mangada said about their new art-space of an office on Yakal Street.

Nothing less for TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno. The ad agency whose lucky star has streaked across the 2009 awards so far, moves into its new universe today. Make that its gallery, a spanking two-level, prime white space —newly renovated building of Joe Calma, related to Lor Calma, of course, and the subject of Jimmy Santiago’s heartful haggling With the dragons, the managing partners and management committee carried symbols of Pinoy geomancy. Tong Puno, carrying company invoices danced gracefully to Jai Ho with the gays, Santiago not far behind with his precious building permits, while Melvin Mangada bore the weight of the writing instruments. The ManComm came with the benign Sto. Nino, Goldilocks mamon (not sugarless, definitely!), candies and coins.

Wearing red, carrying red and gold banners and the TBWA logo, in the company of drag queens and dragons, no way this was a drag!

It’s inevitable that most added values in advertising are Filipino family-values.

Our best behavior and silent virtues inside the family circle and its extension speak volumes on the fecundity of values. strategizing, crafting and producing sales materials.

On the other hand, the consumer culture looms larger than life, replete with multi-faceted realities in life that deal with conflicts of virtues with vices, struggles between success and failure, confrontations with human immortality or nothingness after death. The world of the consumer is so awesome; the task of choosing what brand of toothpaste to use for brushing

one’s teeth is too picayune in the scheme of things.

Values are cultural. It is axiomatic that values are the most natural content for much of persuasion communication. The power of value lies in its ability to mirror identities, empathize sentiments and connect the thoughts between the sender and the receiver of messages, both of whom are natives of the same tribe. Values when communicated are instant and visceral.

Trendsetters, freedom lovers, and rule breakers often say traditions, orthodoxies and conservatisms are anachronistic in today’s modern day and age. Let’s check them out: Parental care and character formation in raising children.

Minyong Ordonez Generosity

and helpfulness within the family. Respect and obedience towards parents and elders. Good manners and right conduct in the workplace and social settings. Law-abiding citizenship.

For us to live coherent, honorable, and happy lives, there’s absolutely no irrelevance nor obsolescence in all of the above.

It’s inevitable that most added values in advertising are Filipino family-values. Our best behavior and silent virtues inside the family circle and its extension speak volumes on the fecundity of values. It is in our homes that values and virtues are learned, nourished, practiced, and passed on from generation to generation. By coincidence, it is also in the home where brand loyalty is initiated, sustained, and passed on from one generation to another.

Minyong Ordonez, retired chairman of Publicis Manila and a free-lance journalist, was a speaker at the Tambuli Conference.

He is a member of the Manila Overseas Press Club. september-october '09

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movers Peepo David, the country’s representative to the 2009 Cannes Young Lions moves into a new den, and is now an Art Director at BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Philippines Previously, David was a junior art director in DentsuINDIO. In his one-year stint in the agency, he and his partner Kulas Abrenilla won the right to represent the country in the Young Lions competition in Cannes, France.

Three key managers made lateral career transfers out of Y&R Philippines.

Former Division Director Kayen Zialcita signed up with Solar Sports as SVP-Brand Development & Marketing, while Associate Creative Director Joel Macaventa made a similar jump as VP for Integrated Communication Services for Sports – Solar Entertainment.

Y&R art director and Clio winner Trish Uy left to start a digital signage company called Mediamagnet Innovation with her brother.

Jack Madrid formerly of DELL, moved to Yahoo!

Philippines. He replaced General Manager Jojo Anonuevo who sources said, “has transitioned elsewhere in the organization.”

Singapore – BBDO/ Proximity Singapore signs in Tula Goodwin as regional public relations director for Asia.

Goodwin will manage BBDO/Proximity Asia internal and external communications for the Asia Pacific Region and will be based in Singapore, reporting to BBDO/Proximity Singapore Chief Executive Officer JeanPaul Burge.

Singapore - After eight years of dedicated service, Yap Chee Weng, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Malaysia recently announced his decision to resign from his role to pursue personal interests outside the industry.

To replace him is Ranganathan Somanathan, currently vice president, Insights & Analytics, South & South East Asia.

Ranga, who has been with SMG for the past seven years, will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will report directly to Jeffrey Seah, CEO, Southeast Asia.

Malaysian management responsibilities are currently being handed over during this transition period and Ranga officially assume his new role in due course.

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september-october '09

Universal McCann’s Venus Navalta Steps Down After her exit from agency life, she will Local media industry icon Venus Navalta concentrate on her new passions, traveling and retires this September and turns the control social entrepreneurship. She will also provide of Universal McCann over to Dino Laurena, managerial and financial support to her son’s Harrison Communications’ former managing fledgling guitar business. partner.

The youthful Navalta had initially broached Venus Navalta grew Universal McCann the topic of retirement with McCann Worldgroup Philippines into one of the largest and most in 2007, but her plans were delayed by the search respected media agencies in the country, and for a suitable replacement. within the UM network Last year, she decided globally. Currently, UM Venus will leave UM on Dino Laurena, who was Philippines handles media with an enduring co-managing partner of AOR duties for some of the legacy, as the driving Harrison Communications. biggest local and regional advertisers, including Globe force that propelled However she had to wait for Laurena to tie loose ends Telecoms, J&J and Jollibee. the agency to the and prepare for Universal Under her reign, the McCann. agency garnered a string top in this highly As one of the founders of local and international competitive media and managing partners, accolades, including winning Laurena grew Harrison Media Agency of the Year five marketplace.

Communications (McCann’s times. This June, UM won its second advertising agency) into the third largest highest recognition yet: a Bronze Lion in Cannes ad agency in the country. and a Bronze award at the Asian Marketing Laurena spent the most of his advertising Effectiveness Awards for its “Botelya” campaign career with McCann Philippines, but he held for J&J. previous account management stints with McCann Worldgroup President and CEO Dentsu, Young & Rubicam, Lowe, Saatchi & Ricki Arches said, “Venus will leave UM with Saatchi and JWT. an enduring legacy, as the driving force that His more recent experience in managing the propelled the agency to the top in this highly Globe Telecom business at Harrison has attuned competitive media marketplace. Her outstanding him to developments in the digital space, which leadership, valuable insights and remarkable may help strengthen UM Philippines in this contributions will remain as source of inspiration arena. and positive influence.”

movers

Hong Kong - Leo Burnett Kreasindo in Indonesia announced the addition of Thomas Sutton to the leadership team as the executive director of Account Management, a strategic move to tap into the fast growing market in the region.

A 13-year advertising veteran, Thomas was most recently the group account director on Citibank at Publicis Singapore.

Prior to Publicis, he was at JWT Singapore.

Key international brands he managed during his tenure with JWT included HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Nestle Confectionery, Samsung, Shell, Sony and Estee Lauder.

Hong Kong RowAn Chanen has been appointed as regional creative director, a newly created position at M&C Saatchi.

His role will be to support the offices in the network and help build the agency’s presence across the region. He will be based in Hong Kong.

Chanen is previously with Y&R, wherein he held the same position.

Singapore - Content expert Richard Powell takes on the role of business director on the Singapore Tourism Board account at BBH Asia Pacific, bringing with him a wealth of experience that includes creating television shows, mobile applications and online content.

Previously, Richard was with BBH London as content director on a range of global projects, namely Axe, Heineken and Vodafone. He also played a key role to the BBH UK office winning the Mobile Agency of the Year 2008 Award. Prior to that, he was account director handling adidas at TBWA.

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september-october '09

Photograph by Hilda Kapauan-Abola

Shanghai – Bertilla Teo, currently chief executive officer for Mediaedge:cia North Asia, will join the SMG network as chief executive officer for Greater China. Teo will report to Andrew Swinand, President, Global Operations for SMG and yet to be named VivaKi Country Chair for Greater China.

Paul Maher, the current CEO of North Asia for SMG, will vacate this role at the end of 2009, and will transition to a regional client service role. Teo will assume her new role at SMG officially on January 1, 2010.

Carat Loses P&G AOR to Mediacom Procter and Gamble (P&G) Philippines appointed Mediacom Philippines as its Agency of Record (AOR) for media planning, effective November 1, 2009. Mediacom, which already does the media buying for P&G, takes over Carat Philippines, which handled the media planning responsibilities since 2006.

“This change is consistent with our global P&G thrust to drive simplification and scale in our operations. Behind this move, we will be evolving our current dual-agency set-up whereby separate agencies handle media planning and media buying, respectively. As Mediacom has been our AOR in the Philippines for Media Buying in the last three years, we will be significantly streamlining our media operations, effectively consolidating all media agency responsibilities under a single agency unit,” said Mohit Anand, marketing director of P&G Philippines.

In 2008, based on rate card cost, Nielsen estimates that P&G Philippines spent a total of PhP10.7B (US$221.3M) on advertising. With both media planning and buying to be controlled

by Mediacom, the next year looks very rosy for the media agency.

Procter & Gamble Philippines, worth Php10.7 billion in adspend

Mediacom is one of P&G’s key agency partners in the Asia region handling markets such as China, India, Australia, Korea and Japan. As recently as November 2008, it won the planning business of three P&G brands in China.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING THE PITCH

In the new order, pitches are the new norm, and this advertiser, the emergent species. Let’s call his kind Clientrix opportunus.

It starts with a pitch for Dyna Toys. The brief seems reasonable enough, and the CEO, too—even if his eyes are a little shifty.

The first round is fought on credentials, and you’re confident about sailing through. The second round involves serious strategic and conceptual thinking; by now, the men are separated from the boys. But wait! There’s a third round, this time involving a full-blown integrated campaign…or two.

Normally, you would tell the prospective client to shove it. Nevertheless new business is hard to come by, so what’s another round between friends?

On the big day, you stand in front of the client, in his mirrored conference

room. Your reflection nearly throws you off your game, but you’re a pro. You make the best pitch of your career. The account is in the bag.

Or so you think. The client never calls back. You feel dirty, used and discarded, not unlike your last hot date.

Months later, you meet a new prospective client. This one wants a pitch, too, and he’s excited —ver y excited —to meet you.

“Have we met before?” you ask.

He says, “No, but I was impressed by your Dyna Toys pitch. Fabulous work. Great presentation, too.”

Normally, you would be tickled pink by a compliment. But how—when—wait—the mirrored conference room. Then it hits you.

The Dyna Toys wasn’t a new business pitch; it was a gala performance. And the Clientrix opportunus sold tickets.

"The Magician" by Henry Frejas

"The Stagehand" by Carlo Directo

"The Date" by AF Benaza

"The Assassin" by Sid Maderazo

The AdCon publicity committee’s secret is out—in four jigsaw parts.

Can you piece them together? It doesn’t care, so long as you’re intrigued enough to come to Baguio this November.

In the theme of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress’ Perspectives “Ano Sa Tingin Mo?”, the campaign revolves around a magic act, in an undetermined place and era, that goes tragically wrong.

Filmed by four different directors, the TVC is intriguing many, from advertising agents to industry members, from film buffs to plain kibitzers. They better not hold their breath though, as answers are months away from revelation.

Make that November 18 to be exact, when the AdCongress opens in Baguio City.

Host of this year’s Ad Congress, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) had a baby in their hands with the TVC. “Charmaine [Canillas, PANA Chairman] had a vision of uniting the industry. This is proof that the

Four storyboards for one TVC, four of the country’s foremost commercial directors, two production sets, four lighting directors, same cast—four different perspectives. not competing with one another, right?”

Shifty eyes and uncomfortable silence was all the answer he needed. It was war.

But they had to cooperate or fail. Even though the four teams were not allowed to share their edits with each other, Maderazo explained, “ We had meetings, just us four. Just inuman (having drinks), and making excuses to hangout was very interesting. I discovered how different we are.”

Classic Whodunit

does a first for the AdCon industry is indeed united and going after excellence, and producing great work,” said Margot Torres, Ad Congress overall chair.

The much-touted collaboration of the four directors comes from DDB, the official agency of the Ad Congress. According to Teeny Gonzales, DDB executive creative director, “Take our word for it, having a different perspective on things can be the most enriching, surprise experience on something you thought you had done a hundred times before. I personally feel that we have come out of this a little more brave, a little more excited in knowing that the possibilities in this industry we love, are endless.”

The TV campaign was helmed

by Philippine top commercial directors: Carlo Directo, Sid Maderazo, AF Benaza and Henry Frejas. Each took on the perspective of a single character: Frejas took command of the stage with the Magician; Maderazo maneuvered the Assistant; Directo directed the Stagehand; and AF Benaza hung the drama off the cliff with the Date.

Friendly enough during the first briefing, when the directors met on their own (and as the complexity of the project sank in), one director turned to the other three and asked innocently, “We’re

Frejas was assigned the task of establishing the plot and characters, from the Magician’s point of view. “So what better way than to tell the story, literally, through what he sees? It wasn’t as rich a storyboard as the Stagehand, pero di kasing hirap ng board ni AF [Benaza] (but not as difficult as AF’s board).”

Benaza did have qualms about his board, which is as near a conclusion as viewers can get until November. “But what’s important is that everyone’s interpretation of the same thing is totally different: depending on where you’re standing, the social situations you come from, and your state of mind. All these things come into play.”

As the animated Directo revealed, “Never nangyari ito. (This has never been done before.) First time one commercial, one campaign but different directors. Ang ganda ng idea actually (It is a terrific idea).”

Four storyboards for one TVC, four of the country’s foremost commercial directors, two production sets, four lighting directors, same cast—four different perspectives. One storyboard on a regular shoot may already prove a handful, three too many makes for a straightjacket. Or a magician’s hat trick. september-october '09

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newbiz/pitches Harrison gets Mister Donut

Mister Donut Philippines, one of the country’s fastest growing quick service restaurants, awarded its account to Harrison after a six-way pitch.

Harrison emerged against incumbent Adformatix, Campaigns, Woo, TBWA and Leo Burnett.

DDB’s JOHN ZIEGLER Chief integrator on a mission

JWT wins Greenfield Development Corp.

JWT confirmed that it has won a pitch for an upcoming project for Greenfield Development Corporation, versus Ogilvy&Mather and BBDO Guerrero / Proximity Phils.

Greenfield Development Corporation’s innovative projects includes Ayala Greenfield Estates, Greenfield City Sta. Rosa, Paseo Commercial Complex and Greenfield District Mandaluyong.

Mindshare wins ACS Business

Media agency Mindshare wins ACS business in a pitch against Starcom. (Incumbent Universal McCann did not take part.)

“This is a great win for us. We worked hard to deliver the best creative and cost effective solutions to the case studies.

We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership with ACS,” said Mitos Borromeo, CEO of GroupM and Mindshare.

ACS is the maker of Pride washing detergent, Unique toothpaste, and Star Wax.

DDB clinched Changi Airport Group

Singapore – Changi Airport names DDB as Agency of Record, following a pitch against 12 creative agencies that includes TBWA, Y&R and McCann Erickson.

DDB will develop and manage through-the-line communications aimed at building corporate branding and harnessing strategic partnerships for Changi Airport Group and Changi Airport.

OMD, DDB’s media partner for the pitch, takes on the media planning and buying duties.

Carrefour appoints agencies in Asia

Bangkok - As reported in Media, a JWT spokesperson confirmed that the agency continued to handle Carrefour in Thailand.

The French supermarket chain was awarded to the agency last year. No pitch has been called, and JWT is still working with Carrefour.

Earlier, Leo Burnett won the Carrefour business in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India, following a pitch against Publicis Groupe’s Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Except for the said Asian markets, Publicis Groupe is Carrefour’s global partner, awarding the network with its US$1 billion account.

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It says on his business card, “President & CEO, Asia Pacific, Japan and India, but make no mistake, he’s a creative thinker. More specifically, Ziegler is a renaissance marketing man who has through-the line-experience in many disciplines.

While he prides himself in creating brands and helping companies build brands, his power lies in his ability to work with creative people and growing the business with creative people.

When Ziegler came to Manila, to judge at the Tambuli Awards and to grace DDB’s 60th anniversary celebrations, he sat down with adobo and shared his insights into the tricky business of integration. adobo: They said you created the first fully integrated agency. For real? You don’t look that old.

Ziegler: Well, I’m only 35! But yes, in 1986, we got sick of agencies selling us pieces of advertising. So we said “let’s sell this to our client fully integrated.” That’s when we created the world’s first integrated agency. Fully through-theline ideas, predominantly promotion, packaging

A lot of agencies will tell you, “Yes we’re integrated.

We have this agency here, that agency there, and they’ll come together… That never works. We were doing that 15 years ago.

and a little bit on advertising—we created full solutions.

As Kzzynski & Ziegler, we were couple of young honchos, who acted like we knew everything. We built this business and sold it to DDB, six years later. Then I fell in love with DDB’s culture and stayed there. adobo: So with today’s emphasis on through-the-line, has everything come full circle?

Ziegler: Well, for me, no. For 24 years, I’ve been talking about integration, through-the-line.

Finally, it’s coming into the form that it will be in the future.

But everybody is starting to create models of integration that we were doing 10-15 years ago. A lot of agencies will tell you, “Yes, we’re integrated.

We have this agency here, that agency there, and they’ll come together….” That never works. We were doing that 15 years ago. adobo: But whatever you’re doing in Asia in recent years, it seems to be working.

Except in the awards department. DDB Asia only brought home three awards, and that’s counting Rapp Collins’ wins.

Aren’t you under pressure to do as well as your Western offices?

Ziegler: Absolutely. I’ve got a stick so big, you wouldn’t believe.

But we’re an organization that believes in empowering our management to manage their

newbiz/pitches You must one of the top three; that’s where we want to be. If you’re not top three, that is unacceptable, so our ambition is very clear... businesses well. We don’t dictate. We encourage and support. So sometimes it takes us a long way to change direction, and today, our direction is very much on effectiveness. The best work that works for our clients.

Playing the awards game today is a very different mix. Many of the entries are on the edge of advertising. In Cannes, a lot of winners aren’t even advertising campaigns. You know, The Yellow Tree, the Queensland entry….

To be honest with you, we’re doing great work in our category, but it hasn’t been on high enough on our agenda to package it for Cannes. adobo: Why not?

Ziegler: I think it’s our maturity, because I think the shift is going from advertising-driven to idea-focused, and of course, online and digital.

I think given the fact that we have so much work to do—and we’ve done it very well—we haven’t given it as much attention as we should.

But the stick says you must one of the top three; that’s where we want to be. If you’re not top three, that is unacceptable, so our ambition is very clear, and everyone is committed to doing that. adobo: Hence, the culture-change program that DDB Philippines began last year. Is it just Manila, or everywhere else in Asia?

Ziegler: Yes, every office in Asia.

But in Manila, we certainly put up a real thrust behind Tribal DDB. I think Tribal’s really relevant to this market, and we got clients that we can do great work with. There’s an enthusiasm and embracement in that.

Rapp Colllins…we’re simultaneously putting an integrated thrust into that from around the region.

There’s no other agency network [like us] that’s best in class in Asia, and worldwide.

Tribal—worldwide, top three digital agency.

Rapp Collins—worldwide leading CRM agency. Interbrand—worldwide brand company. And DDB, worldwide advertising company.

Now, we are wrestling with how we can integrate all those pieces together. Some offices are doing exceptionally well, while some offices are still in the process.

But Manila as a market? We’re really excited about the opportunities. adobo: Changing an agency culture takes a long time. Isn’t that daunting?

Ziegler: Well, four years ago, most of the agencies in the region didn’t talk to each other.

But now, they not only talk to each other; they embrace, work together; they pitch. And I think we’ve brought them to a business level that’s credible; the brand is delivering better results. adobo: So as chief integrator, what’s your prognosis?

Ziegler: We are not where we need to be, but we are very, very happy with the progress. We are more excited about how quickly, in the next three years, we are going to be even more of a success story.

AD ALIKE

Unitech Wireless assigns Leo Burnett as Creative Partner

Hong Kong – Unitech Wireless, a joint venture company of India’s Unitech Ltd and Norway’s Telenor Group, assigned Leo Burnett as its creative partner after a multiagency pitch that included leading agencies from across the country.

“Mobile telecommunications is not only one of the fastest growing industries today, it is also one of Leo Burnett’s core competencies both regionally and globally.

Combining our best-in-class network knowledge with strong local resources and expertise, we shall launch and build the new brand into a strong market player in India,” said Jarek Ziebinski, president for Asia Pacific of Leo Burnett.

Lowe Vietnam awarded with Prudential 10 th Anniversary Communication Duties

Ho Chi Minh - For its 10th year anniversary, Prudential, the largest insurance company in Vietnam, awards the agency the hand to mount its multimedia campaign as its full service agency in the country. The entire campaign conceptualized and executed

by Lowe Vietnam, breaks in early August and will continue until the end of the year.

“This is a perfect opportunity to create a strong emotional platform for Prudential in Vietnam. The 10th anniversary celebrations is a through-the-line campaign centered around the theme of ‘Giving back to the country’ and uses an optimal mix of mass media and multiple experience-driven touch points,” reveals Bob Cohen, creative director, Lowe Vietnam.

DDB Taiwan is Fidelity’s Agency of Record

Taipei -DDB Taiwan is the Agency of Record for Fidelity International, one of the world’s leading asset managers, and will be responsible for Fidelity Taiwan’s integrated communication strategy covering ATL and BTL advertising, online, and trade communications.

“Our goal is to rapidly position Fidelity as a brand with Asian knowledge backed with proven global expertise and experience.

With this foundation already in place, our role now is to drive the brand strategy in the Taiwan market,” says Roy Soetanto, managing director of DDB Taiwan.

Y&R and OMD to handle Resorts World

T-Mobile Dance Saatchi & Saatchi London April 2009

Jollibee Flash Dance Mob Stratworks August 2009

Singapore - Resorts World at Sentosa named Y&R as it Agency of Record, after a six-way pitch that included EURO RSCG and McCann Worldgroup.

With the resort set to open next year, the agency will provide marketing and communications to drive the brand and its business.

Also, Resorts World handed its media brief to OMD, which includes both Singapore and regional media placements. september-october '09

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newbiz/pitches Grey Group Vietnam Wins Record Number of New Business

Ho Chi Minh - Grey Group Vietnam has won a number of new accounts, including Samsung Mobile, Bayer AG, Carlsberg and Great Eastern Life, and local brands Vinaphone and Hanoimilk.

Winning the Samsung Touch Mobile is a pioneer feat, becoming the first external agency to be awarded the business.

Pitching against Ogilvy, the agency won the entire Bayer AG’s Bayer Pharmaceutical Rx account, as well as the entire Vinaphone business. Other contenders for Vinaphone included JWT, Lowe and TBWA. Grey Group Vietnam also won the entire business of Great Eastern Life, the biggest life insurer in Malaysia and Singapore, on a four-way pitch that included TBWA and Burnett.

AD NAUSEUM

One More Round, 25 Years Later The country’s de facto national beer, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, is trading nostalgia for much-needed buzz online, on print and in the marketplace.

It’s also a remake of an iconic TV spot, so beloved that in 2002, it was voted the best ad of the last 25 years. It even brings back the old jingle of “Iba ang may pinagsamahan” (loosely translated, “Nothing better than old friends”) and tagline “Ito ang Beer (This is beer).”

Leo Burnett launches new campaigns for Tesco Lotus

Hong Kong – Tesco Lotus’ first integrated campaign by Leo Burnett Bangkok aims to transform its current everyday low price image, offering long-term price-cutting strategies through “price roll backs” and “super save” promotions.

Also, the campaign intends to establish Tesco Lotus as the no.1 retailer that genuinely cares about the Thai people.

To reiterate this message, Tesco Lotus management team will appear on screen for the first time, giving a more human spin to the campaign and to further build a loyal relationship between Tesco Lotus and the Thai people.

The campaign will include TV, print, radio, in-store, online, and PR to reach price-sensitive and mid-market customers.

OMD partners with PR company in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh - Omnicom Media Group recently announced its partnership with XPR-Campaigns Group, a leading advertising and communications group in Vietnam.

The affiliation will see OMG partnering with Campaigns Solutions, XPRCampaigns media arm to provide media communications solutions in Vietnam. The new partnership, OMD Vietnam, will operate out of Ho Chi Minh City.

The agency’s new management structure will be led by Tran Luu Van Anh as managing director and Oliver Salazar as the media director.

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"Isang Platitong Mani" 25 years ago

Dubbed “Isang Platitong Mani (One Plate of Peanuts),” its latest ad fields the brand’s heaviest hitters: boxer Manny Pacquiao, billiard player Efren “Bata” Reyes, hunky Derek Ramsey and comic Michael V. It’s also a remake of an iconic TV spot, so beloved that in 2002, it was voted the best ad of the last 25 years. It even brings back the old jingle of “Iba ang may pinagsamahan” (loosely translated, “Nothing better than old friends”) and tagline “Ito ang Beer (This is beer).”

Why the brand team dusted off its historical reel and reused the same ad idea, for any reason other than a 25th anniversary, is vague.

McCann Erickson’s Managing

Director Nandy Villar denies any deep motive, saying only that the idea of reprising the spot—about five celebrities who can’t agree on what to order at a restaurant—had been on the table for some time.

“There’s so much to draw from [the brand’s history],” Villar says. “In the same way that some watch brands reissue iconic models, this new ad is a testament to the richness of the brand.”

Now as to why the creative team and director Raul Jarolan executed it the way they did is another question.

While many were pleased to see the ad again, others ask why it wasn’t reimagined for modern sensibilities. Others counter, if the old ad is so revered, why mess with it at all?

Nevertheless, Nita Claraval, creative director of the original campaign, is flattered.

(Bet you didn’t know the mind behind the golden age of San Miguel advertising was a

woman!) She notes, however, while the new version “uses the same formula, the build up of the joke—with the characters playing off against each other—seemed lacking.”

“Of course,” she laughs, “I’m biased.”

“The production values [of the remake] are excellent," says comedian and filmmaker Jun Urbano, who directed “Isang platitong mani” in 1984. “But the original was actually the fourth or fifth of the series. So by the time it came out, both celebrities and viewers had developed a bond.”

Without this bond, the remake feels less special, and the joke, less funny.

Villar is not too concerned. “There will always be strong opinions because people are really very involved with the brand. I don’t think it’s altogether negative.

It shows that people care and that they’re very possessive of San Miguel. They feel it’s part of our national identity.”

Business Works' Pangilinan

ASAP Catches up with “Business Refreshed” Like most of Philippine enterprise, Accredited Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP) members are small-to-medium-size enterprises: from big production houses, to family-run, technically high-end mom-and-pop shops.

Because of this, the growth of ASAP member companies runs parallel to the growth of the advertising industry.

Yet, in the light of recent technology and expanding expertise, ASAP is undergoing reinvention.

One effort is Infoglio, which replaces its standard Black Book directory when it is launched at the Ad Congress. Through Infoglio, the three-decade old AdBoard member hopes to arm its members and fellow SME delegates with the ammunition to engage the ever-aggressive competition from newcomers, local and foreign.

Another efThe audience fort was its conferwas inspired. ence “Business Refreshed: Inspire, When they Incite and Ignite” return to work, last August 18 at the Intercon. Although it won’t be the topics were more business as business-school usual. It will than cutting-edge, it did succeed inbe business troduce SMEs to refreshed. creative business

expansion, cultivate and install specific procedures to measure growth and success. Business branding was highlighted; and as commonplace as digital technology is, a significant number of SMEs are still without websites.

Not so laden with industry figures, the conference featured expert consultants and academicians instead: Lyceum of the Philippines University College of Business Administration Dean Dr. Leonardo Garcia, Jr., chairman of Business Works, Inc. Anthony Pangilinan, chief Executive Officers of Woo Consultancy Mon and Abby Jimenez; University of Asia and the Pacific Professor, Dr. Bernardo Villegas; Crush/TNBT Singapore’s Rod Nepomuceno and RFM General Manager Greg Banzon, Asian Institute of Management Professor Jacinto C. Gavino, and Remigio Tito C. Tirones, senior vice president and head of SME Banking Group of Planters Development Bank.

Based on delegate feedback, the speakers delivered a focused agenda, with ASAP getting nods of approval for the endeavor.

“Gavino’s presentation on values-driven business, as well as Villegas’s projection of a bright prospect for Philippine economics mean good business,” said Raul Blay, vice-president of ASAP. “The audience was inspired. When they return to work, it won’t be business as usual. It will be business refreshed,” he added.

Just what the conference promised.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

photographs by Lilit Reyes

Branding opposition, or a mere affirmation that “I was there”: In 1986, lifted fists flashed the letter L for "laban" (fight) and brought down the 25-year old Philippine dictatorship of the Marcos government. Fast forward to 2009, the same lifted fists, albeit with palms flashing the latest camera phone. Twenty some years, it’s the same allegiance, just technology-enhanced.

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dvdreview

Buttoned-up and ready to go A review by

Edward Ong There are a couple of important lessons we can learn here: 1) Never hire a blind clockmaker, because when he screws up, he’ll come up with some ridiculous story about his work being some kind of war memorial.

2) The New Orleans train station CEO is the man to see if you have a bridge in say, Brooklyn, that you want to sell.

We then cut to the part where Benjamin is born. He is the vilest, ugliest, oldest-looking baby that ever came out of a woman’s womb. Surprisingly, nobody contacts Barnum & Bailey or the stations to propose a new reality show.

Next, Benjamin grows up with regular old people in an old folks’ home. This is where he meets normal-looking 6-year old Daisy. Again, nobody finds it disturbing when she frolics with old man Benjamin under the table late at night. Thus begins a whirlwind romance described by director David Fincher as an “elaborate parable of Biblical proportions.”

T

he Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a film you’ll either love or hate. Ebert called it a “profoundly mistaken premise” and couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of someone aging backwards.

Seasoned adfolks are, of course, comfortable with such concepts—mainly because we’ve presented advertising ideas that are even more complicated.

We open with 81-year old Daisy (Cate Blanchett) on her deathbed. Meanwhile, Hurricane Katrina is raging outside and about to devastate the town. This means it’s time for Daisy to tell her worried daughter about her ex-lover.

Her story begins with a blind clockmaker working on a clock for the New Orleans train station. After receiving news of his son’s death in World War I, he decides to make the timepiece run backwards, in the hope that it would bring back those who died in the war.

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“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is worth watching again. Look out for the director’s little touches. Like how Daisy’s voice seamlessly morphs into Benjamin’s.

The visual poetry in the final scenes.

Suffice to say, the movie is nothing like the book. Apart from retaining the protagonist’s name and reverse aging process, everything else is completely made up by screenwriters Eric Roth (of “Forest Gump” fame) and Robin Swicord (“Memoirs of a Geisha”). The original story had Benjamin born 5 feet 8 inches tall with waist length beard. This must have required tremendous pushing on his mother’s part, and one can only imagine the size of her tummy before delivery.

So what’s in the DVD and is it worth getting? In the commentary, Fincher does a rather dry take throughout and if it doesn’t instantly cure your insomnia, you’ll at least gain some fascinating insights into the movie’s themes, and why Brad and Cate deserve to win several Oscars at least.

The producers talk about how long the script has been floating around and how the movie could only be made when CGI technology had sufficiently advanced.

In other words, nobody wanted to take the risk. The script went through several directors (including Steven Spielberg and Spike Jonze), and lead actors (Tom Cruise, John Travolta)—all of whom got involved in other projects along the way.

We also get to hear from the makeup people on the whole process of ageing and de-ageing. Poor Cate had to sit through five hours of makeup to play a much older person. Add that to her strenuous late night schedule, and you’ll realize the woman probably wasn’t acting when she starts to mumble and fall asleep.

The youthenization of Benjamin takes up a whole segment. Some people may find this interesting, especially since this is the heart of what made the whole show possible. It was a little too technical for me though. Technology can do a lot of things these days, including being able to skip to the next special feature.

Admittedly, there’s quite a lot of it in the DVD: 14 in-depth behind-the-scenes featurettes trace the film’s evolution, from the rights negotiation to its premier.

Watching it, you get a sense that this is a project people genuinely cared about.

You take away the collective energy and passion that went into its production. Six hours into the DVD, you can also feel your bones growing older and more brittle. The latter part is what they call an “interactive experience”.

But yes , “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is worth watching again.

Look out for the director’s little touches.

Like how Daisy’s voice seamlessly morphs into Benjamin’s. The visual poetry in the final scenes. And the many parts in between that will make you go “Wow”, “Ahhh” and “Hey, it’s all done with soft lighting!”

Every film has its detractors and critics. For this 166-minute long performance, one suspects it is mostly among those with highly irritable bowels. The DVD release should solve that problem. Be thankful Fincher does not to make us sit through an extended director’s cut.

Edward Ong is a creative director at Y&R regional office in Singapore

Cannes Film Festival's Best Director, Brillante Mendoza, explains his vision and philosophy to over 200 of his peers in film and advertising.

No longer the quiet production designer is our beloved Dante.

adobo main course presents Cannes' Best Director Brillante Mendoza's "Kinatay" September 25, 2009 Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2 Dante with colorist Marilen Magsaysay

Mark Querubin Ricky and Belay Santillan

Lilit Reyes

Musical director Teresa Barrozo

Odyssey Flores, Mendosz's cinematographer

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Optima's Pete Jimenez and team

filmreview

Category: Self-Promotion A review by

T

Jose Elvin Bueno

here’s only one spoiler here, and it comes in the very next sentence (you have been warned): “Art & Copy” is a presentation by The One Club for Art & Copy.

That’s how it opens, crediting The One Club right after a mood setter of primitive art takes the screen for about three seconds.

(Later, we will know how effective three seconds can be.)

That opening visual is partnered with, of course, a piece of copy. A voice-over puts forward the frightening reality that every creative faces: “You have absolutely no idea where your thoughts come from.” (If that’s the easy answer you were hoping for, it’s not in this film.)

“Just Do It” was inspired by a spree killer’s famous last words.

“Got Milk?” nearly got killed, by no less than Jeff Goodby’s own partner Rich Silverstein, who insisted that “it’s clunky; it’s not even English,” and that the words should read, “Do you have enough milk?”. George Lois stole “I want my MTV!” from the ending of another ad. And the list goes on, until Lee Clow even reveals who paid for Apple’s “1984” one-time Super Bowl run. No, it’s not who you think.

The very same interviews invite us into the agencies of these demigods, whose offices all resemble anything but an office.

We see Weiden+Kennedy’s high school-ly campus with its wall of pushpins encouraging everyone to “fail greatly”. There’s also a

With that expectation out of the way, we’re plunged directly into the personalities and playgrounds of ad legends. We’ll never know where their thoughts came from, but we can at least peek at how and when those thoughts came to be—thoughts that shaped agency cultures just as much as they shaped culture in general.

Hal Riney puts the business into perspective, recounting the era when advertising “was an old boys’ club,” before Bill Bernbach let Copy meet Art and placed them on the same floor. “Art & Copy” then shows us what came out of this partnership: creativity in the form of songs, designs, fashion, and sometimes, even ads (one of which helped elect a US president, some 30 years ahead of The Great Schlep and Obama for America.)

Through interviews, we are afforded an intimate look as George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Weiden, Cliff Freeman, Hal Riney, and Lee Clow relive their excitement about certain epic campaigns. Most of these ads are already seared in the retinas of any self-respecting creative. But details in the telling are not to be missed; nor are the telling details.

bird’s nest, making us wonder for a bit if we’ve strayed from “Art & Copy” into “Inglorious Basterds”. Elsewhere, we see Silverstein’s door with its sign “Brutal Simplicity” that Goodby (in retribution, perhaps?) once punked into “Simple Brutality”.

Surprise, surprise, there’s TBWA\ Chiat\Day with its basketball court, surfboards, and a ramp leading to the waves. Lee Clow even lets us peer over his shoulders as he clears some iPod ads. It would be safe to assume that we have bypassed the dragon patrols and ninja guards, to make it for once into the hermetically sealed Media Arts Lab. Before we get the impression that the film is about a snobbish club, a few mad men and one woman patting each other’s backs (except for George Lois whose pats seem to land only on himself), “Art & Copy” shows us that advertising’s greatest creatives can also be its harshest critics.

Without any wordsmithing, they call it everything from “the most whorish business a person could get into” to “the devil’s workshop”.

There is also an admission that “a lot of advertising is trashy”. One

PLACE:

DATE:

TIME:

“Art & Copy” takes us behind the camera to meet the people behind some of the greatest ads ever produced. It’s left to us to widen the lens and read between the adspeak.

proclaims, “I wouldn’t want my kids to see bad ads, it’s not good for them.”

Yet all remain hopeful that, as the tagline says, creativity can solve anything. This emphasis on creativity is echoed by all (most literally by Lois who, despite showing us the strength of the threeseconder, repeats the phrase like an infomercial pitchman).

But while Lee Clow champions that “we [creatives] should be in charge!” Hal Riney cautions that “there are a lot of people in the business but a damn few really good ones.” At this point, “Art & Copy” gives us the feeling that they—the few good ones—are all members of one club.

A club such as, for example and making a wild guess based on the opening credits, The One Club for Art & Copy.

Director Doug Pray refrains from turning this documentary into a reel by choosing only a few ads to run in its entirety.

As a sort of commercial break between interviews, the film is peppered with industry factoids and snippets from the life of a billboard rotator. With trivia such as predicted adspend for 2010 reaching US$544 billion and the hardhat’s testimonial of being spared from the recession, these fillers may as well be commercial spots designed to sell us “what we wish our lives would be,” as Jeff Goodby puts it.

“Art & Copy” takes us behind the camera to meet the people behind some of the greatest ads ever produced. It’s left to us to widen the lens and read between the adspeak.

Jose Elvin Bueno used to be a copy writer in TBWA/SMP before he was teleported to New York where he now writes fiction.

His work appears in Philippine Speculative Fiction and the Philippine Graphic. september-october '09

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CREATIVE REVIEW

by Farrokh Madon Executive Creative Director, McCann Erickson Singapore

Farrokh is one of Singapore’s most influential creative directors.

In a career spanning Singapore, Amsterdam and India, Farrokh has garnered over 150 prestigious awards. He has won awards in Press, Posters, Outdoor, Ambient, TV, DM and Interactive.

Last year, Farrokh got three entries into the D&AD Annual, two Spikes, four Merit Awards at the One Show and three Silvers and a Bronze at the Asia Interactive Awards.

Under his leadership, McCann Erickson Singapore produced one of Asia’s most dramatic viral campaigns. It was so successful that it was covered on prime time news of Singapore’s Channel 5, Channel U and Channel NewsAsia. It was also featured in The Straits Times, Shinmin Wanbao and Lianhe Wanbao. Despite being intended for the Singapore market the campaign was so impactful, it was also featured on several news programs around the world. The campaign was ranked amongst the Top 5 campaigns in AsiaPacific, in 2008, by Media magazine. Recently it won the first, and so far only, Grand Prix in the history of Effies Singapore.

Looking good isn’t good enough. Even if the category is hair care and cosmetics. While the visuals look okay, I feel more colour could have been added to the campaign through an idea. This is an incredibly exciting category and I can’t help but feel that this is a wasted opportunity.

Wella "Blue" Poster Leo Burnett Manila

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september-october '09

These nicely photographed ads show empathy for people suffering from arthritic pain. The communication is simple and uncluttered.

Hello, Lurzers Archive.

Pharex Health Corporation "Heavy Plate" Print Ad DM9 JaymeSyfu

You put raw foodstuff in a fridge, so naturally one should put ‘raw’ jeans in the fridge, right? Wrong. There is a lot of fertile ground that could have been traversed on this brief, but sadly the jeans were left hibernating. Pity.

Bench Raw Jeans "Cool" TVC Blue Bottle Inc.

september-october '09

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CREATIVEREVIEW

Farrokh Madon, Executive Creative Director, McCann Erickson Singapore

I am not familiar with this product so please pardon my ignorance of whether the spot is appropriate for the product. Having said that, a ballerina turning into a pole dancer is bound to catch anyone’s attention. It certainly caught mine. I must add I was impressed with the production values on what was clearly a low-budget job.

Infinit "Ballerina" TVC Campaigns & Grey

I don’t like this one and I promise it has nothing to do with my having a full head of hair.

There is no major creative leap here, and the execution could have been a lot better.

Pineda Transplant Clinic "Wind" TVC Rocket Science Manila Inc.

While this style of placing the copy as call-outs is becoming a little overused, these ads still manage to catch the eye. The art direction is good and may just nudge the campaign towards the line for some awards.

Childhope Philippines "Vascular System", "Digestive System" Print Ads BBDO Guerrero

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september-october '09

CREATIVEREVIEW

Farrokh Madon, Executive Creative Director, McCann Erickson Singapore

It is a good way for FedEx to show its passion for perfect delivery during the monsoon season. It brought a smile to my face.

FedEx "Mud" Outdoor BBDO Guerrero

Even though the escalator has been used for everything from advertising shredders to sports shoes, I still like this execution for extra-smooth hair. But the Air Hockey campaign extension doesn’t go down equally smoothly for me.

P&G Philippines "Air Hockey", "Comb Escalator", Ambient Leo Burnett Manila

september-october '09

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BANG FOR THE BUCK

Ad Title: "Whopper Freakout" Viral / Advertiser: Burger King / Agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky / Creative Director: Rob Reilly, Bill Wright / Copywriter: Ryan Kutscher, Omid Farhang, Nathan Dills/ Art Director: Paul Caiozzo, Andy Minisman, Dan Treichel, Julia Hoffman / Agency Producer: Dave Rolfe, Winston Binch, Chris Kyriakos, Aymi Beltramo, Bill Meadows / Account Supervisor: Stewart Warner, James Luckensow.

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september-october '09

Case Studies of Effective Creativity The Results Nielsen IAG says the Whopper “Freakout “campaign was the best-recalled restaurant ad of 2007, posting the highest scores in metric’s six-year history The eight-minute film on Whopperfreakout. com generated over five million people hits, and 14 million viewers of “Freakout” on YouTube.

Multiple spoofs emerged, including “Ghetto Freakout,” an R-rated take on the campaign that clocked over three million views on YouTube.

More importantly, America continued to reach for the Whopper—Burger King’s same-store sales numbers were up, improving 4.5 percent on 2006 numbers

The awards Effie Award 2009, Grand Prix and Gold Andy Awards 2008 Integrated Gold Andy Awards 2008 One Show 2008 Awards Integrated Gold Clio 2008 Integrated Gold AICP Next Awards 2008 Cannes Lions 2008 Film Gold Cannes Lions 2008 Integrated Lion London International Awards 2008 Integrated Media Silver

The Client Burger King Corporation

Executive Creative Director Rob Reilly

The Agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky The Brand Burger King’s WHOPPER The Brief

We have to keep creating social currency. If we don’t, we’ll die.

Russ Klein, Burger King CMO Burger King’s Whopper is its golden boy, and in celebration of chain’s 50th anniversary, the client needed to know how much it was loved. Burger King wanted to rope in impressionable and philandering admirers and make them Whopper fanatics.

We didn’t want to come off as chest pounding, so one of the notions was to take it off the menu and see if people would care.

The Challenge

The key is being willing to take risks and stay edgy over the long haul.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky To re-establish the Whopper’s position as America’s favorite burger. Gain sales over and beyond its yearly billion-plus units on pure advertising, with no product enhancements and no marketing support like discounts, freebies or tie-ups. Mount the campaign when the competition introduced newbies to their menus.

The Strategy

We didn’t want to come off as chest

Andrew Keller picks up Crispin Porter + Bogusky's Gold Lion for Whopper Freakout.

pounding, so one of the notions was to take it off the menu and see if people would care. The theme became…deprivation.

Rob Reilly, CP+B Creative Director The Idea: Whopper Freakout.

We don’t go out of our way to offend people.

We do go out of our way to create tension.

Russ Klein Conduct a social experiment as marketing, involving the surprise and sudden disappearance of its golden boy from the menu.

The Execution

There were times when we were shooting this thing…I was cringing, screaming “Pull the plug,” and the client was saying “No! Go for it.”

Rob Reilly Nix actors as customers. Catch regular customers on an ordinary day a la reality TV. Day 1: Have actors posing as Burger King employees tell incredulous customers that the Whopper is gone and never to return. Then let Academy Award-nominated director HenryAlex Rubin secretly film the twitching and spewing when people find they can’t have it their way.

Day 2: Offer rabid customers Big Macs or Wendy’s in place of their Whopper. Keep a safe distance from offended fans who gnash their teeth and declaim their love, before the King himself appears to make things right.

Turn the rants, raves and collective sighs of relief into an eight-minute web film, replete with folksy Whopper-tinged anecdotes about family bonding and all things good and true.

Use only TV, radio and online advertising, but generate free impressions through a microsite, video sharing, user-generated content, blog, chats and press releases.

All quotations taken from articles in Adweek and Creativity. september-october '09

49

regionalnewsbriefs Two new positions in Lowe Thailand management

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

Bangkok - Lowe Thailand fills new executive positions to strengthen client servicing and spearhead business development. Two new General Managers are Mr. Santhana Jittikant, an internal Lowe promotion and Mr. Chaowapark Srikasem, who joins Lowe Thailand with an impressive agency background.

Of the enhanced structure, Mr. Tony Prehn, chief executive officer, Lowe Thailand, says “The appointment of two General Managers, new positions within Lowe Thailand, would firmly put local client management and servicing at the centre of the company’s business.”

Leo Burnett Hong Kong launches project “SHINE”

Hong Kong – Leo Burnett Hong Kong launched Project “SHINE” to assist local businesses and time-honored brands to re-brand and grasp development opportunities.

Project SHINE gets Leo Burnett to offer free strategic brand consultation service valued at HK$1.888 million to one selected local brand.

Project “SHINE” is an acronym for: “Seek and stretch business opportunities”, “Homing in the target”, “Investigate current relationship”, “Navigate brand’s future” and “Explore new products or services”. It underscores Leo Burnett’s commitment in helping local businesses to build up their new brand personality to better cater to the local needs.

JULY 2009

Vargas Museum "Amorsolo Campaign" Ad Title: Amorsolo Harvest", "Amorsolo Laundry Woman" / Advertiser: Vargas Museum / Agency: JWT Manila / Executive Creative Director: Dave Ferrer / Creative Director: Dave Ferrer, Joe Dy, Tay Guan Hin / Art Directors: Carl Urgino / Copywriter: Joe Dy / Photographer: Bahaghari, James Bautista / Print Production: Ces de Guzman, Karen Pilapil / Final Art: FXStop / Color Editor: Dovie-Mar Raquel

New digital platform at Grey Group

Singapore - Grey Group Asia Pacific launched GChannel, its new video-based platform for Grey Group people everywhere to share inspirations, ideas, and insights.

GChannel videos are created by Grey Group employees, though the channel plans to include works from clients, business leaders and academics soon. The site also has its own country sections for individual agency use.

“Over time, we plan to feature full courses so we consider GChannel to be a valuable extension of our offline talent development through Grey Group University,” says Nirvik Singh, chairman and CEO of Grey Group Asia Pacific.

Omnicom Gives Love to Asia Pacific

Cadbury Dairy Milk invites consumers to Share the Joy

Hong Kong – First, it was the gutsy gimmick with gorilla. Now, Cadbury Dairy Milk introduces the card pack, the perfect partner for on-the-go consumption and sharing. With this new packaging design, Cadbury makes handy just the right amount of chocolate to deliver a great deal of fun.

As part of the campaign, the Cadbury “Eyebrows” TVC, features two quirky kids whose eyebrows take a life of their own as they break into dance. The TVC was such a great hit in the UK that it inspired a TV program. In YouTube, it received over four million views and spawned thousands of spoofs from fans.

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september-october '09

Omnicom Group Inc. announced the appointment of Tim Love as chief executive officer of Omnicom’s Asia Pacific India Middle East Africa (APIMA) operations.

In his new role, Love,

who remains a vice chairman of Omnicom Group, succeeds Michael Birkin, Omnicom Group vice chairman and Asia Pacific chairman and CEO, who is leaving to take a majority interest in RPMC, a US-based

events company with offices in London and Los Angeles.

At the same time, Serge Dumont, is promoted to president, Omnicom APIMA and Chairman Asia Pacific.

Love, during his 35-year career, has held senior client relationship positions in the US and abroad. Prior to becoming vice-chairman of Omnicom in 2006 he was president of Global Clients at Omnicom network TBWA Worldwide. Before joining TBWA in 2004, he was vice-chairman, International at Saatchi & Saatchi.

A lecturer at Oxford’s SAID School of Business and well known for his writings that include “Think like the Sun,” Love said, “I am delighted that I will be working across what are effectively the first 12 time zones in the day. Harnessing our energy and collaboration in these countries will be key to building a truly global economy and I look forward to working with Serge Dumont and the rest of the team.”

NEW YORK FESTIVALS FETES NEIL FRENCH On the third leg of its world tour, the New York Festival International Advertising Awards gave a lifetime achievement award to Neil French, the legendary adman behind the creative revolution in the Asian advertising industry. The ceremony was held July 25 at the Jiading SINO Creative ADI Zone outside Shanghai, After receiving the award, Neil French, whose uncensored views on suits, clients, award shows and scam ads have delighted and scandalized the industry since the Seventies, served more of the same to an audience of 500 hundred advertising practitioners and students.

While he was grateful to the organizers of the NYF International Awards, he also took to task the agencies whose winning print ads were exhibited at the event. He bemoaned the dominance of visual ads that pleased award show juries but often failed to persuade consumers to buy the products. He also expounded on the power of persuasive copy, in any language.

Earlier in the day, Michael O’Rourke, president of the New York Festivals International Awards, and Gordon Tan, its marketing director in Asia, also presented the creative achievement awards to several

chief creatives of agencies that won international awards and supported NYF. Among those present were representatives from Cumminsnitro Brisbane (the agency behind “The Best Job in the World” campaign), McCann Worldgroup Causeway Bay (Nike “Paper Battlefield”), JWT Singapore, BBDO/ Proximity Malaysia, BBDO Guerrero, DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu, Bates Taiwan, Euro RSCG Singapore, Leo Burnett Mumbai, Y&R Singapore and Chiel Worldwide Korea.

From Shanghai, the NYF World Tour moves to Santiago, Chile where it celebrates the region’s winners on September 7.

McCann Worldgroup’s Kevin Ramsey Leaves After a stretch of service with McCann, advertising veteran Kevin Ramsey is set to leave his post by November this year.

Ramsey held the dual role of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific regional director since 2007 and McCann Worldgroup Japan president and CEO since 2004.

Ramsey previously headed the regional networks of JWT and M&C Saatchi.

“Given my desire to remain in Asia, and the McCann system of having the Asia-Pacific president also run the biggest market, Japan, the natural consequence is that I will now look for another opportunity,” Ramsey stated, as reported in Brand Republic.

“I am very proud of the progress we have made in the last few years in building the capabilities, profile and product quality of Worldgroup and would like to thank John Dooner (McCann Worldgroup chairman and CEO) for giving me the chance to work with such a great brand. I have been supported by a talented team of people second to none in both Japan and the region,” he added.

Of Ramsey’s decision, John Dooner, said, “Kevin has done a great job of positioning our Asia Pacific operations for ongoing success. We have the highest respect for him, wish him the best, and hopefully will work with him again in the future.”

With the reasons to leave his posts still unclear, it has been reported that Ramsey had been in talks regarding his succession of late, declaring “ Japan has been a challenging market from a business and personal perspective.”

In related news, Michael McLaren, current CEO of WorldGroup EXP has been appointed as Ramsey’s replacement.

McLaren also takes on the post of McCann Worldgroup Japan president and CEO. Another McCann veteran, having joined the advertising giant in 1999, McLaren is on top of North American multinational account. His other positions in McCann include McCann Erickson US president, and worldwide director of global accounts.

“He understands the needs of global clients, has operational experience in our single largest market, as well as entrepreneurial success. All of those assets will be key to running McCann Worldgroup’s most extensive geographical region, home to some of the world’s fastest-growing markets,” said Dooner of McLaren’s appointment, as reported in Media Post.

Replacing McLaren at Worldgroup EXP is Matt Ross, current McCann Worldgroup San Francisco president.

Worldgroup EXP is McCann’s digital, broadcast and print production arm. september-october '09

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Everyone agrees the world doesn’t need another awards show, but a bigger and better festival? The people behind Spikes Asia are betting on it.

A collaboration between the teams of Haymarket and Cannes International Advertising Festival, the 1st Spikes Asia Festival takes an established advertising franchise to Singapore and upsizes it to entice a new league of followers. Attuned to present-day economics, emphasizing “less show, more business” the Festival offers expert advice through seminars and workshops on revenue-generating campaigns.

SPIKES ASIA

Outdoor & Radio and the Integrated juries; Rodney Fitch, President of the Design jury; Fred K oblinger, President of the Digital, Direct & Sales Promotion jury and Laura Desmond, President of the Media jury. Piyush Pandey, president of the Craft jury.

Aside from the usual metals to honor the best, the Spikes Asia jury panels will award groundbreaking, world-shaking work, nothing less than the coveted Grand Prix and the Festival’s top award—the Jade Grand Prix Spike—awarded for the first time this year.

The award is also open for entries for Integrated section, where additional Jade Spikes will be awarded to campaigns judged exceptional Spikes Asia in Singapore may be the best investment for the advertising creative this side of the globe. With the chance to share the ideas of the international industry’s most successful players and creating vast networking potential, or aligning with the online world with experts on the most successful, revenue generating way to communicate digitally—within a few hours’ flight or just a short drive.

More than being inspired by worldrenowned figures, or fellow Asian advertising masters, delegates will have a chance to experience a different type of festival, something familiar, yet diverse. Amidst high-rise, hightech Singapore, savor Hainanese chicken rice.

Can you find a hawker night market in Cannes?

Spikes Student Academy

Cheil Worldwide, South Korea’s largest advertising agency, sponsors 15 students from across Asia to attend classes under Singapore Polytechnic Creative Media Design lecturer and advertising veteran, Noor Azhar Mohamed.

The students will also have master classes and tutorials given by top international industry figures. Spikes Academy will be a permanent addition to the festival.

Young Spikes: DentsuINDIO Tandem is Team Philippines

The Biggest and Best Mousetrap in the Region?

Relaunching from September 16 to 18, Spikes Asia opens the door for advertising practitioners, students and enthusiasts, as well as industry affiliates and members of media in this part of the world to opportunities previously inaccessible, and perhaps exorbitant.

Spikes Asia Advertising Awards also makes its initial event focused on purely Asian work, effectively making Australia and New Zealand ineligible for entry. Already at the third quarter of 2009, advertising awards has had tremendous showings from Asian advertising, winning in Adfest, Clio and Cannes. Spikes Asia 2009 attempts to walk in the same direction in celebration of Asian creativity.

Six juries of leading international and regional creatives will judge Asia’s best work: David Droga, President of the TV/Cinema, Print,

Educator Robinson to Lecture Creatives

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Sir Ken Robinson september-october '09

It took only five slides for DentsuINDIO’s Nicolas Gabriel Abrenilla and Aston Martin Aquino to convince the Creative Guild to get them Spikes Asia-bound. “It was good for us to showcase our no-line capabilities and tie it with a patriotic brief,” enthused Abrenilla.

“It is challenging because we are both artists. We could only write less than 250 words. So, two artist made for one good writer," added Aquino.

Spikes Asia has designated a charity organization client for the Young Spikes competition. After their briefing on September 15, the Young Creatives will have two days to complete their campaign by September 17.

Presentation to the jury is on September 18.

After presenting Obama kingmaker David Plouffe to Cannes, DDB Group Asia Pacific brings to the Spikes table Sir Ken Robinson, the internationally recognized educator who gained even more fame on TED.com.

Sir Robinson presents “Beyond the Creatives: Managing all your talent”, drawn from his extensive work with creative organizations and people across the world, describing the real nature of creative intelligence and the many forms that creative ability can take. His talk addresses questions: How are you creative? Why do so many adults think they’re not creative? Most children are buzzing with ideas, so what happens to them as they grow up? Can creativity be developed? If so, how?

John Zeigler, chairman and CEO of DDB Asia Pacific, Japan and India said, “Sir Ken Robinson is highly regarded around the world, for his views on creativity and innovation.”

“Sir Ken is a huge advocate of harnessing people’s potential and presents his arguments in an articulate, entertaining and thought provoking way…Sir Ken will help us all realize that creativity lies within every facet of our business, not just in the creative department. To best serve our clients, we need to tap into our creative abilities to offer the only real competitive advantage,” John added.

DDB prides itself in securing unexpected guests to creative conferences, among them the Beatles producer, Sir George Martin; music producer and promoter and inventor of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren; author Ray Bradbury and of course, David Plouffe, President Obama’s campaign manager.

Singapore • 16-18 September 2009 • www.spikes.asia

Discussion, Debate and Speakers: Talks and Other Highlights President’s Address

The Festival highlights the Jury Presidents as they discuss their take on the future of advertising, globalization and the Digital world, the challenges to direct marketing, the advent of design, and the stronghold of industry leaders, namely the people on the street.

Speakers David Droga, Founder, Creative Chairman, Droga5 Laura Desmond, Global-CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group Fred Koblinger, CEO-PKP Proximity, BBDO Holding Austria Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman,National Creative Director-Ogilv y & Mather, India & South Asia Rodney Fitch CBE, Chairman, CEO-Fitch Worldwide Is Asian Creativity Up To The Task?: The Spikes Debate

Seeking to address the importance of creativity in sustaining the health of brands and the people who look after them, the need for fresher and more innovative advertising is critical for most brand leaders in the region. The debate tackles the impact of the recession on Asian creativity, tying creativity with effectiveness, getting the best out of your agency/client and matching Asian creativity up to global standards.

Speakers Atifa Hargrave-SILK, Editor-in-Chief, Media Mike Cooper, Worldwide CEO, PHD Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman, Regional ECD Asia Pacific, McCann Erickson Chris Thomas, Chairman and CEO, Asia BBDO Asia Pacific Derek Yeo, Head of Marketing, Tiger Airways Nayantara Bali, Vice-President, Marketing, Procter & Gamble

Digital Revolution Seminar at Spikes Asia ’09, adobo magazine Editor-in-Chief to Moderate Talk this way! Spikes Asia ’09 takes the mike to the talking heads of digital revolution, and adobo magazine founder and editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero gets to pick the brains of four industry leaders for “Meet the Press” on September 16 at the Seminar Theatre at 2PM. Asia has excelled in advertising creative and design, but it has to play catch up on the digital aspect of the trade. “Meet the Press” tackles digital revolution and how it has infiltrated, transformed, and in certain cases, taken command of, advertising.

With both creative and media perspective, a wider understanding of the digital revolution and the breadth of opportunities it represents will be the focus of interaction.

Guerrero had a 15-year career at McCann Erickson, rising to business unit director. She led her team to pick up one of the first AME Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness Awards for the country and helped win a number of Agency of the Year Awards. For many years she has attended the Cannes Advertising Festival, the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival in Thailand and major advertising events in the Philippines.

Speakers: Mark Ingrouille, Regional Director, Southeast Asia-McCann Worldgroup Pete Mitchell, Regional Digital Director, Universal McCann Andy Greenaway, Regional Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Chris Dobson, Sales Director, BBC Worldwide.

BBC HARDtalk with Neil French

What might be the festival eye-opener is a cross-over media presentation by. HARDtalk will speak candidly with a legendary advertising executive, considered one of the pioneers of advertising in Asia, spending many years creating a host of award-winning work across the region and inspiring a new generation of advertising executives.

Presenters: Mishal Husain, BBC World News Neil French, leading advertising veteran What’s the Big Idea

Neil French

Delve firsthand into the methodologies of integrated thinking, what is employed as the current marketing standard. Discuss the masterpieces that have earned the right to win awards, and determine the state of Asian campaigns against world standards. Discover what the year’s big ideas are.

Speakers Introduction by Ken Mandel, Managing Director-Yahoo! South East Asia.

Linda Locke, CEO, Creative Director- Godmother Consulting David Guerrero, Chairman, Chief Creative Officer- BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines Ruth Stubbs, President-Asia Mediabrands Asia Pacific Singapore Akira K agami, Executive Officer, Global Executive Creative Director-Dentsu

september-october '09

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McCann Wins Top Honours at Singapore Effies Singapore - McCann Erickson Singapore was awarded the first ever Grand Prix at the Effies Singapore Awards 2009 for the campaign “Raffles Place Ghost”. It also took home a Gold award at the same show.

The multi-award-winning campaign was developed for Global Manpower Professionals (GMP), a regional recruitment and consultancy

firm, with the idea: no one should work late. The agency released a viral video of two executives encountering a ghost in an elevator while working late. It created controversy last year as international and local media speculated on the authenticity of the clip.

The campaign, made on a shoestring budget of $100,000, received phenomenal results: over

two million views of the viral video after three months; discussed on more than 300 sites; 48 percent increase in online registration with GMP and 9 times more traffic in their website.

“To win Singapore’s first ever Effies Grand Prix vindicates my belief that great creativity leads to great brand awareness and sales,” said Farrokh Madon, executive creative director of McCann Erickson Singapore.

Gold awards also went to Zugi Travels “World on sale” campaign from Kinetic and Mindshare; Durex “Stretching Durex in new ways” campaign from Ogilvy and Zenith; Starhub “Geeks not freaks” from DDB and Zenith.

That night, DDB bagged the most awards with six, followed by Ogilvy with four. From a total of 80 entries across 35 categories, a total of 19 awards, including one Grand Prix, four Gold, seven Silver and seven Bronze awards were handed out.

Chief judge and Bates 141 regional planning director, Frederique Covington, remarked that the competition reflected the developments in technology and the current economic environement.

“There was a lot more innovative use of media among this year’s winners. So we saw more viral campaigns, more social media and digital work while public relations and events also became foundations for ideas. The quality of local insights in this year’s winners was also apparent as there was a real genuine attempt to understand the local Singaporean audience and to bring that across in the work.”

Online, SE Asian Teens Still Favor Traditional Brands For all their early-adopter veneer, the region’s teenagers are still very conventional, preferring brands their parents probably also liked years ago.

Habbo Singapore, the popular social network for teenagers, released global survey results of teenagers favorite brands for 2009. It reveals young Singaporeans favor Coca-Cola, Nike, Sony and McDonalds along with local brands such as SingTel, Channel 4, Silky Girl and Teenage Magazine. The research also indicated that leading sports brands were losing

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their appeal amongst teens both domestically and globally.

The 2009 Global Habbo Brands survey polled 112,000 respondents, aged 12 to 18 years, from more than 30 countries. Compared to teenagers in Southeast Asia, Singaporeans were more independent and less likely to be influenced by their friends’ choice of brands.

The research also revealed teens in Southeast Asia prefer brands that make them appear well off, when this trait was compared with the global average.

Teenagers across the globe also voted on which brands they felt were losing appeal with the responses as follows: Nike, adidas, Puma, Reebok andNokia Ken Lim, country manager of Habbo Singapore, explains, “These characteristics demonstrate that South East Asian teenagers are brand savvy and they like advertising. This generation has not only grown up within a digital playground, they are completely used to advertising as part of life and they like it.”

FAVORITE

BEVERAGE

FAST FOOD RESTAURANT

MOBILE PHONE

MOBILE PHONE OPERATOR

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

GAME CONSOLE

CLOTHING

SHOES

SPORTSWEAR

PERSONAL HYGIENE STYLING BRANDS

MAKE-UP BRANDS

SINGAPORE

COCA-COLA

MCDONALDS

SONY ERICSSON

SINGTEL

SONY

SONY

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

GATSBY

SILKY GIRL

MALAYSIA

COCA-COLA

MCDONALDS

NOKIA

MAXIS

SONY

SONY

ADIDAS

NIKE

NIKE

GATSBY

MAYBELLINE

PHILIPPINES

COCA-COLA

MCDONALDS

NOKIA

GLOBE

SONY

SONY

BENCH

NIKE

NIKE

GATSBY

AVON

GLOBAL

COCA-COLA

MCDONALDS

NOKIA

VODAFONE

SONY

SONY

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

NIVEA

MAYBELLINE

september-october '09

EXCLUSIVE

Saatchi’s Mad Men

W

hen Ace Saatchi & Saatchi celebrated its 60th year in the industry, regional executives, led by Ian Rowden, chairman and CEO for Asia Pacific, and Andy Greenaway, regional executive creative director for South East Asia, arrived in Manila.

While they held press conferences on the agency’s renewed drive for innovation, creativity, and Lovemarks (brands that command loyalty and love beyond reason from customers), they sat down with adobo to talk about their personal takes on client-agency relationships and the future of the business.

The client who came in from the cold

Ian Rowden Chairman & CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia-Pacific

adobo: Did we hear right? You were never an agency person before 2008?

Ian Rowden: Yeah, I’ve been a client all my life. I was head of the marketing for Coke in Australia, and been the head of Marketing for Coke in Southeast Asia. I was president for Coke in Hong Kong, Taiwan Korea and China, and I was the chief advertising officer in Coke Worldwide for six years in Atlanta. I was the CMO for the Callaway Golf Company, the CMO for Wendy’s International, the Tim Horton franchise in Canada, and the Baja Fresh franchise. adobo: What a huge career move. Why did you do it?

Rowden: Because I learned two things: One, the more senior I became, the more I moved away from that which I really love most about marketing—the advertising end of it. And that frustrated me. I love the concept of how you create strategy, and then create ideas that solve problems. And two, [Saatchi Worldwide CEO] Kevin Roberts and I have been friends for 20 years. Kevin offered me this job, so here I am. adobo: After you’ve been a client for so long, surely you had to make major adjustments.

Rowden: The biggest realization for me is what I can’t do as an advertising person: I cannot run accounts. I am not particularly productive if I sit opposite a client, because I forget that I am not the client.

It’s not easy to do after you’ve been a client for 30 years.

So I collaborate and contribute at a strategy level, but I don’t get involved in client business day to day. adobo: What advice can you give to clients who want to defect to agency side?

Rowden: You have to be brave. You have to come with a point of view that says “I’m prepared to let my knowledge as a client be challenged by a client.” Because that’s what you have to do in the service industry…I take my knowledge and use it to help transform the business that is advertising, because it can be a better business to people who’ve actually been on the other side of the fence. The desire to be there that takes a lot of energy. You know you gotta work hard on it. adobo: And to those clients who want to stay clients, what does this ex-client have to say?

Rowden: Listen. A lot of clients are not great listeners, because they like to give a point of view, give direction, form the basis of thinking, so on and so forth. So that’s one, listen.

Two, don’t ever abdicate the responsibility to your brands to an advertising agency. A lot of very poorly trained clients think that they can take their brand to an agency and have the agency be their brand guardian. That is an absolutely flawed philosophy. It’s most important for clients to ensure that they keep the intellectual capital, which is required to steward a brand, in their company.

So we [at Saatchi] never go to a client and say we’ll know more of your brand than you do; that’s bullshit. What we say is we don’t want to know more than your brand than you do, because you live it everyday. What we’ll know more about is the consumer who buys the stuff—that’s the value we’ll add. adobo: This year, your Manila office rebooted itself. Are your other offices reinventing themselves, too?

Saatchi & Saatchi has no interest in becoming a digital agency. It’s absolutely redundant. Why become digital?

To say you’re not traditional?

Rowden: There is so much preoccupation right now with agencies trying to reinvent themselves with Digital, because Digital is the thing that everybody wants to understand.

Saatchi & Saatchi has no interest in becoming a digital agency. It’s absolutely redundant. Why become digital? To say you’re not traditional?

Consumers don’t think like that. They don’t care. So we’re not going to become digital. We’re going to become sisomo—sight, sound, and motion—because the future will be about screens, of any type. Not about television, not about computers, not about cellphones. Screens, that’s the way people are going to live their life.

One of the critical outcomes is this idea called Community Marketing, because in the participation economy, you have to talk to people in the communities they live in, because they are on all social networks now.

You have to create stunning creativity that you can take and let go of, because it will go where consumers want to go. It may go on television. It may even go on radio or print. Most of the time, it goes on a very different way than we may never have expected it to go. That’s what Community Marketing allows, to help educate clients to get their sales and help us to create…so it’s a nice way of modeling out our Love Market.

What that does in this business is create a way for us to take our Lovemarks model and reframe it in this new value economy. We talk about things like priceless value, and what that means to consumers and our clients. It puts great emphasis on what we think, we know, we absolutely stand for, which is the idea of the undeniable power of creativity. september-october '09

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clutter and resonate with the consumer in digital channels. adobo: You say Saatchi isn’t looking to win many awards with this approach.

How are your creatives taking this?

Greenaway: There’s some resistance. At the same time, the key leaders have recognized that it’s a bit of an illusion. The awards, in some way, are rooted in the past and that’s dangerous for us as an industry.

If some kid came to me today with a book of five campaigns—all print—that all won Golds at Cannes, I wouldn’t hire that guy. adobo: Why not?

Greenaway: Print’s dead! It is a dying medium. You look at technology like Kindle; I wouldn’t be surprised if 10 years from now, all magazines and newspapers are delivered on Kindle. So what happens to the advertiser?

What happens to print advertising?

In countries like the UK, go to the Underground. There are no posters; they’re all digital screens. Print is going to go. I don’t care what anyone says, in ten years, screens are going to be really important.

Today if you want to become rich and famous, you won’t do it with print.

You do it by doing big, moving, inspiring ideas that are media-agnostic. The game’s changed.

So if we’re still winning awards for print ads in Cannes three years from now, we are doomed. As my head of Art said it, I don’t want to be a printosaurus.

We’ve got to change now. And I’m not just saying that on behalf of Saatchi & Saatchi; I’m saying that on behalf of the industry as well.

We’re so focused on scam ads, and let’s face it— most of the awards that Asia wins are on print.

Most of it, scam. So if we’re still winning awards on scam and print ads three years from now, we are dead in the water.

The man who refuses to be a printosaurus ANDY GREENAWAY Regional Chief Creative Officer Saatchi & Saatchi, SE Asia

adobo: We hear you’re pitching a new idea to clients, Community Marks. What is it?

Andy Greenaway: We call it Lovemarks Community Marketing.

The basics of the idea are very linked with Lovemarks. But it lives in new channels, especially where the youth live. It switches the mindset off broadcast, which our industry’s really addicted to, to an approach that’s all about attraction. You create something so attractive, so sticky and so magnetic that people come and get involved and share it with their people and their social networks.

It’s about creating access to clients, which are media vehicles owned by the client. Think

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about the Internet, the world’s first democratic media. No one owns it. If we attract 100 million people, that, as they say in old media, is pretty good circulation.

So forget smallness. It’s about bigness, about critical mass, and it’s about galvanizing people and actually inspiring them to join a movement, whatever that might be. That’s, in a nutshell, what Community Marketing is. adobo: Will this change the way Saatchi creates its campaigns?

Greenaway: Well, the stuff we’re doing is not volume-based; it’s quality-based. We’re gonna be doing fewer campaigns that are much bigger in scale, so we’re not looking for 50 awards. We’re looking for three, four or five big campaigns, which will stick in the minds of the consumers, and also in the minds of the colleagues in the industry.

Our industry has been battered over the last three years. In the Nineties, we definitely became a commodity. But with this kind of thinking, with this new media landscape that’s very sophisticated, complex, fragmented…I think we’ve found a way to break through the

adobo: And this, coming from the guy who made his book on print.

Greenaway: There will be a lot of young kids and students coming into the industry, saying, “Andy Greenaway, Neil French, David Guerrero, you made your names by winning a lot of awards on print.”

Yeah, we did. We lived in a time that was quite extraordinary, but that time is now gone.

Today if you want to become rich and famous, you won’t do it with print. You do it by doing big, moving, inspiring ideas that are media-agnostic.

The game’s changed. adobo: So how soon can we expect to see the new reinvigorated Saatchi?

Greenaway: When you change, there’s always a transition period. That’s what we’re going through now. So you won’t see Saatchi & Saatchi winning lots and lots of awards in Cannes and the Clios.

They are big momentous changes, and they take time. You’ve got to wait years to see the results. But we’re going through the pain now.

We’re cutting ourselves off from the past right now.

Saatchi has always been known as a first mover. We’ll be the trailblazers in this new space. But we can only do that by shedding our old skin. It’s got to go.

if it’s out there, it’s in here THE COMPLETE PICTURE OF OUT-OF–HOME COMMUNICATION, LATEST INSIGHTS AND NEXT OPPORTUNITIES.

Join us for the biggest and most important gathering for OOH advertising in the Asia Pacific region. It’s your opportunity to hear from influential speakers with international credentials as they come together to give you a rare insight into the total picture of OOH advertising, today and beyond.

Register now at:

www.oohmediaconvention.com

Asia Pacific

OUT-OF-HOME Media Convention

2009

N O V E M B E R

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Department of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano: Man-about-country

photograph by Rhonson Ng

EXCLUSIVE

Selling the Philippines

to Filipinos and the world

L

by Harry Mosquera

et’s admit it: the image of the Philippines and the Filipinos to the world at large leaves much to be desired.

The Filipino diaspora has provided many economies abroad with cheap labor, and the unintended consequence of “Filipino” being equated with “maid” or “servant.”

An unfettered and uncritical press with a penchant for sensationalism has given the impression of the Philippines as a democracy gone awry.

But don’t tell that to the Philippines’ dynamic Tourism Secretary, Joseph “Ace” Durano.

The Philippine tourism industry has undergone a renaissance of sorts under his watch. In 2004, the contribution of tourism to total GDP was two percent; three years later, it reached six percent. More impressively,

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about 10 percent of Filipinos nowadays are employed in tourism-related jobs.

In fact, experts in a recent Ateneo University Economic Forum predict tourism as one of the few industries in the country that will be doing well in 2009—despite the global recession. This optimism seems to be validated by first quarter indicators from airlines and other transport players that more and more tourists – both foreign and local—are travelling to, and around, the Philippines.

“I must say that our best asset and strongest selling point is our hospitality and warmth as a people,” he states. And, he points out, there is more to the Philippines that’s worth experiencing. “Our country is a natural destination for travellers the world over. We’re blessed with so much natural and cultural assets spread throughout more than 7,000 islands.”

And it helps that the Philippines and the Filipinos have the right spokesman in Ace Durano. His appointment in 2004 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the Department of Tourism was initially met with scepticism by local tourism industry insiders.

“There was a lot of resistance,” Ace recalls. Yet he worked his charm.

Slowly but surely, he restructured the department, and reached out to the private sector.

He soon found that the local tourism industry needed a common framework in order to grow. Ace reveals that forging a common agenda with the private sector by being more market-focused and market-driven has been a key factor to the revival of the tourism industry.

He identifies major markets for Philippine tourism to include North America, North Asia, Europe, India, and the Asia Pacific. The biggest

Our country’s image and performance record are built on years of good relationships, credibility and integrity.

Moreover, the Philippines is desirable and favorable for tourism investments volume of tourist traffic comes from Korea, the United States and Japan. Surprisingly, the fastest-growing markets include the Russian Federation, France, Norway and India.

Ace attests that selling the Philippines as a tourism destination is no easy task.

“Building one’s image… cannot be done overnight, just like a person’s reputation,” he reasons. “Our country’s image and performance record are built on years of good relationships, credibility and integrity. Moreover, the Philippines is desirable and favorable for tourism investments… not just an appealing tourist destination.”

“Our marketing strategy differs for each market,” Ace explains. “Highly positive and favorable results have proven that niche marketing is very effective. We have specific messages that appeal to each market.”

“We use various marketing tools and strategies to promote Philippine tourism,” he clarifies further. “We’re into partnerships with the largest travel agencies and tour operators in source markets for tie-ups, promotional activities and packages. We’ve maintained and renewed agreements with airline carriers for direct and charter flights, increasing frequencies and seat capacities.”

“We engage the cooperation and support of producers of prominent television shows to use our country for location shoots,” he adds. “We also utilize below-the-line marketing initiatives.

We’ve retained the services of local marketing agencies and continue to participate in international travel trade fairs and exhibitions and organize the same in our country… Our initiatives also include online marketing activities and familiarization tours.”

An innovative effort greenlighted by Ace is the Travel Café Philippines (TCP) hubs in various markets. Inspired perhaps by the pervasive presence of Starbucks outlets, TCP is a travelthemed lifestyle café that presents a unique and

creative alternative in marketing the Philippines abroad and establishing a strong global “brand” for Philippine Tourism.

It’s a pioneering “branding initiative” which hopes to bring tourism promotions to the next level, by establishing a permanent Philippine presence in high visibility locations that are directly accessible to prospective tourists in the DOT’s target markets.

As a destination and experiential coffee shop, Travel Café features a “travel shop” providing travel information on the Philippines, and serves as a convenient facility for onsite travel bookings to the country. It also offers a food menu reflective of traditional Filipino cuisine, while the beverage menu exclusively promotes organic Fair Trade Philippine coffee as its “core beverage.”

During the first quarter of the year, tourist arrivals grew more than 10 percent for a total of 1.3 million visitors. Cebu, Boracay, Davao City, Camarines Sur, Zambales and Bohol are currently the prime attractions.

Interestingly, Filipinos are re-discovering their own country. Whether this is due to increased nationalistic fervor, or simply a response to the global recession, the volume of domestic tourists visiting key destinations grew by 13 percent in the first quarter.

Local visitors mostly flocked to Camarines Sur for wakeboarding; Surigao del Sur and Sorsogon (Donsol) for whale shark interaction; Zambales (Subic) for recreation; and Ilocos Norte and La Union for sightseeing and beach holidays.

Once again, tourism has become a national development model, as championed by former First Lady Imelda Marcos. The recently-signed Tourism Act has institutionalized much of the initiatives started by the DOT under Ace, but much still needs to be done.

“The growing demand for our destinations requires the expansion of physical

infrastructure in and around these destinations to accommodate the demand and ensure sustainability,” he says.

Physical infrastructure includes better airports, road networks, hotels and resorts, as well as environment-friendly infrastructure, like water treatment facilities, sewerage, drainage and water distribution systems.

Yet these very infrastructure limitations, created by a dynamic and growing market demand, have become business opportunities attracting investments worth billions of pesos – good news for the Philippine economy. Since 2005, more than P200-B worth of investments in the accommodation sector has been endorsed by the DOT for tax incentives.

The other limitation is social in nature.

In more developed destinations, like Boracay and Baguio, the challenge is sustainable growth. This requires the engagement of LGU’s to formulate and enforce regulations placing greater emphasis on environmental conservation, protection and restoration.

Ace is particularly proud of the contribution of tourism to the overall Philippine economy. He projects 11 million in tourist volume this year, a nine-percent increase from 2008.

“This is the primary reason why various destinations and tourism–related businesses in the country continue to expand,” he claims.

“We’re blessed to be in a very advantageous location,” he goes on. “We’re within a few hours of the fastest growing source markets in the world like Korea, China and India. For vacation destinations and areas for potential investments, we’re in the heart of tourism activities.”

“Looking at where these markets are going, and the capacity development in this country, we see the tourism sector in the Philippines as a major growth sector for the next 20-25 years,” he predicts. “With a strong presence and robust performance in key global markets coupled with a vibrant domestic travel market, the continuous growth of the tourism sector is on very solid foundation.”

september-october '09

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adobocenterfold

globalroundup WPP profits down by half

London - Pretax profit of WPP went down by 47 percent to £252.2 million ($360.1 million) in the first half of 2009, according to the 2009 interim results released by the network.

Their operating profit fell by 24.5 percent to £342.2 million ($488.7 million); its gross margin slipped by 7.8 percent, or 9.6 percent when redundancy costs are taken out; like-forlike revenue down by 8.3 percent overall, 5.8 percent in the first quarter and 10.8 percent in the second quarter.

As stated, the results reflect the impact of the global recession, with the financial crunch intensified during the second quarter.

AME Awards now open for entries

New York - The AME Awards for Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness opens entries for 2010. Discount deadline is on September 28, 2009 and Final Deadline is on November 15, 2009.

In 2010, AME will now award winners both regionally and internationally. To allow equal, valid evaluation, entries will undergo panel judging by a jury with a clear understanding of the regional markets. All Gold winners will be judged by the entire Grand Jury in all five regions. Also making their debut are the Platinum Award for the best campaign from each region, and the International Grand AME for the best of best across the globe.

Visit www.ameawards.com.

Golden Drum Awards announce new categories

Portoroz - There’s about 270 trophies, and more than 200 finalists’ diplomas to be given out in the European Festival Golden Drum Awards on October 4 to 9, 2009 in Portoroz, Slovenia.

Add to that, the competition has opened new categories for PR campaigns, Films, Design & Art Direction.

Also this year, Golden Drum presents The Best Act Award to outstanding ideas that are capable of changing the way people, think, and behave. This is the only award decided by a jury composed of clients—marketing and brand managers of major international companies.

For full details, visit goldendrum.com

FERNANDO VEGA OLMOS

LOVES A GOOD CRISIS Fernando Vega Olmos, widely regarded as Argentina’s most revered creative, charmed a full-capacity crowd at the Palais de Festival in Cannes with his “optimista” attitude on the dreaded economic crisis. His session, entitled “Mother Crisis”, embraced the good that crisis brings to the world.

“Everybody is talking about crisis. A crisis is a kind of blessing. It is a privilege to have a crisis,” Fernando said in his heavy Spanish accent.

From a country that had a record of five presidents in five months, he jested that in his part of the world, they boast about who was worse off. The economic crisis was a consequence of what they did in the period of wealth and wellness where “we behave like idiots.”

“Change things”, he prodded an amused crowd.

“Don’t let this crises take over. Change your husband, wife, lover, friends, job! Don’t be scared to lose your job. It’s fantastic!” he said to spontaneous applause.

Kit Kat Mail

Tony Gulisano and Wayne Youkhana join LIA

London - London International Awards announced that they have signed on the services of Tony Gulisano and Wayne Youkhana, both former executives of the Clio Awards.

Tony and Wayne have a combined total of over 40 years experience and are considered to be two of the most respected individuals across the landscape of international award shows.

Beginning this year and in preparation for LIA’s 25th Anniversary in 2010, the two will be responsible for the jury selection, jury process, and strategic direction of the awards program.

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Fernando advocated Einstein’s quote on crisis, ”Let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress. Creativity is born from anguish.”

He urged everyone to look beyond the numbers.

In a negative growth period from 1999 to 2002, Apple invested in research and

development and created the revolutionary way of listening to music, the iPod, a product born out of crisis.

Steve Jobs left and founded Pixar and changed animation and cinema forever.

“Genius!” Fernando remarked.

He cited Japan as “an island of nothing and produced everything” and showed how Nestlé Japan teamed with the post office to reinvent

point-of-sale through its Kit Kat campaign.

In Japan, Kit Kat is read Kitsu Katsu, which means “surely win”. Actual Kit Kat bars with the message of good fortune are displayed in 20,000 post offices during exam season, and hundreds of thousands are mailed out to students, friends and family.

This case study won this year’s Cannes Media Lion Grand Prix.

To further his point, Fernando narrated the JWT Puerto Rico’s Sony BMG “Phone Star” singing competition; the Nokia N96 Bruce Lee viral campaign (a million viewers within 24 hours!); a wacky summer TV campaign for an ice cream brand; the Band Aid campaign from Brazil which generated 4 millions donors, reach 26 million and made it cool to wear a band-aid.

The final words from a man who loves crisis and truly believes that it has a pivotal role in genius: “Don’t let this crises end without making a real transformation.”

Fernando is JWT creative chairman of Continental Europe and Latam and was former Chairman of Lowe Latina. He is the creator of some of the best work for Unilever Axe, Rexona and Impulse in his agency, Vega Olmos Ponce, and has won Lions in Cannes almost every year.

Dressed to Kick in Cannes

CAROL LAM

The dawn

of the new Princess

JUREEPORN THAIDUMRONG

Funny is in short supply in the Land of Smiles

I still believe in my country. We have a geographical advantage. We are committed to the goal of true democracy, and have the world’s most loved monarch in our hearts.

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Jureeporn Thaidumrong gave insight to the recent changes in Thailand’s mood at the Dentsu Asian Diversity Seminar in Cannes.

Her country’s queen of advertising creativity, Jureeporn or Judee, led Thailand to creative heights by winning its first gold Lions in the late 90’s for a Tabasco print ad while working in Results Bangkok. More recently and famously, she raised the bar again for the groundbreaking “Smooth E” TV campaign from her agency JEH United.

Thai advertising is universally popular at awards shows and is one of the strongest Lions winners in Asia, because of its people’s “mai pehn rai” approach to life.

“Some of you have an idea about us (Thais) from our advertising work, which is usually funny and aims to make you laugh. As a people, we never take life too seriously.”

Lately, Thailand’s fare complexion has changed, because of the recession and internal political problems. Its exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin has divided the country, bringing violence to an otherwise peaceful nation.

She quoted Norman Jureeporn Douglas who once said, “You can Thaidumrong tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.”

Judee observed the spirit of survival in Thai entrepreneurs, who view the recession as a great opportunity, especially for local brands in its highly competitive markets. Political problems, and not economic ones, have the most impact on Thailand –“from marketing, branding, advertising,

“There’s a new breed of women in China, and they have brought feminism to a whole other dimension in modern China.”

So says Carol Lam, executive creative director of TBWA/China in the recently concluded Cannes Lion Festival.

She shared her insights on the phenomenon that has invaded Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and now, because of the regional leadlag effect that is slowly trickling into Chinese society. It’s called the Princess Syndrome, wherein the “patient” fantasizes that she is living the life of a princess in a fairy tale. They are city-born girls who have a high self-image, gives off a sweet, innocent, fragile countenance and expect everyone, especially men to spoil them and treat them like, well, a princess.

Lam relates this syndrome to the fact that women are becoming a “scarce resource” in China, with the male to female ratio of “marriageable age” in Shanghai down to 1.5:1. And since women are becoming rare, so to speak, they are becoming the most influential group in consumer markets, not just in terms of products for women, but even having a strong influence in male

consumption when it comes to grooming, apparel and other things related to women.

“It’s never my intention to stereotype city ladies in China.

And the princesses are still a small group compared to the huge population in China,” explains Lam. However, due to the wide popularity of The Princess Syndrome in Social Networking Sites (SNS), it is difficult to ignore this trend, especially in the advertising industry. And while the Princesses are being criticized for their materialistic and narcissistic behavior, future trends in consumerism can be decoded by taking a closer look into the syndrome.

The Carol Lam Princess Syndrome is a sort of different take on feminism.

Whereas Western feminism celebrates independent, career-driven women, here it’s okay to give in to the urge to be spoilt by men

and to celebrate materialism and willfulness. Maybe that’s why only a few marketers in China are willing to tap into this small but rising segment of the market.

But Lam believes that leveraging on this new form of feminism in communications will help advertisers better understand

While the Princesses are criticized for their materialistic and narcissistic behavior, future trends in consumerism can be decoded by taking a closer look into the syndrome. the power that they will have in the future. And female creative professionals, or those who are in touch with their feminine side, have a distinct advantage over their counterparts in exploring The Princess Syndrome.

“After all, it take a princess to talk to a princess,” Lam closes.

and communication to culture and even notions of gender.”

Thai women, known for being so gentle and sweet, have grown more outspoken. One woman even posted a video, “Kill Thaksin”, on YouTube and has became a national sensation.

With tourist arrivals down by 50 percent (at one point, the Four Seasons had only four guests), TV campaigns promoting local tourism is getting heavy airtime. Replacing trademark humor and wacky advertising are those with a more somber message on national unity, regardless of the product they want to sell.

Judee expressed her nationalist pride and confidence in what is truly a magical country, “I still believe in my country. We have a geographical advantage. We have great food, great culture, great religion, beautiful mountains and pristine beaches.

We are committed to the goal of true democracy, and have the world’s most loved monarch in our hearts.”

“Like the other 66 million people in Thailand, I know that everything will be fine. Remember, if you want to see more funny TVCs at Cannes next year, please visit Thailand” september-october '09

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EVENTS CALENDAR The PR Student Congress 2009 University of Sto. Tomas September 5-6, 2009 Tel: + 63 2 638 0010 www.prsp.ph

Asia Pacific OOH Media Convention 2009 November 5-6, 2009 Macau,China Tel: +65 6344 0051 www.oohmediaconvention.com

The 2009 Araw Awards Final Entry Deadline: Friday, September 18, 2009 at 6PM www. arawawards.com

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Spikes Asia 1st Asian Advertising Festival September 16-19, 2009 Singapore www.spikes.asia

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London International Advertising Awards Awards Night : November 16, 2009 Troxy, London www.liaawards.com

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21st Philippine Advertising Congress Perspectives: Ano sa Tingin Mo? November 18-21, 2009 CAP Convention Center, Camp John Hay Baguio City www.adcon.com.ph

Asian Federation of Advertising Associations Ad Asia 09— Redefining the Future Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Malaysia October 22-24, 2009 www.adasia09.com

K apisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas 35thTop Level Management Conference Golden Dove Awards Presentation November 2009 www.kbp.org.ph

Asia Pacific PR Awards October 2009 Hong Kong Tel: +852 3175 1912

Media Agency of the Year 2009 December 10, 2009 Singapore Tel: +65 6579 0538

september-october '09

EXCLUSIVE

STEFAN SAGMEISTER TAKES OFF

by Cynthia S. Dayco

It’s never too late to take a gap year. And if you’re the one of the world’s most revered graphic designers alive, you can never have too many either.

Stefan Sagmeister—he of the Talking Heads and Lou Reed album covers; he of the sensational slasher AIGA poster, and he of whimsical lists and happy/angry designs—is sitting in a Greenbelt café. Alternating between a crème-brulee coffee cooler, coffee jelly a la mode and a lit cigar, Stefan explains his commitment to gap years.

He poo-poohs the convention of slaving away for 40 years and of spending the remaining 15 years in peaceful oblivion. Instead, he chooses to respond to his seven-year itch. So for every seven years of hard work, he closes his studio in New York and takes off for a year of creative and spiritual rejuvenation—to enrich his next seven years of work.

This time, that meant living exactly 365 days in Bali. Not a day more, not a day less. He’s unapologetically anal that way, having been born five miles from the German border, in the Austrian Alps.

Perhaps his Austrian upbringing also explains why he started working the day he moved into the gorgeous Sayan Valley.

The main problem is that the agency often acts as a middleman and leaves designers out of the crucial moments: the briefing and the presentation to the top clients.

A YEAR OF HAPPINESS

This is a man who puts a high premium on happiness, and what makes him happiest is to live and to create in his own time and on his own terms.

“The choice of Bali turned out to be the absolute perfect one,” says Stefan. “The possibility of being able to be in a country that has very friendly people, an unbelievably alive craft scene, a rich historic, religious and ceremonial culture that is almost completely untouched by tourism.”

Living in Bali meant waking up at five in the morning, sitting on a couch overlooking the valley, and watching the sun rise. The island also introduced him to meditation. It helped him to regain serenity and bring his conscious and unconscious together. The benefits went beyond health; it made his mind more receptive to colors, shapes, textures, and of course, ideas.

Many innovators feel the same way about life on the island. So Stefan found himself in the company of John Harvey of the Green School (Asia’s first self-sustained, eco-friendly campus), designer-environmentalist Linda Garland, Damien Hirst of Young British Artists group, as

well as physicists, authors and an “unrelenting sequence of great thinkers.”

Of course, there are the “unbelievably sophisticated” craftspeople. The purity of their woodcarving, stonemasonry, silversmithing and the ceremonial culture proved inspirational.

“In Bali, there’s a completely different mindset [among the locals],” Stefan explains.

“They’re willing and happy to try out whatever you bring. Some of it works, and some of it doesn’t. But it’s great fun.”

He’s referring to his great Balinese experiment, the one area of design he had never considered, much less dabbled in. He’s talking furniture.

“While I was gone, my studio [in New York] was renovated. I didn’t like the furniture my architect suggested, and the ones I liked I couldn’t afford.”

Somehow the idea that this famous graphic designer not being able to afford furniture seems preposterous. But who knows? Maybe he just needed an excuse to make his own.

“It was a whole lot of fun. I had no idea about materials. Even the most basic rules: sitting height, angles, all that stuff had to be learned. And I made a few pieces that were weird.”

Given that this is Stefan Sagmeister talking, “weird” is relative.

Among his furniture prototypes are a modernist metal lounger that he calls “paper chair”; a compass coffee table, which comes with matching magnetic coasters; an armchair with built-in guard dogs, and a traditional rattan peacock throne, except this one is covered with signature Sagmeister typography.

Most whimsical of all is his walking floor lamp. Borne by wind-up puppy toys, its journey is limited only by the length of one’s extension cord.

I HATE VISUAL POLLUTION

Only the practicalities of earning a living keep him from relocating to the island permanently. Nevertheless, he now considers Bali his second home, and he has very strong opinions about how it should be protected, especially against “outrageous, shithead banners all over this gorgeous landscape.”

“It’s terrible. It’s visual pollution. It’s amazing to me how little talk there is about it,” he complains. “It hangs absolutely everywhere and looks awful and disgusting.”

“I don’t see a big difference between polluting by smoke, by making the water dirty or seriously hurting the environment…and all the shit banners that came with the advent of being able to cheaply print on vinyl.”

Of course, this is the visual scourge of many Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, the Philippines or wherever the outdoor advertising industry is unregulated. What they need, according to Stefan, is a very sincere, smart regulation of outdoor advertising. More than that any regulation needs the involvement of

1992: “Who’s the asshole who designed this poster?”

people from the industry who can design and plan the outdoor media spaces.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

If he wanted to, Stefan could easily reach out and state his case to the advertising community. He has the ear of the advertising executives around the world, because once, they counted him as one of their own.

This was way back in 1991, when he moved to Hong Kong to join Leo Burnett.

“They asked if I would be interested in being a typographer, “ he said in an interview with Peter Hall. “So I made up a high number and said I would do it for that.”

When he designed a poster for the 1992 4As advertising awards ceremony, Stefan used a traditional Cantonese image but gave it his twist: four naked male posteriors. Some ad agencies boycotted the awards and the newspapers received numerous letters of complaint.

Most creative complaint: “Who’s the asshole who designed this poster?”

By 1993, he grew weary of Hong Kong and agency life. He would never ever work in an advertising agency again.

To adobo, Stefan said, “I found that there is something in the nature of an advertising agency—maybe having 100 creatives under one roof—that doesn’t bring out the best in people.” september-october '09

75

“When you meet [ad agency people], they are perfectly nice people. But the system—too much money, too many people on the job, too slow decision-making, too little thinking, too much execution, too many meetings—result in a system where too few people are actually happy.”

IT’S NOT ABOUT IDEAS

Like many former agency folk, Stefan has a jaded view of Advertising. From where he sits, most of it just doesn’t work. Either the ads are creative but ineffective, or effective but dull. As for the admen’s new catchphrase —“It’s all about the idea”—he finds it ironic, especially with the advent of online advertising.

He holds up Google as the perfect example.

“Now that so much of advertising has become accountable, it turns out that an advertising that has no idea, that has no visual—and the only advantage is it's in front of the person who wants to buy it—is the most successful advertising.

“Google is the world’s largest advertising generator. Bigger than any TV network, any film company, agency network, yet I still hear advertising executives say ‘It’s all about the idea.’

It’s a mystery to me!”

When asked if true collaboration between advertising and design is possible, for moment, he is lost in thought.

“The really good ad agencies in the US have prominent designers on board.” He recalls John Jay and Todd Waterbury of Wieden + Kennedy.

He also cites Fallon/Duffy as one example of high-profile agency and a high-profile design group that have a good fit. If both sides are on equal footing, a good partnership was possible.

“But [for a designer] to be hired as an outside source…. I can’t quite see it.”

Truly innovative work is only possible if the designer is directly assessing the

problem and selling the solution. He thinks the main problem is that the agency often acts as a middleman and leaves designers out of the crucial moments: the briefing and the presentation to the top clients.

“There are so many little mistakes that you can make if you aren’t there in person.”

Stefan’s wariness also stems from a personal observation that historically, admen have taken too much credit for the success of what essentially is a great product.

After doing some digging, he claims Apple and Volkswagen, in particular, flew on a lot less advertising than people thought. The products were just so good that they sold themselves, good campaign or not.

“Google and Starbucks also are doing well on the strength of their own products,” he adds. “It’s only when consumers can’t tell the difference between brands, like beer and vodka, that advertising and packaging makes all the difference.”

As Yves Behar, the famous designer from San Francisco, put it: “Advertising is the price companies pay for being unoriginal.”

THE CHARMER

When he appears at the Graphika Manila 09 the next day, Stefan the purist appears subdued.

In its place is the easy, laid-back star of graphic design. He is gracious, jolly and as refreshing as a tall drink of water.

Stefan is nothing if not a cool master of self-promotion. Anyone who has seen his 18 minutes on TED.com knows that his wildly popular speaking engagements all revolve around his life philosophy, his personal epiphanies, and his passions.

He shows off some of his more recent work.

No longer as sexual and sinister as the work

from his younger years, his designs are still simple, powerful, unique, and, as someone put it, “stunningly appropriate.”

Of course, the audience eats it all up.

After all, he is everything they want to be— brilliant, famous, successful, independent, articulate, uncompromising, yet selfdeprecating.

He ends his speech with his self-penned “Complainy Song”. Singing to the tune of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, he coaxes everyone to stand up and carol: All my clients drive me crazy Never show no guts at all For the peanuts that they pay me They get logos ten feet tall Wants to see three new directions For tomorrow’s drop deadline Picks the worst and mixes sections We end up with Frankenstein All my clients drive me crazy Never show no guts at all For the peanuts that they pay me They get logos ten feet tall Stefan always shows the same stuff Seen it all on TED.com New York clients are not that tough He should work where I from All my clients drive me crazy Never show no guts at all For the peanuts that they pay me They get logos ten feet tall The moment he takes his bow, his fans are all over him. Stefan isn’t just a star; he’s a rock star.

Not only do the compasses work, it comes with matching magnetic coasters.

The best seat for watching a Balinese sunrise

2008: Made 250,000 euro coins, this installation was meant to tempt passersby into petty theft. The police would have none of that and scooped it up the next day.

digitalscape Microsoft sells Razorfish to Publicis Groupe

London – Microsoft has sold digital agency Razorfish to Publicis Groupe, the world’s third largest digital communication group.

The deal amounts to US$530 million. With the acquisition, Publicis intends to boost its position in the digital arena.

Razorfish, which Microsoft acquired in 2007, designed the search engine Bing and is the acknowledged brains behind Bing’s online advertising campaign. The UK Financial Times estimates the Seattle-based Razorfish and its 2000 employees at $700 Million. The digital company’s clientele includes Audi, Coca-cola, Disney and Kraft.

XM Asia named Online Agency of the Year

Singapore - XM Asia, a JWT company, won Online Agency of the Year and Web Design Agency of the Year at the prestigious Marketing Agency of the Year Award Show.

They also won silver for Email Marketing and finalist for Search Marketing.

XM delivers a full range of proven digital marketing and technology consulting services. Some of its clients include Singapore Tourism Board, Mastercard and HP. Marketing’s Agency of the Year Awards show is based on an in depth survey sent to both clients and agencies around the region.

Digital ad revenue in China up by 37%

Beijing - A recent study by CR-Nielsen showed that China’s digital advertising campaigns reached a revenue of US$223.9 million in July 2009, nearly 37 percent yearon-year boost.

Increased online spend came from advertisers in retail, entertainment and personals. While industries such as fashion, electronics and real estate registered low online spend.

Although figures showed an increase year-on-year, there is a 6.4 percent drop in revenue compared to June.

Yahoo wants a more personal experience

Global - Yahoo is currently developing new features to provide a more personalized experience to users. “Internet search results” is being tested to understand particular searches based on previous ones. Search enhancing tools such as “Search Assist” and “Search pad” are also in the works.

Even with its deal with Microsoft last July, Yahoo will continue developing its search interface to appeal to more users.

These improvements on Yahoo’s search engine capacity are aimed towards an increased market share against top rival Google and newbie Microsoft’s Bing.

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Friendster extends their massive virtual space to on ground activation by Iggy Javellana The Philippines is arguably the social networking hub of the world. Based on Universal McCann’s Wave 3 Study on Social Media, the Philippines has practically been number one in consuming online videos, sharing photos, blogging and even social networking. And these numbers are backed by the usage of these sites, as documented by Alexa.com, where YouTube, Friendster and Facebook are at the top.

Today, Friendster has 8.2 billion pageviews, 40 million registrations and over 14 million active users per month…that’s just from the Philippines!

Friendster was the catalyst that catapulted the Philippines into the social networking map in 2003 and remains the leader of social media activity in the country. Regardless of the other players today (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk and Multiply), Friendster is still at the top. Today, Friendster has 8.2 billion pageviews, 40 million registrations and over 14 million active users per month…that’s just from the Philippines!

Last month, according to Narciso “Nars” Reyes, country sales manager for Friendster, they were able to drive immense traffic to two client websites—one was the Ako Mismo advocacy site, while the other was the recent concert of Nine Inch Nails. The volume of traffic they drove to those sites was so huge that they actually crashed their client’s servers.

That’s how huge the traffic push was!

Pinoy Friendster Day

Last August 15, Friendster held the first ever Pinoy Friendster Day at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Hall. Two weeks before the actual event, they already had more than 8,000 confirmed attendees while the Fan Profile had already reached more than 50,000 fans.

When the event started, the venue with a capacity of 4,000 was more than full, with still hundreds of onlookers surrounding the hall and the different partner booths having long lines of their own.

In the end, much more than the anticipated number of guests would fill up the 8-hour gathering. By the time the final acts were playing (Rico Blanco capped the event with a lengthy set), the MOA Concert Hall was still full.

that ad actually stayed and interacted with it, providing more than the necessary metrics crucial to any advertiser. They not only saw your ad, but they actually experienced it.

What Friendster did on those campaigns and on Pinoy Friendster Day was proof of the pudding. Given the right push, their website can guarantee the numbers. Online and offline, Friendster has been able to drive the needed traffic.

Social Networking Equals Unparalleled Engagement

Through-the-Line Advertising

Nars also informed me of the success of their on ground partnerships. Take for example, the recent Ako Mismo Dog Tag Day at the Fort—more than half of the attendees were referrals of Friendster’s efforts, a feat that not many websites can boast. For online, when they put together their Video Wall campaign for Clean & Clear, they were able to achieve more than ten times the CTR (Click Through Rate) or traffic referral.

But what really made waves was the fact that their Clean & Clear campaign pulled off an amazing 70-percent engagement, meaning 70 percent of people who saw

However, I must drive this very important point: online is not meant to replace all of your marketing efforts. Instead, it is meant to compliment and integrate your campaign. That’s why we call online marketing “through-the-line advertising”— it ties together your above and below-the-line efforts.

To neglect the online space would be a waste. With numbers such as these, online marketing (in particular, utilizing social media such as Friendster) becomes a very effective tool for delivering results and achieving astounding engagement metrics.

See you online!

Cyber Lions Report

And then God created the virtual world

by Meera Chandra, Cyber Lion juror

When you are staring at 2500 entries—and more importantly trying not to stare out of the window at the beaches beckoning outside— reality dawns. Coming to Cannes is not a vacation. It’s a pilgrimage.

Here, you embark on a journey of discovery that never ends even when you return. Here, you find faith in you profession, your skill and your fellow craftsmen. Here, you worship true creativity, thank your muse and realise God is in the details.

Why So Serious?

We were a great bunch of digital natives from all over the world but I think in the midst of all the banter and the bonhomie, we found religion. When work inspired us, we all bowed down with appreciation. But when work was not up to scratch, we stood unwavering and resolute.

The cyber jury handed out all three Grand Prix awards for the category. Something we are very proud of and something we are sure is testament to the quality of the entries. We had our fair share of laughs over funny virals but this year was a storehouse of emotional content.

Touching renditions, highly engaging pieces, evocative messages…this was the year feelings were back in fashion. (The Bernados campaign needs a special mention here.)

Happily, for those of us who were from the copywriting side of the business, words in the digital space worked as powerfully as the visuals. If one wondered if the virtual world could do without scribes, the writing was on the wall. (Try interacting with the Pringles banner!)

And yes, if brands and agencies still questioned the power of cyber communication in the overall marketing mix, there couldn’t be better proof that without the digital piece, there

if brands and agencies still questioned the power of cyber communication in the overall marketing mix, there couldn’t be better proof that without the digital piece, there would be no campaign.

would be no campaign. ('Why So Serious" and "Best Job in the World", Tourism Queensland being just two emphatic examples.…)

Some categories lived up to their usual levels of sophistication and class, providing experiences that surprised and startled.

Automotive, for one. Telecom for another. Some shed their inhibitions and changed perceptions of their category. Banks, for instance. (Axion youth banking banners made sweet music here!) Some didn’t live up to their true potential.

FMCG disappointed.

However, concern for the planet played a huge role—and many tiptoed instead of leaving a big carbon footprint. (One such stride in the right direction was Fiat’s eco:Drive.) Clearly while we operate in virtual space, we remain in touch with reality.

As we did seven days of judging on-thetrot, with work going on into the wee hours of the night, we found ourselves exulting every time we found a piece that raised the bar. We forgot the yacht parties cheerfully; we gave up the sun, sand and surf gladly and just stared in wonder at the generous display of creativity.

Yes, there is a God. And he even created the virtual world.

Meera Sharath Chandra is managing director, Syzygy UK and has been on the juries of One Show, Clio, Art Directors Club, New York Fest and IAC Web Awards. She was on the Cannes cyber jury this year. september-october '09

79

The Sounds of Digitrax

special advertisement

The subtle ticking of an alarm clock in the bedroom, the crackle of popcorn inside the microwave or the gentle ripple of water as the soft thud of a pebble bounces spells the difference between reality and make-believe. This is sound engineering, and it’s high time that we knew Digitrax, a one-stop shop that keeps music and sounds alive CHRIS DAEZ Business Development Officer Senior Sound Engineer

Stepping her heels into the world of sound engineering was no easy feat but when asked about pressures at work, she quips “Challenge?

Hmmm…I forget.

Things happen, things come and go. I guess you just grow in it without even noticing.” From working as a DJ in their own record bar when she was just five to becoming a trainee sound engineer after college (although the requirement clearly stated male), she made sure that she was at par with male contenders in the business.

She admits it’s her job’s business side that doesn’t make it all play. “But the job is creating something from nothing. Imagine the feeling all the time!” she says as if sound engineering is that easy.

EDWIN ELORIAGA Studio Technical Manager

“The one thing I have learned in this business is that both creativity and

technology are something you continuously nurture,” he says, after having worked for 18 years as a sound engineer.

“You can’t just have one or the other to be on top of your game. You should be appreciative and open to all sorts of ideas because it is diversity that keeps this industry going.”

From the kind of movies he watches, he integrates what he hears and views into creating the necessary sound effects into commercials, for example.

His life as a sound engineer started within the confines of the family’s radio shop, as he loved to tinker, repair and put together equipment—most of the time even without the guide of a manual. Eventually, this paved the way for music, and all kinds of technical workings.

IAN UMALI Senior Sound Engineer • Muscial Arranger

“Sound engineering poses a few challenges such as delivering what clients want; but more than that, it’s about the quality of your work and how your clients appreciate it that count in the end.”

Initially the guitar player for the band P.O.T, he decided to venture into other fields since he realized being a musician, in general, wouldn’t cut it once he wanted to start a family. He took a

course in IT and left for Singapore to try the job market, but ended up taking a course in audio engineering instead.

Freelance work gave an introduction to the way the industry worked, and being a performer helped to be effective working “behind the scenes” in productions. Playing for bands like Indio I and Wunjo, had to take a back seat to work at Digitrax. Although interest for playing live has waned, his passion for sound engineering still remains solid as ever.

ALLEN UMALI Sound Engineer • Musical Arranger

A bass player whose foray into freelance videography and motion graphics quickly transcended into his voyage into the art of sound design, and the science of sound engineering, he always approaches things with the curiosity of a cat. He adds foley artistry to his list of curiosities, employing anything from vegetables to his own back to recreate the proper sound effect.

To him, his job description is “establishing sonic harmony within layers of sound,” and welcomes the challenges of achieving this amid fast deadlines and finicky clients.

Music inspires him, and is often the guide to his work. A stickler to good comedy, he likes to incorporate a good sense of humor in anything he sets out to do.

“I am constantly looking for new and inventive ways to convey tried and tested concepts,” he says.

Photo: Raffy Diaz / Direction: Pong Pagsisihan, Allen Umali / Styling: Lesley T. Dimson / Hair & make-up: Sheila Gaba Gay Santos / Accessories by: Bonsai Fojas (http://nooninoos.multiply.com) Concept by: Chris D.

www.digitraxph.com

mediascape Manila - As reported in Philippine Star, Eugenio Lopez III, chairman of ABS-CBN, denied issues that the TV network is for sale.

He further said that ABS-CBN would no be sold in his lifetime.

Due to the close business relation of telecommunications giant PLDT and Lopezowned Meralco, and with the former eyeing at the Media business, rumors spread that a negotiation between the two companies is in the works.

PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan also reiterated that there are no ongoing discussions for any possible stake at ABS-CBN.

Words in motion and other transit ideas

reported by Lalissa Singson pictures downloaded from the Facebook account of Berso Sa Metro

Broadcast giant not for sale

Philippines instrumental to AXN and ANIMAX Q2 growth

Singapore - Sustaining growth after positive Q1 viewership records, SPE Networks–Asia (SPENA) glows in its Q2 figures with spikes in viewership for its two landmark channels across Asia. Most significantly, the Philippines contributes to its overall growth, making it one of the most important and influential markets of AXN and ANIMAX. Philippine viewership jumped 69% in Q2 for AXN, while ABC1 viewership scored a whopping 102% increase due to successful strategic marketing to target audience of the upscale and affluent. [Source: AGB NMR Philippines] For ANIMAX, Asia’s pioneer anime channel, its target audience of youth viewers aged 16-24, registered a 22% viewership increase for full day, and 29% for primetime slots.

Video ads debuts in Entertainment Weekly

New York - Harry Potter’s The Daily Prophet comes to life. Video ads debut within the pages of special edition copies of US celebrity magazine Entertainment Weekly in September. Availability is only in New York and Los Angeles, presumably where the magazines will sell well despite the expected added cost.

Americhip, the developer of video-inprint has produced slim-line screens not that different from a mobile phone display.

The in-mag video is on LCD and holds ads up to 40-minutes of video.

The technology is not that new, however.

Remember singing greeting cards that activated when the card is opened? Americhip has also created magazine technology that appeals to various senses, including smell.

Mobile TV use on the rise

London - Mobile TV is expected to get bigger, as more and more people turn to their handsets for entertainment on the go.

As reported in BBC News, a study conducted by In-Stat and Californian chip maker Telegent Systems showed that mobile TV users watch at least three times a week, with 20 percent watching daily.

Two-thirds of respondents said they watched mobile TV for 30 minutes or more.

In Asian markets like Japan and Korea, users watch for more than an hour.

Flo TV, owned by the wireless company Qualcomm, said that tremendous spikes in viewing were seen for live news and sports. Programs wherein people want to be connected and updated even if at work or traveling.

The Michael Jackson memorial service and the US Presidential election set record high for Flo TV.

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Picture yourself at the train station, on your way to work. Count the minutes spent in line to the ticket booth, the long walk to the platform, the wait for the train—and if it’s full, the wait for the next one. You step onboard and squeeze in, like sardines. So, in the next 20, jampacked minutes of your life, what would you like?

Poetry, perhaps?

In the recent survey, Nielsen said that while Coke, Unilab, and Wyeth are the top advertisers in the MRT, and while LRT line 2’s top spenders are Kotex and PCSO (also no. 1 for LRT 1), the one that excited commuters most is a campaign from none of these brands.

In the research, passengers referred to the campaign of the Spanish cultural center Instituto Cervantes, called “Berso sa Metro (Verses in the Metro)”.

Instituto Cervantes Director José Rodríguez says of the campaign’s success: “I noticed that with the advent of the Internet in our hightech driven society and coupled with our busy lifestyle, the reading of books is relegated to the sidelines. More and more people rush everyday or are glued to their computers, surfing the Internet, while less and less people read books, even among students. The “Berso sa Metro” campaign is like offering a catchphrase, to entice people to read the entire poem from books or the complete works of a particular poet.”

Through the Filipino translation of the Spanish verses by famous poets—even Jose Rizal

could be counted among them—the Filipino commuters reconnected with their colonial heritage and yes, their love for reading.

Advertising professor Carlito Viriña says that "a commuter's eye gets hungry inside a train.

How many times will he have to re-read that slogan and look at a product? That’s why most commuters just close their eyes. There’s nothing more to read, nothing more to see.”

Random interviews among the Metro Manila commuters revealed that many of them truly want something educational and informative. People who ride the MRT and the LRT suffer from some stress, especially at night, and they want an escape from the usual TV, radio, and “billboard gazing”.

Experts suggest postcards. Passengers do not want to see just plain product shots. They want to read trivia, health tips, courtesy and etiquette reminders; foreign words translated to Filipino, and the like, printed on beautifully designed cards. Something worth keeping long after they disembark.

Advocacy campaigns are also recommended. Transit media can be a great venue for enlightenment. In addition, commuters enjoy ads that make them look forward to a “sequel” in the next station and consequently, make them forget their problems.

Wouldn’t that be something? A trainload of consumers, waiting for advertisers to take them away. That is, if they know how.

(Baclaran to North EDSA ) has a young 10-24 age group, representing students. LRT2 (Santolan to Recto) straddles both young and old, running along residential areas for students (10-24 years old) and entrepreneurs (50-plus years old).

Advertising Retail-ization

Trains are literally the paths to purchase, ferrying passengers direct to train stations inside malls owned by Ayala (Makati CBD and Trinoma), SM (Mega Mall, North EDSA and Sta. Mesa) and those located at Guadalupe, Robinsons-Ortigas and Pedro Gil, StarmallShaw, Cubao-Araneta, and Recto-Divisoria.

Ninety-two percent of train riders are mall-goers, more likely to dine out in fast food outlets—especially on payday.

At home, these commuters spend leisure time largely on TV viewing (83 percent), followed by cooking (14 percent), sports (13 percent) and listening to music (12 percent).

Preferred sports are basketball (45 percent), badminton (18 percent) and volleyball (15 percent).

Media Significance

MRT/LRT metrics reveal gap between ad spend and exposure Someone’s aim is off…way off.

Nielsen points out in their “Trackworks MRT/LRT” that in 2008, advertising expenditures was spent thus: 73 percent TV, 18 percent radio, 7 percent print and 2 percent Out-OFHome (OOH). But among the 52 percent of Metro Manila residents, age 15 and above, that commute—roughly 4.2 million people—and spend most of their day out-of-home, their

media exposure is rated at 96 percent TV, 68 percent OOH and 63 percent radio. Clearly, advertisers need to rethink their media strategies.

While they’re at it, they may want to take the following into consideration.

The Metro has over five million train riders, commuting 4 to 6 days a week. MRT-EDSA is the train of choice among the 25-49 age segment of both white- and blue-collar workers. LRT1

WPP and Microsoft connect the dots between search and brand building

David Sable

Train riders are highest at work and school rush hours—6-8 AM and 5-8PM—providing highest exposure to OOH, but still significant any time of day.

Highest rating of radio listeners coincides with 6-8AM rush hour. The new TV primetime is 9:30PM. Nielsen’s Trackworks MRT/LRT report is the first such measurement of railway commuters, derived from a thousand Metro passengers.

Half the respondents ride the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) that shuttles along the Greater Manila Area’s main thoroughfare EDSA; half on the older Light Rail Transit, which travels along two secondary routes Baclaran to North EDSA and Santolan to Recto.

Seek and you shall find—and build your brand.

WPP and its agencies will work with Microsoft Advertising on a research project to explore the dynamics between search engine marketing and brand building.

“Today, marketers are spending billions on search engine marketing, primarily as a direct response mechanism,” said David Sable, vice chairman & COO of Wunderman, a WPP agency. “We think it’s time to better understand how search builds brands differently than traditional media.” The research project seeks the connection between brand building and search marketing to shed light on how brands can tap into search as a brand and market share builder.

WPP agencies Wunderman, BrandAsset Consulting®, and ZAAZ are behind the research initiative.

With Microsoft’s new search engine, the next generation of search engine marketing and the opportunity it presents for consumers to embrace brands, it promises to be eye-opening.

The study encompasses the impact search has on WPP’s blue chip clients and consumers around the world.

Of the project, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft, Scott Howe says, “Coming on the heels of our launch of Bing, the opportunity is ripe to re-think preconceived notions about what search decision engines can and cannot do, and how the connections between search and display are becoming increasingly interwoven to drive brand awareness.”

Researchers hope to uncover new findings on where and how search is working best: at what stage of brand development it generates the greatest impact and how the intersection of categories and consumer preference and purchase intent comes into play.

Research findings will culminate in a WPP agencies report on how the newly invigorated competition in search marketing is impacting consumers’ level of brand recognition—as well as the future direction of search, and will be revealed during the Advertising Week in New York, in lateSeptember 2009. september-october '09

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THE NIELSEN HALF-YEAR REPORT Bad news for Print; good, for Radio Mirroring consumer research during the same period, the impact of the global financial difficulties was not evident in Philippine advertising in 2008. Contribution of some growing industries whose ad spending compensated for the decline in ad expenditures of other major industry players.

As news about the economic contraction spread across the globe, total Philippine advertising still shows positive results for the first half of 2009. However the advertising landscape is changing. Investment on Television is cautious, with Print ad spending, diving down further, and Radio, powering up on organic growth.

This new balance in media investments allocation seems to work favorably for the entire industry given that that the new dynamics led to positive growth in total ad spending by 14 percent versus year ago. This trend of prudent media investment during a prolonged economic crunch is consistent with the model of value branding.

Ad Spending by Medium

Out of over 9,000 advertisers, the top 20 advertisers account for half of total media investment during first half of 2009. Doubledigit growth year-on-year are pronounced by Unilever, Nestle Philippines, Procter & Gamble, United Laboratories, and Coca-Cola Bottlers, to name a few.

Defying the global economic crisis, quite a number of advertisers boldly increased ad investment on TV, among them Unilever, Nestle, Johnson & Johnsons, Universal Robina Corp., Coca-Cola, and Mead Johnson.

All other companies falling in the list of top 20 advertisers grew from high single digit to high double digits, except for some—like Colgate-Palmolive, Herbs and Nature, Smart Communications, Jolibee Foods Corp. and PAGCOR—who shaved off media investments.

Half of total media investment went to known and established basic necessities such as Food, Beverage, and Personal Car. Year-on-year growth of these prevailing categories in media grew between +10 percent and +33 percent.

On the other hand, the Telecommunications category cut down during this period with an 8-percent decrease in ad spending, led by the downturn of Smart and Innove.

Television through Thick and Thin

Television is still the dominant medium for advertising amidst crisis and its growth yearon-year is still within average range.

Even during these tough times, Television is still a non-negotiable medium with TV ad minutes loading* growing by 14 percent,

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september-october '09

Top 20 Advertisers on Trimedia RANK

ADVERTISER

JAN-JUN 2009

JAN-JUN 2008

% CHANGE

1

UNILEVER PHILIPPINES, INC.

11,565

9,291

24%

2

NESTLE PHILIPPINES, INC.

5,843

4,677

25%

3

PROCTER & GAMBLE PHILS. INC

5,740

4,775

20%

4

UNITED LABORATORIES, INC.

5,484

4,547

21%

5

COLGATE-PALMOLIVE PHILS. INC

2,773

4,128

-33%

6

THE COCA-COLA EXPORT CO.

1,553

1,140

36%

7

JOHNSON & JOHNSON PHILS. INC

1,392

1,243

12%

8

UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORP.

1,283

738

74%

9

HERBS & NATURE CORPORATION

1,156

1,214

-5%

10

MEAD JOHNSON PHILS. INC.

1,134

897

27%

11

GLOBE TELECOM, INC.

1,129

1,007

12%

12

WYETH PHILIPPINES, INC.

1,109

891

24%

13

SMART COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

1,076

1,276

-16%

14

MONDE NISSIN CORPORATION

1,048

904

16%

15

DEL MONTE PHILIPPINES, INC.

1,008

551

83%

16

TANDUAY DISTILLERS, INC.

839

657

28%

17

KRAFT FOODS (PHILIPPINES), INC.

767

550

39%

18

JOLLIBEE FOODS CORPORATION

763

786

-3%

19

CHOWKING FOOD CORPORATION

669

276

142%

20

GOLDEN ARCHES DEVELOPMENT CORP.

638

594

7%

OTHERS

44,053

39,607

11%

GRAND TOTAL

91,020

79,749

14%

TOP 10 PRODUCT SECTIONS RANK

JAN-JUN 2009

JAN-JUN 2008

1

PERSONAL CARE

SECTIONS

19,289

17,599

10%

2

FOOD

14,670

11,021

33%

3

BEVERAGE

11,564

9,790

18%

4

PHARMACEUTICALS

10,586

9,555

11%

5

TELECOM

4,837

5,246

-8%

6

GOVERNMENT

4,684

3,316

41%

7

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

4,580

4,267

7%

8

HOME CARE

4,312

3,424

21%

9

OTHERS

2,704

1,676

61%

10

RETAIL

2,452

2,173

13%

954

1,277

-25%

91,020

79,749

14%

OTHERS GRAND TOTAL

resulting in a 16 percent increase in total TV adspend. Fifteen advertisers within the top 20 companies advertising on TV finished the first half of 2009 with positive adspend growth, ranging from a conservative +2 percent to as high as +142 percent.

The combined ad spending values of ABSCBN and GMA account to 82 percent of total TV ad spending. However, the combined ad loading of these two giant networks only account to 34 percent of total. The disparity between ad spending and ad minutes may be due to the

% CHANGE

inability of the rest of the TV networks to catch up with the advertising rates of the two giant networks, given the latter’s TV ratings advantage.

Or it may be that no matter how difficult these times are for media investments, advertisers still have ABS-CBN and GMA as must-see items during media planning and buying.

There was also an increase in the use of “promo” ad TV creative materials (discounts, upsize, etc.) by +6 percent compared to year ago.

This growth follows the prevailing demand on value for money by the general consumers.

mediascape One Show’s “Art and Copy” docu released PRINT AD SPENDING

10,000

Millions (Php) Based on Rate Cards

8,000 6,0000

JAN-JUN '08

-11% -14%

4,0000

JAN-JUN '09

2,000 0

+2% TOTAL PRINT

NEWSPAPERS

MAGAZINES

New York - Opened in key cities in the US last August, Director Doug Pray’s movie “Art & Copy” reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of the last fifty years. It presents the people who have profoundly shaken everyday culture, yet are virtually unknown outside the advertising industry.

Featured in the movie are, among others, Dan Wieden and David Kennedy of Wieden+Kennedy behind Nike’s Just Do It, ESPN, Honda, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and George Lois.

The Emmy-, Clio- and Cannes Lionaward winner Pray, made a name for himself for the grunge music documentary “Hype” in 1996.

Che Guevara’s granddaughter takes part in PETA revolution

TOP 10 PRODUCT SECTIONS RANK

JAN-JUN 2009

JAN-JUN 2008

1

METRO MANILA

AREA

9,573

8,314

% CHANGE 15%

2

CEBU

2,208

1,434

54%

3

DAVAO

1,377

700

97%

BALANCE PHILIPPINES

4,660

2,933

59%

GRAND TOTAL

17,818

13,381

33%

Defying the global economic crisis, quite a number of advertisers boldly increased ad investment on TV, among them Unilever, Nestle, Johnson & Johnsons, Universal Robina Corp., Coca-Cola, and Mead Johnson. *ad loading computations confined to ads within commercial gaps.

The significant growth [in radio] was first noted early part of 2008 when a mix of key advertisers and product categories were seen to be atypically increasing their support to radio.

The Challenge in Print

Major contraction continues in Print in both ad spending and inserts.

Declining ad expenditure among National newspapers

Advertising expenditure and spots were further reduced to 11 percent and 13 percent, respectively versus year ago. All three major broadsheets Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, and Philippine Daily Inquirer finished the first half of the year with reduced advertising expenditure between -14 percent and -17 percent while all other national newspaper titles either met the same fate or sustained advertising level compared to year ago.

Growing Ad Expenditure on Regional Newspaper Titles

Regional newspaper titles do not mirror the level of performance of the national papers during first half of 2009. Advertising expenditure in the case of Mindanao Times, Cebu Daily News, The

Freeman and Sun Star Davao grew within the range of +8 percent and +26 percent.

Magazines

Total ad spending on magazines only grew by 2 percent compared to previous year, with much of the contribution coming from the positive and significant gains in ad spending of popular Women’s and Showbiz magazines such as Metro (+26 percent), Yes (+16 percent), and Preview (15 percent). Support for specialized magazines such as those for home, automotive, and gadgets were also reduced as a result of contracting ad spending in these categories across media.

Global - Proving the genuine revolutionary blood running through her veins, the new face of PETA encourages people to join the vegetarian revolution.

Lydia Guevara, the granddaughter of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, poses semi-nude for a PETA campaign that kicks off in October.

In the ad, Lydia wears a red beret, camouflage pants and bandoliers of baby carrots. With a stern expression on her face, her right hand on her hip and an outstretched clutched fist on the other; the photo shows Lydia in this ubiquitous, glorified activist pose.

Radio powers up!

Are advertisers shifting gears in their media mix?

Radio expenditure continues to grow despite pressure on investments.

The significant growth was first noted early part of 2008 when a mix of key advertisers and product categories were seen to be atypically increasing their support to radio. During the first of half of 2009, radio grew faster than TV and Print at a value of +33 percent for ad expenditure, +30 percent on advertising spots, and +25 on radio ad minutes.

Major support for radio came from the increased radio ad minute loading and expenditure by key national advertisers such as Unilever, P&G, Unilab, Coca-Cola, Universal Robina, Mead Johnson, Monde Nissin, Del Monte, Smart Communications, and Globe Telecom. The line up during this period already mimics that of Television.

Moreover, herbal companies reduced their ad spending and ad minutes by 10 percent compared to year ago.

During first half of 2009, the increasing support for provincial cities could indicate sizable increase in local ad placements of national advertisers.

Star TV Asia splits into three units

Hong Kong - News Corp’s decision to split Star TV Asia into three units is likely to result in up to 200 job layoff in its Hong Kong office, says a report from Brand Republic.

According to Jannie Poon, senior vice president, corporate affairs and communications of Star, the Hong Kong office headcount is at 560-plus staff. It is estimated that about 30 per cent or about 150-200 people will be reduced over the course of this financial year, ending in June 30, 2010.

Star CEO Paul Aiello is set to leave the company by December of this year.

With the restructure, its Englishlanguage channels will be managed by Fox International Channels and the Asian broadcasts will be divided into - Star India, Star Greater China and Fox International Channels. september-october '09

85

THE NIELSEN HALF-YEAR REPORT While Metro Manila radio accounts for half of total radio advertising expenditure, movements in the provinces were difficult to ignore. Provincial radio stations managed to grab at least 8 percent of total advertising share from Metro Manila with Davao and Cebu finishing first half with organic growth in ad minutes by 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

Other Stories TV Product Placement*

A remarkable volume of product intrusion was seen in the first half of 2009 with over 1,500 companies reaching out to target markets via program content.

Nielsen Media’s monitoring of TV Product Placement showed that 66 percent of total ad minutes went to ABS-CBN while the balance 34 percent went to GMA Network.

The top 10 advertisers of TV Product Placement account to 40 percent of total ad minutes with CocaCola leading placed as the company with most ad minutes spent for this type of advertising campaign.

The composition of the top advertisers in TV Product Placement are seen distinct from the industry ranking of regular ad expenditure with some companies finishing the year with robust investment in TV Product Placement such as in the case of Tanduay Distillers, Kolin, Nokia, and Southeast Asia Food.

* T V Product Placement monitoring of Nielsen Media covers sign-on to sign-off broadcasts of ABSCBN and GMA 7 only.

Political Ads on the Rise

Ad expenditure based on published rate cards of the Government category grew by 41 percent and by 36 percent in ad minutes compared to previous year. These growths were driven by the increasing ad placements of advocacy ads of major presidential candidates Manny Villar and Mar Roxas. Almost half of the total ad minutes accounted to advocacy ads during this period were from Manny Villar’s ad campaigns.

As the national elections in 2010 approaches, volume of advocacy ads is expected to intensify within both commercial gaps and program contents.

Note however, that in the past election years, advocacy ads did not necessary drive total growth in total advertising expenditure, because advertising of consumer goods usually pushed for their own normal share of ad minutes.

TOP 10 ADVERTISERS IN TV BRAND PLACEMENTS RANK

SECTIONS

JAN-JUN 2009

% SHARE

1,444

10%

1

THE COCA-COLA EXPORT CO.

2

UNILEVER PHILIPPINES, INC.

692

5%

3

TRADEMASTER RESOURCES CORP.

672

5%

4

NESTLE PHILIPPINES, INC.

628

4%

5

ALDRITZ CORPORATION

620

4%

6

TANDUAY DISTILLERS, INC.

395

3%

7

KOLIN PHILIPPINES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

354

2%

8

NOKIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS (PHILS.)

321

2%

9

HERBS & NATURE CORPORATION

256

2%

10

SOUTHEAST ASIA FOOD, INC.

218

2%

7,049

61%

868,400

100%

JAN-JUN 2009

% SHARE

OTHERS GRAND TOTAL TV ADVERTISING MINUTES BY PRESIDENTIABLES RANK

ADVERTISERS

1

MANNY VILLAR

603

45%

2

MAR ROXAS

444

33%

3

JEJOMAR BINAY

166

12%

4

GILBERT TEODORO

70

5%

5

EDDIE VILLIANUEVA

33

2%

6

SEN. PING LACSON

30

2%

1,345

100%

GRAND TOTAL

The Outlook on out-of-home

by Ron Graham

I often get asked to comment on the difference between the out of home (OOH) media business in Asia versus the rest of the world. I am not an expert in every market around the globe however, modesty aside, I do have a broad, general level of understanding, so I usually oblige the question with an answer.

Technology-wise, there is no difference between Asian versus the western markets, however the West has more sophistication of communication strategies, media planning, research and measurement. The diversity of OOH media makes it challenging and this is made more difficult because of the level of fragmentation (in Asia).

Some are curious that digital will overtake traditional OOH, and some even predict that one day, all OOH displays will be digital. For certain, there is and will continue to be tremendous growth of both large format digital displays, and the smaller screen networks.

Digital OOH is considered to still have greater potential than its current share of OOH media, in every market. OOH companies are embracing digital capabilities and investing heavily in new inventory as well as replacing existing OOH with digital screens.

I also see frustrations however, where inventory and investment

90

september-october '09

are not necessarily being matched with good digital strategies and advertising budgets.

Advertisers and agencies have been utilising digital OOH with the promise of rich content, engaging audiences, interactivity, real-time access and flexibility.

However there is a lot to learn to use digital OOH media well, as an integrated part of the communication mix. US and Europe are further along the learning curve about what works (and what doesn’t), and I believe in Asia, we can learn from these insights about digital OOH media.

There is a need for more development in terms of measurement and to understand more about the effectiveness of Digital OOH. It works best with strong strategic ideas which harness the capabilities of engagement, interaction and relevance, even down to the time of the day and attitudes of viewers.

Getting good ideas relies on digital OOH being considered much ear-

When the market recovers, it is clear that outdoor advertising will get back on track, taking a bigger share of advertising media spends.

lier in the brand communication strategy discussions, and this is where we need to do more.

Traditional OOH media also continues to evolve, with more focus on displays in areas with amenity for the public, such as bus-stop shelters and rail stations and less focus on giant billboards.

There is also a lot of attention to eco-friendly policies including low-energy lighting and recyclable poster materials. Public opinion and regulatory pressures will steer OOH media developments towards more socially acceptable formats and places.

Technology is a friend to the industry. Digital OOH is not cannibalising traditional OOH but is creating new and different communication propositions, and often to different audiences.

Traditional OOH remains a low-cost mass medium, and at the same time, acts as a tangible signpost to direct consumers from the real world, to online and mobile communication platforms.

Digital OOH media empowers brands to engage and interact the audiences, in very relevant situations. For example, Evian beams live updates of Wimbledon to digital screens in the city, especially in the underground rail system. Different messages go out at different times, depending on the temperature.

I do believe OOH will continue to take a bigger share of total advertising investment dollars. Fundamental drivers will ensure OOH grows in importance, such as more time spent out of home, fragmentation of other media, the undeniable mass reach of OOH and the continuous development of new OOH formats in new places.

While the recession has suppressed OOH media spend in 2009, we do believe that the OOH media sector will shrink more slowly than other media contractions, supported in particular by growth in digital OOH. When the market recovers, it is clear that outdoor advertising will get back on track, taking a bigger share of advertising media spends.

So we can look forward to continued progress in many ways, and I see a very positive future for Out-of-home media.

Ron Graham is managing director of OOH media consulting firm, Media On The Go and chairman of the organising committee for the Asia Pacific OOH Media Convention, 2009.

Asia Pacific New Business Scoreboard

July 2009 RANK THIS MONTH

RANK LAST MONTH

AGENCY

RECENT WINS

ESTIMATED YTD WIN REVENUE (US$M)

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED OVERALL YTD REVENUE (US$M)

1

1

CARAT

ANZ Hong Kong, Fidelity Taiwan, P1 - Green Packet Malaysia, Riedel Australia

25.7

RBS HONG KONG

23.9

2

2

MINDSHARE

Manipal Universal Learnings India, Heineken China, Gudang Garam Tbk Indonesia, Allianz Taiwan

11.8

WYETH NUTRITION CHINA

9.7

3

4

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

POS / GPO Malaysia, Huaxia China, Wing Tai Retail Singapore, Pertamina Pasti Pas Indonesia

20.1

KOSE CORPORATION TAIWAN

9.2

4

5

UNIVERSAL MCCANN

Wyeth Nutrition China, Cerebos Malaysia, AIA Hong Kong, ASANA Wellness Hong Kong, Farcent Taiwan

9.3

KL SURIA MALAYSIA

9.1

5

3

PHD

CSL Australia, BH Petrol Malaysia, International Pharmaceuticals Philippines

9.5

HTC MALAYSIA

8.6

6

6

MEC

Lamptan Thailand, Elisees Thailand, UMM Entertainment Thailand

8.3

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP AUSTRALIA

6.8

7

8

MPG

Kamaya Philippines, Nirlep India, Maxx India, Clarks China, Kappa China

6.3

PANASONIC INDONESIA

6.1

8

7

OMD

Westpac Australia, White Cat China, Mass Mutual Insurance Taiwan

8.0

WING TAI RETAIL SINGAPORE

5.8

9

9

MAXUS

Yamaha Australia, Le Conte China, BBMG Hong Kong, Sharp Philippines

5.9

FERRERO ROCHER AUSTRALIA

2.0

10

10

VIZUEM

Mango China, Kungfu China, Stabilo Malaysia

0.3

YILI CHINA

0.7

11

11

INITIATIVE

CIGNA Insurance Hong Kong, Krungthai Bank Thailand, SmarTone Vodafone Hong Kong, Western Union Thailand

3.2

THE NINE NETWORK (PLANNING) AUSTRALIA

1.9

12

12

STARCOM MEDIAVEST

Diageo Thailand, National Foods Australia

1.4

AAPT AUSTRALIA

2.2

13

13

MEDIACOM

Shanghai VW China, Metersbonwe China, RBS Hong Kong, National Disability Service Australia

4.8

CHINA UNICOM

7.4

Carat maintained top position following the global Nokia alignment and some additional fmcg wins in China.

Mindshare collected Heineken China and other local wins to stay on second spot.

Fastest mover this month was ZenithOptimedia, securing a good series of wins from growth markets such as China and Indonesia.

Philippines New Business Scoreboard

July 2009 RANK THIS MONTH

RANK LAST MONTH

AGENCY

1

1

UNIVERSAL MCCANN

2

8=

3

2=

4

2=

RECENT WINS

ESTIMATED YTD WIN REVENUE (US$M)

RECENT LOSSES

ESTIMATED OVERALL YTD REVENUE (US$M)

DURALITE, MEGA SARDINES, GLOBE TELECOM

1.7

1.7

MPG

CAMAYA COAST

1.0

1.0

PHD

International Pharmaceutical, Wrangler, Brand Benefits, Fortune Life Insurance

0.6

0.6

CARAT

NOKIA, HONDA (CIVIC MODEL)

0.5

0.5

5=

4=

OMD

DO単A MARIA, TRINOMA, EPSON

0.3

0.3

5=

4=

MEC

STB GLOBAL, SINGAPORE AIRLINES GLOBAL, SONY LIFE, MEGAWORLD

0.3

0.3

7=

6=

MAXUS

SHARP, BOUNTY FRESH CHICKEN

0.2

0.2

7=

6=

MINDSHARE

ASUA, S&W (ASIA PACIFIC), IHG (ASIA PACIFIC), BELO MEDICAL GROUP

0.2

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT (ASIA PACIFIC)

0.2

9=

8=

VIZEUM

0.0

0.0

9=

8=

INITIATIVE

0.0

0.0

9=

8=

STARCOM MEDIAVEST

0.0

0.0

12

12

ZENITHOPTIMEDIA

ISCI (BELO), KENNY ROGERS, PUEBLO DE ORO CORPORATION, LA NETRO

0.2

HP (ASIA PACIFIC)

0.1

13

13

MEDIACOM

AYALA LAND CORP - ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN

0.0

NOKIA

0.2

Globe Telecom winner Universal McCann maintained its top position.

MPG jumped to the second spot on the back of Kamaya win this month.

PHD and Nokia winner Carat made up the top four.

METHODOLOGY The R3 New Business League has been compiled each of the last 79 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. R3 is the leading independent consultancy focused on tracking of agency performance, and marketing ROI for clients across the region.

Findings = insight?

Nope.

by Germaine Reyes

Coming recently from a market research conference in Singapore, it was refreshing to note some of the trends were on the watch list of market research practitioners. There were talks about New Media in light of the 2.0 era, how this is being researched and how brands are further poised to get into the arena.

Most interesting was the opening presentation delivered from the UK on the future skills needed by leaders to succeed in this illustration by Jed-Angelo Q. Segovia

Grey Group shares its “EyeSights” on the future Singapore – The hopes and dreams of more than 8,000 people from 16 countries were the focus of Grey Group Asia Pacific 2009 Eye on Asia study.

A proprietary initiative of the Grey Group, Eye on Asia seeks to unearth the powerful underlying trends and truths that will shape branding and communications.

Says Simon Rich, director of Planning for Grey Australia, the study was triggered by their desire to “get closer to the people of Asia and understand what it takes to build great brands and branding campaigns across the region.”

Eye on Asia explored a broad range of topics, such as attitudes about work, family, finances, the environment and their value systems, as well as brands and marketing.

Their findings?

A series of “eye-sights” that are critical focus points for brand builders who want to market successfully in Asia: Majority of Asians remain OPTIMISTIC about the future despite current uncertainties. 76 percent believe that the future is likely to be better than the past, with 63 percent saying they are satisfied with their life today. The highest optimists

92

september-october '09

ever-uncertain, chaotic world. This left those of us in audience reflecting on whether we were actually prepared.

Despite this forward-looking frame of reference, someone posed a question during a panel discussion amongst clients from iconic companies such as Unilever, Nokia, Visa, et al.

“What is insight for you and how do you define this? What do you expect insight to be from suppliers like us?”

Information is necessary, but that alone cannot help a company develop plans and programs as information cannot be taken in isolation.

Simple. Fundamental. Quite unexpected, too, considering the future was being tackled in the conference.

What indeed is insight from a market research standpoint? Answering this question is not as easy as describing a zebra. But let us begin by defining what it isn’t.

Insights are not findings. Findings are the specific information found about consumers on the “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, or “how things are consumed or done by consumers” and “why things are being done by consumers”.

The research findings from the latter two essentially translate to a “what”. Findings are, therefore, information that provides an idea on these 5 W’s and H. But they should not be confused as insights.

Have you ever found yourself in a market research presentation that left you asking, “so, what essentially did this research tell me to do?”

Sure, the presentor showed the significant percentages that were either technicallyderived, statistically-tested or analyzed through some state-of-the art techniques. It gave you new information, but you’re still left puzzled with what to do with such information.

Therefore insight is not significant percentages or dazzling graphs and charts that leave you confused or dazed. They, too, end up being a “what”.

Stepping back, Gestalt psychology pioneer Wolfgang Köhler defined insight as “a structural understanding of the functional interdependence of moments as an intrinsically required whole of meaning.”

In other words, insight is the interpretation of or putting meaning on the relationship of several pieces of information. The usual pitfall is the interpretation of a single piece of information, looking at things in isolation.

Insighting is often done by looking at those set of words, patterns, findings in the context of a bigger thing or the whole. More importantly, the ability to link these together is helped by the collective effect of our experience and exposure to various things, to further understand the “whys” behind the words and patterns, not to mention the conditions in the marketing arena.

The caveat is when insights provided in one case (i.e., based on information gathered at a given time) may have already been the focus and/or study by another. The “eureka” or insightful moment may no longer hold true.

The future and decisions on this future need to be managed. Information is necessary, but that alone cannot help a company develop plans and programs as information cannot be taken in isolation. Only through generating insights—which takes the holistic view and in the context in which it is presented—can we move forward into the relative unknown. With eyes wide open. And greater chances for success in our endeavors.

Germaine Reyes is the managing director of Synergy Business Consultancy, which is celebrating its 10th year. www.synergy.ph

come from the developing countries of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, with Japan, Taiwan and Korea being the least optimistic.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

THE EXTERMINATOR

In the Eighties and Nineties, creative directors and account directors were gods: capricious, temperamental and beholden to no one — least of all, to their underlings.

Now, those days are gone. In today’s business environment, advertising managers must have a genius IQ and an EQ to match.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to send the memo to Arnold Ass-kicker.

A career creative at one of the big multinationals, he has a slot in the agency’s succession plan, but he hasn’t moved up in years. He’s mystified but not overly concerned; Arnold’s confident that the Excom’s got his back.

What he doesn’t know is that the Excom has a thick file of exit interviews, all from people who worked under Arnold. Each one claiming that the creative director was too mean, too insensitive, too sexist, too patronizing, too much to ignore.

Another thing he doesn’t know is that the committee is planning a restructure of the agency and drawing a list of candidates who can work as a smaller but cohesive team. It’s also making another list, of employees they can no longer afford to keep, no matter how talented they are.

So that memo with Arnold’s name on it, is coming soon. Except this time, it’s printed on pink paper.

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

FUTURE SECURITY is important to 98 percent of Asians. The global recession makes the majority (86 percent) more conscious of their finances. The study shows that 80 percent claim they are now saving more actively for the future.

Grey identifies five new BRAND TRIBES based on how they think, feel and react to brands. This helps in predicting behavior, establishing brand connections and in crafting messages. (Refer to pie chart) What are the implications to companies who want to market in Asia?

Simon says, “There are commonalities but there is no one Asia. Generally, Asians remain optimistic, so there is an opportunity for brands to ride the wave of optimism.”

He adds that, “the financial crunch has clouded the minds of Asians and how you market from one country will be radically different from another, particularly if you are selling a financial product.”

He also believes that there is a “need to deliver a retail experience based on ‘tribes’,” and that the mothers "are feeling the pressure so brands must be able to provide some sort of relief and emotional support.”

AUGUST 2009 Nokia "Push Cart", "Schoolboy"

Copy: eyes on the road, not on the phone.

Nokia Ad Title: Body Paint campaign ("Push Cart", Schoolboy") / Advertiser:Nokia Philippines / Agency: JWT Manila Executive Creative Director: Dave Ferrer / Creative Director: Dave Ferrer, Tay Guan Hin / Art Director: Katrina Encanto / Copywriter: Rachel Villanueva Photographer: Wesley Villarica / Print Producers: Ces de Guzman, Karen Pilapil Final Art: Globedez september-october '09

93

Ely Buendia

NU107's Atom Henares and Sino Sikat's Kat Agarado

Star Group HK Executives Jennifer Batty, Wally Ray, Eddy Tan and Channel [V] Phils' Kathy Alejar and Marco Viray Raine Larrazabal

ABS-CBN artists

DJ Bad Boy Bill

Kathy Alejar, Channel V Philippines Sales & Marketing Director

DJ Tracy of JAM 88.3

SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT

INVASION Channel [V] launch party • July 25 • A Venue Events Hall

Andrea and JR Isaac of Circuit

Imago

VJ Alvey

Auto Extreme's Joselu Romualdez, CH[V]Phils. EVP Manuel Viray, and SEAIR VP for Marketing Patrick Tan

Project Runway designers

Jasmine and Simon Wood

Mari and Ibay Litonjua with the Globe Team

SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT

Channel V creative director Joey Reyes

the bigger picture

Design Rules!

I

by Cid Reyes

n celebration of Manila Design Week, we are as well celebrating the book Design, one of Tom Peters’ essential books. Peters, hailed by The Economist as "The überguru", is regarded as the most influential business thinker of our age.

His first book In "Search of Excellence", co-authored with Robert Waterman, was named the “greatest business book of all time” in a poll conducted by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Thus proclaimed the Washington Post: “Peters is passionate, egoistical, evangelical, outrageous and often maddeningly simplistic— but always provocative and fun. And the truth is, most of the time he’s right.”

As expected the art direction of the book Design is itself an exemplar of excellent design, pop and quirky, with lots of exclamation points and pages that are panels of glossy colors. The typography, while reader-friendly (meaning large print), reflects the style of the author’s prose: personal, individualistic, effusive, profusely peppered with epigrammatic quotations, comments and advice, irreverent and iconoclastic, devastating conventional thinking.

The flap jacket copy reads: “Think designers are odd ducks, who should be confined to their desks? Wrong! They should sit at the CEO’s immediate right at the boardroom table! Create a whole new experience for your customers and turn what you provide into an experience. Discover why Design is the Number 1 determinant of whether a product or service stands out—or doesn’t. Learn how we are all designers at heart. See why branding is nothing more, or less, than heart: what is your organization, why it is here, and how is it unique.”

Gathering the voice of design experts and entrepreneurs whose businesses were propelled by design, Peters orchestrates a symphony of hallelujas: “Design is about demonstrating how beautiful something can be. It has a profound capacity.

Design is a way of life and influencing the future.”

Sir Ernest Hall, Dean Clough “Every new product or service that Virgin group offers must: (1) Have the best quality, (2) provide great value, (3) be innovative, (4) dramatically challenge existing alternatives, and (5) provide a “sense of fun” or “cheekiness.”

Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group “Lust for beauty and elegance. UNDERPINNED the most important discoveries in computational history.”

David Gelernter, Machine Beauty: Elegance and the Heart of Technology

Here are Tom Peters “Top 10 To-Dos” 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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CID REYES is an artist, writer, art critic, book publisher and creative consultant.

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Be a “Soul” supplier. At every point in your design process, do a soul-check on what you are creating. In other words: Don’t think “Pretty”. Think “Profound”.

List your “loves.” Get a little notebook, or open a file on your computer, and keep track of product and service offerings that earn your…Enduring Ardor.

Harness your “hates.” While you’re at it, keep track of stuff that earns your…Absolute Enmity. Think about the common attributes of the stuff on both sides of the ledger.

If it feels good, dote on it. Cultivate a fingertip for Design-induced Emotional Attachment. Find a way to carry “it” around with you.

Be of service. Foster a design-driven approach to the way you develop not just lumps of stuff…but also service offerings and business processes. (That means you, Finance Department Head!)

Hunt for bargains. Look inside your medicine cabinet, your toolbox, your kitchen cabinet. Learn from items that are low in cost and high in design impact.

Judge everything by its cover. Make every package worthy of its product. Just because Design is not a surface thing (per se) doesn’t mean that surfaces don’t matter.

Watch for signs. Monitor the signage all around you for examples of Soulful Direction and Woeful Misdirection.

Be true to forms. Invest time, energy, and Design Know-How in the creation of all (ALL) business documents.

Rage on. Get mad, and get even—with companies that offer shoddily designed stuff.

Remember, it’s their fault, not yours.

Tom Peters covers a wide range of topics. From Beauty: “Make Beauty the primary attribute not only of product design but also of process design.” Systems: “The primary reason we’ve made it so damnably difficult for people to get things done is…ugly systems.” Experience: “Harley-Davidson does not sell motorcycles.

Club Med does not sell vacations. Guinness does not sell beer. Starbucks does not sell coffee.”

Dreams: “Nike. More than high performance gear. Try: The promise of a High Performance Life.” Google: “It’s a ubiquitous search engine.

As one commentator put it, ‘Google is a bit like God!’” Armani: “We wear Armani. We become Armani.” Porsche: “Tough to drive at times?

Yes. But who cares: I AM MY PORSCHE.” Intel Centrino: “An invisible chip? No! The guarantee of a cutting-edge life enhanced by sexy technology.”

It’s best to remember what Tom Peters inculcated at the start of his book: Design =Soul. Believe it.

logic and magic

Avoid the crab's tug as you self-promote

S

by Bong Osorio

elf-promotion is important if you are doing freelance creative work.

The first step to succeed in tooting your own horn is to have an unassailable conviction in who you are and the ideas you can stir up.

Some people may find your ideas out of this world and immediately brush you off. And there will be crabs you have to contend with along the way. But don’t succumb to their clips or you’ll never make it.

Crabs, whether they come from salt water or fresh water, are all the same. They will tug you downward when you struggle to climb out to set yourself free.

Crab mentality is one of the worst attitudes you will encounter as you selfpromote. If you project to do better than the rest, appear more intelligent, richer and more famous, you are fodder for jealousy and hate. You become a clear target of criticism.

Your vulnerabilities are triggered, and your weaknesses are highlighted. You are criticized for the way you speak, dress, move or make decisions. Your motivations are questioned, your accomplishments downplayed, and your positive intentions spun negatively.

Pardon the cynicism, but with crabs hovering around, you are resolutely encouraged to know who you are competing against and design your moves based on who your adversaries are and what you know about them. Here are some tips from a shameless selfpromoter that you can consider doing.

1. Put yourself strategically and frequently with people who can bring positive influences in your aspirations. Develop the habit of automatically waking up each morning asking yourself, “Who can I meet today that will make a difference in my plans?”

2. In personal marketing, you need a “differentiation.” It is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities in which you

Maintain your top of mind awareness.

Out of sight is out of mind.

Be always visible, get your work published, publicize, or you will be forgotten.

must constantly engage. Differentiation is not just knowing your audience; it is also ensuring your targets know you. Your differentiator is your uniqueness.

Do at least five marketing actions everyday— making cold or scheduled phone calls, visiting prospects, e-mailing, blogging, and attending industry-related meet-ups.

3. Natural self-promoters don’t say it once; they say it repeatedly. Put the theory of repetition in action, since multiple “impressions” can hasten awareness, preference, or loyalty. Repetition expands your territory. Once you’ve found people who can make a difference in your success, find hundreds more.

6. Build a strong affiliation. Web 2.0 is there to tap into appropriate social networking groups and gain from their activities.

4. If you are weak of heart and easily frustrated, you might have simply given up and trained your sight somewhere else, particularly if you get exposed in an exasperating circumstance.

Always adopt an optimistic air and stick with your idea until someone finally says “Yes!” 5. Always carry business cards, because a new prospect will show up in the least likely place.

7. Maintain your top of mind awareness. Out of sight is out of mind. Be always visible, get your work published, publicize, or you will be forgotten.

BONG OSORIO is an active marketing communications practitioner, a multiawarded 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.

GLUED TO YOUR MONITOR? visit adobo at

september-october '09

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Christmas Cheers is a FocusMedia-initiated event happening in various building partners in Makati, Ortigas and Manila.

Launched in 2008, the event features performances by street children and exdelinquents that are part of the groups GKTaPA (Gawad Kalinga Tatalon Performing Arts) and SaBaNa (Sanayan ng mga Batang Nanambakan).

Members are nine to 20 years old from SAGIP and SIGA, two of GAWAD KALINGA’s Child and Youth Development Programs.

During the first event—a three-part mini concert held at the Food Park of PBCom Tower in Makati, The Medical City in Pasig and at the Manila City Hall—GKTaPA and SaBaNa serenaded the audience with their heartwarming carols. They even rendered a choral version of the major sponsor’s jingle.

Sponsors were given the chance to interact with the audience and inform them of their products and advertising campaigns. There were dance contests, trivial games, and gift-giving.

With the success from last year, FocusMedia intends to celebrate this coming season with another round of beautiful carols. Share in the holiday spirit and be part of Christmas Cheers 2009!

For more information, call 722-7722.

FocusMedia ushers in the freshest innovation in advertising by pioneering the largest out-of-home audiovisual information network in Asia. Employing LCD screens as our media platform, FocusMedia crafts its network by strategically situating these displays in high-traffic areas, such as elevator banks of hotels, high-rise condominiums, commercial office buildings, hospitals and malls. FocusMedia in the Philippines now boasts of over 130+ sites, making it the biggest in the country. www.focusmedia.com.ph

CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: "Bird", "Flower" / Advertiser: Amon Marketing / Agency: Leo Burnett Manila Executive Creative Director: Raoul Panes / Account Management: Sue Ann Nolido, Grace Feliciano, Nati Go Art Director: Mike Dela Cuesta, Mon Pineda / Copywriter: Sheila Dela Cuesta / Photographer: Ruben dela Cruz Illustrator: Mark Taduran / Digital Artist: Robert Perez

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Amorsolo campaign ("Amorsolo Harvest", "Amorsolo Laundry Woman" / Advertiser: Vargas Museum / Agency: JWT Manila Executive Creative Director: Dave Ferrer / Creative Director: Dave Ferrer, Joe Dy, Tay Guan Hin / Art Directors: Carl Urgino / Copywriter: Joe Dy Photographer: Bahaghari, James Bautista / Print Production: Ces de Guzman, Karen Pilapil / Final Art: FXStop / Color Editor: Dovie-Mar Raquel september-october '09

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: "Luxury Over Life" campaign / Advertiser: Woman Today Asia / Agency: Bates 141 Manila Executive Creative Director: Joey Ong / Art Directors: Dan Pambid, Joey Ong / Copywriters: Sara Badr, Macky Mina / Photographer: Jay Tablante

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: "Cowaii" TVC / Advertiser: Tokyo Tokyo / Campaigns & Grey Creatives: Sammy Pasamba, Mel Orlina, Tina de Torres and Gary Roxas / Accounts: Henry Chua and Mae Mae Tong / Producer: Steve Vesagas Director: Erik Matti / Production House: Revolver / Post Production: Post Manila / Soundtrack: Hit Productions

The campaign is four-part reality webisode series that revolves around Mark, a 29-year-old Filipino who never got around to learning his country’s language. Volunteers from Yabang Pinoy (Proud Pinoy) gave an eager Mark a one-month Filipino crash course to test if one month was indeed enough to immerse oneself in one’s native tongue. Cameras followed as Mark participated in out-of-the-box lessons and tests that often resulted in laughter and disaster.

Ad Title: "Mark Peckson Project" / Advertiser: Yabang Pinoy / Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Manila Executive Creative Director: Tonypet Sarmiento III, Raoul Floresco / Creatives: Bia Fernandez, Ian San Gabriel, Maan Agsalud, Paolo Agulto Patrick Miciano, Andrea Cid, Gelo Lico, Gelo Suarez, Mark Peckson, Jordan Santos / Producers: Bia Fernandez, Maritess Benjamin Production House: Abracadabra / Director: Paul Soriano

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Body Paint campaign ("Push Cart", Schoolboy") / Advertiser:Nokia Philippines / Agency: JWT Manila Executive Creative Director: Dave Ferrer / Creative Director: Dave Ferrer, Tay Guan Hin / Art Director: Katrina Encanto Copywriter: Rachel Villanueva / Photographer: Wesley Villarica / Print Producers: Ces de Guzman, Karen Pilapil / Final Art: Globedez

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CREATIVE SHOWCASE \ PHILIPPINES

Ad Title: Canon Scanners “Cramped” / Advertiser: Canon Marketing Philippines / Agency: dentsuINDIO Creative Director: Randy Tiempo / Art Director: Kulas Abrenilla / Copywriter: Gela Tiempo / Digital Artist: Sherwin Samaniego / Print Producer: Ruth Santos Accounts: Angel Pinaroc, Anna Adipue

Ad Title: Greenwich "Car" TVC / Advertiser: Fresh & Famous / Agency: Publicis JimenezBasic Executive Creative Director: Don Sevilla III / Creative Director: Noel San Juan / Art Director: RJ Ferrer, Jess Villaruel / Copywriter: Noel San Juan Production House: Media Circuit / Director: Carlo Directo / Producer: Paul Suarez / Editor: Alex Villegas

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K

uala Lumpur’s advertising iconoclast, Yashmin Ahmad, died last July 25, from complications following a stroke. She was 51 years old.

A multi-awarded and internationally-renowned advertising practitioner and filmmaker, she was executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur at the time of her death. Articulate and intelligent as she was outspoken and controversial, she was once described in Malaysia News Online as the kingdom’s own version of Woody Allen.

It was reported that Yasmin collapsed in the middle of a presentation at TV3’s studio in Kuala Lumpur and fell into a coma. Despite brain surgery, her condition deteriorated. She died at the Damansara Specialist Hospital.

In accordance with Malaysian tradition, she was buried the next day in Subang Jaya. Her husband Abdullah Tan Yew Leong, their families as well as hundreds of fans, friends, industry colleagues and personalities were in attendance.

Yasmin was such a shooting star. She practised her art with intelligence, simplicity, truth and courage, making people feel at a deeply human level.

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

She was acknowledged as the creative mind behind the advertising of Petronas, Celcom and the Singaporean Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports. Datuk Vincent Lee, founder of NagaDDB Malaysia and former president of Malaysia’s 4As, describes her as “extraordinary, humble, and immensely talented.”

However, Yasmin remained ambivalent about the benefits of awards for creative work in advertising. “Clients don’t give two hoots about awards,” she said. “Not even the ones who say they do. They don’t care. Good on them. They have more important things to think about.”

But Yasmin was definitely passionate about her advertising work. Debbie Roebuck, who used to be Yasmin’s TV producer at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur in the 1990’s, fondly relates that Yasmin was an inspiration to work with.

“She was always very clear about what she wanted to achieve on any given project, and willing to do what ever it takes to achieve that vision,” Debbie recalls. “This often meant Yasmin instructing me to tell the odd white-lie to grease the wheels of bureaucracy. She turned to me after one such occasion and said, ‘Debbie, you and I will live to be 140 years old’, to which I asked, ‘Why?’ and she replied, ‘Because only the good die young... and we’ve been bad’!”

Although she has famously – and scathingly – described advertising as a “haven for failed novelists and talentless playwrights,” Yasmin nevertheless managed to evolve a parallel career as a filmmaker, crediting her parents for her involvement in film.

“They loved to watch movies,” she recounted, “ and I’ve directed commercials before, so I thought I’d make a film about them.” That film, Rabun, made it to the Turin International Film Festival, and won in the 8th Malaysian Video Awards. And, as the cliché goes, the rest is history.

Yasmin wrote, directed and cast her own films. Compared to writing for advertising, she divulged to adobo magazine in a 2008 profile article that she found writing for screenplays “more fun.” Her critically-acclaimed movies included “Sepet,” “Gubra,” “Mukhsin,” Muallaf,” and “Talentime.”

An ominous portent, however, was the recent addition to her portfolio of “Funeral” for the Singaporean Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports. She was also working on “Go, Thaddeus!” the story of Singaporean triathlete Thaddeus Cheong, who died after finishing a Southeast Asian Games selection race in 2007.

True to the tradition of cinema’s legendary auteurs like Woody Allen, her work was deeply personal, intensely human and based largely on her own experiences. “People interest me,” she said. “How all of us try to find God, and how we go about it in disastrous ways.”

Friends like Jamie Pfaff, who was then the executive creative director of Leo Burnett Singapore-Malaysia, tell of a Yasmin who was an interesting character in her own right.

“My god, what drama,” he fondly shares. “I was Yasmin’s boss—can you imagine anybody trying to boss Yasmin? I came to KL after we’d had a strong disagreement about something and she announced so everyone in the agency could hear, ‘I want to talk to you in my office RIGHT NOW!’ She slammed the door behind us, looked at me fiercely, and then just collapsed laughing. The real truth was that Yasmin couldn’t stay mad about anything very long; her heart was just too good.”

If many saw her as unconventional and free-spirited, she also was very honest and straightforward, especially if it concerned herself.

Not too long ago, she wrote in her blog that “I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying… especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool.”

And, affirming her love of life, she added: “Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh and the ability to eat and drink.”

Perhaps Linda Locke, former regional creative head of Leo Burnett Asia and Yasmin’s longtime friend, put it best.

“Through the passage of our time on earth, some of us can hope to make some small difference. Then there are those brilliant few, those shooting stars who blaze a trail in the hearts of so many.

“Yasmin was such a shooting star. She practised her art with intelligence, simplicity, truth and courage, making people feel at a deeply human level because she knew it was the most powerful way to change perception or to touch people meaningfully.” Written by Harry Mosquera

Farewell Yasmin Ahmad 1958 - 2009

Through the passage of our time on earth, some of us can hope to make some small difference.

Then there are those brilliant few, those shooting stars who blaze a trail in the hearts of so many.

Linda Locke on Yasmin Ahmad

Esto

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London-quality thinking and creative to the world.

LONDONadvertising.com

The good HANDS behind “You’re in Good Hands” with Metrobank.

To this day, the slogan-slash-jingle coined by the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. in the mid-nineties remains deeply etched in the memory of many. It has since evolved from being an advertising campaign to becoming the Bank’s brand promise, reflecting the standard of service excellence that is unique to Metrobank.

This year, the Bank launched an internal communications campaign anchored on this famous catchphrase. The program was aimed at furthering the culture of service excellence that the company has long been cultivating.

The program was dubbed the YIGH Campaign, taken from the first letters of each word in “You’re In Good Hands.”

YIGH serves as the culmination of a set of behaviors defined by the acronym HANDS. HANDS stands for: Helpful, Accessible, Nurturing, Dependable, and Safe & Secure. The program was positioned as a catalyst to inspire employees to imbibe the HANDS attributes in their daily work life.

IMBIBE LIVE

IGNITE

The campaign consisted of three major phases: IGNITE, LIVE, and IMBIBE.

This phase focused on creating a culture that is consistent with the brand promise of YIGH. The foremost task was not only to spark an awareness of the campaign but to ignite a genuine interest among the employees.

The YIGH brand was given a visual differentiation that used revitalizing colors and exciting images to explain the brand promise and the HANDS attributes. The new creative rendition generated positive appeal that caught the attention of the internal audience. This rendition was used throughout the campaign, reflecting a consistent and unified look.

The campaign utilized the various communication venues available within the Bank to reach the employees from the head office to the numerous branches nationwide.

To reinforce the behavioral messages defined by HANDS, different series of articles were published in the Bank’s award-winning intranet, inSightOnline, achieving a readership of over 25,000 within the duration of only three months. The articles discussed different aspects of YIGH, including its meaning, history, the importance the Bank places on customer service excellence, and the Bank’s brand essence as the trusted banking partner. Another wave of articles talked about HANDS and the definition and explanation of each letter and attribute, and provided new information and updates on the campaign.

This phase precisely aimed to advocate to employees to “live” the YIGH promise. Employees were invited to share their personal experiences where they reflected the HANDS attributes in their jobs. A major part of the campaign was the YIGH Awards, a recognition program citing employees who best exemplify the HANDS attributes in their daily work life. Nominations were received nationwide, which then went through a series of pre-screening and evaluation procedures. Shortlisted candidates were further evaluated by a third party organization to validate the results of the screening process. The pioneer batch of winners called the YIGH Champions came from the different branches of Metrobank nationwide, flying in from all over the Philippines for the awarding ceremony held on July 2009.

The final phase culminated the IGNITE and LIVE stages, serving to create a more tangible experience of the YIGH promise for the employees. The stories and achievements of the YIGH Champions provided further appreciation of the YIGH promise and inspiration to the employees.

Through the YIGH Campaign, Metrobank employees are inspired to become vanguards of service excellence – consistently aiming to become YIGH Champions, who reflect the service quality and commitment that the Bank espouses. With people like them at the helm, the customers of Metrobank are assured that they are in good and capable hands.

photograph by Aaron Vicencio

ambush

How do you stay fit and fab?

A busy schedule is no excuse to take care of your body. And these industry women prove that amidst meetings, paperwork and deadlines, you can stay in tip-top shape.

K ATRINA ENCANTO, 26 Art Director, JWT Manila FITNESS. Football on weekends. I first got into football in high school, because it seemed like the cool thing to do. Now, it genuinely makes me happy.

HEALTH. Adequate amounts of coffee and alcohol keep me mentally fit.

BEAUT Y. Smile with your liver.

FASHION. My style is feel good. I do like that clothes have become an expression of your personality and the stories that you believe in.

MEDAL BABE. I was MVP and Athlete of the Year in grade school

MATEC VILL ANUEVA, 50 Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Manila FITNESS. I go to the gym four to five times a week to do at least an hour of cardio exercises.

HEALTH. No to saturated fat (animal fat, butter, cheeses, lechon, chicharon, etc) BEAUT Y. I take this oral sunscreen that Dra. Vicky Belo gave me on top of my topical sunscreen.

FASHION. I am not a designer brand fanatic. I’ve never bought for myself a single signature bag. I however received, a long, long time ago from a friend, a tiny “kili kili” (underarm) LV purse.

BELO BODY. I had a liposuction about two years ago. Why? That’s because there were some very stubborn bulges that won’t go away despite the daily exercises and dieting. Dra. Belo did say that I was the perfect candidate because the procedure is really for sculpting and not for losing weight.

MIO CHONGSON, 47 Managing Partner, Blue Bottle Inc. FITNESS. I play badminton once a week with friends. Been doing this for a year.

HEALTH. Carbs is still part of my diet, as I need the energy for work and to catch up with my four kids after.

BEAUT Y. Occasionally, I go to Facial Care Center for facials, laser tone and diamond peel, usually after going to the beach.

FASHION. It’s basic—I choose the styles that complement my assets and understate my imperfection.

HIP MUM. I would ask my daughters, even my 7-year old, if I look nice in a certain outfit –their honesty helps me. Like one time I was wearing a nice white dress with intricate raffles, and my kids told me I look like a bird.

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MERLEEE JAYME, 43 Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DM9 JaymeSyfu FITNESS. I do bikram, badminton, pilates every week (if my schedule is okay).

HEALTH. It’s a No-No not to have that necessary annual check-up.

BEAUT Y. Honestly, I just feel and look better now than 20 years ago. I’d like to think I earned every line on my face.

FASHION. Comfortable and relaxed. I can’t think of good ideas when I have an aching feet and barely breathing in tight clothes.

GIRL BONDING. What I truly enjoy though are Sundays with my four girls at Dashing Diva in Greenbelt 5. We book the whole place for manicure and pedicure –for a meaningful bonding moment. They loooove Nail Art.

VANESSA ESCOBAR, 33 Business Unit Director, TBWA\SMP FITNESS. Even though I do yoga/pilates and cycling, I make sure I am active outside of the gym also. Like, if there is an opportunity to use the stairs vs. escalator, I would do that. the gym four to five times a week.

HEALTH. Don’t abuse your body. I can say this now because I’m older. I’ve had my share of partying day and night, and it was fun. But, you should know your threshold. So stop when you know and feel you need to.

BEAUT Y. Just wash and wear. But I moisturize a lot. I love the sun, so I need to be well protected.

FASHION. I like classic pieces because I can play around with them. Depending on my mood, I can make them funky, or edgy or just plain simple. Everything starts with being comfortable.

STAYING FIT. I eat anything I want in moderation. What i make sure I do is drink Fit ‘n Right Juice. And because I love snacking, I also eat Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks. They’re my staples.

ICHAY BULAONG, 43 Head of CRM, ABS-CBN FITNESS. I exercise at least thrice a week and it can be in any form. The important thing is I reach my maximum heart rate for a minimum of 40 minutes thrice a week, and I stretch for another 20 minutes.

HEALTH. I love eating and I eat what I want but I follow certain rules- everything in moderation, and “it takes three bites to satisfy a craving”.

BEAUT Y. I put sunblock religiously because I’m under the sun all the time and I’m getting old and wrinkled.

FASHION. Comfort is very important to me. Except for shoes. The higher the heels, the better.

SAILING CHIC. I started sailing almost 20 years ago. Whether it’s windsurfing, hobie cat sailing, big boat sailing, it has gone beyond being a sport. It’s a passion and a part of my life.

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CLASSIFIED ADS adobo t-shirt now available! call +632 8450218, Badet

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109 Perea Street Legaspi Village, Makati CIty Phone: (632) 840-5858 Fax: (632) 840-5015 mail@electromedia.com.ph contact persons: Yvonne de Paula Michelle Lopez www.electromedia.com.ph

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MacGraphics Carranz International Corp. #80 Service Road, Francisville Subdivision, Mambugan, Antipolo City, Philippines 1870 Phone: 02.681.42.80 / 02.681.32.94 / 02.250.12.09 Fax: 02.681.79.44

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Bahag-Richard Atrero de Guzman Photographer / Filmmaker Bahaghari World Photography bahaghari.deguzman@gmail.com www.lightstalkers.org/bwp + 63 917 8000299 + 632 9261992

2663 Honduras Street, Makati City, 1200 Phils Phone: (632) 844-9360 Fax: (632) 844-9744 Email: gerry.deguia@filmex.ph call: Gerry de Guia Jun Garra

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MAD ABOUT

SKIN CARE ADS

Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who’s the fairest of them all?

So goes a memorable line uttered by the Wicked Stepmother from one of the world’s much-loved fairy tales. And judging from the proliferation of giant billboards along Metro Manila’s main avenues featuring celebrities endorsing beauty products and beauty services, the Wicked Stepmother may be forgiven for feeling a bit insecure if she happened to pop in the Philippines. That’s not even taking into account the many advertisements and write-ups she may see in local newspapers and magazines!

spent some PhP6.6 B to reach their target consumers.

At the forefront of this beauty bandwagon are, of course, the endorsers.

Actress Angel Locsin endorses MET Tathione, proclaiming that “MET makes my skin whiter, evenly.” MET is essentially glutathione, a drug said to whiten skin by decreasing the body’s production of melanine. Naturally—and no pun intended—manufacturers also place on their packaging that the drug is a “dietary supplement,” with “no approved therapeutic claims.” Sadly, being “white” is the beauty bogey of the Filipino, to which many manufacturers

FACE VALUE: GETTING HITCHED TO THE VANITY BANDWAGON

by Harry Mosquera

Beauty products and beauty services led the way in advertising spending on television, radio and print media.

It seems Filipinos have gone mad—for all things beautiful.

In the first quarter of the year, data from research giant Nielsen show that beauty products and beauty services led the way in advertising spending on television, radio and print media. The category of shampoo and hairdressing products topped the list at PhP3.5 B, and included in the Top 20 TVRP spending are: skin care at about Php1.3 B; dentrifices, toothpaste & toothbrush at PhP1.2 B; and health and beauty soaps at PhP629 M. If beauty is skin deep, then advertisers have considered beauty worth spending on. All in all, they have already

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pander to, reinforcing cultural stereotypes.

Facial Care Centre parades the faces of celebrities Marian Rivera, Amanda Griffin and Delamar—and their smooth pits—in print advertising (hopefully not photoshopped) that extols the virtues of ReFirme bipolar radio frequency treatments as well as Laserlight hair removal. Facial Care Centre reportedly spent about PhP39 M in advertising last year.

A recent feature in the Philippine Star crowed “From Tintin to thin thin,” covering how television personality Tintin Bersola trimmed down from a size 10 to a size 6, courtesy of BeloShape and SmartLipo treatments by the Belo Medical Group. In 2008, Belo tracked PhP11 M in ad spend; its competition, the Calayan Group, spent about half that amount.

Although Belo’s enterprising founder, Dr. Vicki Belo, is well-known as the country’s “beauty doctor to the stars,” she is now perhaps better-known as the love partner of a scandalous sex tape performer. Dubious celebrity aside, the good doctor’s practice has been in the news lately for botched jobs. Yet the negative publicity doesn’t seem to have affected her business.

Horror stories abound in newspapers and on television of ordinary folk who, in their desire for “self-improvement,” spend their life savings and fall prey to unscrupulous—even Even the fake—medical gentlemen practitioners who provide treatments are getting and procedures like into the vanity nose lifts, breast bandwagon. enlargements and even penile Beauty lengthening that products for have instead led to damaged body parts men are at and health risks. their highest Endorsers have no such worries. sales ever, They get their boosted by desired cosmetic offerings requirements, get paid for their specifically troubles and get the formulated extra boost for their for men’s skin. careers with the free publicity. While

celebrities won’t say how much they earn from their endorsements, one can get an idea by counting how many companies have entrusted their products to them. For example, the most sought after endorser, television host and actress Kris Aquino, vouches for at least 15 products— including Pantene Shampoo, Gynepro Feminine Wash, Kashieca and Facial Care Centre. She reportedly pocketed more than PhP50 M in 2008 from her endorsements.

Controversies abound with the endorsers themselves. Starlet Ruffa Gutierrez, for one, endorsed two competing brands. Television personality Boy Abunda, who endorses Calayan, has his own advertising outfit, which did the Calayan billboard along EDSA. Culturally, Filipinos have long been known for good hygiene practices. While Europeans would bathe once a week, most Filipinos would bathe twice a day. Culturally too, Filipinos have an appreciation for beauty, notwithstanding the claim of Imelda Marcos to be its prime purveyor.

In every town throughout the archipelago, beauty contests crown the fairest maidens.

A beauty title like Miss Philippines, Miss International, Miss World and Miss Universe can bring its holder not only fame, but fortune, if she plays her title right.

But even the gentlemen are getting into the vanity bandwagon. A recent article in Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that beauty products for men are at their highest sales ever, boosted by offerings specifically formulated for men’s skin.

Men now visit grooming centers and wellness clinics regularly for the rub, the wrap and the wax—yes, including the much-dreaded Brazilian. It looks like today’s Filipino male must not only be well-dressed but must also be well-shorn. It is not too far off to imagine that global brands like Nivea and Gillette will soon be bringing to Philippine shores products and

Smooth and slippery Philosophy by Mikaela, which positions itself as “an advanced aesthetic center,” has been slipping in and out of controversy. First, its billboard had to be redone, upon orders of the Advertising Standards Council (ASC), to make singer Pops Fernandez appear to wear underwear, despite her strategically positioned python. Then it slithered away from its outstanding media accounts, by disavowing approval of its print ads.

Perhaps its media and ad suppliers shouldn’t have taken its tagline “Your new best friend” to heart; whether the forked tongue copy actually refers to the reptile or Mikaela is a slippery contention.

campaigns that will help men achieve their desired Grecian statue image.

Local men’s magazines have grooming sections; each issue is chock-full of advertisements, advertorials and write-ups on beauty and fitness. Brand names like Facial Care Centre, Clarins, Demalogica, Murad Medical Spa and Phytomer at The Spa are now an important part of the well-informed Filipino male.

Facial Care Centre ads, for example, claim treatments to help men rid their skin of flaws, specifically acne scars and blemishes, pimple breakouts and back acne, fine lines and wrinkles, loose sagging skin and “skin fatigue.”

“Skin fatigue,” incidentally, is addressed with a massage.

CLONED

Rick Hawthorne Managing Director for Production Road Runner Inc.

Tintin The Adventures of Tintin Herge (Georges Remi)

If the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then Marie France offers ULTRASHAPE: a one-treatment guarantee to reduce two centimeters off his waist, from “a beer belly to a flat tummy.” The offer is sweetened with a promise of a “no-cost bodyfat analysis.” But isn’t the analysis similarly available with a simple caliper at your local gym?

Interestingly, the beauty bandwagon in the Philippines has been remarkably immune even these recessionary times. It remains to be seen if what is good for the pocket is also good for positive values and self-esteem of the Filipino.

In the clutter of many advertising claims on beauty, a clever campaign from Dove stands out. Its “Campaign for Real Beauty” is an advocacy that promotes how diverse and unique notions of beauty can be. While there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to be as goodlooking as a celebrity, one must also realize that beauty comes in different forms, no matter how imperfect.

Perhaps the most revealing truth about the marketing of beauty is best expressed by Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, who famously said: “In our factory, we make lipstick; in our marketing, we sell hope.” september-october '09

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FocusMedia teams up with Manila!

FocusMedia, Asia’s pioneer in out-of-home audiovisual information network, teams up with the City of Manila and the Manila Sports Council (MASCO) for the MAYOR ALFREDO S. LIM: THE 1ST MANILA 3-0N-3 INTER-BARANGAY BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP. This grassroots sports development program supports the City of Manila on its drive to protect the youth from illegal use of drugs and channel their energy to worthwhile activities.

The basketball tournament runs from October to December 2009 at the San Andres Sports Complex. Participating are the six districts of Manila, covering a total of 897 barangays.

Sponsorship and Manila-wide merchandising display packages are available. Call 722-7722.

FocusMedia ushers in the freshest innovation in advertising by pioneering the largest out-of-home audiovisual information network in Asia. Employing LCD screens as our media platform, FocusMedia crafts its network by strategically situating these displays in high-traffic areas, such as elevator banks of hotels, high-rise condominiums, commercial office buildings, hospitals and malls. FocusMedia in the Philippines now boasts of over 130+ sites, making it the biggest in the country. www.focusmedia.com.ph

Norbert Pineda and Jenny Abad Santos

Raul Jorolan, Bonbon Jimenez and Raymond Red

Steve Vesagas

Directors Jun Carangan and Henry Frejas

Lady boss Manet Dayrit

Sid Maderazo and Jeorge Agcaoili

RoadRunner 's David Yu

Teddy Catuira with Mel Bulaong and Gladys Ballaran Mike Sandejas and Miguel Escueta with Ronald de Asis RoadRunner 's Abelle Serraon with Brew's Annette Eufemio

The Ogilv y team

The DentsuIndio bosses

ŠKodak, 2009. Kodak and Vision are trademarks.