adobo magazine | November-December 2013

The word on creativity

centerfold

The firm

year end report

Joey Ong

Straight Shooters Branded Networks

Milestones Brand Mavens Art of the Sale Industry Filmmakers Things That Moved Us Unlikely Pairings Spoof Videos Favorite Foods Top Parties

trendspotting

Top of the World

Hardcore for the Holidays

digital

design

Mobile Marketing Conference The New Flag-Bearers

Russell Molina Trese’s Diabolical Duo Things We Forget

merlee jayme dm9jaymesyfu

festival coverage Spikes Asia LIA Agora Awards interview Gigi Garcia

Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

Erik Matti

Issue 48 november - december 2013

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Philippines P195 Indonesia IDR 100k Malaysia MYR 15 Singapore SGD 10 Hong Kong

Thailand

Life After OTJ

Katrina Encanto & EJ Galang Lowe Bangkok

THE ‘Smart txtbks’ team L-R Biboy Royong, Art Director; Eugene Demata, Executive Creative Director; Dee Taar, ILLUSTRATOR; Alex Syfu, CHIEF RELATIONS OFFICER; Caloy Sambrano, CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR; Ina Vargas, ACCOUNT MANAGER

Sophistication in frames PowerShot S120 For the Pro’s Reliable Backup Behind every successful photographer is a reliable backup camera. The PowerShot S120 is a powerful prosumer camera that has the best of both worlds – a sleek body that fits in your pocket and the latest Canon technology advancements. It's as close as you can get to a DSLR's functions while keeping the easy use of a point and shoot.

PowerShot SX510 FOR THE NEXT DREAM VACATION Capture the sights on your trip with a handy but powerful camera with excellent zooming capabilities. Packed with the extremely 30x Optical Zoom wide-angle Lens (24-720mm), the PowerShot Sx510 lets you shoot every bit of mountain, ocean, and scenery to preserve all those vacation memories. The versatile lens gives you a range of framing options, while the Intelligent Image Stabilizer gives you the crisp and brilliant images you xpect from Canon. It also comes with Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to wait to get home to share all your beautiful travel photos.

VIXIA mini For the Next Viral Hit Whether it’s a citizen news report, vlogging, funny cat videos, or a cover of Miley’s Wrecking Ball, making great online entertainment has never been easier. The new Vixia mini is especially handy with it’s super slim body and lightweight 5.6 ounces, perfect for catching the candid moments that makes all of YouTube LOL. It has a builtin stand for enabling handsfree shooting and Remote Control capability via the CameraAccess smartphone app. You can even go from YouTube star to hotshot indie director with it’s full HD movie recording, high quality stereo microphone, and Ultra Wide Angle Lens.

PowerShot G16 For the Next Big Adventure Snap away at your favorite team’s football game or shoot friendly weekend warriors riding the wave.

Grab the PowerShot G16 to capture the action and excitement, anytime anywhere. This fast and agile camera gives you boundless opportunities to share how you play. With a bright f/1.8 (W) - f/2.8 (T), 5x zoom lens (28-140mm) fast AutoFocus, the 12.1 Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, and the 1080p/60p Full HD video function, you can capture fast plays and extreme sports with ease. You can also bring the G16 to night games or on camping trips with the Canon HS SYSTEM for exceptional low-light performance up to ISO 12800 and the new Star Mode for stunning starry night sky images.

EOS 70D For that Winning Shot From photo walks to prenup shoots, create stunning images with the EOS 70D mid-range digital SLR camera.

Canon uses the latest developments in digital imaging technology for its newest innovation: the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. It gives you better quality of stills and images with enhanced focusing speed and precision.

It has a 20.2 -megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor and DIGIC 5+ digital image processor to capture clear shots faster. It’s built-in Wi-Fi function lets you shoot from a distance for creative angles and discreet coverage.

Pro by day. Glam by night.

Professional photographer Sara Black knows she doesn’t have to bring her full DSLR equipment everywhere. Not when she’s got a reliable back-up compact camera. Equipped with DSLR features, the PowerShot Prosumer series is the best back-up camera any pro can have.

PowerShot S120

Look for the RED sticker on the box flap to make sure you have a legitimate Canon product.

PowerShot G16

PowerShot G1X

Canon Digital Cameras-Philippines Canon_PH

www.canon.com.ph

Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. 7/F Commerce and Industry Plaza, Campus Ave. corner Park Ave., McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 1634 Call: (632) 884-9090 Customer Care Hotline: (632) 884-9000 Email: customer_care@canon.com.ph Visit: www.canon.com.ph North Luzon (072) 242-4587 Central Luzon: (045) 961-8734 South Luzon: (052) 480-5090 Visayas: (032) 231-4165 Mindanao: (082) 227-8929.

E D I TO R ’ S N OT E November-December 2013, Issue 48

The year that was As we close our last issue of the year, our thoughts go out to the people of central Philippines, who are suffering untold misery from having lost family and friends in twin tragedies dealt by nature.

The one-two punch of an earthquake followed by the world’s strongest recorded typhoon has been merciless even as the mercy missions mounted by local and global brands, foreign countries and international relief organizations have been exemplary. Marketers have shown unstinting generosity while refusing to capitalize on their humanitarian efforts. If only the same could be said of politicians.

Recovering from nature’s cruel blows will not be easy.

But Filipinos are a hardy and ingenious group. Our brand of creativity has been recognized at international award shows for having repurposed discarded items – soft drink bottles, sachets, old SIM cards – into things that provide light, school chairs and even textbooks for the less privileged. Devastated towns and villages will need this kind of out-of-the-box thinking to rebuild their lives in a way that is materially better for them.

It is this brand of Filipino inventiveness that we have chosen to celebrate in our last issue of the year.

DM9JaymeSyfu’s co-founders Merlee Jayme and Alex Syfu and their team are on adobo’s first-ever editorial gatefold cover because this young and small shop has put the Philippines on the creative map with a simple yet stunning idea of turning disused SIM cards into textbooks (pg 66).

Beyond the metals, their idea will deliver a material benefit to Filipino school kids as it rolls out across the country.

A young Filipino creative tandem – Katrina Encanto and EJ Galang – now flying Lowe’s creative flag in Bangkok – is similarly inspired to use creativity to effect change for good (pg 84), while another pair of Filipino creatives are respectively entertaining the young and the young-at-heart in ventures outside advertising: Seven A.D.’s Russell Molina (pg 60) and MRM’s Budjette Tan (pg 62).

The issue also features a multi-awarded creative who documented the social experiment he launched in a book

that leaves readers not only with food for thought but a smile as well (pg 64), while Ace Saatchi’s Gigi Garcia, the cheerleader and drill sergeant behind award-winning PLDT campaigns, offers a road map for pro-active and creative client servicing (pg 80).

There’s plenty of coverage of the last of the year’s creative festivals, from Spikes (pg 99) to the London International Awards (pg 52) and the Agora Awards (pg 123).

Our last issue of 2013 wouldn’t be complete without a look back at the year that is fast coming to a close. The industry’s creative accomplishments, talent, the changes, the ups and downs, the good and the bad are chronicled in our Year-End Report (pg 129). Also notable is that the issue has our largest number of pictorials to date, providing a visual feast that show industry talent in a different light, outside their office, their corporate suits and their business demeanor: Joey Ong (pg 76), industry bands (pg 78), young marketers (pg 156 and 158) and filmmakers (pg 132), mostly in glam attire.

Also featured is our very own Team adobo, fresh off our recent Philippine Quill wins for Publication Design and Writing Skills, including a Top Award – adobo’s third – for ‘Project Reinvention’ that saw the magazine overhauled inside and out.

As we move towards 2014, we hope you will find plenty to read, reminisce about and be entertained and inspired by what we’ve placed between these covers.

Turning the page on 2013, the team at adobo wishes one and all a blessed Christmas, a happy New Year and a fervent hope that our industry and our country will enjoy a year of health and happiness.

Angel V. Guerrero Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

staffbox President & Editor-in-Chief Angel V. Guerrero

Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer Janelle Barretto Squires

EDITORIAL Consultant Editor Sharon Desker Shaw Managing Editor Mikhail Lecaros Editorial Coordinator & Writer Charisma Felix

Digital Editor Carmela Lapeña Multimedia Journalist Amanda Lago

Cover Photo Xander Angeles Styling Santi Obcena Hair & Make-up Joanne Calaquian

ART Creative Director Victor Garcia Multimedia Artist Ricardo Malit

Graphic Artist & Illustrator Joshua Gonzales

marketing & events Sales & Marketing Head Apple Esplana-Manansala Account Managers Tricia Amarilla Paul Genato Business Development Assistant Kriss Luciano

Events Manager Ched Dayot Marketing & Events Coordinator Andrew Sarmiento

For advertising, sales, subscription, editorial and general inquiries, please get in touch. editorial@adobomagazine.com sales@adobomagazine.com subscriptions@adobomagazine.com events@adobomagazine.com books@adobomagazine.com info@adobomagazine.com www.adobomagazine.com Telephone +632.845.0218 / +632.886.5351 Fax +632.845.0217

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GOOD TO KNOW adobo would like to apologize for an error in September/October’s Digital Showcase in which the Globe Sakto campaign was wrongly credited to Wunderman. Publicis JimenezBasic handled the Sakto campaign. The Philipines New Wins chart for the September/October issue had also mistakenly credited the First Philippine Holdings, Melco Crown Entertainment and SM Homeworld to Leo Burnett. BBDO Guerrero had in fact won all three accounts. We apologize for the errors.

adobo magazine is published bi-monthly by Sanserif Inc. © 2013 Sanserif Inc. All rights reserved. Printed on recycled paper.

No part of the magazine maybe reproduced or transmitted by any means without prior permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors of omissions or any circumstance of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher and the editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

CO N T R I B U TO RS November-December 2013, Issue 48

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Writing Matthew Arcilla1 , Karl de Mesa 2, Chris de Pio Sanchez 3, Jamie Tolentino 4 Photography Xander Angeles 5, Mark Bernil 6, Johann Bona7, Dan Harvey 8, Ken Kurechi, Shampoo Padilla9, Ryan Sulit 10, Jay Tablante11 Make-up/Styling Anna Angeles 12, Abir Asda, Anthea Bueno13, Joanne Calaquian14, Aya Caliboso, Mayve Canamo15, Clint Catalan16, Justine del Rosario, Jasper dela Cruz, Jheff Duran, Stef Escobio17, Andrew Ferraris 18, Miko Iso19, Chuchie Ledesma 20, Camz Materiales 21 , Tricia Miranda22, KC Mempin 23, Santi Obcena24, Cecille Rebollos 25, Elvie Recalde 26, Tin Rodriguez 27, Ira Roncal 28, Ron Ross 29, Bianca Vela30, Nadj Zaragoza31 Layout Dominic Calalo 32, Ramir Cambiado 33

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Merlee Jayme

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Gigi Garcia

76 Joey Ong

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Table of Contents

Things We Forget

November-December 2013, Issue 48

Cover Story 66

Merlee Jayme

Philippine News 10 12 13 14 17 18

Brands bring relief Brands delay Christmas push in storm’s wake LIA prizes go to three local shops New Wins Deepening Crisis Christmas in the city

Global News 20 22 24 27 29

Digital spree New Wins Nissan partners Omnicom Kancil shine Seasonal cheer

The Work 40 43 44 46 47 50 52 58

Design 60 62 64

Digital Mobile Marketing Conference Ready for prime time The new flag-bearers Smart hashtag

adobo Exhibit: Russell Molina Diabolical Duo Things We Forget

Centerfold 76

Joey Ong

Trendspotting 78

32 34 36 38

Creative Review: Morihiko Hasebe Ad of the Month Bang for the buck: DOT ‘It’s More Fun’ Creative Corner: Dale Lopez Creative Showcase Book Review: David and Goliath London International Awards LIA Creative Conversation

Hardcore for the Holidays

People 80 84

Gigi Garcia Katrina Encanto and EJ Galang

The Firm 90 94

Straight Shooters Branded Networks

Special Report 99 123 124 129 178

Spikes Asia 2013 Agora Awards adobo Main Course: Tony Hertz Year-End Special adobo sets quill top award record

Regular Sections 180 Logic & Magic: Rethinking Reputation 182 Events calendar

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philippine news

www.cbc.ca

Brands bring relief

MANILA Local and multinational brands, foreign countries and relief groups have rushed humanitarian aid in cash and kind amounting to billions of pesos for victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest storm to make landfall in recorded history.

Companies have also held fund -raising events, launched donation collection centers and agreed to match employee donations.

The roll call of corporate donors reads like a who’s who list, extending across the entire advertising spending spectrum.

Banks and financial institutions: HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Credit Suisse, Maybank, MasterCard have donated in the millions.

Automotive: Car brands made outright donations (Toyota and its local affiliate

donated 10m pesos, while BMW AG and its distributor Asia Carmakers gave 90,000 euros), held fund-raising auctions (Chevrolet raised 141,000 pesos) and provided vehicles to transport volunteers and aid (BMW).

Restaurants: YUM Brands directed US$1.5m from its World Hunger Relief program to the UN World Food Program, Jollibee Food Corporation pledged 30m pesos and donated food supplies, while local restaurants have been holding dine-for-acause events to donate part or all proceeds to the relief effort.

Retail: Fast Retailing Japanese and Philippine operations, the company behind Uniqlo, have donated 6.5m pesos in cash and kind, while IKEA donated US$2.6m to UNICEF. Macy’s, the US department store,

Local brands hand over multi-millions

MANILA Local corporations and tycoons have also been quick opening their wallets to meet the humanitarian challenge.

Henry Sy’s SM Group of retail, banking, real estate and other businesses pledged 100 million pesos, which will also go towards recovery and rehabilitation following midOctober’s Bohol earthquake.

Businessman’s George Ty’s group of companies – Metrobank, Toyota Motors

and Toyota Financial Services – donated 50m pesos for relief and rebuilding efforts. A similar amount was donated by the Alliance Group, which has Emperador, Resorts World and McDonald’s in its portfolio.

The diversified Ayala Group made a 10m-peso donation on top of monetary and in-kind donations from its overseas partners.

The disaster also saw telco giants Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular set aside their rivalry to offer 25 free local and international SMS a day for a limited period to the affected regions across their networks. Newly-launched ABSCBN Mobile was giving away 100,000 SIM cards loaded with 50 pesos, 15 free SMS to all networks and 5MB worth of data services to typhoon survivors.

adobomagazine

November-December 2013

SM Group pledges P100m

Corporate donors line up cash and supplies to aid in Yolanda recovery contributed US$50,000 and is matching employee donations.

Beverages: Donations from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo hit US$3.5m in cash and kind.

Travel companies: Airlines have sent emergency supplies and provided aircraft (Lufthansa) and provided humanitarian flights for aid workers and relief supplies (Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Zest), while Royal Caribbean Cruises plans to raise US$1m from matching employee donations.

Healthcare/pharmaceutical: The global research pharma sector has pledged more than 200m pesos in cash and kind; Abbot has pledged US$350,000 in grants and Bayer 38m pesos in relief and reconstruction.

Logistics: UPS will donate US$1m in cash grants and in kind transportation and technical assistance, while Fedex has helped disaster relief groups ship supplies in.

Sports and entertainment: The Walt Disney Company donated US$500,000 through relief organizations and is matching employee donations, US basketball teams Miami Heat is giving US$1m and the Lakers US$150,000 while the NBA and NBA Players Association donated a total of US$500,000 between them.

Petroleum: Chevron contributed US$1.5m and Shell offered in-kind initial assistance.

Local conglomerates are also preparing to partner with a community development group Gawad Kalinga – Globe has pledged to donate profits from its Tattoo brand services for the rest of the year to the group to rebuild 100 houses in Leyte; Store Specialists will also work with the group and Habitat for Humanity in the rebuilding phase.

www.foodfulglory.com

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Pitching IN

Creative twist to aid drive

UNSELFIE BBDO Guerrero launched the #Unselfie drive, a play on social media’s two favorite obsessions, to drum up donations. The idea calls on people to write a simple donation call to action such as supportunicef.org/Philippines on a sheet of paper with the hashtag #unselfie, take a ‘selfie’ while holding the sign and posting the picture to their social networking sites.

The new US Ambassador to the Philippines posed for an unselfie after he was sworn in.

SNAPPERS HELP OUT Photographers in and outside the Philippines are selling some of their work to donate proceeds to relief efforts.

Manila-based photographer Peter O’Driscoll is organizing a photo event, featuring the work of about 15 photographers.

GENEROSITEE adobo magazine will be distributing a limited number of T-shirts designed by Y&R Philippines ECD Herbert Hernandez to the creative community. Dubbed ‘Generositee’, the T-shirts, which include instructions on how they can be used as bags for relief goods, will also be made available for sale with proceeds going to aid victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

adobomagazine

Brands delay Christmas push in storm’s wake Will Yolanda deal fresh blow and hit adspend in 2014?

MANILA This year’s Christmas advertising spree has been delayed, if not derailed by Typhoon Yolanda as celebration seems out of place amid scenes of devastation left by arguably the strongest storm to hit the country.

McDonald’s Philippines pulled a TV spot for its Holiday Sweet Pleasures ice cream (pictured), which began airing November 4, four days before the storm arrived. The ad was due to resume broadcast on November 25.

Coca-Cola Philippines and its bottlers, Coca-Cola FEMSA, have also pulled all commercial advertising until further notice.

“Any committed advertising space will be redirected to the relief and rebuilding efforts for the people in Visayas,” CocaCola Philippines VP for public affairs and communications, Atty. Adel Tamano, said in a letter to media.

Pepsico is continuing with its plans but its Philippines country manager Maricelle Narciso explained the reason for doing so: “It is important that we as a nation continue to raise the morale of our Filipino brothers affected by this terrible calamity, especially in this time when hope is needed in the face of so much desperation. What we will tone down will be the employee partying and gift-giving, and direct these to the relief and recovery operations for the deeply affected areas.”

The scale of destruction and devastation of large consumer markets in Central

November-December 2013

Philippines have raised fears of a sharp pullback in adspend for the coming months.

Starcom Mediavest CEO Joanna Mojica, however, said most of the agency’s clients were continuing with their December campaigns, though a significant decrease is expected in provincial based campaigns in affected areas.

“With the exception of our Coca-Cola client, the rest of the clients with concrete plans to be presented in December will proceed as their way of communicating to the general public their continuous service through product presence and availability in all key trade channels,” Mojica explained.

“All our clients have conveyed solidarity in providing relief funds to support and take active part in helping the Yolanda affected areas in Visayas,” Mojica said. “As source of funds vary from either the corporate or marketing arm of clients, we observed a good mix of no change and minimal decrease in planned December advertising spend.”

Media owners have responded to scheduling changes and delays by waiving penalties, while offering their respective outreach programs as potential receiving points for donations from brands and the public.

Mojica also said that while a contraction in business is expected for the storm damaged Visayas in 2014, the business growth forecast “remains strong as the majority of business is sourced from the NCR (National Capital Region), Luzon, and Mindanao”.

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METAL takings

From the awards circuit

LIA prizes go to three local shops DM9 leads with 2 Golds

MANILA Three local agencies shared four trophies – two Golds and two Silvers – from London International Awards (LIA), making the Philippines Asia’s sixth most-awarded market.

DM9JaymeSyfu added to its haul of metal for ‘Smart TXTBKS’ project to repurpose the telco’s excess SIM cards stock and handsets as school textbooks for client Smart. It won both

Golds in the Digital – Electronic Equipment and Non-Traditional Branded Content.

The Silver awards were split between TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno for ‘Koi Fish Feed Invite’ (pictured) for Nuvali in Design – Direct Marketing and Y&R Philippines in Public Service/ Social Welfare for Maynilad Water Services’ ‘Dengue Bottle’ to reduce the incidence of mosquito-borne disease.

JWT achieved finalist status for its Cannes Gold winner, Schick Exacta 2 series of ‘Icon’ posters.

With its two Golds, the Philippines placed behind Australia, the UAE, New Zealand, Korea and India in LIA’s most-awarded league of regional markets, but ahead some of the region’s traditional winners such as Japan, Singapore and Thailand. See pg 103

WARC WINNER BBDO Guerrero beat 35 other contenders for the Grand Prix 2013 Warc Prize for Asian Strategy for the Department of Tourism’s now-ubiquitous ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign. Honoring the best in strategic thinking in Asian Marketing, the award was in recognition of the campaign’s potential to evolve on social media and through time. ‘It’s More Fun’ also won a Gold metal. DM9JaymeSyfu’s ‘Smart TXTBKS’ won a Silver as well as the Market Pioneer award and Ace Saatchi & Saatchi’s ‘Ariel Shirt Flag: How a Detergent Not Only Lifted Stains, But the Spirit of an Entire Nation’, scooped a Bronze prize. See pg 44

November-December 2013

DIGITAL DELIVERS The Philippines scored four metals at the Digital Asia Festival in Beijing with DM9JaymeSyfu winning three Gold prizes for its ‘Smart TXTBKS’ in Mobile, Digital Media Innovation and Charities, Public Health & Safety and Public Awareness Messages. McCann Worldgroup’s MRM unit won a Bronze for its ‘Coca-Cola President for Happiness’ work.

OGILVY WINS Mondelez International and Ogilvy & Mather Philippines scooped four citations at the 2013 Marketing Events Awards in Singapore in October. Tang ‘Project RecyClass’ won Gold for Best Consistency in Branding, a Silver for Best Multi-Channel Campaign and two Bronzes for Best Use of Technology and Best Digital Integration. This campaign is for kids by kids across the country to encourage them to collect foil packets to turn into school chairs.

YOUNG GUN Twisted Fork’s Dan Matutina was one of 37 in a global class of YG11 multi-disciplinary creatives under 30 to receive the Art Directors Club’s Young Guns Award in New York in early November.

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r3 new business league

new wins

MODESS AWARDS Johnson & Johnson has awarded the digital business for its Modess brand to its above-the-line agency, BBDO Guerrero in a move to assure a more holistic approach to its communication. Tina Sabarre, J&J’s director of marketing for Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, said, “… in this ever more competitive market, a holistic campaign is not just ‘nice to have’ but a necessity”.

DOT PROJECT The Department of Tourisim’s creative and media agencies BBDO Guerrero and Dentsu have lined up to bid for the agency’s Filipino Image Campaign Series, which will follow the destination branding campaign ‘It’s More Fun’ created by BBDO. Publicis Manila is also bidding for the campaign, which is a “multiyear integrated campaign” that was expected to begin at press-time and run until 2016.

SUMMIT COUP DDB Philippines outgunned rivals in a seven-way review to scoop the creative brief for next year’s Ad Summit Pilipinas, the new advertising festival led by the 4As. The agency pitched against McCann, IdeasXMachina, Publicis Jimenez, Havas Worldwide, Gallardo & Associates and SLG (Sinson Lascano Group Basic).

adobomagazine

September 2013 Philippines Top 10 wins Creative Agency

Month

Account

Area

DDB

Sep

Johnson & Johnson Digital

Philippines

BBDO

May

Tourism Australia

Global

Leo Burnett

Jan

Samsung

Philippines

McCann

Aug

Pride

Philippines

DDB

Feb

PLDT TelPad

Philippines

TBWA

Feb

Alaska Nutribuild 345

Philippines

Publicis

Mar

Blackberry

Philippines

Publicis

Apr

Asia Brewery

Philippines

McCann WorldGroup

May

Purina

Philippines

BBDO

July

First Philippines Holdings

Philippines

Media Agency

Month

Account

Area

Dentsu Media

Sep

Philippine Department of Tourism

Philippines

Vizeum

Jan

Pag-ibig Fund

Philippines

Universal McCann

Jan

Johnson & Johnson

Japan, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore

MediaCom

Mar

Bank De Oro

Philippines

ZenithOptimedia

Apr

Maybank

Philippines

Starcom MediaVest

May

Philippine Airlines

Philippines

ZenithOptimedia

May

Merck

Philippines

Havas Media

May

Mundipharma

Philippines

MediaCom

July

Fonterra

Asia Pacific

ZenithOptimedia

April

M.Lhuillier Group

Philippines

DM9’s Digit wins J&J digital AOR Credits integration for success MANILA DM9JaymeSyfu’s digital operation Digit has bagged Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) digital agency-of-record assignment for selected brands.

The shop, which is nearing its first year anniversary in January, will handle J&J’s Clean and Clear, Carefree, Listerine, Splenda, and its OTC portfolio that includes Bactidol, Benadryl, Sinutab and Immodium, over and above corporate brand work.

November-December 2013

Digit’s managing director and partner Carlo Ople admitted J&J was one of the hardest accounts to crack. “We credit this win to the seamless integration between the creative and account teams of both Digit and DM9JaymeSyfu. It’s a victory for digital creativity rooted deeply in consumer insights backed up by relevant and meaningful analytics.”

Digit ECD Eugene Demata added: “Having both creative teams work on the brief allowed us to channel decades of traditional advertising experience into the digital space.”

Ople said DM9, which has long prided itself on its lean and mean form, would be “staffing up to fully support requirements for next year”.

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Reshuffle at Performics Former MD Buddahim returns to client side with Avon

MANILA Albet Buddahim, who led the launch of ZenithOptimedia’s (ZO) performance marketing unit Performics in the Philippines, has left for a digital role at Avon Philippines.

The media network has tapped Dual Action Blender founder Isabelle Turpault to lead Performics as managing director.

Buddahim’s shift to Avon as its digital activation and business transformation head marks a return to his client roots. Prior to joining ZO as digital director and rising to managing director of its Performics unit, he spent five years with Procter & Gamble in digital and marketing roles, while serving as leader of its ASEAN Market Research for fabric and homecare and as digital marketing

Y&R promotes creative pair Duo reports to Abesamis MANILA Herbert Hernandez and Jenny Nadong have been promoted to executive creative director at Y&R Philippines, reporting to chief creative officer Badong Abesamis.

Both were previously creative directors.

manager for the Philippines and Asia digital business platform.

At ZO, the Google certified professional launched Performics, working with Nestlé Philippines, Ayala Land, BPI and Nissan.

Turpault’s creative digital boutique, Dual Action Blender, has been a partner of ZO since last year. The partnership sought to integrate digital and non-digital campaigns into the overall marketing mix framework to optimize marketing budgets.

Her digital career began at JWT and WPP sister agency Bates in the US. Arriving in Asia in 2002, she worked at Bates Indochina before moving to the Philippines to set up Dual Action Blender.

Hernandez joined Y&R in March 2012 from DM9JaymeSyfu. The multi-awarded creative has worked with major clients such as Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé, Unilever, Ford, San Miguel, Foodsphere, Tanduay and Splash. Campaign Brief Asia has regularly listed this guitar-playing rocker as one of the country’s hottest creatives.

Nadong, who has handled some of the Philippines’ biggest brands – ColgatePalmolive, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Mead Johnson, GSK, PLDT and Smart – will lead the ColgatePalmolive creative account in her new role.

She joined the agency in 2009 and has been a regular presence at the country’s premier awards shows.

Abesamis said the promotions capped a year in which the agency won its first-ever Cannes prize in its 27-year history – three Lions for a DIY mosquito trap to reduce dengue cases for long-term client Maynilad Water.

November-December 2013

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ON THE MOVE STARCOM RETURNEE Oliver Salazar has returned to Starcom MediaVest Group Manila as media director on the Samsung account after an absence of 10 years. Salazar worked with Starcom from 2001 to 2003 and was until recently with MediaCom Interaction, He has been tasked with growing Samsung’s digital presence, leveraging best practices from the agency’s regional offices.

UNILEVER MANDATE Unilever Philippines has a new chairman and CEO – Rohit Jawa, who was its senior vice president, global marketing operations. Jawa relocated to Manila, taking over from Peter Cowan, who was appointed chairman of Unilever South Africa. The shift comes as Unilever focuses on emerging markets and its digitalization efforts to drive growth.

ADOBO ERROR In the September-October issue of adobo, the photo of Kristelle ‘Kae’ Davantes (pictured) was accidentally replaced with that of Kristel Tejada. We would like to extend our deepest apologies to the family, friends and colleagues of both Ms. Davantes and Ms. Tejada for this error.

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Class act

Industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue meticulously selects pieces for first retail store in the country MANILA Award-winning industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue opened his first retail store in Manila, showcasing design innovations that are both functional and works of art, while offering a refreshing change to established retail practices.

The store at The Residences in Makati’s Greenbelt strip features the designer’s modern, often whimsical furniture creations that have captured the imagination of the international design community and can be found everywhere from Hollywood productions to celebrity homes and some of the world’s top resorts.

“Now, we have about 50 collections under the Kenneth Cobonpue brand, and that gives us the flexibility to change things around every four months or so and create new installations,” Cobonpue said.

Having the collections and securing the prime retail space were only the first steps.

The designer’s obsession with detail meant everything had to be “just right”, especially

with the selection of the inaugural display, which resulted in a lengthy gestation period.

The results of that selection process now occupy two generously appointed levels where visitors are invited to look, touch and yes, sit on the fanciful furniture.

“I’ve never understood that,” says Cobonpue of most furniture stores’ practice to forbid sitting on the merchandise. “I mean, it’s easy to make something that looks good, it’s harder to make something that’s actually comfortable.”

Opening the store was a big move for Cobonpue, who shared that his strategy has always been to be represented by select boutiques and showrooms around the world.

“This is a first, and we’ll see how this does,” he said. “When I do something, I want to do it very well, and it took me about 12 to 15 years to finally open my own flagship store.

And I knew I wanted it to be in the Philippines.

For now, we’re very happy with the response, and I’m very excited.”

Aegis names Goel Posterscope head

Indonesia beats Manila to AdAsia

New Philippine head sees growing digital inventory

Typhoon hurt bid chance

MANILA Posterscope, the out-of-home digital media brand of Aegis Media, plucked a startup talent from its India operations, Vinay Goel, to lead the launch of its Philippine outpost.

Goel, who relocated to Manila as general manager of the local start-up, has been with Posterscope since it launched in India in 2008. He was senior business director, North and East of Posterscope India, at the time of his relocation.

Goel insisted that the local market had a growing inventory of digital media offerings within elevators and commercial buildings, particularly in the central business district, and rail transit stations in the local market, where traditional billboards appear to dominate the outdoor scene.

“The Philippines has a market and I see a lot of infrastructure in digital formats not just in Metro Manila but also Cebu and Davao,” he said.

Goel said the company scored an early hit with a campaign to promote 7-Eleven’s new breakfast offering which only used digital outof-home media in elevators and MRT LCDs on the C5 and Edsa routes. The product sold out during the campaign’s run, leading 7-Eleven to refill orders daily, according to Goel.

“We have been talking to the big brands and to media suppliers, showing them our tools and systems to rate sites based on angle, visibility, size within the environment and other parameters and they are excited by our offering.”

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November-December 2013

MANILA The Philippines lost a three-way bid to host the 29th Asian Advertising Congress in 2017 to Indonesia. The other bidder was Thailand.

United Print Media Group president Ricky Alegre, who led the Philippine delegation in the bidding, said there were initially favorable signs for the country’s hosting. “We were approached after that (the pitch) by people saying they would love to go to Manila,” he said, adding that the vote was close.

Alegre said the smaller delegation might have been a factor – the Philippines fielded five members compared to around 50 from Indonesia. He added that the devastation left by Typhoon Yolanda might have also affected the Philippines’ chances. “The representatives there also expressed an outpouring of support. Although we were saying that it would also help us if they consider the Philippines, knowing we are on the path to rehabilitation,” he said.

t he ph il ippin e s

Deepening crisis

Questions raised on AdBoard’s continued viability as MSAP files a leave of absence

AdCon 2011... last time the congress was held.

MANILA The Advertising Board (AdBoard) is ending the year in much the same way as it began – with a fresh membership crisis as the Media Specialist Association of the Philippines (MSAP) has taken a leave of absence.

MSAP informed AdBoard on November 11, following in the footsteps of the Philippine Association of National Advertisers late last year and the 4As and the Advertising Suppliers Association within months of each other earlier this year.

MSAP president Angelito ‘BoyP’ Pangilinan said a members’ referendum found unanimous support to leave AdBoard.

“With the advertisers, the ad agencies, and the broadcast media either resigned or on leave, the AdBoard does not anymore represent the advertising industry,” he said.

The departures have left AdBoard a shell of its former self as it approaches its 40th anniversary. The membership crisis and the launch of a competing festival, Ad Summit Philippines, next year forced AdBoard to cancel the 23rd Advertising Congress, originally scheduled at press-time in Davao.

“It was very disappointing news to receive as we just finished our planning session and are completing the development of a proposed new mission on objectives for the AdBoard of the future. Hopefully, we can present them to all stakeholders soon,” said AdBoard chair Bienvenido Niles, who also heads the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES).

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The series of exits has raised questions whether AdBoard can continue in its present form or cover its monthly overheads, estimated at 400,000 pesos now that its biggest dues-paying member associations have pulled out.

Pangilinan said AdBoard would have to reinvent or rebrand itself to reflect its current roster. The remaining members are the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP), Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP), Cinema Advertising Association of the Philippines (CAAP), Independent Blocktimers Association (IBA), United Print Media Group (UPMG) and MORES. “Considering that most of the associations left are from the media sector, there have been suggestions to form instead an Advertising

Media Board, and maybe even invite the KBP to join the group. Of course that suggestion is entirely for that sector to discuss,” he said.

Pangilinan, who was treasurer of AdBoard before MSAP’s exit, said AdBoard could sustain its operations for the next year or so. “But without the screening fees from the defunct Advertising Content Regulations Committee and the revenue derived from Ad Congresses, whatever is left of the AdBoard fund will be depleted unless new revenue streams are created. Or the remaining organizations can co-fund the operations of the group,” he said.

He added that MSAP would continue to support the associations and companies remaining in AdBoard and would remain open to any dialogue or discussions on issues of mutual interest.

13,167 work in the media sector but it had only 13 top taxpayers in 2012. The Top 10*: 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Manny Pangilininan Felipe Gozon Eugenio Lopez Iii Antonio Tuviera Gilberto Duavit, Jr. Mike Enriquez Emmanuel Lorenzana Eric Canoy (TV5) (GMA Network) (Abs-Cbn Corp.) (Tape Inc.) (Gma Network) (RGMA Network) (TV5) (RMN, IBC) 24,671,703 20,905,148 20,758,951 18,979,400 18,238,927 16,542,458 11,474,562 10,843,458

9

10

Lizelle Maralag Charo Santos-Concio (GMA Marketing (Abs-Cbn Corp.) and Productions) 10,074,035 10,127,524

* Source: Labor Force Survey. Only includes taxpayers holding senior management positions

November-December 2013

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t h e p h i l i p pi nes

Christmas in the city Before Yolanda’s arrival, brands were getting festive

Eden Cheese

Jollibee

Selecta Ice Cream

McDonald’s

Campaign ‘Paskong Damang Dama’ Client Mondelez Philippines Agency JWT Manila The Work Even cheese can tug at the heartstrings as this emotive TV spot reminds viewers that Christmas doesn’t happen by itself. In the commercial, a mother goes about transforming her home for Noche Buena, hanging up the decorations and cooking up a feast. When the preparations are done, she goes up to lead her blind son down the stairs to the living room.

The boy’s experience is made more joyous with paper snowfall and a towering tree. To build its relationship further with local moms, the brand acknowledged that Christmas preparations are a “labor of love”, with moms overcoming different challenges to make the season special for loved ones.

Campaign ‘Maaga ang Pasko’ Client Jollibee Foods Corporation Agency Publicis JimenezBasic The Work This year, the agency shifted the spotlight from families gathering old toys and books for the brand’s annual gift drive to those receiving the donated items. In doing so, the spot captures the joy of a young recipient who is delighted with a hand-me-down teddy bear. Set to Christmas classic Oh Come All Ye Faithful, the spot aims to strike a chord with viewers, encouraging them to join the fastfood chain’s toys and books collection drive. The ad airs on TV as a 15-second spot, while the 55-second cut plays online.

Campaign ‘Ang Pasko ay Sumapit’ Client Selecta Agency Lowe Philippines The Work Keep the tissues for this one because this Christmas treat strikes a happy note. It stars a family of celebrity endorsers – Carmina Villaroel and Zoren Legaspi and their kin, who are having what looks like an ordinary Christmas lunch. That is until Legaspi breaks out a tub of Selecta ice cream. With his first spoonful, he lets out a delighted “mmm”, and is joined by the rest of the family, creating an infectious symphony as they indulge in the brand’s selection of new flavors.

Campaign ‘High’ Client Golden Arches Development Corporation Agency Leo Burnett The Work Accompanied by what is perhaps the most cheerful Christmas carol for an extra touch of irony, the ad stars a young woman getting caught up in and bogged down by the stress of Christmas shopping. At the end of the day though, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year still rings true as the woman enjoys her Salted Caramel sundae.

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November-December 2013

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global news

Digital spree

Acquisitive-minded holding groups add new muscle in Asia, US

DIPS & SPIKES

Holding groups’ Q3 results

Illustration Camille Noceda

3% PUBLICIS GROUPE Slower emerging market growth saw revenue rise 3% to US$2.3bn while organic growth was 3.5% against Q2’s 5%.

GLOBAL Agency holding companies are continuing their acquisition spree with new buys in the wake of Publicis Groupe and Omnicom’s mid-year plans for a “merger of equals”.

New and pending buys have been made

by WPP, Publicis and Omnicom in Asia and the US. Adding to its digital muscle, WPP snapped up IM2.0 through Y&R operating company VML and, at press time, had agreed to acquire US full-service mobile solution provider Bottle Rocket.

IM2.0 is a digital and media agency with offices in Beijing and Shanghai and counts Dell, Adidas, Mondelez, China Merchant Bank and Haier as clients. The acquisition is WPP’s fifth in China this year as the group chases growth in high-growth markets. WPP recently raised its targets from 35-40% for each of its fast-growth markets and new media to at least 40-45% over the next five years and, to this end, had allocated 70% of its £400 million war chest on buying digital shops and agencies in emerging markets.

Dallas-based Blue Rocket is a fiveyear-old digital agency that creates iPhone, iPad and Android apps for brands such as National Geographic, ABC News and NBC Universal. The acquisition comes after WPP took a minority stake in Austin-based mobile product development agency Mutual Mobile in August, continuing its strategy

to boost capabilities in digital media and mobile advertising.

Publicis has been on a buying spree in India, snapping up its third digital-focused company – Mumbai-based Beehive, an independent integrated agency, which has been rebranded as Publicis Beehive.

Earlier this year, the French group acquired Mumbai-based digital marketing firm Convonix followed soon after by Bangalore-based Neev Technologies.

Since April 2012, the group has made seven acquisitions in India, including Beehive, which provides digital marketing solutions and has created TV, print, outdoor and radio ad campaigns for several national and international clients. Beehive has offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and counts Malaysia Tourism, General Motors, Korea Tourism, Jubiliant Retail, India Bulls Finance and Bisleri as clients.

In the US, the group acquired full-service healthcare digital agency, Heartbeat Ideas, which has been merged with Saatchi Health agencies in that market.

Omnicom Group’s Ketchum agency acquired ICON International Communications, a Singapore-based independent PR shop, in November. A specialist in crisis management, ICON has worked with Ketchum for years and it was acquired to add further muscle to the latter’s Asia Pacific capabilities.

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November-December 2013

7.4% WPP Q3 revenue rose 7.4% to US$4.15bn after $3.71bn in new business was booked for Q3. Branding, healthcare and specialist communications grew 10.1% and advertising and media management 8.8%.

2% OMNICOM Net income slipped 4% to US$191m after a 2% revenue gain that reached $3.49bn.

Specialist communications booked the strongest growth, up 8.3%.

1.8% IPG Revenue rose under 2% to US$1.7bn but net income slumped 34% to $45.4m against $68.7m in 2012.

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Vizeum connections Names Asia Pac CEO to build ‘Connections That Count’ ASIA PACIFIC Aegis Media has rolled out a new brand identity and positioning for its Vizeum brand in the region, which will be led by a newly-appointed chief executive Kristian Barnes (pictured).

‘Connections that Count’ underscores the agency’s belief that relationships between consumers and brands are more important than ever. The positioning will underpin everything Vizeum does in the region to drive business across Asia Pacific and globally.

“At the heart of what Vizeum stands for are strong solutions and robust infrastructures enabling us to be fast and innovative in activating all of our assets.

Sustainable connections, long-lasting mutual links based on trust, loyalty and transparency are what we believe will ultimately deliver brand growth for our clients,” Thomas Le Thierry, president of Vizeum Global, said.

The media management network looked within for its regional CEO. Barnes joins the regional network in January next year from his role as chief commercial officer of Aegis

Media Australia and New Zealand, a group comprising 29 businesses, 1,200 staff and more than 2,000 clients. Barnes also led Havas Media business in Australia and New Zealand for over six years as part of the Mitchell Communication Group and founded the YoungGuns Awards in 2000.

“Kristian has an innovative and entrepreneurial flair that is ideally suited to the Vizeum brief. Under Kristian’s leadership Vizeum can really take flight, create its own space in the market, and deliver to its full potential,” said Nick Waters, chief executive officer of Aegis Media Asia Pacific.

Added Barnes: “As the influence of Asia economically and culturally continues to accelerate, Vizeum, as an agency built on understanding the convergence between technology and people, is ideally placed to create the connections that count between brands and people across Asia.”

Barnes has been tasked with working with talent across the region to drive the innovation and business outcomes that Vizeum clients expect, said Waters.

JWT hires global CEO-in-waiting Plucks Martinez from McCann to succeed Jeffrey GLOBAL Interpublic Group has lost senior executive Gustavo Martinez (pictured), to JWT, which hired the McCann Worldgroup president for Europe and Asia to succeed its worldwide chairman and CEO Bob Jeffrey.

Martinez will join the WPP network in February 2014 as global president and report to Jeffrey, who will continue as worldwide CEO through 2014. Martinez will assume the role of worldwide CEO in 2015 at which time Jeffrey will become non-executive chairman.

McCann Worldgroup had expanded Martinez’ remit in late 2012 after the ouster of CEO Nick Brien. Then-president for Europe, Martinez was given Asia responsibilities and oversight of the advertising unit.

The appointment marks a return to WPP for Martinez, who previously held senior roles at Ogilvy & Mather.

“Over the past few years Gustavo and I have cultivated a relationship of mutual admiration and respect. He is passionate about the business, devoted to clients and understands that the key asset of the business is the caring, nurturing and understanding of its people. Gustavo Martinez is the future of JWT,” stated Jeffrey.

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GLOBAL MOVES MCDONALD’S HIRES Former Amazon and Yahoo! senior executive Atif Rafiq has joined McDonald’s in the newly created role of chief digital officer. He will lead the fastfood giant’s global digital strategy, focusing on future growth in e-commerce, modernizing the restaurant experience, and engaging with consumers across the digital landscape. Rafiq has nearly 20 years of financial and tech industry experience and was most recently general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.com.

WUNDERMAN ROLE Wunderman has lured Lincoln Bjorkman from DigitasLBi to manage the WPP network’s creative offering as its New York-based global chief creative officer.

Said Wunderman chairman and CEO Daniel Morel: “Lincoln … understands that brands are increasingly turning to data and digital to dramatically improve their bottom line results.”

FITCH, BRAND UNION CEO Simon Bolton, worldwide CEO of WPP’s The Brand Union, has been tapped to lead its global retail and branding consultancy Fitch. Current Fitch CEO Lois Jacobs has since been named global CEO of Landor, WPP’s global branding and design agency.

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r3 new business league

new Wins

GREY DAY In a shock move, Australia’s Transport Accident Commission, TAC Victoria, has dropped Grey Melbourne following a four-month review.

Grey began working with TAC, which funds treatment and support services for accident victims, nearly 25 years ago, creating a string of memorable PSA campaigns such as ‘Wipe Out Five’ to reduce moderate speeding and ‘The Ripple Effect’, the 2012 Platinum AME Asia Pacific winner.

VIETNAM FORAY Thai sports retailer Supersports has tapped Y&R Vietnam for digital marketing to support its entry into Vietnam. Y&R, which won the job following a three-way pitch, has been asked to launch and manage the retailer’s website and digital marketing as the company plans to open another eight stores in the country before year-end.

DUTCH LADY SHIFTS BBH Asia Pacific has scooped the Dutch Lady business for Southeast Asia from dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina following a three-way review.

The agency has been tasked with further building the brand in the region, where it is called Dutch Lady in Malaysia and Vietnam, Foremost in Thailand and Frisian Flag in Indonesia.

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September 2013 Asia Pacific Top 10 wins Creative Agency

Month

Account

Area

Draftfcb

Sep

Arla Foods Project

China

Leo Burnett

Sep

Viagra

Japan

JWT

Sep

Hyundai Project

India

DDB

Sep

Kakao Talk

Malaysia

DDB/ DM9JaymeSyfu

Sep

Johnson & Johnson Digital

Philippines

Dentsu

Sep

Watsons

Taiwan

Ogilvy

Sep

Astellas

Australia

Grey

Sep

P&G Project

Korea

BBDO

Sep

Daimler

Singapore

McCann WorldGroup

Sep

Sime Darby Project

Malaysia

Month

Account

Area

Starcom MediaVest

Media Agency

Sep

AB InBev

China

Carat

Sep

L’Oréal

Australia

MediaCom

Sep

Inoherb

China

Starcom MediaVest

Sep

Tourism New Zealand

Indonesia

Dentsu Media

Sep

Philippine Department of Tourism

Philippines

Vizeum

Sep

Bolt

Indonesia

MEC

Sep

NZ Government

New Zealand

Starcom MediaVest

Sep

Himalaya Healthcare

Indonesia

Starcom MediaVest

Sep

Disney

Indonesia

MEC

Sep

Marvel

India

OMG wins Ferrero job

Accenture led review for confectioner’s global assignment ALBA Italian chocolate and confectionery company, Ferrero, has awarded its global media planning and buying business to Omnicom Media Group.

Accenture Media Management oversaw the pitch process, which came two years after Ferrero last reviewed its global creative and media accounts.

OMG will take over the account on January 1, 2014 in markets such as Australia, Russia, the US and the UK. The company’s brands include the spherical Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder Surprise and Tic Tac.

November-December 2013

In the UK, OMG brand Rocket will handle Ferrero in a three-year deal, unseating MEC for the business.

The Italian confectionary giant has worked with multiple holding companies and media agencies before the global consolidation. Among them were WPP’s GroupM, Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia and Dentsu’s Aegis.

Ferrero, one of the few, large- scale independent confectionary makers left on the shelf, has lately been fending off rumors that it is up for sale and that Nestlé is an interested buyer.

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new Wins GLOBAL TENDER South African Tourism has called a tender for its global advertising, digital and media planning and buying business as it looks to fully integrate marketing efforts for the next five years. The tender has been split into four parts, including a portion that calls for the development of a global marketing business strategy.

SOCIAL MOVE Kellogg’s snack brand Pringles has reappointed iHub Media, its partner since 2011, to deepen its social media connections in Japan and Korea. iHub manages more than 100 brand pages across Asia for brands such as Chivas and Nivea Body.

IN THE NAVY The Indian Navy has handed its creative account to Doonsra Brand Communications, the creative arm of Aegis’ Carat agency, following a multi-agency pitch.

The Navy has asked for a campaign that makes a Navy career a choice option for India’s best talents.

DENTSU AEGIS WIN Fujitsu has lined up Dentsu Aegis Network’s mcgarrybowen and Carat Enterprise as its global agency partners to build its brand outside Japan. The pair has been tasked with creating a multi-channel campaign to raise its profile in 2014.

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Nissan partners Omnicom Ad giant sets up bespoke agency for global account NEW YORK/TOKYO Nissan Motor Company, Japan’s second-largest automotive group, has tapped Omnicom in a multi-year global agreement covering communications, advertising, marketing, media, promotions and digital services.

To handle the business, Omnicom has created a bespoke unit – Nissan United, a multi-disciplinary global leadership group comprising agency leaders and headed by Jon Castle as president. Castle, TBWA’s global brand leader on Nissan prior to the appointment, will lead the group of 30 senior

executives based in TBWA’s New York office.

Omnicom agencies that already work for the automaker are represented in Nissan United: TBWA, which has had a creative relationship with the brand since 1987, OMD for media, Critical Mass for digital, Interbrand for brand strategy, Emanate for PR as well as TBWA’s creative partner in Japan, Hakuhodo.

Nissan is just the latest automaker to have a dedicated unit established for it by its agency partners. Bespoke agency units established earlier include WPP’s Team Detroit for Ford, Hudson Rouge for Lincoln and Team Mazda and Interpublic’s Commonwealth for General Motors’ Chevrolet and Rogue for Cadillac.

The multi-year Nissan deal also comes as Omnicom is poised to sign on to a marriage of equals with Publicis Groupe, which jointly manage a number of conflicting automotive accounts. Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi handles the Toyota business and Leo Burnett has General Motors’ Buick and Chevy Silverado brands among others.

Taproot scores Birla Sun Life

certainty in a rather uncertain world. With Taproot India, we have found an agency that not only guides and partners with us in the creative expression of our brand but, more importantly, also helps us strategize for the way forward.”

Agnello Dias, co-founder and chief creative officer of Taproot India said Birla was passionate about its business and operated with great clarity, sharp insights and a strong point-of-view. “Birla Sun Life Insurance has done some brave work in the past in the insurance category. It is seen as a leader and we are very excited to work with the brand. Birla Sun Life insurance will also add a different dimension to the Taproot portfolio,” added Santosh Padhi (pictured), the agency’s co-founder and chief creative officer.

Birla decamps from JWT MUMBAI Taproot India has scooped creative duties for Birla Sun Life following a shoot-out against incumbent JWT India, McCann Erickson and Scarecrow.

JWT had for more than five years handled creative duties for Birla, the insurance arm of Aditya Birla Financial Services Group.

“Today, the life insurance industry is at an inflection point in India. There is an opportunity for us to redefine the role that this industry can play in the life of mass India,” said Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer – financial services, Aditya Birla Group.

“At Birla Sun Life Insurance, we remain committed to our chosen strategy to provoke mass India to self-realize the importance of life insurance in their lives, as a source of

November-December 2013

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ON THE MOVE

Hires and promotions HONG KONG RETURN McCann Worldgroup’s Dave McCaughan has left Tokyo to return to Hong Kong in the newly created role as managing director of the Hong Kong office. McCaughan, who will retain his regional remit as director of McCann’s thought leadership unit Truth Central, will take on the new role in January 2014 after 10 years in Japan where he was regional director for Truth Central; regional planning director, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and general manager of McCann Erickson.

BURNETT TRANSITION Arvind Sharma, Leo Burnett’s longserving chairman and CEO for the India sub-continent, has left after 30 years with the network to pursue business interests outside the industry. He has been succeeded by Saurabh Varma, currently regional chief strategy officer, as CEO Leo Burnett Group India.

DDB PROMOTION Longserving DDB Singapore senior executive David Tang has been given a regional remit as vice chairman of DDB Group Asia, reporting to John Zeigler, chairman and CEO of DDB Group, Asia Pacific, India and Japan. Currently president and CEO of DDB Group Singapore, the promotion is a recognition of his success with the Singapore office, which is increasingly seen a regional hub in “best practices”.

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EPIC SPLIT Volvo’s live stunt videos have featured a hamster, a high wire act and Spain’s running of the bulls to demonstrate the capabilities and precision of its trucks. Shaping up to become another viral sensation, the 6th edition has action star and incredibly flexible martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme in another spectacular product test.

He performs an epic split that leaves his GoDaddy version in the dust: It’s between two trucks showcasing the vehicles’ dynamic steering. If his incredulous look as the stunt is explained in the teaser ad is priceless, his zen state, helped by Enya’s Only Time background score and the rising sun (8.10AM), is… sublime. Who knew Van Damme had the range?

Ex-Googlers start up Launches web and mobile data analytics venture SINGAPORE Three Google alumni have launched a web and mobile data analytics start-up in anticipation of a sharp uptick in companies demanding data-driven insights to improve their marketing, merchandizing and business performance.

Sparkline launched with a client portfolio that includes Google, SingPost, IKEA, Malaysia Airlines, INSEAD, Amari, Digi, Dtac and Bangkok Air. “Sparkline analyses a company’s online and mobile data to extract insights that improves marketing, merchandising and business operations. For example, working with hotel room booking site Amari, our analysis and solutions delivered a 47% increase in hotel room bookings. We make businesses smarter, more efficient and more profitable,” said Mr Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, managing partner and co-founder.

November-December 2013

“Data can provide valuable real-time insights into actual behavior, and help companies better anticipate demand and better serve customers. But the data itself creates significant challenges – complexity, size, volume, speed – that many companies are not equipped to manage,” noted Aleetza Senn, managing partner and co-founder.

The third managing partner and cofounder is Timo Josten. The trio boasts 20 years of combined experience at Google, having worked across performance marketing, analytics and technology partnerships and digital marketing strategy.

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Kancil shine

that this is the result of a cohesive, top-notch creative team that CK put together in less than 100 days.”

David Mitchell, the Kancils 2013 organizing chairman said: “This year, we encouraged agencies to focus on creative brilliance rather than submit multiple entries – and I think we got the message across. There were more entries with participation from more agencies. The work submitted this year displayed a disciplined creativity,”.

The depth of this year’s entries also saw mid-range advertising agencies like Mega Advertising, Star Reacher, Rapp, and People ‘n Rich ranked among the top 10 agencies based on accumulated points. Mega scored two Golds for Gamuda Land in Film Craft and Ogilvy won the final Gold for Cadbury Dairy Milk ‘Say It With Chocolate’ for Innovative Use of Media.

In other key categories, DiGi Telecommunications was awarded Advertiser of the Year, Lowe Malaysia’s retired chairman Khairudin Rahim and Star Publications acting CEO and executive director Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai were honored with the Chairman’s Award, and the BBDO creative team comprising Wan Yin Sian, James Voon, and Ferhan Faidzen won the Young Creative award.

TBWA’s triumphant team... wins first Agency of the Year title

KUALA LUMPUR Omnicom shops ruled the 2013 Kancil Awards, with TBWA taking its first Agency of the Year crown, BBDO making a strong comeback and Naga DDB picking up two of the night’s six Golds.

Despite not winning a Gold, TBWA’s haul of six Silvers, 14 Bronze awards and 25 Merit prizes was enough to crown it Agency of the Year, just ahead of Naga DDB. In addition to the two Golds – both for client DiGi’s ‘Ciut Ciut’ campaign in the Film Non-Broadcast category – Naga also picked up two Silver, 12 Bronze and 19 Merit awards.

After two years on the sidelines, BBDO won Gold in the Rebel/Innovation competition for KFC ‘Phone Stack’, which challenged people to make conversations away from their phones while at KFC outlets.

The campaign also delivered two Bronze wins, giving BBDO an overall haul of one Gold, nine Bronze and eight Merit prizes.

BBDO managing director Michelle Achuthan attributed the agency’s return to a major restructuring that culminated in the appointment of CK Tan from Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia as executive creative director earlier this year.

“Our wins demonstrate our clients’ belief in us to do the right thing for their brands,” said Achuthan. “What makes it sweeter is

TBWA wins first Agency of the Year crown in KL

27

AWARDS CIRCUIT 2014 festival countdown

YOUNG GUNS Nick Law, R/ GA global chief creative officer, has been named jury chairman for the 2014 YGA Awards leading a panel of under-30 rising stars in the competition’s inaugural Jury Draft initiative. Creative, digital, design, media and PR agencies have been asked to recommend their best rising talent for YGA jury duty next year, an initiative to provide young talent with opportunities to participate in a judging panel, connect with peers from around the globe and raise their profile. Final submission for next year’s awards closes on January 31, 2014.

ADFEST ADDITION AdFest has added a media competition, giving it 17 categories for the March 6-8 festival in Pattaya.

The Media Lotus competition will feature 14 sub-categories, including Best Use of Screens & Displays, Best Use of Outdoor & Transit and Best Use of Ambient. Next year’s show is themed ‘Co-Create the Future’.

MOST AWARDED An Agency of the Year by Region Award has been unveiled by the New York Festivals International Awards. The highest awarded agency by the following regions – North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific – will be crowned with the title. Entry deadline is January 31, 2014.

November-December 2013

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ROLLOUTS

Agencies expand FUTURE VIEW The Futures Company, part of WPP’s Kantar Group, has launched its brand consultancy operation in Singapore, which will serve as the Asia Pacific hub for clients. The office will be led by Stephane Alpern as managing director, and Jeremy Sy as director for consulting, Asia Pacific.

HAVAS VILLAGE Havas agencies in Singapore have taken the lead from Paris, relocating their creative and media shops in one Havas Village location, to reinforce the group’s fully integrated positioning. “The new structure is designed to be client-centric, smart and agile and has already proved phenomenally successful overseas,” said Naomi Troni, CEO of Havas Worldwide Southeast Asia.

TABOO BUSTER Lowe India’s spot for jewelry brand Tanishq has won praise for demolishing two major South Asian stereotypes. In reinventing happy ever after, the spot stars a dusky bride who can’t help but smile on her wedding day as her groom happily carries her young daughter for the traditional walk around the fire. All this in a country that favors fair skin and has traditionally shunned widows or divorcees.

Merger wins US nod Publicis Omnicom marriage clears US regulatory hurdle

INDIA VENTURE Neo@ Ogilvy India and Smile Group India have set up a jointventure, headed by Sanjay Ramakrishnan, who was until recently general manager of Vizury India, Southeast Asia and Middle East and Africa.

Ogilvy expects the venture to strengthen its performance marketing, e-commerce and mobile offerings. The JV will also serve as a global media delivery hub to service Neo’s global media operations.

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NEW YORK/PARIS US anti-trust authorities have given the nod to Omnicom and Publicis Groupe’s blockbuster “merger of equals” announced at mid-year.

The pair, which hope to complete the mega cross-border merger to create Publicis Omnicom Group early next year, cleared a major hurdle by securing Federal Trade Commission clearance in the US in November.

US anti-trust authorities have let pass the deadline to challenge the deal to create the world’s largest marketing communications holding company, with combined revenues of US$23 billion.

Regulatory approval is being sought in 16 jurisdictions, covering 48 countries, including China. The mainland was the

November-December 2013

Publicis’ Maurice Lévy (l) and Omnicom’s John Wren

last holdout in approving Dentsu’s acquisition of Aegis Media this year.

Besides the US, the two groups have won regulatory approval from India, South Korea, Canada, South Africa and Turkey.

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Seasonal cheer Christmas ads now play to a global audience

Lego

John Lewis

Marks & Spencer

Cadbury

Campaign ‘Let’s Build’ Agency We are Pi, Amsterdam The Work From director Joanna Bailey comes this early Christmas gift, a heartwarming story of a father and son who are building more than just fun stuff with their trusty Lego set. “Bound by blood, Nan’s knitwear and our own imagination”, the two pool their talent to create endless moments of fun and play, all the while building a lifelong bond.

The writing is inspired, as is the casting. The young voiceover talent is spot-on, making for an authentic spot that draws the viewer in. With Christmas being all about family and relationships that last long after the last trimmings have been packed away, this tale could well be the one that sparkles beyond the season.

Campaign ‘The Bear & The Hare’ Agency Adam & Eve/DDB The Work The British retailer broke with tradition, unveiling its first hand-drawn animated Christmas ad to the delight of viewers, who had been drip-fed teasers in the run-up to launch.

But in keeping with the retailer’s Christmas tradition, the ad is another tearjerker – it tells the tale of a bear, which always misses Christmas, but not this year as his friend, the hare, has a thoughtful gift from John Lewis to wake him up for the celebration in the woods. Lily Allen’s musical accompaniment – a breathy version of rock band Keane’s 2004 hit Somewhere Only We Know – has, however, divided opinion. Some have tipped it as this year’s Christmas hit single while the Telegraph has savaged it as a “new nadir” for Yuletide songs.

Campaign ‘Believe in Magic & Sparkle’ Agency RKCR/Y&R, UK The Work In taking on High Street rival John Lewis, the British retailer’s Christmas ad is an opulent mash-up of Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Aladdin and classic fairy tales. The spot sparkles with the fantasy settings and the wattage of its all-star cast – Transformers 3 star Rosie Huntington-Whitely, David Gandy and Helena Bonham-Carter, who did play the Red Queen not so long ago.

In her first appearance for the retailer, the leggy model chases her dog only to fall down a rabbit hole to a tea party hosted

by Gandy as the Mad Hatter.

What follows is a series of adventures, giving the retailer two minutes to showcase its winter apparel and festive feasts to target its adult segment while appealing to younger viewers online.

Campaign ‘Unwrap Joy’ Agency Fallon London The Work Cadbury’s Dairy Milk unwrapped its first Christmasthemed ad in the company’s 189-year history and made it a festival spectacle. The 60-second spot opens with kids waking up to find their street gift wrapped in the brand’s purple paper – like one big Christmas gift all ready to be unwrapped. Which is exactly what the kids set about doing, tearing the gift-wrapping off their street the way children usually do upon finding gifts under the tree. Along the way, they discover a load of Cadbury bars and ‘Unwrap Joy’, judging by the expressions on their faces.

November-December 2013

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A DECADE OF CHANGE

A CULTURE OF CHANGE. The only constant in the universe is change. A change that drives evolution. A never satisfied yearning for self-improvement. A constant desire for self reinvention. This lack of contentment for the status quo has given humanity some of its greatest innovations.

This same spirit drives Tagline Communications Inc. CHANGING FOR THE BETTER. In the face of a decade of experience, the temptation to simply rest on one’s laurels was a great one. However driven by its vision to be dynamic and constantly evolving, Tagline Communications embarked on a massive evolution within the agency.

The old ways of doing things had to be challenged. Even what was good was questioned with the objective of finding what is better.

Better ideas. Better insights. Better technology.

Better rates. Better connections. Better service.

"Our new gift to all our clients: the Tagline Monitor. An innovative app given to all clients that automates our project reporting system..."

Our self-examination gave us all a new mission. To try harder. To make sure that every one of our business partners knows that better things have arrived.

THE GAME CHANGER. In the face of this new mission is born a new agency.

Tagline Communications Inc. This agency is fortified with 3 new specialized divisions– our advertising, design and publishing wing named 5 Seconds Advertising, our events and activation specialist team called Push Events and Activations, and our digital innovation team called Binary Communications. These 3 new divisions are designed to provide fresh insights and powerful communications to all our business partners.

Armed with a new logo, a new office, new technologies and new critical hires

Tagline is excited to embark on its next 10 years of existence.

Our new gift to all our clients: the Tagline Monitor. An innovative app given to all clients that automates our project reporting system and enables our clients to receive both real-time reports and streaming video on their phones. These are all part of our way of saying thanks to clients, new and old, who have both blessed us with their business and taught us many lessons.

Built on a new pillar of Connecting Consumers, Tagline makes a commitment to all our partners to build strong connections with not just our clients but with all our consumers. To create communications that not just build awareness but relationships.

Here’s to the next 10 years of Tagline Communications!"

The average window to engage consumers is only 5 seconds. 5 Seconds Advertising is founded on an obsession. To connect with the consumer on the first 5 seconds of contact. We do this armed with a specialist advertising team trained in strategy and disciplined in communications.

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SERVICES • Communication Strategy Planning • TV, Print, Radio, OOH Advertising Creative Development and Production • Customized Publication Production and Design • Specialized Media Buys • Design Studio Every event and every activation is designed to PUSH provide consumers with a unique experience. Push Events and Activations is built on a desire to create that Push Stimulus that will drive the consumer to do a certain act. Our Push team is trained, methodical and in love with the idea of creating incomparable experiences for our clients and consumers.

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SERVICES • Event Concept and Management • Activation Concept and Management • Sales Promotion Creation and Conceptualization

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" We’ve got many exciting things to offer you. If you’re curious to what new innovations we have that can help grow your brand and business or just want to have a brainstorming over drinks, drop us a line. Drinks are on us."

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Tagline's newest offer to its clients

The true universal language is the language of digital.

Binary is built on the pillars of quick proaction, cutting edge technology and insightful creativity to bring your brands to a different level in the digital playing field. Our Binary teams are digital revolutionaries excited to share with you where they can bring your brands.

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Operations

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M obi le Market ing Conf erence

Awaiting the year of mobile Marketers grapple with mobile challenges Words Amanda Lago

It’s been said for years, but it seems the year of mobile has yet to arrive in the Philippines, a market where smartphone adoption rates are sizzling and social media use has exploded. What has not kept pace with growth is advertising spend on digital, which remains stubbornly in the single digit range.

Peter Bithos, senior advisor for Consumer Business at Globe, pegged it at about 3%, while ABS-CBN’s chief digital officer Donald Lim estimated that anywhere between 2% and 7% was going on digital, the size of the amount based on client’s comfort levels with the medium.

There are reasons for this imbalance.

At the 3rd Mobile Marketing Conference, Bithos noted an assortment of challenges facing mobile marketers, ranging from the fragmentation among agencies, to the lack of creativity and innovation in the way advertisers and agencies execute mobile.

Be that as it may, Oliver Rabatan, marketing manager for Golden Arches Development Corporation (McDonald’s), offered up an optimistic assessment: Digital adspend will increase, and engagement activities in mobile will become more creative.

For marketers, it’s about engaging mobile consumers and converting this engagement to sales. Melissa Limcaoco, Smart Communications’ group head for innovation and product development, pointed to music as a way of engaging customers.

She suggested brands offer, for instance, music vouchers for those who open accounts, sign up for memberships, or renew subscriptions. “When we entered into music, subscribers grew, revenue grew. The rest is history,” she said.

Conference speakers also offered delegates a glimpse of mobile possibilities that have yet to take off here. Mobikyo director Lars Cosh-Ishii pointed to Japan’s cutting-edge and creative mobile landscape, which has been using technology such as augmented reality in simple but exciting ways.

According to Cosh-Ishii, the future of mobile is set to become even more exciting, with devices increasing in number, and wearable technology and flexible devices are set to go

mainstream. “These next 10 years are going to be wild,” Cosh-Ishii said.

Opera’s regional senior vice president Fabrizio Caruso discussed the state of mobile internet in Southeast Asia, and monetization through mobile advertising. As in the Philippines, the region has high mobile phone penetration though mobile internet penetration still remains fairly low. However, he said that more and more people were using their phones to access the internet, with almost half of internet users in the Philippines using only their mobile devices to go online.

Caruso stressed the importance of feature phones in the region, despite the “spectacular rate” of smartphone growth. “Anyone who operates in the mobile space in Southeast Asia cannot neglect feature phones,” he said, adding that internet access should be a universal right.

Qualcomm Inc. regional head Mantosh Malhotra offered a glimpse of consumers’ lifestyles in the future, noting that mobility was redefining computing, and resulting

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November-December 2013

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03 01 Starmobile’s Katrina Tioseco, MyPhone’s John Chica discuss the challenges of marketing local smartphones with GMA news anchor Howie Severino 02 Nestlé’s Hannelore Grams sharing Nestlé mobile strategies 03 MRM Singapore’s Brendan Chase talks about designing the mobile user experience

in more and more devices being wired up. Among them were coffee makers, refrigerators, and even cars. “I can see a coffee machine being controlled by my mobile. It’s not sci-fi, it’s happening right now,” he said.

Smart Communications multimedia group head Leah Besa-Jimenez assured companies about the revenue potential of mobile. “Content is king at the end of the day.

If it’s compelling, they will access it, they will pay for it.”

Organized by the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines, the 3rd Mobile Marketing Conference was held on October 24 and 25 at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City.

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For the colorful.

The freedom to choose.

Unlocked iPhone 5c now available at Power Mac Center.

For the best customer experience with technical & training support, get it only from the most reliable Apple partner in the Philippines.

Greenbelt 3 | The Annex at SM City North EDSA | TriNoma | Robinsons Magnolia | SM Megamall | The Podium | SM Mall of Asia Festival Supermall | Abreeza Mall | SM City Marikina | Power Plant Mall | Harbor Point | SM City Pampanga | SM City Bacoor SM City Santa Rosa | SM City Batangas

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vie w po int

Illustration Joshua Gonzales

hello?

Ready for prime time A round-up of 2013’s crop of new technologies

3D PRINTING 3D printing is basically the making of a threedimensional solid object based on a digital model. Typically the object to be printed is scanned using a 3D scanner and the data is fed through a computer, which then prints it via a 3D printer.

Coca-Cola made use of this technology with the launch of its new ‘mini’ bottles in Israel. The company ran a competition whereby customers could make their own mini-me’s via a mobile app. Winners were then contacted and invited to the Coca-Cola lab where they received ‘mini-me’ versions of themselves following a 3D scan.

Disney ran a campaign in France, which enabled people with an NFC phone to touch NFC outdoor ads, which allowed them to download an app. The app contained a coupon and directed them to the nearest Disney store. Dominos UK allowed users to receive rewards by tapping their phones to an NFC tag at the counter.

Investec Asset Management used NFC for attendee badges in their annual Global Insights Conference to help navigate and track where their attendees went during breakout sessions. The badges had NFC stickers, and hostesses in front of each session room held Nexus tablets, which when tapped onto an NFC badge, scanned attendees in.

NFC Near Field Communication, or NFC for short, is basically radio communication between smartphones or devices through touch contact or by bringing them within a few inches proximity.

WEB SOCKETS Web sockets is a protocol designed for web browsers and web servers. It facilitates live content and creation of real-time games.

Messages can be passed back and forth while

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November-December 2013

keeping the connection between the web browser and web server open.

B-reel, a production company, designed a Christmas card in 2012, which allowed users to visit a site on their computer and phone while using the phone as a remote to control what’s happening on the site. To match the two devices for a specific user, users were asked to input a code generated by the website into their phone.

So there you have it, new technologies that you can play with for your marketing campaigns in 2014.

Jamie Tolentino currently works as a digital marketer at a global asset management firm. She was previously an innovation strategist at Quirk London.

She writes for TNW (The Next Web) and blogs on the Huffington Post UK.

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app de velo per s

The new flag-bearers Philippine app companies shine in this most dynamic sector of the global digital industry Words Chris de Pio Sanchez

Filipino know-how, flair and creativity have enabled the country to carve out many a niche for itself over the years. The same can be said in the digital space, as local app development firms are beginning to make the country a name for itself in the international app development industry – indeed, in the tech world itself.

True ‘people power’ Earlier in 2013, it was revealed that the Philippines scored no better than 31.2 – good for a ranking of only 90th – in the 2013 Global Innovation Index, this year’s edition of the influential composite indicator ranking countries and economies in terms of their environment to innovation and their innovation outputs.

Pundits used to argue that the development of the Philippine technology industry hinged upon the amounts of government spending around research universities, technologycentric areas and other such traditional methods of development. This concept – “bring the bling and founders will sing”, in the words of Oliver Segovia, celebrated Filipino entrepreneur and founder and CEO of e-commerce startup AVA Online Group, in his online article A Vision for the Philippine Economy, and a 4-Point Plan to Achieve It – has been disproven. Segovia points to the subpar performance of such high-tech business areas as Russia’s Skolkovo, Malaysia’s Cyberjaya and Singapore’s Biopolis as evidence that while capital-intensive, governmentstimulated development has certainly proved effective in the past in certain sectors, such methods no longer hold water today where the development of technology sectors is concerned, in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Segovia goes on to express doubt as to whether the Philippines can look to the

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private sector to jumpstart its tech industry.

He discusses the failure of efforts in the 1970s

by Frederick Terman – the Father of Silicon Valley – to catalyze the state’s innovation economy by building an “innovation engine” similar to what Terman created at Stanford. The success of the plan hinged on collaboration by local firms, such as RCA and Bell Labs – which did not want to work together because they were competitors.

Instead, Segovia concludes, jumpstarting a truly Filipino innovation economy requires a four-point plan that puts people, integration, market access and process at the focal point.

He argues that the problems hobbling the Philippines, many of which are shared with other emerging markets – extreme poverty and high inequality, institutional voids and education gaps, subpar infrastructure and rapid urbanization among them – can give birth to innovative solutions that have crosscountry applications. This, he says, can be the country’s own brand of innovation.

Fighting fit Anecdotally, the Philippines has cemented a formidable reputation in the global outsourcing sector, thanks to, among other things, having gained significant expertise at higher-value outsourcing services. This, in combination with the creativity and talent Filipinos have always been famous for, has made Philippine firms that craft apps competitive whether on the local or global stage.

Here are three firms leading the way: Dreamlords Digital: App Pioneer Dreamlords Digital was one of the first Philippine firms to throw its hat in the app development ring. It is a direct-to-digital development agency that focuses on games and what founder Russell Tomas describes

November-December 2013

as “gamified” apps, which make use of game mechanics and design techniques in contexts removed from gaming, in order to make technology more engaging and interesting.

The firm broke ground a year before its 2011 launch with its first game known as Zombie Fields – renowned for being the first 3D game for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices that was created and published by a Philippine company.

Dreamlords currently makes mostly mobile apps, including games, entertainment apps, and location and corporate identity apps, for iOS and Android, and has dabbled in crafting web apps and Facebook apps as well. Other platforms it has developed apps for include PC (Windows, Mac and Linux), Kindle Fire and the Amazon Nook. The company also offers other digital creative services such as web development, 2D art and illustrations and 3D modeling and animation. Although the majority of Dreamlords’ clientele is international, it has also made inroads into the local market.

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e-book reader and learning-management app for local publishing house C&E. Moreover, in keeping with its mission to be a full digital solutions provider, the company also aids clients in the design and development of hardware solutions such as POS technologies, new activation technologies for events, and in-car dashboard technologies. A dedicated e-publication division spearheads the conversion of a large number of printed textbooks to e-publications. Miranda says the market for such services are vast. Additionally, the firm can also tackle web services handling large data process requirements, including payroll, sales and accounting systems.

But Appropolis is not stopping there – it is also seeking to develop its own in-house products that Miranda and his team hopes will compete in the global app market. They are also engaged in the development of Augmented Reality technology that Miranda says will have many amazing applications.

The company has added another feather to its cap with its upcoming 3D role-playing game, Graywalkers: Purgatory – the first in a series of what are known as “emergent strategic and tactical turn-based role-playing games”. Dreamlords is seeking US$100,000 via Kickstarter to help fund the development of Graywalkers – reputedly the first big Kickstarter push by any Philippine firm.

It has a steady stream of new game products in the pipeline, beginning November 2013.

Tomas has hinted at even more ambitious plans for 2014, including leveraging learnings from its Kickstarter campaign and its burgeoning social media and gaming forum presence to run pioneering gamedevelopment initiatives focusing on crowd content among others.

Appropolis Technologies: Total Digital Solutions Provider Appropolis Technologies is a digital marketing solutions agency specializing in creative insights and advanced technology

in programming and development. Francis Miranda and Eugene Leoncio formed the company on May 2012 when, in response to the cresting demand for mobile apps, the partners decided to bankroll a company to service the booming market for such products.

Appropolis formally opened its doors, with fellow partner Jovy Rabelas on board, in January 2013.

Currently the company maintains a complement of almost 15 staffers – four of who are dedicated app developers and three are in charge of handling web services, bridging mobile apps through their own application programming interfaces.

Appropolis produces all manner of apps, including games, utilities, educational apps – essentially, according to Miranda, anything that clients bring to them is considered. It has crafted a wide variety of apps for local and international clients, including a pregnancy monitor and a motion control game for Nestlé, a farm management game for agro-forestry management firm PlantAsian, and a dedicated

WebsiteExpress.BIZ: Retail-Savvy Service Provider WebsiteExpress.BIZ is a web development store run and operated by Now Corporation, formerly known as Information Capital Technology Ventures (ICTV). Its primary objective is to offer IT-enabled services, making IT services more accessible and affordable to a range of clients, including entrepreneurs running small and medium enterprises and professionals such as doctors, lawyers and dentists.

The company’s range of service offerings includes website and mobile apps development (including magazine apps for local publishers), live streaming, digital media consultation and business expansion. Digital media division head Kris Pura says that one standout product is the MMDA Traffic Mirror, which provides viewers, including those using mobile devices, with a live feed of traffic situations in various locations in Metro Manila.

To help it meet the needs of its clientele and help “consumerize” the creation of websites in the country, WebsiteExpress.BIZ has taken the unprecedented step of opening a strategically located kiosk at the first level of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, which boasts high levels of foot traffic, in order to boost awareness of the company’s services and make it that much easier for both potential and existing clients to access the company.

Pura reveals that the company is hard at work on two apps – for tourism and for retail – both of which are to be released in early 2014.

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M obi le Market ing Conf erence

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MANILA Capitalizing on the Philippines’ love affair with social media, Smart Communications has unveiled Smart #Hashtags, which the mobile telco said could deliver the Holy Grail in digital marketing: Converting trending topics into actual sales.

The service allows brands to connect directly with their target consumers who post Twitter updates through the use of predetermined hashtags. Smart positioned the new advertising format as a bridge between the virtual and physical world through the use of hashtags since brands can tap into the communications provider’s more than 70 million subscribers under the Smart, Sun and Talk ’N Text networks for their marketing campaigns.

“With Smart #Hashtags, we are paving the way for brands to extend the reach of their social media campaigns and connect with consumers directly, helping them go beyond

just mere ‘trending’ on Twitter and, in turn, potentially generating more revenue for the company,” says Leah Besa-Jimenez, Media Convergence Group Head at Smart.

Piloted recently during an event staged by a multinational fast-moving consumer goods company, Smart #Hashtags worked by prompting users who tweeted using the brand’s event hashtag to register and enroll both their Twitter accounts and mobile numbers to the program.

After registration, subscribers received an SMS driving them to a CRM activity in exchange for 20 free texts to Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers. At this point, brands can determine how they want to reward or engage the consumer: Whether through a drive-to-store coupon offer, a discount announcement, or a product giveaway, among others.

“Companies have always felt the

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November-December 2013

constant challenge of converting their online campaigns to offline purchases,” notes Besa-Jimenez. “Smart #Hashtags has demonstrated that we can help brands finally transform online conversation to offline conversion, leading online consumers directly to the offline path to purchase.”

Smart has been maximizing use of its subscriber base to launch mobile advertising platforms as part of its Smart Mobile Advertising service rolled out in mid-March and described as a toolkit and platform for seamless planning, creation, deployment, optimization and performance tracking.

The mobile operator has also begun betatesting location-based services for a number of Top 10 advertisers and their media and creative agencies. The next phase is to bring its street-level, geo-fencing offer indoors and the operator has been exploring technologies that can be used within malls.

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Mo r i h i ko H as e b e

Creative Review Born and raised in Tokyo, Morihiko Hasebe started out as a copywriter with Hakuhodo in 1986. Driven by his passion to communicate, he undertook all sorts of tiny jobs with creative freedom. He also produced big campaigns which reached millions. Before he knew it, he was a veteran of 26 years, with many international and domestic awards under his belt. His passion for great advertising continues to drive him.

Mori has sat on the film Jury at Cannes, Asia Advertising, One Show, D&AD, SPIKES ASIA, etc. Being a member of the global creative community, Mori loves Sushi, Sumo, Karaoke and Karate, naturally.

Roller Coaster ‘Freestyle’ Harrison Communications Cute work. “Finger Soccer” is a fun idea that kids can spread it very easily. It would be more entertaining if soccer scenes were more serious and dynamic.

Mighty Bond ‘Break Up/Revenge’ JRomero and Associates I don’t know if it’s the best way to describe “Bond strength”, but it’s interesting that the bond is used as a tool for communication. More memorable than merely demonstrating its stickiness. As for the execution, both of the spots feel a little too long. I just wanted to see a different 30-second version that has 15 seconds of each story.

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November-December 2013

cr eat i v e r ev iew

THE WORK

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Creamsilk ‘Hair Quartet’ JWT Manila and Singapore This one has a very bold idea – surprising (way in) demonstrating hair strength and expressing beauty with the sound of music. A very clever work.

McDonald’s ‘Kuya’ Leo Burnett Manila It nicely describes a very emotional everyday moment at McDonald’s.

Good acting. Good directing. An authentic work.

Cadbury ‘Roadtrip’ Ogilvy & Mather Manila and India Good looking boys and girls. Fun time. Yummy chocolate. A perfect situation. Only thing missing is a strong punch line.

November-December 2013

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Islander ‘Caramoan/Cebu/Boracay’ Publicis JimenezBasic ‘7107 Islands, One Islander’. It’s a great tagline. It speaks of the pride of the Philippines and its local brand. The visual idea is simple and strong. Wish the photos looked more organic and real.

Motortrade ‘Helmet’ Publicis JimenezBasic I like the full-face one best. The crazier, the better. Would be funnier if these helmet-hair are in different colors.

Mang Juan ‘Winlalaki/Simumot’ Seven A.D. Nice. These made me want to bite some. They succeeded in creating the appetite.

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ad o f t he mo nt h

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Ad of the Month september and october DM9 shows Bodum’s grip, while Seven A.D. raises a laugh

september DM9JaymeSyfu Bodum ‘Blade/Knife/Whisk’ Chief Creative Officer Merlee Jayme Executive Creative Director Louie Sotto Creative Director Biba Cabuquit Copywriter Biba Cabuquit Art Director Dee Taar Photographer Jay Tablante Print Production Sheila Villanueva 3D Pinoy Reyes Final Artwork / Associate Creative Director Allan Montayre Accounts Carla Dado, Tam Salonga

october Seven A.D. Resorts World Manila ‘Hangover Campaign’ Chief Creative Officer Teeny Gonzales Chief Operations Officer Tey San Diego Executive Creative Director Russell Molina Business Unit Director Wella Tan Creative Directors Argem Vinuya, Maki Correa, Rina Dela Calzada Art Director July Malantic Senior Account Manager Denise Amora Director Stephen Ngo CGI Team / Post Production Optima Digital Production Design and Stying Adelina Leung Hair and Make-up Jen Delica Music Hit Productions

November-December 2013

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b ang fo r t he buck

Bang for the Buck a case for effectiveness

Department of Tourism, Philippines

‘It’s More Fun’

Client Department of Tourism, Philippines Agency BBDO Guerrero

Award wins Awards have piled up since this tourism campaign launched in early 2012. ‘It’s More Fun’ for the Department of Tourism added to its 2012 metal haul with Golds at the Appies, Spikes and AME, propelled the client-agency tandem to win Tambuli’s Carmencita Esteban Platinum and Effectiveness Advertiser of the Year and the 2013 Warc Prize for Asian Strategy.

What is it?

BBDO Guerrero capitalized on Filipino humor, love of memes and heavy social media use in creating a campaign to reverse the destination’s crippling bad image problem.

Despite a wealth of attractions, tourism arrivals had flat-lined to below four million, one of the worst performances in the region.

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The aim of ‘It’s More Fun’ was to make the Philippines and the campaign the most talked about, shared and searched in Southeast Asia, where rivals such as Thailand and Malaysia were drawing more than 20 million visitors annually.

Breaking on social media, the campaign became an instant internet sensation.

Ordinary Filipinos served as enthusiastic brand ambassadors, effectively making up for the country’s lack of marketing firepower.

The campaign turned the country’s 95 million population into a sales force, “inspiration and media channel”. Helped by a slogan that captured locals’ imagination, the campaign invited Filipinos to offer their take on what makes the destination unique. Filipinos used their holiday pictures to create memes based on the campaign template that zeroed in on the quirks that made the destination more fun, as seen through the eyes of people who live in the country.

Within hours of its early January 2012 launch, ‘It’s More Fun’ had spawned an avalanche of humorous memes – more than 40,000 memes launched within the first eight months. Along with the social media push, the agency created five TV commercials, about a dozen print ads, billboards and transit ads, AVPs, brochures, website, Facebook and YouTube engagements, and a mobile app.

Results The campaign became the Twitter’s number one global trend just two days after its launch,

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with the slogan mentioned online once every minute. Google hits for the Philippines rose 231%. By the end of the year, tourism arrivals had increased by 9%, hitting an all-time high of 4.3 million, and bringing in more additional visitors than Malaysia, despite the country having just one-eighth the latter’s marketing budget.

Arrivals continue to grow strongly this year, rising by a little more than 11% for the first eight months, breaching the three million mark a month earlier than 2012.

Why it worked?

Since visitors hanker for a genuine travel experience, the campaigns that are the most persuasive in this hyper competitive category need to have an authentic voice. ‘It‘s More Fun’ stands out as one such campaign. By giving Filipinos ownership of the campaign, the destination was rewarded by an inspired and committed sales force, all keen to show visitors what made the destination unique.

Filipinos essentially answered the question: Why Philippines and not some other destination?

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cre ativ e co r ner

Creative Corner dale lopez E x e c u t i v e c r e at i v e d i r e c t o r bbdoguerrero Jabbar My inflatable midget sex doll I got from (colleague) Donna (Dimayuga) Ukelele To make my hands look big

Katipunan Beer My patriotic drink Pepsi Pogi Cola ng tunay na lalaki

Waccom Pen His name is Arturo.

I wanted to call him wacky but he doesn’t have a sense of humor like my officemate Karen Go

Macbook Air My gateway to Brazzers Earphones For watching silent movies

A Moronic Person Made from 100% dung

Pencil My North Park freebie iPhone My other gateway to Brazzers Keys Just keys

Crap Notebook Made from 100% pure elephant dung

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November-December 2013

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Creative showcase

DM9JaymeSyfu Bodum ‘Blade/Knife/Whisk’ Chief Creative Officer Merlee Jayme Executive Creative Director Louie Sotto Creative Director Biba Cabuquit Copywriter Biba Cabuquit Art Director Dee Taar Photography Jay Tablante Print Production Sheila Villanueva 3D Pinoy Reyes Final Artwork / Associate Creative Director Allan Montayre Accounts Carla Dado, Tam Salonga

McCann Worldgroup Philippines Coca-Cola ‘Goodtime’ Vp/Managing Partner Bernadette Chincuanco Associate Business Group Director Judy Buenviaje Account Manager Sherie Abby Lim Deputy Executive Creative Director Mervin Ignacio Creative Director Chan Dela Calzada Associate Creative Director Ian Sta. Maria Art Director Meck Besinga Copywriter Jocas Abelardo Broadcast Producers Leslie Perez and Mariel Cruz Production House Film Pabrika Director Lyle Sacris Producer Leslie Perez Associate Producer Mariel Cruz Post Production House Optima Digital Audio Production House Hit Productions Music Arranger Vic Icasas

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cre ativ e sho w case

Leo Burnett Manila McDonald’s “Downtown” Client Golden Arches Development Corporation Chief Creative Officer Raoul Panes Creative Director Dante Dizon Copywriter Raoul Panes, Aimee Espiritu Art Director Ella Quiogue Accounts Donny Dingcong, Maik Alturas Production House Film Pabrika Post Production Underground Logic Audio House Hit Productions Director Joel Limchoc Production House Film Pabrika Post Production Underground Logic Producer Steve Vesagas, Lester Parulan

Leo Burnett Manila/Blackpencil Manila Inc. Preview Magazine ‘Park’ Client Summit Publishing Inc. Chief Creative Officer Raoul Panes Executive Creative Director Kat Limchoc Copywriter Kat Limchoc Accounts Sue Ann Malig-Nolido Director Joel Limchoc Production House Film Pabrika Post Production Underground Logic Audio house Hit Productions

Seven A.D. Resorts World Manila ‘Hangover Campaign’ Chief Creative Officer Teeny Gonzales Chief Operations Officer Tey San Diego Executive Creative Director Russ Molina Business Unit Director Wella Tan Creative Directors Argem Vinuya, Maki Correa, Rina Dela Calzada Art Director July Malantic Senior Account Manager Denise Amora Director Stephen Ngo CGI Team / Post Production Optima Digital Production Design and Stying Adelina Leung Hair and Make-up Jen Delica Music Hit Productions

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TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Boysen Paints ‘Trees’ Creative Team Manuel Villafania, CJ de Silva, Paulina Ortega and Guada Tagalog Producers Sunny Lucero, Cheese Bagnes and RJ Galang Directors Nick Santiago and Mike Talampas

Lowe Philippines Selecta Cornetto ‘Roller Coaster’ Creative Director Abigail Aquino Associate Creative Director John Pabalan Art Director Franco Villagonzalo Copywriter Nicole Balaoing SBU Director Mylene Rayala/Nina Cruz Account Director Mel Tomas Project Manager Katrina Co

Agency Producer Sonny Cruz Director Carlo Directo Production House Film Pabrika Audio Production House Hit Productions Post-Production House Optima Digital

November-December 2013

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T H E W ORK

b ook r ev i ew

Gino Borromeo

Book Review Gino Borromeo is VP/Chief Planning Officer of McCann Worldgroup Philippines with over a decade of hands-on planning experience for brands at the local and global levels. Borromeo started with Harrison and did overseas stints with Saatchi & Saatchi and JWT in Singapore before returning to McCann Philippines.

Tricks

‘The surprising connection between Malcolm Gladwell and M. Night Shyamalan’ In reviewing Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and The Art of Battling Giants, the last person I expected to think about was M. Night Shyamalan.

But as I progressed through the book, I couldn’t help but realize how striking the similarities were.

Both Gladwell and Shyamalan are fast risers in their respective creative fields. Both men are multi-cultural personalities whose unusual upbringing is a big part of their myth and mystique. Both men built their careers on two surprise hits that exploded into the mainstream popular culture – Gladwell has The Tipping Point and Blink, while Shyamalan has The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.

Both men have an established trick as their creative signature – Gladwell’s trick is making surprising connections between disparate stories while Shyamalan’s is the twist ending.

Both men have used their respective tricks to great commercial success, in the process becoming important reference material for followers – Gladwell for planners and strategists, Shyamalan for filmmakers and storytellers. And because of their great and rapid success, both men have become a sort of joke among their peers and are often mocked in spoofs and parodies.

Shyamalan got here first, but if the recent appearance of a website dedicated to generating fictitious Gladwell book names (www.malcolmgladwellbookgenerator. com) is any indication, Mr. Gladwell has finally arrived.

So the question that this book really appears to be posing is this: Is Gladwell following the career arc of Shyamalan? Or does he still have enough tricks in his pocket to surprise us once again?

It appears that Gladwell may be joining Shyamalan sooner rather than later.

David & Goliath’s basic premise is that underdogs are not underdogs at all, that they possess unique advantages versus giants.

Gladwell builds this argument on three points: One, underdogs overcompensate for their shortcomings by developing other advantages, Two, that “near misses” only embolden underdogs even more. Three, that underdogs succeed by owning a high ground.

Gladwell argues for this with generous use of signature Gladwell techniques – telling compelling human stories, surfacing an underlying thread and intellectualizing that thread until the reader bows down to his superior intellect.

Unlike Gladwell’s first two blockbuster books, however, there is nothing surprising about the premise of David & Goliath and the connections it is making between the stories it tells. One could even argue that the book is damningly obvious.

In the same way that the massive goodwill of The Sixth Sense couldn’t hide the fact that The Village and Lady in The Water were absolute stinkers,

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Gladwell’s reputation as a thought leader cannot save what is fundamentally a shaky premise to begin with.

If you want richer insight into how underdogs can compete with giants, you’ll get much more from Adam Morgan’s wonderful books on challenger thinking.

In the meantime, I sincerely hope Mr. Gladwell finds a new trick for his next book.

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L ONDON INT ER NAT I O NAL AW AR D S

‘Dumb Ways’ and Ogilvy shine at LIA

Memac Ogilvy wins UAE’s first Grand Prize

‘Real Beauty Sketches’ ...gold strike for Ogilvy

LONDON McCann Melbourne and Ogilvy & Mather dominated the 28th London International Awards, taking four of the seven Grand Prizes and 45 Golds, a little more than half the 80 Golds the show awarded.

In yet another extraordinary showing, ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ steamrolled the competition to win three Grand Prizes in Digital, Non-Traditional and Integration, categories that have gained prominence as advertisers shift marketing dollars away from traditional areas.

“Hardly any surprise that ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ has got best in show. It’s a hard thing to argue against. It transcended our industry. It got out there, as both a charming narrative, but also a game, which is a very different thing.

The ability to write a script, record a song, animate a video is very different to designing good game play and yet they did both at this level that transcended the industry. That’s a very rare thing to do, it’s like being hit by lighting,” said Digital Jury President Nick Law, global chief creative officer of R/GA. The morbid yet inexplicably cheerful pop culture phenomenon also scooped 15 Golds, seven Silvers and one Bronze award,

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making it the most-awarded campaign of the show, repeating its Cannes Lions and D&AD triumphs. Earlier in the year, the cast of endearing but dim blobs scored five Grand Prix prizes and 18 Gold Lions at Cannes and rewrote D&AD’s record books by winning 6 Pencils, including a coveted Black Pencil.

On the back of this extraordinary showing, McCann Melbourne was crowned Agency of the Year, following similar honors it earned at D&AD and most recently at Spikes.

Ogilvy & Mather repeated its Cannes feat to take the Network of the Year honors on the back of one Grand Prize, 28 Golds, 40 Silvers and 56 Bronze awards. Wins came from across the network – Dubai, Brazil, Paris, London, New Delhi, Beijing and Bogota and for brands such as Dove, IBM and Coca-Cola.

Dubai-based Memac Ogilvy became the first agency from the UAE to take home a Grand Prize. In its ‘Sawa Mninjah – Rescue Radio’ initiative –the agency used radio creatively: It disguised spots as typical ads but in languages understood only by Lebanon’s large pool of foreign workers in order to help those abused or locked up by employers.

“We gave the Grand to the one that saved

Southern Comfort... ‘Whatever’s Comfortable’

CONVERSION RATE 28th LIA 15,881 entries were received from 77 countries for the 2013 competition 5.5% were shortlisted 0.7% won Golds 1.2% won Silvers 1.4 won Bronzes 1.7% achieved Finalist status

lives. It’s been proven that they saved several dozen women who were in these situations who called and they rescued them. It was so brave on so many levels. It felt important, capital ‘I’ important and it elevated our medium,” said Radio Jury President Chris Smith, group creative director, The Richards Group.

Ogilvy’s other wins came from internet sensation, ‘Real Beauty Sketches’, which scored six Golds for Ogilvy Brasil. The agency’s two other Golds came from Dove’s ‘Florence’, ‘Kela’, ‘Melinda’, ‘Jenise’ ‘Lani’ campaign. Ogilvy London’s four Golds were also for Dove, while Paris’ two Golds came from IBM and four for its innovative split design for Coca-Cola’s ‘The Sharing Can’.

Wieden+Kennedy New York’s beach-goer took the Grand Prize in TV/Cinema/Online Film for the utter comfort he displayed strolling in nothing more than a Speedo in Southern Comfort’s 60-second ‘Whatever’s Comfortable’ spot. Jury President Tham Khai Meng, Ogilvy & Mather’s worldwide chief creative officer, saluted the bravery behind the campaign.

“In the old days, when half the world was still undiscovered, the mapmakers used to mark the white bits of the map with the words, ‘Here be dragons’… Well, those are exactly the places we need to sail our creative ships because that’s where the great ideas are.

That’s where you find the treasure. But be prepared to be burned by dragon fire. I salute the risk-takers because I know it takes courage to suggest a crazy idea. And most brilliant ads start out with someone suggesting a crazy idea. That’s why I especially like that

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LO ND O N I NT ER NAT IO NAL AWAR D S

Southern Comfort ‘Whatever’s Comfortable’ spot. That’s genius. I dig that. It’s simple, daring, has an awesome strategy, beautifully executed. Casting was totally inspired. But the real achievement was selling it to the client.

How on earth did they do that?”

The remaining two Grand Prizes were awarded to: 4 Munich’s serviceplan for ‘The Selfscan Report’ for client Auchan in Design 4 ShootMedia, London for ChildLine’s ‘It Follows Me Around’ in TV/Cinema/Online Film Production\Post-Production.

Less than 2% of shortlisted entries were converted into metal awards.

The NEW category failed to deliver a Grand Prize winner after 170 entries were whittled down to a shortlist of 40 before 3 Golds, 6 Silvers and 8 Bronze prizes were awarded. Jury President Tony Granger, Y&R’s global chief creative officer, said the jury came close to awarding a Grand Prize to ‘Fakka’ for Vodafone out of JWT Cairo. The effort promoted Vodafone’s small-denomination recharge cards with a clever idea: Use the card system instead of money. “They tried to create change in a place where change isn’t normally seen,” Granger said. “In Cairo, shop owners, grocery stores or cashiers rarely have enough small change to return to their customers.

Instead, they fob them off with things like gum or candy.

“So JWT struck a deal with those shop owners, and asked them to give out the ‘Fakka’ cards, which come in four denominations, instead. They essentially created a new currency. And for an ad agency to be thinking like that is extraordinary.”

Shortlist and Winners Shortlisted

Grand

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Non-Traditional

89

1

27

20

19

Digital

79

1

15

17

14

Integration

17

1

3

5

4

TV/Cinema/Online Film

91

1

8

23

27

TV/Cinema/Online Film - Production | PostProduction

90

1

9

25

25

Design

76

1

11

22

21

Radio

119

1

21

32

34

Source LIA Gold

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L ONDON INT ER NAT I O NAL AW AR D S

Asia Pacific in top form

Australia and Dubai help region to 25% of awards LONDON Asia Pacific took home an impressive 151 statues, including four of the seven Grand Prizes awarded to McCann Melbourne won three for ‘Dumb Ways’ and Memac Ogilvy, Dubai, making it the UAE’s first-ever Grand Prize.

Three out of five ‘Of the Year’ Awards were also won by Australian-based companies: 4 McCann Melbourne as Agency of the Year 4 Eardrum Australia, Sydney as Radio & Audio Company 4 Song Ze, Sydney as Music & Sound Company “The number of statues won represents more than 25% of all metals awarded to LIA entrants worldwide across all media,” said Barbara Levy, LIA president.

Agencies in the region won 37 of the 80 Golds awarded overall.

Cheil was another big winner for Asia, winning five of the six statues awarded to Korea. Its ‘Bridge of Life’, turning a suicide black spot into a bridge that saves life with motion-activated messages of hope, picked up three Gold prizes in the Non-Traditional category and two Bronze in the Integration and The NEW competitions for client Samsung Life.

Hakuhodo was the only agency out of Japan to win Gold for ad:tech tokyo 2012 ‘Magnetic World’ campaign in Design.

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ASIA’S PERFORMANCE Grand

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Finalists

Australia

3

18

28

17

26

United Arab Emirates

-

5

6

7

2

New Zealand

-

4

1

1

3

Korea

-

3

-

3

-

India

-

2

7

8

12

Philippines

-

2

2

-

1

Japan

-

1

4

4

3

China

-

1

2

2

1

Singapore

-

1

1

4

5

Thailand

-

-

4

4

2

Hong Kong

-

-

-

2

1

Taiwan

-

-

-

1

-

Indonesia

-

-

-

-

2

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ADVERTORIAL

The Maverick T J PA R PA N All things being equal, the odds against directing a start-up company towards any form of viable success would be enough to break all but the hardiest of personalities. One need look no further than the frontier of digital marketing, rife with the shattered ambitions of those that have sought to tame it.

TJ Parpan doesn’t believe in odds.

For nearly two decades, the graphic designerturned-digital-maverick has been blazing a trail that anyone looking to break into the industry would do well to learn from. From the time he founded his own agency to his current status as group CEO of Hot Air Balloon Digital Group and through his work with IMMAP, Parpan has made his way to the very fore of digital evolution in the country.

In a field that has claimed the careers and reputations of so many, he has managed to stay at the top of the game, fuelled by a constant drive to improve and a perfectionist’s eye for detail.

Audacity, tenacity, and hard work – these are the things that TJ Parpan believes in.

And General believes in TJ Parpan.

GENERAL Shot on location at the General, C1 Building Upper Ground Floor, Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig City

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Scan the QR code to visit the official General website

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Jury insights Tony Granger

Mark Tutsell

Amir Kassaei

The NEW Jury President Global Chief Creative Officer, Y&R

Non-Traditional Jury President Global Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide

Integration Jury President Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, DDB Worldwide

“I’ve been on many juries and have found that the really good work breaks through and the shortlist is always pretty impressive. What’s compelling about the NEW category is that you find yourself debating what should or shouldn’t be in the category.

When we set out to define what NEW was, I really loved what one of the judges came up with. He said that NEW should be a ‘Pied Piper’ idea that leads the industry down a new path.

We saw some terrific work – brilliant ideas that won big awards at other shows. But by the time we got to the shortlist, we didn’t think some of the well-known winners engaged in a NEW way, which is why we didn’t give a Grand Prix. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t find that ‘Pied Piper’ idea.”

“When you start digging deeper and really using your criteria for judgment there was one piece of work that did stand out and it was not only Non-Traditional in its execution, it was an idea that completely captured the imagination of the planet. This idea was famous, it was incredibly famous and seen the world over and that was for Metro Trains’ ‘Dumb Ways to Die’.

And that is not to say that the other work was not equally as interesting, equally as thought through and executed within an inch of its life.

But this one piece just took it to the next level. And some people will say it is predictable because obviously this piece of work has swept the award show circuit in 2013. And the reason why – it’s the best and it’s a piece of work that we can all learn from, that we can all be inspired by and it really sets a bar for modern day communication.

And really demonstrates the power of music today.”

“The quality was not as good as we thought.

There are few ideas that are integrated in terms of concepts and solutions which are integrating themselves into the culture and society, but a lot of them are still mediocre ideas broken down to different channels.”

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Tham Khai Meng

Ronald Ng

Valerie Cheng

TV/Cinema/Online Film Jury President Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather

Print, Poster & Billboard Juror Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Proximity Singapore

Digital Juror Chief Creative Officer, JWT Singapore

“I must admit, I was a bit depressed at first. It was a bit like Sleeping Beauty, we had to chop our way through a thick hedge of dead wood to get to the palace. There were a lot of those ads that made you wonder, ‘What were they thinking?’ After culling the non-runners in the TV/Cinema/Online Film and Branded Content categories, the landscape changed completely.

Suddenly the sun was shining. We saw work that charmed us, that tickled our toes, work that moved us with great stories. Of course, we expected that.

What we really wanted to see was the experimental stuff. Test tubes straight from the lab, still giving off colored smoke. The sort of work that makes you shake your head and say, no you can’t do that. It doesn’t happen very often, usually you get a near miss. You get a great thought but it is let down by an aspect of craft in the execution. It’s a bit like lining up the bars on the slot machines. Did we get four bars lining up? Yes, I think we did. The ones that hit jackpot for me – Water is Life ‘Hashtag Killer’, Smart Fortwo ‘Offroad’, ‘Toshiba Laptop with Intel Inside’, Reflex Paper ‘Printer Guru’ and Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’.”

“Three pieces stood out for me – NYC Ballet (Les Ballets de Faile): Contemporary art reinvents what ballet means to a younger generation. Brilliant. Peru’s University of Engineering and Technology’s ‘Potable Water Generator: To attract students to its Engineering and Technology school, it built the first billboard that produces potable water out of air. A fantastic demonstration of engineering and technology that the university stands for. If I wanted to study engineering and technology, it would be at UE&T. La Voz del interior (Life Signs): I’m not a fan of scare tactics. But when you use actual vehicles that were involved in accidents and place them exactly where the accidents could very well happen, you’ve got my attention.

Powerful, hard hitting, as real as it gets.

Work in the Billboard category was very strong and showed us the way forward. The three examples above, plus campaigns for IBM and The Royal Borough of Greenwich were fresh and inspiring. They all showed great respect toward the consumer and will enrich lives.”

“Overall, the quality of digital and mobile work has improved. In fact all the work is pretty sound so the challenge is as always, how do you stand out from everything else when the benchmark is rising every year.

Apart from the popular entries, which have won at Cannes, a few new ones stood out for me – ‘Budweiser Red Lights’ by Anomaly, ‘Say It With a Bed’ for IKEA and ‘The Train Switch’ for Swebus, both by Akestam Holst.

All three pieces were charmingly insightful and had high engagement value. Though they were not technologically break-through ideas, they demonstrated that you do not need NASA-type innovation to stand out if you have a great idea.

There’s a general observation that the craft categories have been neglected. I believe there’s more work out there that hasn’t been submitted for craft, which could easily bag metals. We were really stretched to find deserving winners because the entries were too few in craft.

Unfortunately in the desperate chase for awards, it was also disappointing to see that there were entries, which didn’t even exist in the real world or was stopped because it had problems. Luckily for us, being the digital jury, we did our due diligence to check online before we awarded the metals.”

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Cre ativ e co nv er sat io n

Creative jackpot in Sin City

LIA and adobo Philippine winners at Creative Conversation Words and Photos Donna Dimayuga and Drea Dizon Additional Photos by LIA

Five days. Fourteen speakers.

In a place as wildly entertaining as Las Vegas, it’s easy to get distracted with all the different things going on around you. But not for us.

Not for the 68 twenty-something delegates of LIA Creative Conversations 2013.

We were all too intently focused on the opportunity to pick the brains of advertising’s greatest minds, listen to the candid yet enlightening comments during judging, and marvel at the eloquence and ease in giving awe-inspiring talks that can only be backed by genius and years of experience.

During the weeklong convention, we couldn’t help but notice that there seemed to be a recurring theme that speakers kept pointing out to us. That being a creative now, meant more. We are not just in the ad business anymore. We are now in the business of making things relevant.

And if there is one thing that they unanimously advised and inspired us to do, it is to ‘Create Value’. To make something that adds real value to people’s lives. To think

of new ways to make things a little better, or more understandable for people around us.

To help incite change, no matter how little it may seem at one point. Creativity has the power to make people act.

It is refreshing to see that the discipline being reinforced to us wasn’t built on just cleverness and accumulating awards. The talks and judging sessions made us aim for something arguably higher, albeit more difficult to achieve. But being young creatives, we welcome a good challenge.

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When we got back from our trip, friends would ask us the usual Las Vegas questions: What shows we watched, how much we won in the casino? Truth be told, we only had time to see one show. We never gambled, not even a few dollars. But just by being part of this incredible experience, made possible by the generosity of the powers that be, it felt like we won big.

Donna Dimayuga is a copywriter at BBDO Guerrero and Drea Dizon is an art director at JWT Manila

THE WORK

LO ND O N I NT ER NAT IO NAL AWAR D S

Snapshots

01

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02

LIA awa r d s j u d g i n g

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

01 The Integration Jury: Christian Haas, Jureeporn Thaidumrong, Eugene Cheong, Amir Kassaei, Philip Ahlqwist, John Mescall, and Ben Coulson 02 TV/Cinema/Online Film - Production | Post-Production Jury: John Spary, Laura Gregory, Michael Ritchie, Jonathon Ker, George Mackenzie and Roopak Saluja 03 Ramesh Sathiah, Kim Shaw, and Bee Lee having an enjoyable time mingling at dinner at Mizumi 04 Sonal Dabral with Yogi Pradana and Renaldy Arief at the ‘Creative Conversations’ seminars 05 Mark Tutsell and Tham Khai Meng at dinner 06 Eugene Cheong and Jureeporn Thaidumrong (on the right), with young creatives (from top to bottom, left to right): Sid Lim Xian Hao, Mei Mei Ng, Daniel Hang Li, Donna Dimayuga, Andrea Dizon, and Piyakan Sirichankachorn 07 Jeremy Craigen, Sumiko Matsuda, and Dave Bedwood enjoying the patio party 08 Design • Package Design judging room 09 Sonal Dabral, Alexander Schill, Mark Tutsell, Tham Khai Meng and his son Tristan Tham enjoying getting to know the young creatives at the patio party with young creatives: Renato, Zandona, Julian Alberto Gutierrez Vega, Christopher Mendez, Karol van Belli 10 Ralph van Dijk, John Mescall and Chris Smith at Mizumi

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COV E R S T ORY

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me rl e e j ayme

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C O VE R ST O R Y

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on

top of the world Interview Angel guerrero & mikhail lecaros Words Mikhail Lecaros Photography xander angeles Make-up Joanne calaquian Styling santi obcena

In winning the Philippines’ first-ever Grand Prix at Cannes, DM9JaymeSyfu has come of age

While DM9JaymeSyfu has established itself over the last seven years as a reliable shop with a solid track record, nothing could have prepared a stunned industry for the events of June 18, 2013.

That was the night that saw DM9 announced as the recipient of the Cannes International Festival of Creativity’s Grand Prix Lion in Mobile for their ‘Smart TXTBKS’ initiative – the first-ever such win in Philippine advertising history. Almost overnight, industry insiders and pundits alike began talking of the Philippines’ entry on the global advertising stage, as the landmark win was quickly followed by Grand Prix metal at the Ad Stars and Spikes Asia advertising festivals.

At the center of the buzz – which has yet to subside – is DM9JaymeSyfu chair and chief creative officer Merlee Jayme. Formerly the executive creative director of BBDO

Guerrero before striking out on her own to form DM9JaymeSyfu, Jayme is a mainstay of the Philippine ad scene, having cut her teeth at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, where she attained the position of vice president and executive creative director. adobo spoke with Jayme on DM9’s humble beginnings, festival judging and, of course, what we can expect now that the first Philippine Grand Prix gauntlet has been thrown down.

ADOBO Grand Prix notwithstanding, how much has DM9 changed from the agency you imagined in your head when you started the shop seven years ago?

JAYME When we first started the agency, we all knew what we wanted to be. We were hungry, we were driven, and we wanted to be a small, special group. But when we started

November-December 2013

getting into it and accounts came in, and no one was applying for jobs because they didn’t know who we were, it became a priority for everyone in the company to do their share and, often, more. When that happened, I figured that it was a good thing to continue: to build an agency where people where contributing more because they wanted to, and not just because it was a job.

ADOBO Was starting your own house always your plan?

JAYME Before we started the agency, I knew I wanted to start from scratch and build it up to avoid duplicating the mistakes I’d seen in other agencies. It’s like having a new suit made rather than taking an existing one and having it altered. Rules of course, would be written along the way, and a mindset of ‘fire before you hire’. At the time, we wanted no more than

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me rl e e j ayme

The co-founders DM9JaymeSyfu’s Chair/chief creative officer Merlee Jayme, with Chief adviser and chief relations officer Alex Syfu

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“In other agencies, if you want to hide, you can, because of all the layers – your boss won’t really know what you’ve done, haven’t done or what you’ve written.”

20 in the agency, and now we have 30, which is ideal. You know the names, you know the birthdays, you know the kids. Everybody is close, and I can tell if someone’s doing a good job or if someone’s not doing a good job.

The enemy is idleness. If one person is idle, tsimis (gossip) comes out, discontent comes out. I think the secret is, everybody has to be busy, but they have to know why they’re busy and be working towards one goal. No one should be idle at any point. Even if we’re just making a theme for the Christmas party, we do it with the same passion as everything else we do.

Idleness scares me, which is actually one of the rules in the convent (where Jayme was a young nun): “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop (laughs), and that’s why Louie (Sotto, DM9 ECD), Eugene (Demata, ECD of Digital arm Digit)) and I have to be working on our own stuff, so no one can say we’re not working just as hard.

We also have a board in the office, so everyone can see what everyone else is doing – everybody does their share.

ADOBO How would you describe the in-house culture of DM9?

JAYME We’re a family. I mean, everyone says that, but it’s true. That’s the reason we don’t go over having 30 people, because anything more than that would be tough to handle. Even for those that get in, there’s a certain fit, because you have to be able to do a lot of things. You cannot come to us from a big agency and specialize in doing only one thing, because you’ll have a tough time.

I’ve come from bigger agencies, where you could have a bunch of us writing for the same client and even if I don’t do anything, something would be submitted anyway, so the boss would never know whether or not I actually wrote!

that to build your confidence, which you only really get if you fall and learn to pick yourself up. The reason you put someone in a position is because you trust them, and if I put you in a position, it means I trust you 100%.

ADOBO How do you divide the clients?

ADOBO Does that make you a tough boss to work for?

JAYME I always tell my creatives, “In other agencies, if you want to hide, you can, because of all the layers – your boss won’t really know what you’ve done, haven’t done or what you’ve written. At DM9, you can’t. If we do a radio script, I tell them, “It’ll be you (points to imaginary creative) and me (points to self) and the client. That’s it.”

What I don’t like is duplication of roles, because it makes for too many layers. What Louie and I did was, if you’re an ECD, the buck has to stop with you. We divided the accounts to decide who was answerable for what, and we don’t necessarily need to know what the other is working on. If he wants to show me what he’s working on, he can, but he doesn’t have to. Sometimes, we get together for a pitch, but we don’t need to. That way, everything is more effective and more efficient, because there’s no point having an ECD if everything has to go through me as well.

I’m not a control freak, because I’ve already been an ECD with someone on top of me, and it’s tough. As an ECD, you want that confidence to know that if you make mistakes, it’s because they were your mistakes, and not something that was ordered of you. You need

November-December 2013

JAYME That comes down to our individual specialties, as well as who the client feels comfortable with. Like, for example, there are some who prefer me, and there are others who prefer a man, but that’s a given. There’s an unwritten law that says a strong woman cannot work with another strong woman as a client, but a strong woman with a man as a client; that can work.

ADOBO What’s it like to work with your partners?

JAYME Oh, it’s so fun! My friends in the industry tell me that I am so lucky, because (co-founder) Alex (Syfu) is so good with relationships – and I’m not! Well, maybe with wine (laughs)! But Alex is always on, and he is so good at it, it’s his strength. Bonat (DM9 JaymeSyfu general manager Ronald Barreiro) is good with numbers, business. And then me, the creative.

ADOBO How much of that lineup was by design and how much was based on your experience in other agencies?

JAYME We did it this way because I used to see a lot of redundancies and inefficiencies and a lot of bosses – and even middle

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me rl e e j ayme

“Finish college and you can do whatever you want and that way, if anything happens, you can still get a job.”

management – doing nothing. What the hell?

And there I was, at the lower end of the ladder and I wasn’t making as much! So that was the design: No one is redundant.

This applies to everyone in the company; I designed the employee evaluation form to be really specific. For example, “Name three ideas you came up with this year”. Or, “Name one idea you had that brought the family together”. Not only is everyone supposed to work together, it requires everyone to do their part. Another part of the form asks you to list your equity to the company in one word, and it can’t be at all similar to anyone else’s, because if it is, you’re useless.

Your skills have to complement those of your team, like in the X-Men or the Avengers, for example. One hero can maybe breathe fire, another one has telekinesis. If five of you can breathe fire, then it’s just redundant.

For example, our writing: My writing is very consumer-based – stories from real life – while Louie is so good at corporate writing.

We’re all unique, and we can’t hire someone we already have.

The nice thing is, they (the team) are doing more, but they’re happy to do more.

01

JAYME (laughs) that was because I wasn’t a chairman at first, I was just the CCO. When Susan (Dimacali, former chairman) left in 2009 or 2010, before Bonat came in as general manager, we needed someone to help Alex because it would be too much if he did the relationships and the day-to-day.

Susan explained to me before she left what a chairman is: “You inspire and you set the rules. You set the pace.” So I said, “Oh! I can do that!”

So I set the pace, set my expectations and made sure that everyone knew what we were doing and why we do it; If we make money, I want them to feel it, so the agency’s successes are their successes.

JAYME Traditionally, everything international goes to (parent network) DDB, but digitally, I just pitched for J&J, which turned out to be a good thing, because I used to be a copywriter for J&J at Saatchi, 20 years ago – I launched ‘The Baby is Now a Lady’!

And when I turned up for the pitch, they remembered me! (laughs). So when we won it, J&J is now our first multinational. We may not have the above-the-line, but we’ve got the digital business, which includes eight brands, and we’re happy about that.

ADOBO Where did the title of Chairmom come from?

ADOBO DM9’s clients have traditionally been local clients. Any regional or international clients coming up?

JAYME I’ve learned that ideas are the same, wherever you come from, but it really comes down to the jury makeup. Some jury members

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ADOBO What’s your one-word equity?

JAYME Mine was “stubborn” at first, but now it’s “relentless” (laughs). I’m always the one looking for problems because if everything’s running too smoothly, then something’s wrong!

ADOBO You just came back from New York Fest. How has your perspective changed with all the shows you’ve been judging?

mer lee j ayme

like flashier executions, for instance, and if they have a stronger voice than the others, then that’s it.

ADOBO But then you have some campaigns, like ‘Dumb Ways’ that win in multiple categories in multiple countries.

JAYME Exactly! And it was Leo Burnett’s Pops (KV Sridhar, the legendary guru of Indian advertising), who explained it to me.

I mean, it’s fun, it’s cute, but there has to be a deeper meaning for why it’s able to win in so many categories. And Pops told me, ‘Talking to the young is a difficult task, and the fact that it’s a PSA about safety made the job of getting the message across doubly hard. ‘Dumb Ways’ is presented in a language they understand to the point that it got into their psyche by making fun of how stupid it could be (to be run over) with funny images. Combining those images with music, that’s what makes it brilliant!’ When Pops repeated that speech when we were judging at New York Fest, people just started to clap! It’s amazing how his mind works, and I’ve seen incidents like that happen at different festivals, where a shortlist can become a Gold based on one person’s ability to voice his sentiments.

ADOBO But can’t it can go both ways, where sometimes all it takes is one naysayer to kill an idea.

JAYME Oh absolutely. When Erik Vervroegen (international creative director, Publicis Worldwide) was saying his piece in New York – each judge was asked to pick a piece

and defend it in front of everyone – he made a passionate speech about this campaign, and…nothing! No one reacted! I was in awe of his speech, where he spoke about the art direction, the execution, but when it came time for the judges to raise their hands, nothing! Sometimes, you just can’t tell.

Something else that I’ve learned is that women are such a minority when it comes to judging these shows, and it’s honestly so hard to make yourself heard, especially if you’re the only woman in the room. It’s easy to get lost in the mix.

Prasoon Joshi (president, McCann Worldgroup South Asia) told me that the lack of female creatives to judge in the West is a reality. In Asia, there are more to choose from and so it’s not such a big problem here. We’re used to strong women in this part of the world (laughs). Here, you don’t have to be one of the boys to succeed in business.

ADOBO What’s your personal approach to judging?

JAYME Even with all the innovations now, I still think storytelling is a big part of our job.

Something like Toshiba’s ‘With 10 Years of Life’ – that had beautiful storytelling. And insights, like Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’, it was so simple but brilliant.

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rebellious, and questioning everything.

Since my mom was very religious and always bringing me to prayer meetings, I decided to try it out in first year high school. Of course, my parents were against it. My dad, especially, told me that I was still in first year and it would be hard to come back. So of course I left.

Because I left, he made a rule for my sisters, “Finish college and you can do whatever you want,” and that way, if anything happens, you can still get a job.

The thing about the Benedictines, in that convent, you’re not allowed to see your family at any time once you’ve entered – You’re either in or out. I was 13 years old, from a tightly knit family, so I was crying a lot at first.

It was very strict, and we weren’t allowed to talk to each other either. You got to say prayers, but talking… (shakes head). I didn’t even know how I was turning out, because there weren’t any mirrors! From the ages of 13, 14, 15, it was only my reflection in a drum of water where I could see how I had grown.

They cut our hair really short, and it wasn’t really a shocker when I finally saw a mirror later on, but it was weird!

ADOBO How is going into a convent an act of rebellion?

ADOBO It never ceases to amaze us that your road to the advertising industry first saw you serve as a Benedictine nun. Please tell us about that time in your life.

JAYME That was three years. I was very

JAYME Ok, maybe that’s not the best word, because I don’t want my kids to rebel, but I think it really is a good thing, zagging when everyone else is zigging. For me, I wanted to be on my own, find things out on my own. I guess it was too early. But I learned a lot about how to take care of plants and animals. We would work during the day in the fields.

01 ‘Smart TXTBKS’ found recognition on the global stage 02 DM9JaymeSyfu executive creative director Louie Sotto accepts the 2013 Mobile Grand Prix from AKQA’s Rei Inamoto

02

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“Whatever I do today is thanks to whatever I learned in the past, with the difference being that now I enjoy it.”

ADOBO Initial resistance from the parents aside, how did the rest of your family take it?

JAYME I have three sisters who are still in the convent. They followed me into the order, so my brother and I are the only ones who are out in the world. We haven’t seen them in years.

My parents bought a house near the convent and every Sunday, they would hear mass there, hoping to see a glimpse of my sisters, and sometimes they do, but because it’s supposed to be a contemplative order, they’re not allowed to say hello.

ADOBO What made you decide to leave the Order? And what was it like to rejoin society, as it were?

JAYME I just decided. After three years, I knew it wasn’t the life for me and I left. When I got out, my father got me into the ‘Kabataan Barangay’, the program for out-of-school youths by Aimee Marcos. To this day, when I run into Aimee, she says to people, “See her?

She’s one of mine! She has her own agency now!” (laughs) So what happens is, you start taking a day-long test and they evaluate your grade level, based on your score. Based on the test, I got into college; I was older than my classmates, but I never felt that. It’s just funny sometimes that the people I see as my equals are actually younger than me!

to my sisters’ friends. Because I was older, it helped; I was so gung-ho in getting an internship!

ADOBO How does what you learned in the convent inform what you do in DM9?

JAYME After I got out of the convent, I tried to stand on my own, starting my own T-shirt business where I would draw and sell designs

JAYME Whatever I do today is thanks to whatever I learned in the past, with the difference being that now I enjoy it. The Benedictine motto is “ora et labora”, meaning to work and pray, and in advertising, we do a lot of both! We pray a lot for pitches, for ideas to win, because at the end of the day, without good ideas, you’re nothing! Then we work hard to keep the account (laughs).

There are so many things about advertising, about reading people you can pick up on when you don’t talk. When you don’t talk, you get to study human behavior really well.

All my discipline to work on several

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ADOBO How did you find your way into advertising?

The agency’s other awards magnet, ‘Bury the Past’ for women’s advocacy Title ‘Bury the Past’ Agency Di9it-DM9JaymeSyfu Advertiser Gabriela

projects at the same time just goes to show the truth behind Malcom Gladwell’s statement that you need to practice something for 10,000 hours to really be an expert. So that’s 10,000 hours of doing taglines, 10,000 hours of boards, 10,000 hours of name studies.

Now, after all that, because I’ve reached a certain level, I still have to do revisions, but they won’t be as many or as difficult as when I was first starting out. When I was younger, I had to learn that resilience to come back after something I’d done had been rejected, and I have my past agencies to thank for that training.

For example, in Saatchi, I learned you cannot present with just 10 ideas, you present

mer lee j ayme

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BUILDING A BETTER TEXTBOOK

Behind the Scenes of a Grand Prix-Winning Initiative

with 50. At BBDO, that was the first time I was exposed to pitching abroad and international thinking. And something I loved about working under (David) Droga at Saatchi was that he made his teams shine, and he still does.

Now, we’re all big egos in this industry, but he was and is so unselfish. Like you don’t see his name in all the credits of his agency’s projects.

ADOBO What scares you?

JAYME I get fearful sometimes that I may be doing the wrong thing, but it’s not like the old days where my boss would say, “Don’t worry, you’re right,” now there’s no one to tell me!

So I’ve lost pitches that way, but I’ve also won pitches that way. Not winning awards used to scare me, then it just happened. At some point, you just have to trust yourself enough to go with your gut and hope it succeeds.

ADOBO Would you ever consider a global role?

JAYME It would be tough for the girls. Aside from that, I’m happy we were able to start an agency that more and more people are getting to know. There’s 30 of us (in DM9), and our office isn’t the biggest, but I get to call the shots. And, after Cannes, isn’t it nice that we’re Filipinos and we can get that kind of recognition?

ADOBO And how has that recognition affected the agency?

JAYME We’re really happy, but we’ve never really actually stopped to talk about it, because, historically, we were trained in

“Our team, with all the work being thrown at us, sometimes likes to tinker or put things together to see if they can solve problems,” says Merlee Jayme of the origins of the campaign that won the Philippines its first-ever Grand Prix at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

Indeed, being a project cooked up in-house at DM9, there was no formal brief involved in the creation of Smart TXTBKS, which saw its origins in the simple observation that children regularly carry between 22 to 25 textbooks to and from school everyday. Where more developed countries would address the problem with the introduction of e-readers and tablets, for the underprivileged in developing countries, such measures weren’t a financially viable option.

“In this case, the solution our team found was very specific to Smart because it uses SIM cards, or rather, the idea of recycling of them,” says Jayme. “We were doing something else for them and we proposed it to Smart Public Affairs, headed by Mon Isberto. For years now, we’ve been doing a lot of their CSR work, ranging from disaster preparedness or education – several things. You have to understand, Smart has always been active in donating computers and Internet connections to the different schools in the provinces, so they were already in that mindset.

Now, can you imagine us, going to them, with this idea that would require next to no budget? This isn’t about donating old computers, this is about recycling old phones that are just discarded and SIM cards that are useless, so what would they have to lose?”

Indeed, pitching the use of outdated SIM cards proved to be what sold the client on the project, says DM9’s chief relations officer Alex Syfu. “Since we were looking at using expired or obsolete SIM designs, there were a lot of those in the Smart stockrooms that we were welcome to use.”

Account manager Iya Vargas concurs, “We don’t require anyone to buy Smart TXTBKS, because there are so many in surplus; it’s about giving that surplus a new purpose. And it’s not just the SIM cards – when research was done, we discovered every family has at least one old phone that could be dedicated to the student going to school.

“Even at the brainstorming stage,” shared associate creative director for digital Buboy Paguio, we were already taking into consideration that we couldn’t take on other countries’ executions in terms of technology, but Filipinos have always had a talent for making use of what we have, and that’s what we did.”

With approvals out of the way, Paguio went on to say that the bigger challenge for the team lay in compressing the content of the textbooks into a manner that retained the relevant information, a feat they accomplished with the help of educational consultants.

An added plus in ‘TXTBKS’’ favor was the ease by which students could navigate the SIM cards’ contents, as it was based on the existing interfaces of phones that pretty much everybody knows how to use. Says Vargas, “How the material was organized is so simple, with the phone’s phonebook becoming the table of contents and each message in the inbox becoming a specific chapter.”

The pilot schools which tried out the program included schools in Makati – “They were easy to talk to,” says Jayme – and DM9JaymeSyfu/ continued on page 75

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“I am still looking for that one big thing that could change our country. More than a rally, more than ads – one big thing that will change everything.”

Saatchi that, when you win an award, you put it on the shelf and forget about it; When you walk through the corridors of DM9, no one has their head up in the sky over winning a Grand Prix; we still have our deadlines. You should see some agencies abroad – when they win, they tend to over-glorify.

Others might linger on the winning and their egos become big, but I actually get embarrassed talking about it because once it’s on the table, it becomes a question of, ‘what do you do next?’ (laughs) ADOBO So what’s next for DM9?

JAYME What’s next is we have to be on the lookout for good ideas, still be resourceful.

The only thing I really loved about these Grand Prix wins is that it was for a big client and it gave our shop a lot of credibility, especially as opposed to what you would expect from a small CSR project. I love my Gabriela (a woman’s advocacy) stuff – I’ve been a part of the organization since college – but with this, it’s such a good vibe to win for something that’s based in CSR but part of the work for a client that you deal with every day and it made so many people happy.

And also, before that, a lot of people outside the country couldn’t even pronounce our name, “DM9 JamesSeeFoo” or “DM9HaimSayFoo”, and we were coming from nowhere, so it was a while before even the clients knew who we were – we really built it from scratch – but now they know.

The DDB network has been very nice, from the New York office down to the Asia Pac office – they’re very nice. What touched me is having people I used to work with before

loving the ideas we come up with. With the Grand Prix, the biggest, best feeling I get is that, for the first time, maybe I deserve to be with some of the big names I’ve worked with, like Droga. I’m not just a junior copywriter anymore. Imagine if, for all these years, you’ve been trying your best to be a part of that group, and now they’re treating you like you’re a part of that group? The mere idea of is amazing, and it feels great for the agency.

I was at a festival recently and I would be introducing myself and my agency, but people would always stop me and say, ‘Stop! We know who you are!’ (laughs) But you can’t blame me because I always felt for the longest time

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DM9JaymeSyfu received its second and third Grand Prix metals at Ad Stars in Busan, Korea, a feat it would repeat at Spikes Asia (see sidebar on opposite page), bagging top prizes in the Direct and Mobile categories.

that we weren’t known, we’re small, and now people like Toby Talbot (Whybin TBWA chief creative officer) are saying they know our work? Wow! ADOBO What’s the most important thing you’ve learned over the course of your career?

mer lee j ayme

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JAYME The dream that you can be a good mom and have a business, and enjoy it. That used to be one of my fears, but if the past few years have taught me anything, it’s that it’s not impossible and, yes, it is achievable. But you need checks and balances, because I have a tendency to be a workaholic. That’s where a good partner comes in. And that’s what I have, in the office and at home. It helps you prioritize. For young couples, for young men and women who put off their dream jobs because they’re about to have a baby, it is possible, and you can achieve it.

When I look back, for example, I never really considered having babies, says Jayme.

“Because when you’re gone for maternity leave, that’s three months – you miss out on good briefs! (laughs) But when you’ve given birth and hating yourself every time you see an ad on TV that you think you should have done – relax! There will always be more breaks, and any doubt I had about opportunities missed, I look back now, having had four kids…my God, this is a long career, and I’m still going strong!

It’s never too late to make your mark.

ADOBO It doesn’t sound like you have any plans of stopping any time soon!

JAYME Of course, but I don’t think advertising is the last thing I’ll ever do, and it shouldn’t be. I mean, it’s nice, but what happens after? What happens when I retire?

I am still looking for that one big thing that could change our country. More than a rally, more than ads – one big thing that will change everything. But I don’t see that as something I’ll push my agency to do, I’ll do that on my own time.

Digit executive creative director Eugene Demata’s hometown of Bulacan.

“First we tried to contact the principal,” says Demata, “and of course the principal was surprised, because they don’t really allow students to have phones in the classrooms, but when we explained how it worked, they allowed us to test the idea. The students were happy and excited to participate. For me, that’s the best part of ‘TXTBKS’: that the kids don’t see the cellphones with our SIM cards as something boring to study, but a gadget to enjoy; something they want to experience. That way, studying becomes more like playing.”

Adding to the appeal for the children was the friendly, eye-catching appeal of the packaging, as designed by illustrator Dee Taar. “The team wanted the packaging to look more like a ‘kiddie’ textbook,” says Taar.

“So I did studies, and it was Merlee who wanted it to look like a kind of folder, as well. So I came up with something that doesn’t intimidate, but kids know it’s a textbook that has something to do with a SIM card.”

“We were over in the pantry,” recalls Demata, of the day the agency received notification of their Cannes win. “There was this commotion outside, people shouting, so I ran out, looking to see what had happened. When I got out, I saw some people were crying, then all of a sudden, everyone was crying!”

“We were doubting it, thinking maybe it was an error!” laughs Vargas. “It was Judy, our traffic officer who got the email informing us, and we’re not used to winning this kind of award, so of course we were questioning it!”

“The ceremony wasn’t until 4am the next day, I think. So we all prayed hard and stayed up to wait and see if it was true!” says Demata.

“I would have been happy with getting the country’s first metal for Mobile – we really didn’t expect anything this big because it’s a new category. Of course, we were hoping, but the guys we were up against were big time!” laughs Jayme.

“Exactly!” says Syfu. “We already got the shortlist, just converting it to metal would have been enough!”

So what does the future hold for Smart ‘TXTBKS’? Are we looking at a national rollout?

“We actually have a separate team that’s working on that now,” says Jayme. “A good thing about the wins is that now we have people and even students coming up to us at festivals or on Facebook, wanting to donate phones. Ever since this started, people have been calling, asking them to donate. Some houses have up to five phones (or more) that they don’t use anymore. What has to be fixed now are the guidelines on what kinds of phones can be donated. Everything has to be done in steps.”

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r iding t he c r e s t joe y

ong

Words Mikhail Lecaros Photography Johann Bona Art Direction/final art Ricardo Malit Venue The Park, Real, Quezon

Joey Ong laughs when reflecting on the record that is his resume, which lists his having worked at seven major advertising houses over the span of 14 years. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” the current CCO of Aspac Advertising tells adobo magazine. “I’ve always been a drifter, and for me, I make it a point to accomplish what I set out to do, so I have no regrets.”

While it is readily apparent that Ong isn’t your run-of-the-

mill ad man, he is hardly the slacker stereotype that one might associate with his passion for surfing, as his numerous metals – including Spikes, AdFest, Cannes, Clio, One Show, D&AD Merit, Araw and Kidlat – attest.

At the end of the day, Joey Ong is a man always out for the next big challenge, living his life in relentless pursuit of that thing all ad men – and surfers – desire: The next big wave.

centerfold

Syke, Rapper / Spoken word artist Underground Logic Visual Effects Artist

Hardcore Holidays

for the

We’ve watched them perform with their bands at various industry parties after long hours of brainstorming, production shoots and client pitches.

We’ve seen their high-energy antics onstage and cheered. But this holiday season, just for adobo, these young professionals cleared their schedules and left their offices early to prepare themselves for a truly special gig.

Their instruments of choice?

The homemade kind – we’re talking bottlecaps, a ukelele and empty plastic containers.

The motivation? To bust out a shot of holiday cheer in the only way they know how, with a good old-fashioned round of doorto-door Christmas caroling.

So be ready when they ring your bell and break out their own unique renditions of your favorite Yuletide hits. Just don’t be surprised if those renditions come with growling vocals, heavy drums and the hardcore sound these boys have come to be known for.

This is Christmas, hardcore style, and the holidays will never be the same.

trendspot ting

Jethro Adriano, Vocalist of Turband RADManila Communications Inc. Copywriter

JP Cuison, Advertising Band of the Philippines Publicis JimenezBasic Associate Creative Director

Edu Ibazeta, “Physical Emotion” of Halik ni Gringo Freelance Digital Copywriter

Joey Santos, Vocalist of Halik ni Gringo Love One Another Sound Production Studio Manager

Words Charisma Felix Photography Ryan Sulit Art Direction/final art Joshua Gonzales Makeup Chuchie Ledesma of Maybelline New York

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Storyteller

Seven A.D.’s Russell Molina has a day and night job as adman and children’s book author Words carmela lapeña Images courtesy of the artist

Once upon a time, near the city of shoes (Marikina, Philippines), Russell Molina was driving to work. Stuck in traffic, he was watching a group of street children beg for alms. It would have been just another ordinary drive, but then one of the children caught his attention.

Sitting in a makeshift wheelchair, the kid rolled along the cars, knocking on the windows, daring the drivers to a race. “Karera tayo! Matatalo kita! (Let’s race! I’ll beat you!),” the kid challenged.

The moment Molina arrived at his office, he wrote the story not realizing it would become his first children’s book. Now a prolific author with several awards to his name, Molina recalls this chance encounter as where it all began.

He sent the story to Adarna House, and not long after, Ang Madyik Silya ni Titoy (Titoy’s Magic Chair) was published. “After that, tuloy-tuloy na (it all followed). After publishing my first book, sabi ko (I said), maybe I have a talent outside of advertising that I can do,” said Molina, who is now executive creative director at Seven A.D., the indie shop he co-founded with a six other creatives and suits in early 2010.

Since Ang Madyik Silya ni Titoy was published in 1998, Molina continued to write children’s books, including Lola Puti (Grandmother White), Sandosenang Kuya (A Dozen Older Brothers) and EDSA. Every year, he tries to push himself to write a story. “It’s good therapy for me also, because you know, advertising people are completely stressed out,” he shared.

How does he manage to do both? “It’s a night job.

You have to do it after work. But in advertising, it’s a morning job, because we go home late at night,” Molina said with a laugh. “When you’re in advertising, your plate is already full. But in my free time, I do this.

This sort of relaxes me,” he said, adding that he takes every chance he can get to visit schools, especially public schools. “I want to expose them to all these things,” he said.

Writing children’s books and advertising are

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similar in many ways, according to Molina. “It always starts with an idea. A great story should have an idea, very much like advertising, and that idea should stem from a wonderful insight,” he said.

Also, in the same way that an audience can tell when an ad lacks sincerity, children can tell when a story is fake. “Kids are the toughest critics. If they hate a story, they’ll say it. They do not question talking animals, they do not question talking slippers. They question the character behind it. They can tell if it’s fake.

They can tell when you’re talking down to them. It’s the same thing with advertising,” Molina said.

Although it was the kid in a makeshift wheelchair that inspired Molina’s first book, his exposure to storytelling came much earlier. Molina’s first job was directing Bata Batuta, a mascot show for children. “We went around the country spreading the word on environment… that was my first job. I was writing for kids. So maybe that’s why when I shifted to advertising, I sort of carried that with me, which is good,” Molina shared.

On the other hand, his training in advertising also helped him in his writing.

“When you write for TV, you only have 30 seconds. Here, you only have 200 words.

So you really have to pick the right words,” said Molina, who entered the industry without knowing what it was about. “When I applied for copywriting, I thought yun ’yung nag-cocopyright (that was the one in charge of copyright). I really had no idea. But I took the test and I passed it, and that was it. I was in advertising. I love the industry – I love advertising and how it evolves,” he said.

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A story would lead to other stories, Molina learned. During a visit to Boys Town orphanage, Molina was impressed by the dynamics, in which all the children seemed to be siblings, and he felt as if he was the father. This experience inspired him to write Sandosenang Kuya, which won the PBBY Grand Prize – Salanga Writers’ Prize in 2003.

Molina has written about living with a disability, orphanhood, counting, haircuts, and even the 1986 People Power revolution.

What ties everything together is, as Molina said, that he “likes everything Filipino”.

Molina recalled being exposed to popular children’s books such as Dr. Seuss and Alice in Wonderland. “I was trying to find myself in the pages. In terms of context, everything is very western. They were talking about all these things na wala sa Pilipinas (that aren’t in the Philippines), and I thought, maybe we should have books that really talk about us,” Molina said.

At first, Molina would write for children in general, but since becoming a father, he writes for Tala, his daughter, now six years old. “Before, I was writing for a group, and it’s so hard to frame them because they’re really very, very different. Now it’s a very specific audience. I want to talk to my daughter, I want to tell her this story,” said Molina, who wrote Umaga na, Tala! (Morning

Has Come, Star!) to help lull her to sleep.

For aspiring writers, Molina advises them to actively seek out stories. “Stories won’t come to you,” he said, advising them to look at the world through a child’s eyes in order to discover something new. “For example, we’ve been walking down Ayala for years, but if you approach it from a child’s perspective, parang ‘Wow, bakit may butas na ganito? (Why is there a hole like this?)’” said Molina, who taps his inner child in order to write.

However, this does not mean his books are solely for children. Molina says he writes for both adults and children. “My vision really is for reading to be a shared experience,” he said, noting that adults have also come up to him to tell him how his stories resonated with them. “I guess most of the adults approach it with a bit of nostalgia. They remember how they grew up,” he said.

For Molina, children’s stories contain the values and lessons that adults want to pass on to the next generation. “If you want to visit a country, especially the Philippines, don’t open the map, don’t open the website, open a children’s book,” he said, repeating a message he shared at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore. “Because everything that we hold dear is inside the pages. Open a Filipino children’s book and you get to know what we value.”

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Diabolical

duo A glimpse into darkness

Words and Photos Mikhail Lecaros Illustrations KaJo Baldisimo

In October, followers of writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo’s multiaward-winning series of Trese graphic novels received an early Halloween treat in the form of the ‘Night Gallery’ and an exhibit of original art held at the Crucible Gallery in SM Megamall from October 22-November 3. Featuring digital prints of old and new Trese -inspired works by Baldisimo, the exhibit kicked off a celebration of the duo’s renowned supernatural investigator. A highlight of the festivities was the launch of Book of Murders, a hardbound collection of the first 13 Trese stories, complete with newly written appendices and digitally updated art.

“I’ve always wanted to do a one-man show even before I knew Budj,” says Baldisimo, “but right now Trese is what inspires me the most these days, so I thought she (and her world) would be the best subject to showcase my skill right now. I started out with one piece, “Maliksi”, back in 2009, to print out and sell as mini posters at Komikon, and that’s when we really got the desire to go and do a gallery exhibit – we just didn’t know when we would be able to!”

Tan is beaming like a proud parent as he shares, “We were talking as early as last year, ‘How do we make 2013 really special for us and the readers?’ Well, we were already releasing one or two prints every Komikon, so when Kajo told me that he could complete 13 prints by October of this year, I started looking for a gallery!”

The Trese series began as a side project that Baldisimo and Tan would work on during whatever time they could spare from their busy advertising careers. Characterized by tight storytelling, striking art and a writer-artist combo with a knack for taking traditional noir, horror and folklore and turning them on their ear, Trese went from indie darling to bona fide hit, attracting the attention of publishing giant Visprint, Inc. “That was the turning point; (In) getting a publisher, we went from, ‘Hey, we can do this’ to ‘Hey, now we can do more!” says

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The Trese ‘Night Gallery’ exhibit, featuring original artwork by Kajo Kaldisimo (pictured left, with author and co-creator Budjette Tan) was held at the Crucible Gallery in SM Megamall.

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Alexandra Amangpaso and Lamanlupa Sandosenang Kuya Darago and Daranggan

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Baldisimo. Backed by Visprint, the original independently produced (i.e. photocopied and hand-stapled) issues of Trese were replaced by slick, multi-chapter volumes available in major bookstores all over the country – the adventures of Alexandra Trese had entered the mainstream.

As more readers took notice, so too did the National Book Development Board which, to date, has conferred on the duo’s work the National Book Award for Graphic Literature three times, with the most recent being awarded days before the exhibit. Today, five graphic novel volumes and one prose stories anthology (Stories of the Diabolical) later, Trese fans make for some of the most vocal and loyal in the local komiks industry, a fact that still manages to surprise its creators.

“I’m not trying to be humble, but it’s still very surprising!” says Baldisimo. We started doing this to have something fun to do and we still maintain that attitude, so the number of

people and the depth that they read into it is amazing.” If the sheer volume of people who showed up for the ‘Night Gallery’ opening on October 22 and the Book of Murders launch , four days later, was any indication, Baldisimo and Tan’s creation is as popular as ever.

“The turnout was really good,” said Tan, following a marathon autograph-signing session held at the front of the gallery. “It’s interesting; we have old fans who’ve collected it since we were selling our issues at 30 pesos each and now, we’re still getting new fans.

Kajo always tells me we’re doing this because we want to have fun, so it really feels great to have people come up to us and say they had fun reading our work.”

For fans new and old, Book of Murders was a gift long in the making.

“When Kajo and I first started, we would joke that if we ever got the attention of a major publisher, we wanted it to be hardbound, 300 pages – just a massive volume. Me, being

the practical one, I thought it would never happen, but after years of decent sales, we had a couple of meetings with our publisher where we showed her how we wanted it to look, and promised that we had enough readers to maybe buy a couple of hundred copies. When she said OK, that was when Kajo decided to redo every single page (laughs)!”

“Because of what he did, it feels like I’m reading a brand new book and, coming on the heels of winning at the National Book Awards, it feels absolutely great!”

When questioned on what more readers could expect by way of Trese from this delightfully diabolical duo, both author and artist were big on smiles, but tightlipped when it came to actual details.

“Oh, there will be a definite end to the series,” laughs Baldisimo. “But I can’t tell you.

It’s a secret!”

“But,” says Tan, “we definitely will not stop while there are mysteries to be solved.”

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Things we forget Little sticky notes go a long way Words Mikhail Lecaros

For many a cubicle dweller, the sticky note – myriad colors and variations notwithstanding – is a sign of tasks to be completed, an ubiquitous reminder of an office-bound existence’s Sisyphean nature. In the right hands, however – in this case, those of a Singapore-based advertising creative under the pseudonym JJ Penn – those same sticky notes can serve as unobtrusive, unpretentious and, best of all, unexpected messages of inspiration.

For over four years, Penn has been spreading his own brand of on-the-spot motivation and irreverent insights armed with nothing but his good humor, colored pens and, yes, Post-Its. Sticking the notes up wherever he happens to be on any given day, Penn says the first note began as a spur-of-themoment decision to leave a positive note in a cab before alighting, complete with a photo to document the act.

“It started as a personal project to inspire my friends and colleagues and equally importantly, myself, during the days of gloom and doom of the economic recession of 2008,” Penn told adobo magazine. “There was so

much negativity and pessimism in the air that I felt compelled to do something.”

What began as a random act of creative kindness became, literally overnight, a daily habit for Penn, who said, “I decided to do it regularly from the very next day itself. I think I realized early on that these notes are going to help me as much as they help those that find them.”

Standing by the notion that the notes work better if people can’t put a face to them, Penn’s Post-Its have appeared everywhere from food courts to airplane seats to pizza boxes.

Soon, he was documenting his efforts on a blog, thingsweforget.blogspot.com and, later, a Facebook page. Today, the blog gets around 60,000 unique visitors a month, while the Facebook page lists over 49,000 fans.

With their uplifting messages and unthreatening appearance, as well as their not being anywhere nearly as obnoxious or permanent as, say, the works of Banksy or even Singapore’s own SKLO, Things We Forget caught on with the public at large, to the point that finding the actual notes in the real world became something of an unofficial scavenger hunt.

Things We Forget, based on the hit blog of the same name compiles JJ Penn’s motivational sticky notes in one easy-to-handle volume.

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As every Post-It had the blog’s URL scribbled on it, the site became the avenue of choice for fans and people looking to connect with their unknown sticky-note inspirer. While some would be simple acknowledgments of his good-vibe-spreading efforts, others would relay to Penn accounts of how his anonymous notes had moved them.

“I get an average of seven emails each day from readers telling me that the notes have helped them in some way or the other,” says Penn. “Two years into the project, a lady emailed me saying that one of my notes actually stopped herself from committing suicide. I feel really blessed to have chanced upon something that touches people’s lives.”

Fortunately for the note-seekers, things were about to get a whole lot easier for them, as Penn was approached by Pedigree Books’ (an imprint of Penguin) USA-based editor-in-chief Marian Lizzi, who tracked him down on Facebook.

The result of that online meeting would be the publication of a book (fittingly titled, Things We Forget) compiling 280 of the notes in one easy-to-handle paperback volume.

Published under the author’s ‘JJ Penn’ pseudonym, the book and, by extension, the entire exercise, come across as the social media equivalent of Chicken Soup for the Soul, chockfull of good advice and motivational messages for people on the go. Indeed, Things We Forget has become so popular that it has inspired everything from merchandise to similar projects in areas as far-flung as Egypt, India and the Netherlands.

With the release of the book in October of this year, it seems pretty safe to label Penn’s pet project an unqualified success, one that the author says he will continue for as long as he is able.

So, the next time you come into work and see a Post-It pad, don’t let it ruin your morning.

Take a moment and spare a thought. After all, who knows, you just might make someone else’s day.

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Lovemarks’ recipe Advertising was not on Gigi Garcia’s radar, but the long-serving Ace Saatchi & Saatchi executive has mastered the art of keeping client and creative happy and in sync Words sharon desker shaw Photo Shampoo Padilla

When advertising campaigns strike awards gold, creative teams are justly celebrated for bringing a brand to life in the little more than split second of airtime at their disposal. Behind every triumphant creative team though is a dedicated support group, led by a client service chief, who is usually part cheerleader, part drill sergeant, who keeps client and creative moving as one in the same direction.

At Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, the success of its multi-part, integrated campaign ‘Screen Age Love Story’ on the awards circuit and for client PLDT’s bottom-line, was as much the effort of one of its longest-serving client service director Gigi Garcia as it was the creative team and the client’s appetite for left-brain thinking.

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KEEPING PACE Gigi Garcia

Staying on top of a category where change is the only constant demands stamina to keep pace with the speed of transformation. In telecoms, change isn’t just driven by technology but by the young consumers using the services.

For Gigi Garcia, it’s not just about observing market trends but immersing herself where possible. Like the young consumers PLDT pursues, Garcia is at home with multiple gadgets, on social media and comfortably toggles between screens.

She has a Blackberry and iPhone as well as an iPad and laptop and a 3D Smart TV at home. While watching TV, she searches web and social media sites from Facebook to YouTube for information before heading to Candy Crush.

Garcia’s tips for staying current with consumers: Observe “I observe people. I watch a lot of local TV – TV5, Channel 2 and 7. I try to catch Be Careful With My Heart.”

Adopt, test and immerse “When a new app is out and people start talking about it, you have to learn about it, use it, see why it’s been taken up and ask people what’s so good about it. You have to ask a lot of questions; you have to observe.”

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Garcia is a walking encyclopedia of the local telecoms sector, having built up her knowledge from being the longest-serving member on the PLDT business, both on the agency and client side.

Her tenure at the agency actually pre-dates the shop’s early 80s makeover as Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. When Garcia arrived some 30 odd years ago, the shop was known as Ace Compton. The shop had actually started life as the in-house agency for the Araneta family businesses, including brands that went on to become part of Procter & Gamble, a long-standing, Saatchi-aligned client.

Tempting offers have come in over the years from client organizations, but she has never been seduced. Unusual for the business, the agency is the only one she has worked at, and in Garcia’s books, nothing compares to agency life.

She points to a number of agency executives who left only to return to their old stomping ground.

“A couple of art people here are ‘balikbayans’ (returnees). They went to clients, events companies or smaller agencies and they kept on looking for the excitement of a creative agency.

“I am in the right place at the right time.

Saatchi is my home… I like handling accounts and meeting different types of people. In fact, the beauty of agencies is that you are exposed to top people (on the client side). I’ve had my share of that,” says the formidable senior executive, who comes across as an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Yet advertising was never on the radar for this “very sheltered daughter” of a Tarlac family. Had there been interest for her original college course, she would have followed in her father’s footsteps and become a certified public accountant. While the switch disappointed her father, Garcia followed her instincts: “I’ve always wanted to be in the business side of the creative business.”

Accounting’s loss has been advertising’s gain. Doors to advertising were opened after a

01 The multi-awarded ‘Screen Age Love Story’ for PLDT 02 A Jollibee campaign with Aga Muhlach 03 PLDT’s telenovela-style ‘Hello Billy’ campaign

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“I am in the right place at the right time.

Saatchi is my home…

I like handling accounts and meeting different types of people.”

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year at her first job at Philippine Match, when her spunky personality encouraged one of the company’s clients to recommend her to Ace Compton, the agency that would go on to spawn glittering careers of the city’s mostlauded creatives. Among them were Melvin Mangada – she says he was immediately hired after he aced his thesis defense – and Merlee Jayme, both of whom went on to found their own agencies, and Dave Ferrer, the country’s first Cannes Gold winner.

Starting with Procter & Gamble brands, Garcia worked on multiple categories such as pharmaceuticals, finance, fastfood, apparel, retail malls, gasoline, utilities and of course telecommunications.

“The fulfilling moments in agency life are when you develop big campaigns and when you win pitches because that is when you compete with your peers in the industry,” she says, recalling her role in shoot-outs that landed the PLDT, Jollibee and handful of pharmaceutical accounts.

“We were able to prove to Mr (PLDT chief Manny) Pangilinan that we could bring PLDT to the next level,” she says of winning and keeping this sizable account.

In a 24/7 category that provides handsome rewards but also inflicts a high staff burn rate, Garcia has repeatedly shown her mettle and stamina to keep pace with the change in telecoms. When she started on PLDT, the company’s most important product was its long distance service. The pecking order would soon give way to dial-up internet, which morphed into DSL and Fibr, and mobile services.

Garcia is proud to have been part of PLDT’s transformation, finding the

rapid evolution of the company and category invigorating.

“The vast changes are very interesting.

It’s one way of staying current because you’re forced to learn about the technology, the music and how you can reach the youth market because they are the ones who embrace technology,” she says.

The agency in fact created a multi-chapter campaign – a precursor to double Cannes Gold winner ‘Screen Age Love Story’ – for PLDT back in 2001. ‘Hello Billy’, a branded content initiative about a mother-son relationship sustained by long distance calls, ran on TV, radio and print, attracting viewers in the same way telenovelas do. “People were really talking about it. They wanted to know what would happen next,” Garcia says of a campaign that earned plenty of press coverage in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and metals at local shows.

‘It’s a different thing now (with ‘Screen Age’)… it’s digital. It‘s about integrating all your touchpoints rather than just developing a story. Our medium then was primarily TV.” Along with PLDT, Garcia and her three teams of eight client executives work on Meralco, Pharex in the pharmaceutical category and Ayala Land projects such as the ‘Make it Makati’ branding cum staycation initiative.

“Patience,” she says with a laugh is a prized quality, as is adaptability, in client service, a role made all the more challenging when client and creative are at odds.

“I think what’s beautiful about being in accounts is you can shift your focus depending who you’re talking to. When you

talk to the creative, make sure you know the business more than anybody else in the agency. And they respect you for that and they know that it is validated when you present to the client and they see your directions are correct.

“On the other end, you go to the client as a creative person with the understanding of their businesses and the consumer.”

Not one to name names, Garcia spoke of only one particularly difficult account that saw staff throwing their hands up in resignation. “Sometimes you fail, and sometimes you win –there were also a lot of clients who were difficult but I was able to manage them wonderfully and we became friends. When they left the company and they would seek you out.

“I think that’s my contribution to the agency – we lose a client and then they come back. That’s validation of how much they have valued your service to them,” she says, using the agency’s brand statement, ‘Lovemarks’, to describe the strength of such relationships.

“It’s really about love and respect. If you build it successfully, you become a love mark to people too. But you have to earn their respect first.

“Make sure you know what your job is. You know the business. You take extra effort to understand the consumer for them. And then the love part can come in the form of being proactive, being responsive, understanding, accommodating, and sometimes being personal with them. Then they start to remember you, and make you part of their businesses. To me, that’s the most fulfilling part of my service.”

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Youth & Heart

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Double Gold Cannes winners, Lowe’s Katrina Encanto and EJ Galang see advertising as a force for good, capable of changing lives Words sharon desker shaw

The Cannes Lions has long been a place of pilgrimage for both young and veteran advertising talent.

For Katrina Encanto and her creative partner EJ Galang, Cannes was their Ithaca, the stuff of “adolescent advertising dreams”.

Jointly or on their own, the two competed in local and international industry competitions for a chance to jet to the South of France on their own steam. All of which came to nothing until this year when the pair finally struck gold on their third try in Advertising Age’s global cover design competition. Winning the competition made for an improbable outing to the festival’s star-studded 60th year, which culminated on the Palais stage.

The win couldn’t have come any sooner for Lowe’s Bangkok-based regional associate creative directors for Southeast Asia. The youthful looking Galang is within striking distance of the 30- year age limit imposed by most competitions for young creative talent.

To beat more than 300 entries, the partners conjured up a striking image that left a lot to the imagination: A pixelated head sits on top of Galang’s grey-shirted upper body. The partners had painstakingly crafted the head from 400 small paper boxes to symbolize the evolution of the creative role in an increasingly digitally–oriented industry. The end result, which made the cover of AdAge’s Creativity Issue, is an unexpected juxtaposition between an organic medium and a techie idea.

“We were inspired by people who prevail because of their open-mindedness about

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CLOSE UP

Katrina Encanto Working overseas Prior to relocating to Bangkok, Encanto was working for Barilla in Italy. “Both experiences have taught me a great deal about diplomacy, flexibility and respect. A lot goes a long way if you take the time to invest in learning about the country and culture.”

Advertising heroes Dave Ferrer: “One of the country’s most talented creative directors and also one of the most supportive bosses I’ve worked with. David Guerrero: “…for all he’s done for Philippine advertising and for building the Philippines as a brand.” Eric Yeo: “One of the sharpest crafters I’ve met in art direction.” David Droga: “… has the most relevant outlook on the industry’s potential... does a bit of good in the world.”

Favorite 2013 campaigns Sport Recife’s ‘Immortal Fans’: “…unexpected but effective and possibly sustainable solution to address the lack of organ donations in Brazil”.

‘Dumb Ways to Die’: “…is just really fun, engaging content that doesn’t look and sound like the advertising that people like to skip and hide.”

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AdAge cover competition... showcasing the evolution of the creative role

change,” Encanto told AdAge of the idea behind the concept.

Encanto could well have been describing herself and Galang, who met in 2005 at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, their first port of call in an eight-year creative career that has so far taken them to Italy (in Encanto’s case) Bangkok, Cannes and critical acclaim on the Palais stage.

Candid yet measured in an email exchange with adobo magazine, the pair’s respect for creativity’s transformative force, and for an industry that has at times been unfairly disparaged for its superficiality, is evident.

“I always try to have an open mind,” Galang offers. “I always try to remind myself that I cannot be the expert in everything and I try to learn as much as I can. In other words, I would say, my strongest security blanket is not knowledge but perspective – it’s not about what I know but what I’m willing to learn and work on.”

Ditto for Encanto: “I am always on the lookout for opportunities to learn, and this comes from within the industry and outside of it. Aside from making an effort to learn advertising inside out by accepting any competition or conference that comes my way, I try to educate myself in the bigger realm of creativity and design, particularly related fields like service design, strategic design and innovation.”

While both started at the same agency in 2005, they only became a tandem in early 2012 when Lowe came looking for regional talent in the Philippines. Galang,

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the copywriter, had alerted Encanto, the art director who was then working as an innovation specialist for Barilla in Italy, to the Bangkok openings.

The Bangkok posting is Galang’s first overseas role. “Working in a different country brings a lot of surprises. It’s like being a stranger again in a place that looks so much like home but with people that don’t speak your language. Some days still feel like a Twilight Zone episode and that makes this experience much more interesting,” he says.

At the time of their appointment, Lowe’s regional president Rupen Desai described the pair as the “best woman/man” for the job.

Desai was spot-on. They played key roles in the team that produced double Cannes Golds, triple Spikes Golds and assorted metals for a print campaign for Unilever’s Sunlight brand, an assignment the global office had passed to the Bangkok outpost.

The striking print series had a pig, lamb and cow, all embracing kitchen implements as if their life depended on it; a Sunlight bottle in the right corner is positioned as the solution to ‘Separate Them’ – stubborn food stains from kitchenware.

Appropriately enough, brainstorming for the campaign happened over a greasy stir-fry dinner the partners had with colleagues Sarah Ko and Gabi Espladon that led to a final list of about 30 different ideas. “(Lowe Thailand’s chief creative officer) Eric (Yeo) loved the simplicity of the idea and immediately we agreed with having straightforward copy like ‘Separate Them’,”

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Encanto recounts. For final production, the team had one partner in mind: Illusion, the heavily awarded Bangkok-based CGI studio that produced the amazingly intricate work in Samsonite’s ‘Heaven and Hell’ and the toothy landscapes that replicated ancient civilizations for Maxam.

Looking back, Galang says there was nothing special about the process that spawned the multi-award winner.

“What we had was an opportunity and an uncompromising creative leader who was willing to take risks and produce the work. I am sure, given similar circumstances, anyone could be as lucky.”

It’s not modesty but a more grounded view both hold of the industry that lies behind the assessment. “I’ve always felt awards were more of a means rather than an end… they are not the be-all and end-all of our jobs. At least I hope not,” says Galang.

Both have set their sights on doing the kind of socially oriented work that can help change lives. For Galang, who believes good advertising practitioners have a lot of empathy in them, it’s helping build brands that help their communities grow and thrive.

“If we look at how Nike and Wieden+Kennedy help Portland by providing jobs, generating income and turning a local shop into a global brand then it’s not hard to imagine how advertising can have a role in building a city.

“Eventually, I believe I will go back to the Philippines and look for opportunities to do that. I guess a short answer to the question, is really to fulfill a bigger purpose with our skills as advertising professionals.”

Encanto is on the same page. “I would like to be involved in the use of creativity for sustainable solutions to real problems,” she says, inspired by this year’s crop of for-good campaigns such as Brazil’s ‘Immortal Fans’ for an organ donation drive or Melbourne’s ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ to reduce deaths on the city’s metro. “These are the kinds of campaigns that I’d like to be working towards,” she adds.

While they are simpatico in their view of creativity as a force for good, their working styles could not be more different.

“In the words of a senior who has worked with us on several projects, EJ is creative and spontaneous, while I tend to be strategic and deliberate. We are really quite different in our approach to solving problems, but I suppose what we share in common is a drive for creativity that works and a great amount of respect for the job we do,” she notes. “I also find the differences to be complementary.”

Galang, meanwhile, took great pains to ensure his take of their differing styles didn’t come across as simplistic. He describes his as more scattered and unclear in the early stages when he usually draws from as many sources as possible, while Encanto has a more lucid and focused process.

“Which isn’t to say she’s incapable of coming up with crazy ideas or I’m incapable of having focused ones… I believe our styles only differ in terms of process but any kind of result can come from either. This difference makes her a great team mate because it allows us to cover more bases, look at things from multiple perspectives and be more critical of our own ideas.”

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“I always try to remind myself that I cannot be the expert in everything and I try to learn as much as I can.” -EJ Galang

Cannes double Gold winner... ‘Separate Them’ for Unilever’s Sunlight brand

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CLOSE UP EJ Galang

Working overseas Bangkok is Galang’s first overseas posting. “It has been nothing short of great. Filipinos unsurprisingly have a good reputation abroad and after an adjustment period we were able to find our groove.”

Advertising heroes Melvin Mangada: “…an early hero of mine when I started,” Galang says, noting that most of the commercials he liked growing up came from Ace Saatchi, where Mangada rose to become ECD. David Guerrero and Ompong Remigio: “… began seeing their work cleaning up at award shows and becoming part of pop culture.” Merlee Jaymee: “Her leadership and work ethic are the main reasons the agency has been doing an amazing job. Overseas heroes: Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, John Hegarty, Dan Wieden, Bob Greenberg, David Droga, Jose Miguel Sokoloff, Chacho Puebla and Eric Yeo. Favorite 2013 campaigns ‘Dumb Ways to Die’: “It proved that a campaign doesn’t have to be too engineered to be effective.” ‘Smart TXTBKS: “…

Telco as a category has always been known for its cutting edge innovations, but this campaign went the other route in order to bring the company closer to people’ needs.”

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Galang and Encanto’s advertising heroes (top L to R) Melvin Mangada, Merlee Jayme, David Guerrero (bottom L to R) David Droga, Eric Yeo and Jose Miguel Sokoloff

It also makes them eminently suited for advertising even if an industry career was not initially on their radar. Fascinated by the thought of building places for people to thrive in, Encanto had wanted to be an architect.

She made the switch when a teacher for a Visual Verbal Communications course at the University of the Philippines inspired her. The lecturer was none other than the respected film and art director and versatile creative talent, Marlon Rivera.

“His class was at 5.30pm, which apart from being considerably late, clashed with my football practice,” she says of a class that lured her away from the football pitch and set her up for an advertising rather than architectural career.

“Fate thought I might be a better fit in building ideas rather than structures. In my view, things that make breakthrough ideas are similar to those that make breakthrough structures – a relevance for it in its location, a strong foundation and an ability to make life better and richer for its patrons.”

Galang stumbled into advertising after passing a writing test at Ace Saatchi. He had done stints in PR, freelance writing and tutoring before that. “I could still be extremely

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wrong with how I do things today, but I guess I wish I learned to take my time and absorbed the experience,” he says. “There are a lot of things you can learn from reading and the stories of others but nothing beats being there and going through the motions.”

It is this outlook that has not only grounded the pair, but has left them unfazed by the momentous change buffeting the industry, changes that have led many to question whether they will have a future in it.

But it is this very change that keeps Encanto interested. “There’s always a new canvas of creativity for us to learn, and new roles for us to play. I think good creative professionals realize that their role needs to evolve a little bit from that of the sole artist giving a point-of-view to the world to that of an architect building places for people to use and engage with.

“The challenge to evolve with the change is both motivating and humbling.”

Galang is similarly sanguine. “I think this struggle to redefine is almost second nature to the industry. For it to remain creative, compelling and effective, it has to evolve because the audience is evolving with the rest of the world.”

What makes ALAMID ethical and wild?

The Fair Trade certification label on Alamid is proof and recognition of its integrity and trust to the brand’s claim that it is wild-gathered. If you still think otherwise, best is for one to actually climb civet coffee sites identified by Bote Central, Inc., experience ,investigate and gather civet coffee droppings, definitely a challenge to novice climbers, as only accustomed agroforest dwellers or pickers adept in scourging the forest floors will find the droppings like an eagle eyeing a fish in the ocean.

It is Wild as the civets are totally not bothered & roam free in their own natural habitat. Pickers don’t see the animals in daytime as the civets sleep in their little tree holes. Seeking the golden civet coffee droppings is like Hansel and Gretel finding pebbles and breadcrumbs. Very early before sunrise, the accredited pickers shall climb the mountain, combing it sector by sector, to make sure that they are able to pick the coffee droppings before any other person does.

Coffee Alamid was first introduced by the couple owners Basil & Vie Reyes of Bote Central, Inc. wayback 4th quarter of 2003. During that time, no information was available in the internet as to how civet coffee is produced. There was a dearth of information on civet coffee.

Coffee Alamid brought forth in the open, everything one needed to know about civet coffee - the role that civets play in the forest ecosystem, respect to wild animals in the forest, conserving the riparian system and alternative livelihood for agroforest dwellers.

Vie stresses, “We have long positioned Coffee Alamid as a product of the environment, following strict protocols

for wild gathering, without any human intervention at all. We were the first to campaign against caged civets, as we have learned early on that Kopi Luwak comes from caged civets”. The New York Times of April 2010, wrote an article on civet coffee, comparing Kopi Luwak and Alamid.

Basil & Vie registered Coffee Alamid as a brand trademark to protect the trust and integrity put to it. International media people have featured Bote Central & Coffee Alamid countless times, from 2004 till now, to validate and witness for themselves.

Coffee Alamid’s value goes beyond profit, where it apparently manifests with a retail price of Php 2,400 / 100 gms coffee beans. With two other bottom lines for people & planet, it has fueled most of Bote Central’s rallying interventions for an inclusive Philippine coffee industry, making it more relevant to the Filipino coffee farmers.

Coffee Alamid opened a lot of opportunities but sadly though, it also

opened ‘Pandora’s box’.

As more animal rights’ issues and concerns arise from vehement and cruel caging of civets for their prized coffee droppings, a solution is being sought out, hopefully not to totally ban a Philippine civet coffee industry which was primarily initiated for forest conservation, respect for wild life and alternative livelihood for people in the forests.

Wild civet coffee certification is one possible step but should take into account that certification is being done not because we want to have proper labeling but because we have to put a stop to people caging civets for profit, “Bote Central has built trusting relationships with the agroforest dwellers for Alamid Coffee, and the coffee farmers for regular coffee. We also have maintained strong relationships with our accredited dealers, both here and abroad, maintaining integrity in the value chain of Coffee Alamid”, Vie professes.

Wild coffee, anyone ?

KOPI LUWAK

ALAMID

Generic name for Indonesian civet coffee

Registered trademark & privately branded civet coffee from the Philippines owned by Bote Central, Inc.

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

Paradoxorus Philippinensis

Majority caged

Wild & free range civets in the forests

Coffee cherries forced fed to civets

Coffee cherries naturally selected by the civets

Worldwide distribution

Accredited local & international dealers

USD 700 / kilo

USD 600 / kilo

w w w.botecentral.net

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s traight sho o t er s

Triumph of the Imagination Straight Shooters Media Inc’s President Madonna Tarrayo talks about versatility, the Unitel merger, and how paying it forward is an important way of giving back.

Words KARL R. De MESA

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st r ai ght sho o t er s

Two things have defined Straight Shooters through the years: passion and creativity.

Just like small, divergent streams that eventually end up in a bigger body of water, the agency behind many of the innovative TVCs of big brands like Shakey’s and Smart, Dunkin Donuts and San Miguel Light beer, has been combining its strengths into better business and better benchmarks that raise standards for the rest of the industry.

It’s hard work, and President / Group COO Madonna ‘Mia’ Tarrayo knows all about it, having been there since the house got its start in 2006.

“What I love about the job?” she says, recalling that, in the mid-noughties she was still the general manager and executive producer until she rose through the ranks. “First is being able to bring creativity and business together. Second is being able to share your knowledge and mentor. I am definitely defined by the people I have helped in the careers.

Third is building relationships with different kinds of people and sectors in the industry.

Some of the people I’ve worked with have become my friends. Professional relationships turning to friendships is priceless. Fourth is the opportunity to work with the best. Fifth is being able to help the industry improve in my own little way.”

With four of her partners and comradesin-arms, the agency eventually merged with entertainment and TVC production giant Unitel Productions Inc, underwent both structural and organizational changes to further enhance and strengthen the quality of service to industry partners and adapt to an evolving business climate.

Mostly a more streamlined division of chores, Straight Shooters is tasked to manage the television commercial production business, while Unitel manages branded and nonbranded entertainment and media platforms and new businesses.

This move proved to be fortuitous and inspired. In mid 2013, Straight Shooters was feted with the 4A’s Film Production House of the Year award for 2012 and became an even stronger voice in the ad world.

Passion and creativity have enabled this agency to shoot from the hip with an aim that’s true, and triumph over adversity.

ADOBO Back in the agency’s formative days in 2006, what was it like to try to jumpstart a new business?

MADONNA TARRAYO Prior to 2006, Unitel had been wanting to expand the business and

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take on other clients, specially those whom Unitel had not been able to tap. We were just five then. Grace Quisias and Ruth Colacion (executive producers), Chris Martinez (director), Arlene Penaflor (marketing coordinator) and myself. I was the GM and executive producer, then. We all learned to be multi-taskers. When we started, our projects had been animatics and AVPs until we had been able to land our 1st television commercial.

And the rest is history.

01 SSMI team in Hong Kong Disneyland 02 AOY award 2012 - Film Production House of the Year

ADOBO What’s your personal take on striking a balance between good business and inspired, imaginative work?

Tarrayo I have always taken pride in the fact that I belong to a creative business. I think it is a well-known fact that advertising is essentially a marketing tool to sell both tangible and intangible products. But on the one hand, this tool uses creative means to achieve its objective from the time a bid is crafted to directorial execution to project management to delivery of material.

ADOBO Ah, that balance between being a show and also being a business.

Tarrayo Yes. You also need to remember that projects need to make money, no matter how creative the execution and management is. Otherwise, it ceases to be a business. At the same time, there are projects you produce to improve your reel hoping that these projects land you boards that eventually earn for the company. We also know how to pay it forward so we produce advocacy ads.

ADOBO The merging with Unitel, kindly take us into the details and the decision behind that process.

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s traight sho o t er s

and-a-half years in the network, Unitel asked me to join them. And from being a production manager, I am proud to say that I rose the ranks until I was promoted president/group COO. The industry had been very kind and generous to me. I have no reason to complain.

ADOBO Do the rewards outweigh the difficulties?

Executive producers bonding night (L-R Raissa Carrelli, Krishna LopezMadlangbayan, Madonna Tarrayo, Jenny Gapiz, Grace Quisias, Ruth Colacion)

Tarrayo We feel that bringing together the expertise of both companies forges a stronger front in the industry. We are able to heed the needs of our clients more quickly and efficiently. At the same time, you inevitably get to streamline your operations and raise your financials. It had been expensive to keep a big company with large overheads. So now, we are able to segregate the company into focused divisions, Straight Shooters for TVC and Unitel for Media, Entertainment and Content then pool all our common resources such as directors, admin, IT, finance, post-production and equipment. This way, the two divisions are able to maximize marketing strategies specific to their businesses.

ADOBO Where would you like the group to be more well-rounded, as it were?

Tarrayo Right now, Straight Shooters’ area of concentration is catering to creative agencies who also churn out longform projects. In the past, SSMI has line produced two independent films, several short films and a lot of AVPs on top of TVCs. What’s good now is the collaboration between Unitel Entertainment and SSMI for long form projects because each division has its own core competence. And admittedly blends well.

ADOBO What is it you love about the work and what initially attracted you to join the industry?

Tarrayo My biggest motivation at that time had been to explore the unknown. I had been very eager to learn about an industry I had not really been exposed to. When I was in UP, I had been exposed to television and films and not much of advertising. After working for three-

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Tarrayo The difficulties arise when I am confronted with targets and how to achieve them. Haha! Seriously, we face challenging times. So many things, systems, processes have changed over the years. Everyone needs the ability to be adaptable and flexible to the everchanging needs of the clients and the industry in general. Irrelevance is unacceptable. So you need to be adaptable, flexible to an evolving industry. Competitors nowadays are a dime a dozen. You need to be on your toes all the time.

Aside from that, you need to motivate and drive your people to work harder now.

ADOBO What are your thoughts on the impact social media and the app market made on the business?

Tarrayo Undoubtedly, social media has ruled our lives. We are able to share anything and everything real-time. We become leaders, influencers, negotiators, storytellers, filmmakers, photographers and even models because of social media. We become powerful.

It has bridged different nationalities, cultures, nations, organizations, companies etc.

You see people create apps for everything.

The apps have become portals of information, education, multi-media, entertainment etc.

The mere fact that social media and apps have been avenues of investment and monetization for various companies just shows us its impact.

ADOBO With the way industry trends are going now, what direction is the group looking at and improving on to cater better to market demands?

Tarrayo We encourage our people to keep learning. We have consolidated our resources, created focused divisions so we can cover not only television commercials but other formats as well. We need to be nimble and flexible to cater to all sorts of projects. We are also reviewing the way we cost and do things so we do not limit ourselves to certain budgets. We are constantly looking for directors who are versatile and are able to do multi-formats for different platforms.

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b randed net wo r ks

betting on scale Branded networks and their holding company parents are acquiring new heft to compete with the industry’s true titans.

Illustration Joshua Gonzales

Words amanda lago

Much has been made about the precarious times facing advertising agencies as the shift in marketing dollars from traditional to digital platforms goes from a trickle to a wave. It is in the latter space that agency networks are meeting their match: The internet power players armed with technology, finely grained consumer data for real-time and highly personalized messaging, the platforms and, increasingly, the creative talent.

In the coming years, digital advertising is expected to gobble up about a quarter of advertisers’ budgets. One of the world’s biggest advertisers, Procter & Gamble, is

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already spending 35% of its annual ad outlay in the US on digital channels as it seeks to build a digital-first culture with campaigns such as Olay ‘Wow Eyes’ and Downy’s social media driven ‘#Softside’. Where Fortune 500 heavyweights such as Procter and others go, so will the rest of the market.

How ready are agencies, especially the big network giants, for this shift?

With their gold-plated brand names and resources to snap up star talent, provide worldwide coverage, offer multiple disciplines and much more, the network titans would appear to be well placed to meet

br and ed net wo r ks

the challenges of today, where advertisers and agencies are increasingly losing the power to dictate the communications agenda.

For now, the pursuit of scale remains the strategy of choice. If anything, the second big bang – the mega, cross-border marriage between the Publicis and Omnicom holding companies – and the ongoing series of digital and tech-centric acquisitions by holding companies show that the industry’s biggest players are still betting on scale.

They see it as a way to achieve greater backroom efficiency and clout in negotiating with media companies on behalf of clients to satisfy procurement officers, who are now part and parcel of reviews.

Not everyone agrees that the strategy, noting that network giants are increasingly being squeezed at both ends. At the top, internet giants – chiefly Google and Facebook and emerging players – and telecom firms not only have the technology but also mountains of consumer data to target fine-grained audiences at scale.

Internet giants are now building up their creative bench strengths as well. This year along, Google has snapped up renowned creative talent such as John Merrifield, TBWA Asia Pacific’s former creative-at-large, and Patrick Collister, Ogilvy & Mather London ECD. The hires come on the heels of campaigns such as ‘Project Re-Brief’, which married technology and creativity that show that it is as comfortable with creating technology as it is with developing creative campaigns that go beyond search.

At the other end of the scale, so to speak, are the smaller, indie players. Freed of having to pay their share to support large head office operations or to follow network diktats, they have been hiring talent, allowing them to nip at the heels of their bigger rivals.

With pressure from both ends, the large networks have been asked to reinvent their traditional business model to deliver real value to clients. Indeed, fiercely independent shops like Droga5 and Wieden+Kennedy among others have shown little appetite to replicate the traditional agency model. They have instead struck selective alliances with the likes of a gilded Hollywood talent agency, built up their production muscle (Droga5) or partnered with engineers, bloggers, geeks, makers and doers or launched labs to experiment and pioneer new avenues for engagement (W+K) to create and fuel the kind of disruptive thinking, platforms and engagement opportunities that deliver to

brands’ overall equity and, importantly, their bottomline. In short, solutions clients value .

Mega agencies, however, insist there is a strategy in the scale they pursue as internet behemoths continue to muscle into their territory, hiring agency creative talent to show they are about more than simply algorithms.

“Right now, agencies in general are really adapting or custom-fitting their services to their clients. In other words, right now, if the nature of the business of the client is fast turnaround, then we will create a team for that,” DDB Philippines group MD and chief marketing officer John Lucas told adobo.

But does size make them any less nimble since big can also make agencies more bureaucratic and their operations too unwieldy to manage?

As far as network players are concerned, size bestows real advantages. It allows them to bring a stronger, more complete product to the table. As part of a global network, they enjoy a wealth of global resources that allows them to offer so much more than an indie player could to support clients.

“I don’t think we are any less able, less speedy, less nimble in responding to clients than an independent,” said BBDO Guerrero chief executive Tony Harris. “I have a whole library, an archive, an army of resources...

Having international scale can bring into play influences an independent may find more difficult to get hold of.”

Dentsu’s director for account management services, Titus Arce, agreed, saying “because we’re a multinational, we also have tools that really help us in terms of ideation, in terms of brand vision setting. Most multinational settings have their own tools.”

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Procter & Gamble combined activation with digital in Olay ‘Wow Eyes’, turning fans of its Regenerist brand into campaign talent on a digital billboard in Times Square

“In other words, right now, if the nature of the business of the client is fast turnaround, then we will create a team for that.” - john lucas adobomagazine

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b randed net wo r ks

Google’s ‘Project Re:Brief’ reimagined four classic campaigns from the past, marrying technology and creativity to show the depth of the company’s communications offer

“Having international scale can bring into play influences an independent may find more difficult to get hold of.” - tony harris

He cited research as an example of a shared resource – research done at a regional level can be shared with the different offices at minimal cost. “That’s one of the advantages – a very wide consumer-based research database,” he said.

Global resources certainly attract not only the multinational clients, but also ambitious local brands ready to go international.

“Their appetite for an international understanding, or to be able to act like an international brand is huge,” Harris said, pointing to BBDO’s clients such as BDO, Emperador, and SM, all of which have established critical mass in local operations to support international expansion. “They’re very local, but the reason why they’re growing is that they don’t just want to think like they are solely a Philippine-based cause,” he said.

Network agencies also point to their growing superiority in digital, thanks in part to acquisitive parent companies snapping up talent and resources in building bench strength in this space, capabilities that individual offices can easily tap into.

In the first nine months of this year alone, WPP completed 45 acquisitions, mostly in digital or to bolster its network’s product in high-growth, emerging markets. Even after a string of mega digital acquisitions – Digitas, Razorfish and Rokkan among them – Publics Group is allocating as much as US$780 million a year for the next five years to buy smaller digital players such as the seven Indian purchases it closed in the last two years.

“This is what networks have that maybe independents don’t, a global resource,” said BBDO Guerrero chairman and chief creative officer David Guerrero. “We have people in New York who share the latest things…in

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terms of access to the latest technology, that’s an advantage for a network agency.”

Lucas also pointed out that aside from having a network of resources, they also have a deeper bench of talent, even as creatives from network agencies defect to indies, seduced by the promise of greater creative freedom and entrepreneurial opportunities.

“Right now, there’s an attraction for young, bright people in the industry to go to bigger agencies because they are aware that these agencies have access to a network, training programs,” Lucas said. He also said that the chance to work with award-winning creative minds as well as top advertisers draws young talents to the bigger agencies.

As far as client mix is concerned, multinationals in the Philippines, which are a minority in the 4A’s roll call but account for the bulk of billings, say they enjoy the best of both worlds: Globally aligned businesses and the competitive muscle to win in local pitches.

Both BBDO and Dentsu, for instance, have a 60 to 40 mix of internationally-aligned versus locally-won clients.

Of course, network alignment does have its drawbacks. As Lucas shared, there have been times when DDB could not pitch for an account because it had regional or global alignments with a competing brand.

Being aligned globally also means that whatever happens in their offices in other parts of the world – from awards show sweeps to marketing blunders – resonates across the world. It’s a double edged sword: A realignment victory in another part of the world can mean new business in the same way that a brand defection will likely cost them an account.

“Even if you have a relationship that’s strong, if North America catches a cold,

br and ed net wo r ks

everybody catches a cold and everybody’s budgets are slashed,” Harris said.

Then again, a key long-term relationship with one client can be more valuable than several short-term relationships with many different brands, and that’s how network alignment plays to the advantage of multinationals, some of which have been aligned to a brand for decades.

Harris explained that some agencies end up with a client roster bigger than they need, because they like joining pitches. “I think some of the independents probably get caught up in that more than we do because we have a network alignment,” he said.

Even as big and small agencies battle it out in pitches, the network agencies say that they do in fact collaborate with some of their indie rivals, depending on the task or the project at hand. “I think in a way the industry creates that good mix, having all these small agencies, all these big agencies. They probably serve their own purposes and serve different clients.

I think both of them have a future, because the smaller ones can specialize in so many

different things,” Arce said.

As big as they are, multinational offices in Manila say they see themselves growing even bigger.

It remains to be seen what the expected ripples from the creation of Publicis Omnicom Group has in store for the pair’s Philippine operations, but Dentsu’s local outpost sees growth as inevitable. “We’ll be beefing up because we expect there will be more and more regional opportunities and global opportunities, and at the same time there will be more opportunities for us to get local wins at global pitches.”

For Lucas, it’s about being in sync with DDB’s clients: “It’s very important that we grow with our clients. I would also like for us to get growth from industries and accounts that we don’t have.”

As much as scale has made them the agencies what they are, network managers say they have another benchmark in mind.

“How big do you want to be?” Harris asked.

“We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be the best.”

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“I think in a way the industry creates that good mix, having all these small agencies, all these big agencies.” - Titus arce

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SP EC IAL R E PO R T

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100 Overview

102 Making history

103 Philippine winners

105 Grand Prix showcase

108 Philippine showcase

111 Speakers

John Mescall, Rei Inamoto,

Kentaro Kimura & Morihiko Hasabe,

Jose Miguel Sokoloff & David Nutter

116 Entering a larger world

118 Backstage with YouTube

119 Kopi with Leo

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S P E CI AL REPORT

s pike s asia 2 0 1 3

Spikes 2013: Optimism on the rise While entry numbers were slightly down on 2012, momentum built for for-good campaigns

From September 15-17, Singapore, the Lion City, played host to the fifth Spikes Asia Festival, welcoming members of the advertising, marketing and branding communities from across the world.

Staged at the newly-renovated Suntec City Convention Center, Spikes 2013 would see 4,832 pieces of work from 20 countries being judged by an international jury of 78 judges. Although numbers were down slightly on 2012, a visibly excited Spikes Asia and Cannes Lions chairman Terry Savage, told adobo that the atmosphere this year was one which lent itself to a higher level of optimism, spurred on in no small measure by the current trend towards campaigns being designed with greater good in mind.

Indeed, the notion of social-mindedness and common good seemed to be the dominant factor at Spikes (and numerous other advertising festivals) this year, with McCann Australia’s ECD John Mescall sharing with adobo that the advertising industry was currently at the evolutionary point that anyone with passion and talent owed it to themselves to create campaigns that could genuinely change the world, even in small ways – ideas that he expanded upon in his talk ‘Agents for Change’.

The sentiments were echoed by a number of Spikes seminar speakers, including Lowe and Partners chairman Tony Wright and Unilever global Brand vice president Samir Singh examining the reasoning behind such campaigns and the actual altruism contained in their goals.

Another talking point of the festival was the increased role of ‘Big Data’ in reaching out to and engaging consumers, as elaborated on by #CHI&Partners founding partner Johnny Hornby and, later on, later by Cheil

Worldwide senior researcher Mikyoung Kim. The point at which Kim and Hornby’s talks intersected was in the notion that big data was forcing media and creative agencies’ mandates to intersect more than in any previous era some 20 odd years after their landmark “divorce”.

In addition to the traditional talks and workshops, festival delegates were treated to an eclectic selection of performances and non-industry speakers to keep things lively, including the Grey Group’s presentation of

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YouTube sensation Miyoko Shida Rigolo (whose trademark precision balancing act had the entire Spikes convention hall holding its collective breath), a high-energy performance by street dancer Marquese Scott, courtesy of YouTube (used to introduce The ZOO@ YouTube’s head of global insights and strategy Eric Solomon’s seminar on the changing face of media), and Game of Thrones and Arrow director David Nutter, brought in by DDB to speak on the importance of character and storytelling.

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4,832 Entries 20 Countries 78 Judges top 3 markets by entries

710 Australia

679 China

622 Japan

entries by Category 373 565 762 154 447 342 385 273 368 331 263 195 124 58 161

Film Print Outdoor Radio Media Direct Promo & Activation Digital Print & Poster Craft Film Craft Design PR Mobile Integrated Branded Content & Entertainment 31 Creative Effectiveness

01 01 Suntec City’s ready for Spikes 2013 02 adobo introduced Grand Prix winners John Mescall and Merlee Jayme at the Spikes Asia awards night

02

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Charles Cadell raises his hands in triumph on the Spikes stage

M A K I N G H I S TO RY

McCann is Network of the Year ‘Dumb Ways’ powers McCann to record Office and Network wins Spikes 2013 culminated in an awards ceremony held on September 17 at the Marina Bay Sands’ Grand Theatre. An emotionally charged night if ever there was one, the evening would see McCann Melbourne’s blockbuster ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ conquer the Spikes stage as handily as it did Cannes’.

Indeed, John Mescall’s morbidly whimsical PSA was the undisputed star of the show, taking home a record seven Grand Prix Spikes (versus their Cannesrecord haul of five) in Branded Content and Entertainment, Film, Film Craft, Integrated, Promo & Activation, Radio and Digital, all told securing for McCann Worldgroup the undisputed title of Network of the Year and Agency of the Year for McCann Melbourne, as well as Advertiser of the Year for client Metro Trains.

Of ‘Dumb Ways’, BBDO India CCO and Spikes Radio juror Josy Paul told adobo, “First

thing, it’s a great song you can’t get out of your head. Next, there are some things in life you just can’t dissect why it’s bothering you or affecting you or delighting you. ‘Dumb Ways’ goes beyond ideas, it goes beyond everything and is just this impactful, organic sound that bothers you in a nice way. The guys on the jury who raised their hands for everything weren’t able to put their hands down.”

Independent agency of the year went to Japan’s Party Tokyo for the second year in a row, with Reactive Media, Sydney and Tokyu Agency, Tokyo, coming in second and third, respectively.

The Media Agency of the Year Spike was awarded to New Zealand’s Open. In second place was UM Sydney, and OMD China placed third.

Australia-based Exit Films Melbourne was presented with the Spikes Palm award for outstanding production companies,

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followed by runners-up Finch Sydney and Revolver Sydney.

In the Young categories, the team from Sri Langka’s Leo Burnett Solution, Inc. snagged a Gold in the Integrated Category while a Gold in Media was claimed by the HS Ad representatives from Korea. No metals were awarded in the Young Spikes Agency Shootout.

For the first time, a Student Creative Award was also awarded, with National University of Singapore student Jun Hong Tan scoring the win. Judged by industry practitioners, Tan’s was the winning poster design based on a brief from UNICEF. The evening of September 17 would see delegates, media and invited guests commemorate the end of Spikes 2013 with a spirited after-party at the posh Avalon nightclub, hosted by Leo Burnett under the tongue-in-cheek theme of ‘Mad Memes’.

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Philippine flag bearers DM9 leads country’s historic Spikes triumph Over 1000 delegates attended the Spikes 2013 awards ceremony that saw Pinoy agencies hold their own, with DM9JaymeSyfu making Philippine agency history by scoring two Grand Prix (in Direct and Mobile) wins for their internationally lauded ‘Smart TXTBKS’ initiative for Smart Communications. The two wins come on the heels of their already impressive international haul that includes the Philippines’ first-ever Grand Prix nod at Cannes received earlier this year.

“It’s the first time, I think, for the Philippines to win a Grand Prix here,” said a visibly ecstatic DM9JaymeSyfu chairman and chief creative officer Merlee Jayme, who was on hand with members of her team to accept the awards.

MRM Manila deputy executive creative director and Mobile Jury member Budjette Tan shared with adobo how his fellow jurors were won over by the ingenious simplicity of the concept. “We saw our share of AR-based and smartphone-based executions, but the simple fact that a low-tech phone and a sim you (might) throw away can change the life of a student impressed all the judges.”

The decision to award the Grand Prix to

‘Smart TXTBKS’ for Direct was unanimous, according to Direct and Promo & Activation jury president Jose Miguel Sokoloff president, Lowe Global Creative Council and Co Chairman and CCO of Lowe SSP3 Colombia.

The campaign was chosen for its “perfect use of technology, not for technology itself, but for repurposing technology…to do good and be good,” said Sokoloff, adding that it had a resonance in society that was “brilliant and laudable”.

BBDO Guerrero receiving a Gold Spike in Creative Effectiveness for the ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign for the Department of Tourism, while Ace Saatchi & Saatchi bagged five metals, including two Silvers each in Media and PR for PLDT MyDSL’s ‘Screen Age Love Story’ and a Silver Spike for Film for the creation of Cebuana Lhuilier’s emotional ‘Re-Meet’ campaign.

A Bronze Spike in Print was awarded to Leo Burnett Manila for its work for WWF, while Maynilad Water Services’ ‘Dengue Bottle’ by Y&R Philippines produced a Bronze Spike in PR, and TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno was awarded a Bronze Design Spike for their ‘Koi Fish Feed Invite’ for Ayala Land Nuvali.

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03 01 DDB Singapore take their Spike 02 Lowe Bangkok bags the Gold at Spikes Asia 03 Lowe worldwide chief Tony Wright with his winning team 04 DM9 JaymeSyfu wins the Grand Prix

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spikes showcase

Grand Prix the winners

Branded Content Entertainment • Digital • Film • Film Craft • Radio • Integrated • Promo and Activations (Gold: PR Bronze: Media, Mobile) Title ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ Client Metro Trains Agency McCann Melbourne Executive Creative Director John Mescall Creative Director Pat Baron Copywriter John Mescall Art Director Pat Baron Director Julian Frost Typographer Pat Baron Agency Producer Mark Bradley Agency Producer Cinnamon Darval Group Account Director Adrian Mills Account Director Alec Hussain Planner Adrian Mills

Design Title ‘Keys are Hard to Find’ Client ATSS Advertising Agency McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai, India Illustrators Sandeep Jaiswar, Satyajeet More, Mark Gmehling Copywriter Anushree Chaitanya Creative Directors Denzil Machado, Anshumani Khanna Executive Creative Directors Rahul Mathew, Akshay Kapnadak, Raylin Valles Chief Creative Officer Prasoon Joshi

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Creative Effectiveness Title ‘The 2012 Ikea Catalogue A Roommate Worth Having’ Client ikea Western Australia and South Australia Advertising Agency 303Lowe Subiaco, Australia Global Effectiveness Planner Jane Dorsett Producer Francesca Hope Director Rob Forsyth Producer Holly Kemp Designer Helen King Digital Producer Michelle Vickerstaff Technical Director Aaron Collyer Group Business Director Jane Orchard Art Director Mike Sequeira Senior Copywriter Stuart Turner Senior Art Director Darren Borrino Creative Director Richard Berney Executive Creative Director Simon Langley Advertising Manager Natalie Chalmers Managing Partner Mihir Warty Team Leader Alan Taylor Head of Planning Derry Simpson Marketing Manager Nigel Richardson

Direct • Mobile • Outdoor Title ‘Smart TXTBK’S’ Client ‘Smart Advertising Agency dm9JaymeSyfu, Philippines Editor Melo Samson Producer Carlo Perlas Account Manager Ina Vargas Client Service Director Caloy Sambrano Account Supervisor Alex Syfu Illustrator Dee Taar Associate Creative Director For Digital /Art Director/Programmer Buboy Paguio Art Director Biboy Royong Associate Creative Director/Copywriter Aste Gutierrez Executive Creative Director Eugene Demata Chief Creative Officer Merlee Jayme

Media Title ‘Middle-Earth Passport Stamp’ Client Tourism New Zealand Advertising Agency Whybin\Tbwa Auckland, New Zealand Account Manager Lynlee Smith Senior Account Director Julia Mckee Production Manager Michelle Hong Planner Julie Maciver Digital Creative Director Ross Howard Group Head Natasja Barclay Designer Chris Lewis Art Director Cece Chu Copywriter Ryan Price/Lucy Morgan Executive Creative Director Andy Blood

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Outdoor Title ‘Bridge of Life’ Client Samsung Life Insurance Advertising Agency Cheil Worldwide, South Korea Chief Creative Officer Jeongkeun Yoo Executive Creative Director Thomas Hongtack Kim Creative Director Joohoon Lee Copywriters Youngjun Kim/Yukyung Joo/Yongkyu Choi/Jieun Park Art Directors Hyungkyun Oh/Jaeyeon Kim/Minjoo Kim/Jiyeon Choi Account Supervisor Jungho Park Producer Dukwon Jang/Youchan Shin Account Manager Kyungtae Kim

PR Title ‘Driving Dogs’ Client MINI / SPCA New Zealand Advertising Agency Draftfcb New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand Directors - Animals On Q Mark Vette / Steph Pearson Head of Digital And Content Harri Owen Planner/Media Buyer Sarah Mcewen Communications Planning Director Rufus Chuter Media Manager Rachel Leyland General Manager - Media Simon Teagle Account Manager - Pr Eloise Hay General Manager - Pr Angela Spain Account Manager Stephanie Hueber Account Director Sally Willis Group Account Director Toby Sellers Senior Designer Nick Mcfarlane Head of Post Production Blair Walker Director/Dop Marco Siraky Creative Matt Williams, Peter Vegas Executive Creative Directors Regan Grafton, Tony Clewett Asia Pacific Executive Creative Director James Mok

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spikes showcase

the philippines the winners

Creative Effectiveness Title ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ Client Department of Tourism Product/Service Tourism Agency Bbdo Guerrero

Design Bronze Title ‘Koi Fish Feed Invite’ Client Ayala Land Product/Service Nuvali Agency Tbwa\Santiago Mangada Puno

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Film Silver Title ‘Sisters Re-Meet’ Client Cebuana Lhuillier Product/Service Money Remittance Service Agency Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

Direct Grand Prix • Outdoor Gold Title ‘Smart TXTBKS’ Client Smart Communications Product/Service Smart Public Affairs Agency DM9JaymeSyfu

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Media Silver Title ‘Screen-Age Love Story’ Client PLDT Product/Service My DSL Agency Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila

PR Bronze Title ‘Dengue Bottle’ Client Maynilad Water Services Product/Service Anti-Dengue Fever Campaign Agency Y&R Philippines

Print Bronze Title ‘Iceberg’ Client WWF Philippines Product/Service Earth Hour Agency Leo Burnett Manila

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JOHN MESCALL

Agents for change Help change the world “Oh my God, I wish I hadn’t worn the same shirt today!” said McCann Australia ECD John Mescall, laughing, as a delegate came up to him at Spikes 2013 to have her copy of adobo magazine (bearing the ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ mastermind on the cover) signed. Before Mescall went on to receive seven Grand Prix metals for his morbidly adorable campaign, he delivered a seminar on advertising practitioners being ‘Agents of Change’.

The thrust of Mescall’s talk was the notion that advertising had moved beyond “mere” campaigns, and that the awesome social technology that was bringing the world together should be taken as a creative opportunity, rather than something to be feared.

Hakuhodo duo

Advertising’s new potential

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“Use your talent to change things. I promise you, you will be rewarded for it,” said Mescall to a full house at the Spikes seminar hall, before making sure to remind everyone in attendance that, “Cleverness should take a backseat to authenticity and a genuine desire to change things.”

Mescall went on to touch on the recent success of socially aware campaigns on the awards circuit and those geared towards doing, for lack of a better word, ‘good’. “The work that gets more awards is making real world creative impact.”

He said that now was the perfect time to attempt such work, especially given the ubiquity of social networks, saying that, as much as the advertising industry has been forced to change its methods in light of the internet, it was now the industry’s responsibility to change the world.

Mescall stressed credibility and accountability with regard to the awesome transformative power at creatives’ fingertips, saying, “With the internet, the world forced us to change as an industry. It’s our turn now to change the world…we have the tools to do anything but live in a world where we cannot hide. Power + transparency = no evil.”

The move towards social relevance, however, said Mescall, did not need to come at a loss for companies that are, after all, in business for a reason.

“Brands have moved from aspirational to conversational to inspirational. (Now) We’re seeking out brands that profit us as well as profit from us.”

It’s always a fun time to be had when Hakuhodo Kettle’s creatives take to the stage, and Spikes 2013 was no exception, as Hakuhodo, Inc. ECD Morihiko Hasebe (left) and Hakuhodo Kettle, Tokyo co-CEO and ECD Kentaro Kimura had the audience laughing, clapping and cheering at various points during their talk.

Entitled ‘Advertising Agencies’ New Potential’, the talk focused on how traditional advertising concepts and skills are now being used in other arenas to accomplish promotion and brand engagement. They pointed to Hakuhodo’s branching out into creating new approaches for everything from hotels to hospitals.

This corporate-mandated direction towards future growth is supported by a 3,000-strong team, which includes Hakuhodo Design and a Business Incubation Center.

“Of course”, said Hasebe, “the most creative executions in the world would be for naught without the trust and participation of their clients.”

“You have to start small,” Hasebe told

adobo. “Once you do that, you can work your way to bigger things.”

“Enjoy change, and try the undone,” added Kimura, saying that industry basics such as copywriting, art direction, market analysis and discovering insight are all still highly relevant in an age where everyone with an internet connection is an independent media outlet. However, he stressed, while those skill sets were a good starting point, those were not the be-all, end-all.

Among the case studies shown were those for Hakuhodo’s work for the B&B bookstore in Shimokitazawa – which gained fame for giving its patrons the ability to simultaneously purchase reading material and alcohol – and the Remm Hotel for business travellers that was designed specifically to make its guests sleep better.

“Ambition is the most important thing.

Following the rules and processes to satisfy a client is easy,” said Kimura. “To break the rules and convention, you need higher ambition. In that way, you can surprise people.”

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REI INAMOTO

How to survive the end of advertising as we know it More to be gained from taking risks

“80% of the businesses in this room will fail and not be around in 15 years.”

You could have heard a pin drop when AKQA vice president and chief creative officer Rei Inamoto delivered, with nary a trace of irony, this statement in the Spikes seminar hall. Dramatic though the statement may have been, it was one rooted in harsh reality. The way to counter this, continued the

perennially-star-shirt-wearing Inamoto, was to avoid complacency and maintain relevance through innovation.

Whether one’s business was based in the First World or the Third, said Inamoto, there are three inherent evolutionary phenomena taking place that are impossible to ignore, namely, 1.) Businesses are being replaced by communities; 2.) Humans are being replaced

by machines.; and 3.) Physical is being replaced by digital.

The impetus behind the talk was Inamoto’s belief that advertising as we have come to know and practice it, has gone the way of the dinosaur. The fact of the matter is, traditional advertising and marketing, according to Inamoto, have always been characterized by its status as “media disruption”, as in television commercial breaks.

However, Inamoto expounded, with so many alternative forms of media and options for entertainment at consumers’ fingertips, there is no longer any reason to be constrained by outmoded techniques of engagement.

“Can you think of one thing that someone could create to destroy your business? Then what’s stopping you from creating it?” asked Inamoto of the Spikes delegates, citing the need to always be a step ahead of the competition by thinking outside of the box in order to keeping one’s business relevant.

Inamoto went on to state that, in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, there is more to be gained from taking risks than embracing complacency, because, after all, said the man behind winning campaigns for the likes of Google, Nike, Xbox and Verizon Wireless, “You learn more from failures than from successes.”

REI INAMOTO’s tips to survive the end of advertising (as we know it) 1

From integrated to connected With the advent of social media, now, more than ever, brands have the opportunity to share their wares and services directly with people

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From brand story to people story As consumers are becoming more informed, they need more than the usual slogans and promos to be sufficiently engaged and accepting of a product. Real stories from real people are now the order of the day.

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From 360 to 365 Instead of formulating campaigns to bombard people via every media means possible, it is better to make targeted initiatives to not only get consumers’ attention, but to keep it.

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From media disruption to business invention As alternative modes of media are becoming readily accessible, and ads shut out as quickly as people can switch media, innovation is necessary to win consumers’ business.

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Jose Miguel Sokoloff

Transforming for change

Favors for-good works

“In our jury, we wanted to communicate a couple of different things, and one of those is that we (as an industry) can still do what we do, and do it beautifully”, shared Direct and Promo & Activation Jury President and Lowe SSP3 chairman Jose Miguel Sokoloff. “‘Dumb Ways to Die’ is essentially a jingle with a commercial, but it is so good that people wanted to see it, and everything they did, everything that they attached to it, had that same quality. It was great, and we should be always be reminded that our job is to do what we do extraordinarily well.”

Sokoloff’s comments to adobo came on the heels of his president’s address, where he stressed the correlation between transformation and survival in an industry that is rapidly changing, citing the current shift towards promo and activation in engaging consumers.

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A prime example would be Sokoloff’s own successful efforts in using guerrilla marketing tactics to convince long-entrenched Colombian guerrillas to give up their arms and return to their families and the society they had previously left behind.

Stressing his point, Sokoloff said, “Business is now realizing it is part of the whole way the planet works, and it has to have a role, or else we will turn the market into a desert where no one survives. The survival of business dictates it.”

Sokoloff shared that seeing campaigns for good made judging case study after case study at Spikes 2013 and other recent shows a far more enjoyable experience than in previous years.

“Even after seeing hundreds of pieces of work, I didn’t get the awful feeling you sometimes get sitting on juries where you go, ‘Why is this piece of shit here, and what were they thinking when they entered it?’ Most of the work this year was very good, and that, to me, was a surprise. I was expecting to be bored to death, and I wasn’t!”

Sokoloff said that, in his jury, he insisted on awarding ideas that went beyond advertising and that Grand Prix-winning entry ‘Smart TXTBKS’, which was about a big cause, made for a prime example.

DAVID NUTTER

Chasing your passion Don’t be afraid to fail: Pilot Whisperer For this year’s ‘DDB Presents…’, Spikes delegates were treated to a session by renowned TV director David Nutter, who counts – among others – episodes of Game of Thrones, Homeland, Band of Brothers, The X-Files, The West Wing, Entourage and ER on his impressive resume.

The Spikes seminar hall was packed with fans as Nutter spoke on chasing one’s passions, saying, “Don’t be afraid to fail.”

Nutter shared how his decision to stick to his profession (despite having made a failed feature film) and a friendly round of golf with producer Patrick Hasburgh led to his being asked to helm an episode of 21 Jump Street.

From then on, one thing led to another, until Nutter was able to accrue one of the most impressive reels in the business.

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“Children getting to educate themselves is a big deal, and I think that we, in advertising, should tackle the big deals as we are in an industry that actually can. ‘Smart TXTBKS’ showed a mindset beyond ‘You (the client) have an idea and I have to figure out how to communicate it.’ That is a barrier that has to be knocked down, and it can only be knocked down by good ideas coming from the agency. I don’t think a client would ever leave an agency that brought them real ideas.”

Today, Nutter is known in entertainment circles as ‘the Pilot Whisperer’, for his uncanny ability to shoot prospective series’ premiere episodes and have them approved for a full season. Nutter described a “pilot” as “…a lot like a commercial, but with the network as the buyer”, and “the key to a pilot is grounding, making it relatable. But taking things serious doesn’t mean overthinking.”

“The Red Wedding sequence is one of the most involving things I’ve ever done,” said Nutter, of his involvement in last year’s controversial penultimate episode of Game of Thrones’ third season, before spilling the beans that he would be directing an upcoming episode of Arrow that would introduce popular character The Flash.

So what’s the secret to a lifetime career in the tumultuous world of television production?

“Everything I do has to be something I believe in,” said Nutter, before reminding his audience that everything he’s accomplished, he didn’t do alone. “Working in television has put me in direct contact with the most important people in the business: the writers.”

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McCann Australia’s creative star John Mescall with the inaugural Young Account Executive Academy batch mates

FirstHAND ACCOUNT

Entering a larger world A young practitioner attends her first fest Words Paola Soriano, Account Manager, Provago Inc.

Singapore. H&M, Marina Bay Sands, Universal Studios those were all I really ever wanted to visit this place for. But when I was informed at work that we were going to fly there for this year’s Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, I had another item on my list. I was going to experience my first international festival since I entered this wildly beautiful industry of advertising as an account manager. Yes, the after-parties, some shopping, and sightseeing were things to look forward to, but more than anything, and, call this hackneyed, but I wanted to learn. Learn more about the industry I am in (and planning to be in for years), and learn from Creative Rockstars.

About two weeks before flying out, I was asked by one of our agency’s managing partners if I wanted to be enrolled in the Young Account Executive Academy Spikes

was holding and inaugurating this year. She mentioned I’ll pretty much have “my own life” there as most of my sessions would be inside a classroom and not in the festival hall with the rest of the team. I’ll be honest and say that it was a slightly hard decision to make. Being enlisted for the Academy meant I was going to have to enjoy the trip a little less because I had a strict schedule to follow. But then this would also mean getting more bespoke knowledge on account management out of the three-day festival—a rarity considering that events like these usually focus on creatives, not so much on suits. So I said yes.

And that “yes” proved to be more worth it than my saying yes to every pretty skirt I saw at H&M! Day one rocked as Charles Cadell, president of Asia Pacific McCann Worldgroup (official Sponsor of the Young Account

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Executive Academy) stood two feet away from where I was sitting and officially opened the Academy, He introduced us to John Wright (who would be our Academy Tutor) whose career includes leading agencies like J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy & Mather, and many more. Amazing mentor.

He actually had tea with David Ogilvy! Need I say more?

As we were going over the curriculum, with Cadell mentioning we would be up-closeand-personal with industry shakers who had spoken at Cannes and were set to speak at Spikes, I knew I was going to be in for a mad ride. To be given the chance to ask them questions in an intimate setting would be extremely beneficial for young professionals like myself. John Mescall, creator of the multi-award winning ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ was set to give an hour-long talk on the method to his madness (ie. genius) in our last morning session. That last fact alone told me this ride wasn’t just going to be mad, it would be wicked.

Cadell informed us that the Young Account Executive Academy was the most well-attended course at this year’s Spikes — a sign that they were taking as endorsement to make it an annual event. There were about 20 of us in the class, mostly account managers (and some planners) from the big agencies,

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and yes, some from “the brave and the few” independent ones like ours.

Over the next three days, we listened to great men talk about “delivering the agency to the client” through excellent account service in terms of some powerful truths: First is to be brave. If the situation requires you to say uncomfortable things to enable people to challenge each other, then say uncomfortable things.

There has to be a stop to the “consensus environment” taking place inside our offices and the ad industry as a whole.

Chris Clarke, CCO of DigitasLBi UK, in his corduroys, told us to have an inquisitive mindset both as suits and as key players in our teams since at the end of the day, we are all supposed to be “creative thinkers”.

As David Mayo, CEO of Bates Chi & Partners, and one of our class speakers said, “Creativity is too important to leave to the creative department.” Make a difference. Be bravely brilliant. Stop behaving like efficient machines. Stand up for something as a person and as an agency.

Second is to think. This may seem simple but in the insanity of tight deadlines, demanding clients, and a lot of pressure from your creatives, we in account management sometimes tend to forget this basic principle. Think more to do less. Think of ways to make life easier for your clients and your agency.

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mutual respect, be open to new ideas, care about what people make, and stop wasting people’s time.

The common denominator, I believe, in all this is passion. “The energetic displaces the passive”, according to the legendary Bill Bernbach. So that same week, I flew back to Manila with something more than the clothes I bought at H&M, the lipstick from Sephora, and some books from Kinokuniya. I took home with me a channeled ebullience to make me, our agency and our clients happy. When people are happy, big things happen.

Happy is a big word.

Think beyond standard protocols. When a client gives you a bad brief, make a good one. There are always alternatives.

Be resourceful. Solve your problems intelligently. As Jeff Estok, CEO, and Cam Carter, managing partner of Navigare, said there was a solution to every problem.

Think and add value to what you do.

Third, invest in Relationships. Mescall noted that relationships were critical in the industry that we’re in. “Agencies win awards, not individuals.” So closing that gap between creatives and accounts matter. More than closing that gap, make that internal relationship strong. Have

Paola Soriano (center) and her fellow academy participants

Cheuk Chiang

‘Techtalk’ at Spikes Fast forward view A notable feature of Spikes 2013 was the introduction of TechTalk. Launched in Cannes 2012 by Cannes Lions and MediaLink on the premise of being the bridge between new technologies and agencies (creative and media), the TechTalk series was successful enough to justify a new installment at Spikes.

For the Spikes edition, TechTalk was presented via a partnership with Omnicom Media Group, including PHD and OMD. The series comprised six talks presented over the three-day festival, with some of Asia Pacific’s most forward-thinking notables speaking

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on the latest digital tools and examples of innovative product marketing.

Of the tie-up, Cheuk Chiang, CEO of Omnicom Media Group, Asia Pacific, said, “We are excited to be partnering with MediaLink to bring the best up and coming communications technology companies to Spikes Asia. Omnicom Media Group and its

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brands OMD, PHD and M2M have always believed in supporting new and innovative companies that bring fresh ways of working to our clients. Driving innovation has and will always be at the heart of what we do, so supporting these young companies is important to us.”

Among the “young companies” that presented at the Spikes TechTalk were digital signage innovator Trinax, video-based execution specialist Videology, SingTel’s Digital L!fe Group’s Amobee, which specializes in digital advertising, social media specialist Unified, Chinese search giant Baidu and Accuen.

“The challenge for us, really, is keeping up with technology,” Chiang told adobo, on the need to stay competitive by constantly upgrading and learning. “But, equally, that’s where it’s exciting for us, (because) the world is moving fast and, as technology accelerates, that gives us an opportunity to embrace change as it occurs, so it’s a very exciting time in our business.”

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content creation

Backstage with YouTube Viral stars share tips for sticky content A ‘Backstage with YouTube’ event was held at this year’s Spikes. John Merrifield, chief creative officer for Asia-Pacific at Google, and former regional creative-at-large for TBWA Asia-Pacific, presented the panel, which featured animation dancer Marquese Scott (aka Nonstop), beauty vlogger Bethany Mota (aka MacBarbie07), husband and wife KPOP critics Simon and Martina Stawski, and music duo Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui. The panel shared their success stories, as well as insights on brand integration, content creation, and expanding their subscriber base.

Scott, whose dance interpretation of the popular song ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, now has over 94 million views, shared how the intricacies of working with name brands started with the selection process.

“If I’m collaborating with the brand, hopefully they give me the freedom to first like the music so I can connect my fans to their

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products…if I don’t connect to the music, then they’re not gonna connect to it,” he said.

Stawski concurred, saying, “…it’s not even that you’re trying to push a product, it’s that you’re using something that you genuinely like, and then your audience is like, ‘Oh my God, I love that too, what are you using?’”

“We like to focus on things that are organically occurring in our video, rather than having something outside of that,” her husband Simon added.

For 17-year-old Mota, whose online persona has 4.5 million subscribers across two channels, staying true to her fans is most important.

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“When I first started making videos, a few months after, I got emails from companies asking to send me products so I could mention it in videos, but I’m very picky with it. I won’t put something in a video unless I truly love it, because the thing is, the relationship that I have with my viewers, you don’t wanna harm that…Instead of accepting every opportunity that comes, I like to be very strategic about it and only work with brands that I truly love,” she said.

Schneider and Tsui also stressed the importance of having engaging content.

The pair’s mash-ups and acapella videos have gained a global audience of 4 million subscribers across three channels, and a massive fan base in Asia alone.

“I think the most important thing is that whether its branded content or normal content, it should both be cool, something that your audience is gonna find fun,” shared Schneider, who recently inked a deal with Coca-Cola.

Tsui added, “With that closeness and personal relationship with the fans and the audience, they can smell disingenuity from a mile away so I think it’s important that when they’re watching something, the last thought on their mind is that this is a branded kind of sponsorship thing.”

01 The YouTube stars on stage 02 JWT Manila’s Dave Ferrer, with hip hop dance sensation Marquese Scott 03 Campaign Brief’s Kim Shaw, Leo Burnett’s Eric Cruz and HS Ad’s Bo Hwang 04 Google’s John Merrifield welcomes guests 05 Musical duo Sam Tsui and Kurt Hubert Schneider

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TRENDS

First ‘Kopi with Leo’ is a hit Burnett brings the insights in morning forum

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The INAUGURAL ‘Kopi with Leo’ took place at Singapore’s InterContinental hotel on September 17, hosted by Leo Burnett.

The first of its kind, ‘Kopi with Leo’ was an opportunity for regional representatives and clients alike to gather in a casual setting for a lineup of talks by some of the network’s top minds. The common thread of the talks, according to Leo Burnett Asia Pacific president Jarek Ziebinski, was creativity as seen through a very human lens.

“We would like to use this event as an annual platform to gather with clients and partners to discuss important things and share our learnings and interesting case studies by different people from the Leo Burnett network,” Ziebinki told adobo.

First to the podium were James Kirkham, Burnett Worldwide’s global head of social and mobile, and Will Sansom Contagious Insider’s senior consultant, who took to the stage for a reprise of their well-received talk from Cannes 2013, ‘Wildfire/Full of Tomorrow’, wherein they illustrated how the integration of brands will most likely escalate in coming years. The trick, said Kirkham, was to avoid becoming just so much visual spam: “Enhance, don’t distract. You need brands to act smart to be truly relevant.” This was backed up by Sansom who pointed out that they also had to avoid the temptation to

use shiny gadgets for the sake of it. “Good technology is no excuse for a good idea.”

Next up was ‘Creativity Without Borders’,

by Leo Burnett Worldwide chief creative officer Mark Tutssel, driving home the idea that constant reinvention and evolution is necessary in a world where anyone with an internet connection must be considered an independent media outlet. Tutssel stressed that a good idea was the only thing that could really propel an agency and that, no matter what the technological advance, “The one thing that will never change is the power of an idea to connect human beings.

Following Tutssel was the pair of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific regional chief strategy officer Saurabh Varma and Global Prospective & Trends director Steven Van Der Kruit, presenting how the discovery of trends and cultural fuels had more to do with walking the streets of any given city than sitting in a boardroom, as well as how they had exhaustively identified between 1,500 and 1,800 individual behavioral types to better understand what sorts of marketing work for different people. “As the world becomes increasingly informal, there is a need to bring back some sort of structure”, said Varma.

“Once you identify the different types of behavior, you can use the knowledge as a tool to brainstorm.”

04 01 Mark Tutssel 02 James Kirkham and Eric Cruz 03 Jarek Ziebinski and Saurabh Varma 04 Leo Burnett welcomed delegates to the inaugural Kopi with Leo 05 The team from Leo Burnett Manila

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01 Lions Festivals chairman Terry Savage with adobo editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero 02 Hakuhodo’s Kentaro Kimura, JWT’s Tay Guay Hin and Campaign Brief Asia’s Kim Shaw 03 Ted Lim fresh into his Dentsu stint 04 Manila’s biggest contingent are UA&P student mentored by Dean Jerry Kilatchko 05 Lowe and Partners’ Tony Wright and Unilever’s Samir Singh 06 McCann’s Richard McCabe, Jane Fraser and John Mescall with adobo’s Angel Guerrero 07 Campaign Brief Asia’s Kim Shaw,with team HS Ad,including ECD Bo Hwang with Cheil Worldwide ECD Thomas Kim at Spikes Asia 08 JWT Manila’s Dave Ferrer with his Shick work 09 Chairman and CCO Lowe SSP3 Colombia Jose Miguel Sokoloff with adobo managing editor Mikhail Lecaros 10 DDB Asia’s John Ziegler brings in Game of Thrones director David Nutter to Singapore

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01 The party bus, courtesy of Bates Chi & Partners, shuttled delegates from party to party for the Spikes ‘Networking by Night’ 02 Bo, Kentaro, Eddie and Yang happy at the Campaign Brief party 03 BBDO Guerrero ECD Dale Lopez parties with Vivaki Media 04 Creatives living large at the Lowe ‘Electro Street Party’ 05 adobo’s Angel Guerrero with Samsung’s Christel Quek 06 PH creatives at the Campaign Brief party 07 The temperature was rising at the JWT roofdeck ‘Cafe del Sky’ party 08 adobo’s Mikhail Lecaros with JWT’s Dave Ferrer 09 A shot from the Lowe ‘Electro Street Party’, with Lowe regional president Rupen Desai in frame

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01 Network of the Year McCann, posing with their Spikes for ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ 02 Double Grand Prix winners for ‘Smart TXTBKS’ DM9JaymeSyfu 03 Creative Effectiveness advocated by Leo Burnett’s Jarek Ziebinski at Spikes Asia 04 Young creatives EJ Galang and Katrina Encanto of Lowe Bangkok accept their Spikes 05 Spikes Jury president Ogilvy’s Tham Khai Meng with adobo’s Angel Guerrero at the awards night 06 BBDO Guerrero’s David Guerrero and Dale Lopez accept their Spike for ‘It’s More Fun’ 07 Team Hakuhodo smiles for the camera 9 DM9’s Merlee Jayme with MRM’s Budjette Tan 09 Team DM9JaymeSyfu lets their hair down at the ‘Mad about Memes’ Spikes after party, hosted by Leo Burnett 10 Leo Burnett Global CCO Mark Tutssel on stage for Leo Burnett 11 Ace Saatchi & Saatchi’s Andrew Petch and Mio Chongson

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Agora victory

Alaska Milk is 2013 Marketing Company of the Year Words AMANDA LAGO

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agora awardeeS Individual and corporate winners

Bato-Balani Foundation for Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy Marketing GMA Kapuso Foundation for Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy Marketing Rita Neri, president and founder of Rita Neri Events Planners, for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship – Small Scale Catherine Ilacad, CEO of Posh Nails, for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship – Medium scale Dennis Uy, president and CEO of Phoenix Petroleum, for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship – Large scale

For the first time in its 34-year history, the Agora Awards recognized winners in every category, with Alaska Milk Corporation taking home the Marketing Company of the Year title.

The Agora Awards is held by the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA), and recognizes excellence in the Philippine marketing scene, with winners being inducted into the association. The awarding ceremonies were held October 9 at the Peninsula Manila.

The search for winners was described by PMA president Vicente Reyes as “tedious, like discovering diamonds in the dust”, but he said it was worth the effort.

This year’s Agora judges were composed of past Agora award winners, led by Simplicio Umali Jr., president and general manager of Gardenia Bakeries. It included Vivian Que-Azcona, president of Mercury Drug Corporation; Gregory Banzon, general manager of Century Canning Corporation; Richard Joshua V. Sanz, founder and president of Philippine Foodasia Corporation; and Chere Cato-Yturralde, dean of the Angeles University Foundation College of Business.

“This year, there have been many good nominations and we, as judges, value the

opportunity to witness the high level of exceptional marketing practices in the Philippines, especially the contributions of the Filipino marketing professional to the domestic as well as the global marketplace,” Umali said.

“The Board of Judges, composed likewise of former Agora awardees, also felt challenged by what the nominees have done through the years in the products, services or brands that they have handled, constantly raising the bar of marketing excellence,” he continued. “The stories and best practices that go with these awardees are truly worthy of emulation by other marketing practitioners in their efforts to achieve marketing excellence.”

“At the core of every good marketing is really a good story to tell,” Bato-Balani Foundation chairman Saturnino Belen said, thanking the PMA for their award.

“I guess the advantage of working in education development over the past 20 years is that we have a lot of good stories to tell,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rita Neri said that her win would only push her to bring her business to new heights. “Because of this award, Rita Neri events planners will now have to strive harder, soar higher, and be better,” she said.

November-December 2013

Enrique Soriano III, Marketing Cluster chair at Ateneo Graduate School of Business, for Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Education Pete Delantar, president of Natures Legacy, for Outstanding Achievement in Export Marketing Irwin Lee, vice president and managing director of Procter & Gamble UK/Ireland, for Outstanding Achievement in Overseas Marketing Excellence

Edwin Totanes, vice president for marketing at Universal Robina Coroporation, for Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management

Alaska Milk Corporation – Agora Marketing Company of the Year Former president Hon. Fidel V. Ramos was also awarded an Honorary Agora in Nationbuilding. Keynotey Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares presented the award to the former President.

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main co ur se

Making radio work

Black Pencil winner Tony Hertz on branding’s ‘neglected’ element Words AMANDA LAGO

MANILA Tony Hertz insists on sound. It may be, as the creative radio specialist puts it, “the neglected element” of branding and communication, but one that can be more powerful than people realize.

At the adobo Main Course held at the Mind Museum October 16, Hertz discussed how sound, radio in particular, could be used to make (or break) a brand.

“Humans have a profound relationship with sound,” Hertz said, opening the morning session ‘Make More Waves – the Neglected Element of Brand Communication’.

He said that brand sound could be as simple as how an office answered the telephone, to something more high-profile, such as adding sounds to a company’s website.

Creating pleasant soundscapes in the work places or public spaces is important, Hertz said, noting, for instance, a study that found that noise in open-plan offices decreased productivity.

Hertz also played the ambient sounds he recorded from two popular malls in Metro Manila, revealing a mess of noise (“cacophony”, Hertz called it) that many people have heard but don’t really notice.

According to Hertz, such a cacophony affects consumers more than people realize.

He shared the case of Glasgow Airport, where they played, on alternate days, a piece of generative music mixed with bird and water sounds, developed by a London sound agency.

On the days when music was played, airport sales went up by 10%.

“It’s not for me to say that this is the right piece of music or the wrong piece of music.

What I am here to say is you need to think

about it,” said the multi-awarded creative.

Along with sound, Hertz said advertisers also needed to think about radio more.

“Agencies aren’t proud of their radio,” he noted.

He said significantly less entries for radio than for print, outdoor, film, and digital for award shows coupled with creatives who are not trained to do radio or clients who think radio is tactical and cheap reflected the current state of radio in the marketing mix.

He then gave attendees – which included creatives, sound designers, and marketers – pointers on how to make great radio ads: Start with a visual, use characters instead of voices, stick to one message, and do not, as much as humanly possible, use voice-over, which he called “a real killer”.

In the second session of the day, ‘How to Present Radio so Clients Won’t Kill It’, Hertz also taught participants how to sell radio commercials and present radio scripts.

Hertz advised participants to forget about playing it cool if they wanted to sell radio. Go crazy, perform the script, do all the voices, he

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advised. That way, clients can see the agency’s commitment to the work.

“When a client goes to a presentation, he’s not just buying your work, he’s buying you, he’s buying your commitment to the work,” Hertz said.

“Presenting is theater, you need to treat it as such,” he shared. “You cannot be cool and sell a radio commercial, you’ve got to get into it.”

The second session saw participants volunteering (or being “volunteered” by Hertz) to present radio scripts on stage.

Aside from reading the scripts provided by Hertz, they had to lead their presentation with a preamble in which they talked about the script and told the client – in this case, Hertz – why it worked for the brand.

In presenting, Hertz stressed the importance of telling the story of the script, as opposed to plainly explaining it. He also shared other ways of presenting radio scripts that go beyond a simple reading: Visuals and mood boards, for instance, can make quite the impression, if it works for the radio script.

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07 01 Radio master Tony Hertz on humans’ relationship with sound 02 Tony poses for a class picture 03 Volunteers act out an award winning radio commercial 04 Ace Saatchi’s CD Greg Martin among the victims!

05 adobo EIC Angel Guerrero with Boysen’s Jackie Ongking 06 SounDesign’s Raul Blay (center) with Gerry Magnaye (left) 07 HIt Productions’ Salito Malca with Angel Guerrero 08 Delegates get their book (The Seven Secrets of Radio Advertising) signed by the author 09 Venue partner Mind Museum’s Managing Director and long time friend of Tony Hertz, Manny Blas II drops in and is welcomed by adobo’s COO, Janelle Squires

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Special thanks to the Main Course sponsors: Bose, Mind Museum, Executive Decisions and Raffles Makati

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Contents

The

Year-End Report

THE YEAR IN REVIEW 130 Creative 140 Media 144 Digital 150 Marketing 164 Design

2013 has gone by in a blink. But what a year it has been for Philippine advertising and marketing, one filled with a series of triumphs, burgeoning consumer confidence and a slow but discernible take-up of digital in brand marketing.

DM9JaymeSyfu’s stunning success with ‘Smart TXKBKS’ on the festival circuit, beginning with its Cannes Mobile Grand Prix, a first for the country, was undoubtedly a high point for the industry.

Agency rivalries were brushed aside when the Philippine flag was waved on the Palais stage. BBDO Guerrero/Proximity creative director Rey Tiempo said it best: “Agency affiliations get blurred and all you see is a brother waving your flag. To this day, I remember how it made me feel really big. I thank the Smart team sincerely for that.”

DM9 would of course go on to fill up its shelves with more Grand Prix awards, sharing the spotlight with its peers: BBDO Guerrero cracked the Gunn Report’s global Top 50 ranking, Ace Saatchi & Saatchi brought home the country’s third Clio Gold, JWT its second Cannes Gold, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno scored at FAME, One Show and the Webby and Y&R its first-ever Cannes Lion.

“It was a great year for the industry here,” said Richmond Walker, group creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Manila, who relocated to the country this year.

“The Cannes results really put Manila on the map in big way, and the stakes are higher than ever. You can actually feel the potential brimming in the Philippines right now.

It’s a great place to be. Bring on 2014.”

pERsoNAlITIEs 132 The Filmmakers 134 Life After OTJ 156 Brand Mavens 158 The Art of the Sale 166 Pinoys Abroad 168 The Exhibitionists THE YEAR IN lIsTs 149 Viral videos and memes 152 Anniversaries 160 Parties 162 Unlikely parings 169 Word play 171 Treats 172 Things that moved us 175 Favorite things

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2013 review creative

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GRAND PRIX COUP 2013 will surely go down as a high point in DM9JaymeSyfu’s short history. The seven- the year-old shop nabbed the country’s first-ever Cannes Grand Prix with its wonderfully low-tech ‘Smart TXTBKS’. The entry pipped snazzier rivals for the mobile prize, a category agencies are keen to prove their mettle, before going on to snap up two Grand Prix awards for Mobile and PSA at Ad Stars and two more – Direct and Mobile – at Spikes.

Cannes Mobile Jury President Rei Inamoto said it best in summing up ‘TXTBKS’: “This Grand Prix may not be the most sexy piece … but it is definitely one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever seen… it gives knowledge to every child in this country… it actually has a chance to change the world.”

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METALS BOOM The year was also the country’s best-ever outing on the awards circuit. Local agencies triumphed across the season, from AME, with DDB winning the country’s first-ever Gold for ‘Pacquiao Positive’, to the Webby, with TBWA\SMP taking the People’s Voice Vote for ‘Gift of Life’. Agencies also came home with Golds and other metals from Clio (Ace Saatchi & Saatchi for ‘Tiger Energy Playground’), FAME (TBWA for KNOxOUT Project Edsa’), Cannes (Ace Saatchi’s double Golds for ‘Screen-Age Love Story’ and JWT for Schick’s ‘Icons’) and Spikes (BBDO Guerrero for Department of Tourism’s ‘It’s More Fun’).

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE John Mescall and his McCann Melbourne team are without doubt the toast of the global industry this year, thanks to an animated music video cum PSA that became a popculture phenomenon. The combination of an insanely catchy tune, offbeat lyrics such as ‘Use your private parts for piranha bait’ and cast of characters dying in absurd ways delivered more than 55 million views, spawned countless spoofs and made ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ a darling on the awards circuit. It swept Cannes and D&AD to become the most-awarded campaign at both competitions, grabbed Clio’s Best of Show, Webby wins and earned a TED citation to boot.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE Speaking of Webby Awards, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s wonderfully touching ‘Gift of Life’ captured the People’s Voice vote at what is the Oscars for the web community. With funding from Energizer, the agency produced a short online film about a love story between a doll and a robot to support non-profit organization Manikako. ‘Gift of Life’ had earlier won awards from AdFest to Kidlat, earning more than five million views without having to spend a centavo on media.

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GUNN ACCLAIM Thanks to BBDO Guerrero, a Philippine agency has for the first time cracked the Gunn Report Top 50 Most Awarded Agencies in the World index.

Campaigns such as PepsiCo/ MyShelterFoundation’s ‘Liter of Light’, Saridon’s ‘Persistent Headaches’ and Department of Tourism’s viral sensation ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ propelled the office into 49th place globally and helped BBDO to pole position in the Big Won country ranking.

‘Liter of Light’ also received special commendation in Gunn’s Media Report for its creativity, innovation and results. On top of that, BBDO dominated the Kidlat competition, captured its fourth Agency of the Year crown plus Best in Market Performance and Digital Excellence plates at the annual 4As tilt and ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ took the 2013 Warc Prize for Asian Strategy.

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ADBOARD FALL-OUT For the Advertising Board and its chair Bienvenido ‘Nonoy’ Niles Jr., 2013 was without doubt an annus horribilis.

A membership crisis that started in late 2012 reduced its ranks further this year when the 4As took a leave of absence within months of the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA). The Advertising Suppliers’ Association of the Philippines (ASAP) left soon after. Having lost its largest members, AdBoard was forced to cancel the 23rd Advertising Congress, usually held at this time of the year, rather than go ahead without its largest members and in the shadow of 2014’s Ad Summit Philipinas, the 4As new creative pow-wow. The cancellation was unprecedented: AdCon had previously been held without fail since its founding, surviving even the turbulent aftermath of Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr.’s assassination in 1983, only to be hobbled by this year’s membership crisis.

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CREATIVE MASH-UP Philippine agencies joined forces with overseas counterparts to create campaigns that played well locally. In first, Ogilvy Manila partnered with the network’s Mumbai office and hit the sweet spot for Cadbury with ‘Roadtrip’.

No wrong turns with Guns N’ Roses’ memorable power ballad, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.

JWT’s local and Singapore office came together to bust out of the staid strictures of shampoo advertising category with a brilliant activation effort. The pair struck a chord with a musical concert with a difference, using human hair that had been washed and conditioned with Cream Silk Hair Fall Defense in place of horse hair to string four violin bows. The bespoke bows held up without breakage to play 40 songs over four sets.

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IT TAKES A VILLAGE This year’s Kidlat Awards went beyond the creative department to also honor the rest of the village responsible for championing creativity. In addition to its usual slate of creative department honors, the Creative Guild introduced five new categories, most of which went to BBDO Guerrero, which emerged as the show’s Most Creative Agency.

New categories included the Creative Client of the Year (won

by BBDO client, the Department of Tourism), Creative Planner (BBDO’s Cristine Buenaventura), Creative Account Executive (BBDO’s Iking Uy), Top Creative Producer (BBDO’s Al Salvador) and Production Partner (Tower of Doom).

NETWORKS OF THE YEAR Ogilvy & Mather was in sizzling form at Cannes, becoming the first agency ever to win more than 100 Lions in one year. Its record-breaking haul of 155 Lions included the network’s first-ever Creative Effectiveness Award, and its first-ever Titanium and Integrated Grand Prix. Lions were won across 29 countries, helping Ogilvy to effortlessly retain the Network of the Year award.

McCann Worldgroup nabbed its first-ever Network of the Year honor at Spikes, after agencies in seven markets delivered eight Grand Prix prizes and a massive haul of Gold and other metals, while Melbourne – the ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ office – added another Agency of the Year award to its mantle.

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CANNES CHAT Advertising legends George Lois and Lee Clow traded war stories in their tête-á-tête at Cannes’ 60th outing. In their own inimitable way, the blunt New Yorker and the laid-back Californian delivered some comforting words to an industry desperately in need of some reassurance. “The name of the game isn’t technology. The name of the game is creativity,” Lois intoned, while Clow reminded the audience “When the camera was invented, artists didn’t just throw away their brushes and start taking pictures”.

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now showing

Be it in the form of a campaign or a film, the art of storytelling has always played a crucial role in the profession of advertising.

For our year-ender, adobo magazine proudly presents but a few of the talented individuals who have played key roles in crafting the stories that enthralled, entertained and moved us in 2013.

DENNIS CHAM Director, Hit Productions Inc.

MANET DAYRIT CEO and President Central Digital Lab, Inc

BRILLANTE MENDOZA Director, Thy Womb

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MIKE ALCAZAREN Director, Puti

PEQUE GALLAGA & LORE REYES Co-Directors, Sonata

Words Mikhail Lecaros Photography Jay Tablante Art Direction/final art Ricardo Malit Makeup Chuchie Ledesma of Maybelline New york, Stef Escobio & tricia miranda venue Power Plant Mall Cinema Special thanks Ram Melegrito

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Joey Marquez Actor

Richard Somes Krizzie Syfu 2nd Unit Director Assistant Director Post Producer

Production Designer

Dondon Monteverde Producer

Steve Vesagas Supervising Producer

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The fast-paced, intelligent action flick has been talked about, before, during, and long after its theatrical run in the Philippines, thanks to a perfect storm of media attention, critical acclaim, and international esteem in the form of a Hollywood remake.

The film and the team behind it came like gangbusters, reviving a film industry

often decried for its tendency to favor the commercial over — and sometimes at the expense of—the creative.

Both veterans and young dynamos make up the cast and crew, with director Erik Matti at the helm.

It would seem that the gang could not have had a better ringleader than Matti, who was

135 ye ar - e n d e rwho listened described as a great collaborator to, and more importantly, accommodated everyone’s ideas.

“Collaboration was very important in On the Job, especially of course with the director.

That was the most important collaboration to be honest,” music director Erwin Romulo told adobo. “The nice thing with Erik is,

Leo Po Producer

Milette Soto General Manager, Reality Entertainment

Bianca Clemente Production Head

Erik Matti Writer and Director

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l ife after o t j

“If you communicate a very, very clear vision, everyone else is just going to work hard towards that, and of course some magic comes out of it, in a way.”

-Erik Matti

when things don’t work, he encourages you to find solutions.”

As Matti himself shared, having a strong vision for the film is key, but letting people run with their own ideas can create surprising results—in a good way.

“If you communicate a very, very clear vision, everyone else is just going to work hard towards that, and of course some magic comes out of it, in a way,” he said.

“We’re not in the form of media where it’s very individual, we’re in a business where something is done collectively by a lot of people, people have to pitch in to it, help out.

You can’t think of everything on your own,” Matti explained. “You can’t possibly think of everything. Impossible.”

Choosing who to work with was a bit of a gamble for Matti, who, for instance, cast a veteran comedian in a serious action role, and asked a magazine editor — albeit one with an enviable film background — to direct the music.

“I love taking chances with the people I work with, but at the same time I calculate the risk, meaning okay, if this doesn’t work out, I have other options,” Matti shared. “I don’t just go out and recklessly invite a weird bunch of people to make a movie and hope to god it gets finished the way we want it. So far, we’ve been lucky to have brought in a good mix of people.

“I used to stay with just one team of guys… the tendency there is, because you develop a kind of trust together, the group does not evolve, and will not be open to new ideas. It seems like every time you talk, you secondguess each other already because you know how each of you think. By casting new guys you haven’t worked with, you get a fresh influx of ideas,” Matti added.

Obviously, the gamble of working with a new team paid off big time.

On the film’s success, producer Dondon Monteverde shared, “we really didn’t know

what was going to happen since we’ve produced two, three [films] already… It’s always something that you keep on trying until you really hit it.

“We found out that we were in Cannes, that was the first cut, so when it got there, everything was really different, everything was so big…out of 1,500 movies, they only chose 25. From there the movie was bought on the distribution side, so there was buzz about the remake. The excitement just kept on going, kept on coming, until now, they’re talking about the remake already,” Monteverde continued.

Aside from making noise internationally and turning the local film industry on its head, On The Job (OTJ) also changed the game for Reality Entertainment, giving its films a new direction.

“We’ve been pushing for a kind of brand for the films that we want to make, and it has been an uphill climb for all of us because it’s not the ones that usually make money, it demands a lot more savvy marketing style to sell it,” Matti shared.

“What OTJ really gave us, the success internationally, with Cannes, with the remake, is that now people are open in the Philippines to co-produce and make films that are like this that before, nobody wanted to gamble on it and risk their money,” he explained.

So how do you top a film that is being touted as an industry game-changer?

The answer, at least for Matti, is that you don’t.

“When the recognitions started coming in for OTJ, I already made a decision… I’m not going to think of second-guessing the next film, that it has to be better than OTJ,” Matti told adobo.

“I think the only gauge really is just to come up with something honest. This is the film that I want to do and whether it hits

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the mark on the level of OTJ or not, so long as it’s honest, I think it’s going to work for everyone,” he said.

Right now, the cast and crew of On The Job are looking forward to the Hollywood remake, chiming in with who they want to see in the Hollywood cast.

For Joey Marquez, his role of hotheaded policeman Joaquin Acosta should be inhabited by someone like him, “someone like George Clooney,” he said with a laugh.

Matti’s choices were a slightly more on point.

He shared that he saw Denzel Washington or Bryan Cranston in the role of Tatang, played in the film with frightening intensity by veteran actor Joel Torre, while he envisioned someone like Michael Fassbender in the role of morally compromised NBI agent Francis Coronel, originally played by Piolo Pascual.

Of course, the casting for the Hollywood remake is out of Matti’s hands — and he prefers it that way, happily handing over the reins to producers XYZ Films and director Baltasar Kormakur.

“If they make the movie a take-off point, I don’t mind. That way they can also do something unique, and not just a shot-per-shot copy,” Matti said. “Just within their set-up, there are already a lot of people deciding.

There’s the producer, there’s the studios, XYZ Films holding their hands, trying to not make them stray too far away from the concept as possible.”

“It is healthier… you can get stuck helping out the production in two, five years. You don’t know when it’s going to be made. So might as well just let them do their own thing,” Matti said. “Anyway, they’ll have to fit it into the psyche of the American sensibility. We don’t know their sensibilities, so it’s better that they develop it on their own, they come up with their own take on it.”

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Dix Buhay Director of Photography

Erwin Romulo

Candy Nagrampa

Musical Director

Assistant Director

Mel Quimosing

Paula Punla

Online artist

Production Services Head

Jay Halili Editor

Kren Yap Creative Associate, Star Cinema

Corrine De San Jose Sound Supervisor

Words amanda lago Photography shampoo padilla Art Direction Victor Garcia & Ricardo Malit final art Ricardo Malit Makeup Anna Angeles, Miko Iso and Ira Roncalhair Stef Escobio and Jasper dela Cruz styling KC Leyco-Mempin and Camz Materiales for Miss Kayce November-December 2013

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campai gn picks

2013 campaign picks Campaigns that made creatives’ ‘wish I’d done that’ list

masako okamuRa

Rey Tiempo

Creative Director Dentsu Japan

Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines “My favorite from this year would have to be the ‘Smart TXTBKS’ campaign by DM9. I was fortunate enough to have been at Cannes to have witnessed first hand a kababayan (countryman) go up the grandest advertising stage of all, for the grandest prize. From our agency: The Department of Tourism campaign ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’: For the undeniable buzz it generated, for a great effectiveness case, for tapping into something real and honest inside all of us.”

Joe dy

Creative Director JWT Manila “A radio campaign out of Ogilvy Guatemala for La Jugueteria/Lego, which I found brilliant in its simplicity. Basically, it enumerated the number of certain onomatopoeia words used, then combined these to assemble the sound effects of a distinct image.

Much like Lego bricks brought together to form an object. Best appreciated when heard. I especially enjoyed the ‘Train’ version. Dove’s ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ social experiment, also by Ogilvy, drew the strongest spontaneous reaction from me.

The execution was the most powerful representation of it I’d ever seen. From our office, our outdoor ‘Icons’ campaign for Schick; it picked up a Gold Lion at Cannes this year.”

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Richmond WalkeR Group Creative Director Ogilvy & Mather Manila

“No creative likes following the herd, but this year I can’t look beyond the expected choices. Ogilvy’s Dove ‘Sketches’ was the pick of the bunch. Just when you thought you’d seen it all for Dove, our Sao Paolo office proved that you hadn’t. A simple, bold idea executed perfectly. And I love all the spoofs it inspired. That’s my favorite form of flattery. ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ had a massive impact on me. My son nearly knows all the words. Locally I have to call out the DOT work: Creative thinking with genuine substance and scale. A whole country using your line in everyday conversation has to be recognized as a much bigger achievement.

I’d take that over a Lion. Wouldn’t I?

eugene demaTa Executive Creative Director Di9it DM9JaymeSyfu

“‘Smart ‘TXTBKS’ gave the Philippines its first-ever Cannes Grand Prix. It brought so many honors not just for my agency but for the country as well. This campaign has proven repeatedly that great simple ideas will always triumph.

From other networks: I love ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ and Korea’s ‘Bridge of Life’. Both are inspiring, something that you would always want to emulate in terms of creativity and effectiveness.

Both are also a perfect fusion of heart and technology.”

November-December 2013

“Sound of Honda – Ayrton Senna 1989.

Ayrton Senna must be smiling in heaven as his actual race data recorded at the 1989 F1 Japan Grand Prix makes everyone on the planet happy. Honda’s technology and Dentsu’s idea have com‘e to fruition.

Dumb Ways to Die’: I love dark humor. I love Kawaii things. This lovely but lethal work from Melbourne has changed the game and is simply one of the masterpieces of 2013. I have a lot of respect for Metro Trains, and at the same time I am still jealous.”

maRci Reyes

Executive Creative Director TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno “My favorite piece of work from the TBWA network has to be what the London office did for Adidas. It was a promo activation to launch the DRose 4 shoe of Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose. They constructed a pop-up store called the Jump Store. Shoes were displayed on 10-foot shelves and if you could jump high enough to grab them, they’re yours. No fancy technology or million-dollar set-up; just simply brilliant thinking. My favorite from other networks is totally predictable and an absolute no brainer: ‘Dumb Ways to Die’. The old school in me just loves a good jingle. This was funny, catchy and cleverly written. It also has a ton of metal behind it. Nothing dumb about that.”

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Joey ong

Chief Creative Officer Aspac and DOJO “I was really blown away by StarHub’s ‘Third Eye’ project of DDB Singapore.

It was high-tech, yet very human. Somehow it hit an emotional chord when the project allowed users to aid the blind to have an idea of things that are in front of them. It’s using technology for something that is really worth it, sharing the gift of sight. IBM’s ‘Smart Ideas for Smarter Cities’ from Ogilvy Paris is another winner! ‘Shelter’, ‘Ramp’ and ‘Seat’ were awesome: Marrying design with practical stuff around the city. I show that to my designers to tell them this is what good design is all about – practical and fresh.”

Badong aBesamis Chief Creative Officer, Y&R Philippines

“Favorite idea outside Y&R: It may be dumb not to choose the winningest campaign of 2013, but who wouldn’t fall for the ‘Red Bull Stratos: Space Jump’? The live stream that set the record for the most concurrent views ever on YouTube, which has since been seen 52 million times on the site: The stunt just hits the spot. The only thing more on-brand about it was its agency’s – Red Bull Media House – rebellious call not to enter it in Cannes. From Y&R: How do you make kids wash their hands? Toy with a simple but brilliant idea – ‘Hope Soap’, with toys encased in soap from Y&R South Africa.”

ThiRd domingo CEO, IdeasXMachina

“From my agency: Pasig City’s ‘Not-SoPedestrian-Lanes’. From other agencies: TBWA\SMP’s Boysen’s Project EDSA’.”

James BeRnaRdo

Ronald ng

“Oreo ‘Daily Twist’ from Draftfcb New York. This campaign was able to turn a tasty tradition into something truly engaging. Charming, witty and twisted takes on red-letter days had people eagerly awaiting the next installment. It reminds me of how Google cleverly redesigns its logo for special albeit obscure occasions. ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ from McCann Melbourne: Catchy lyrics, annoyingly cute characters and a sugar-coated serious safety message made this campaign one of my favorites this year.”

“BBDO Germany’s ‘Smart Fortwo Offroad’.

This beautiful film is as insightful as it gets in 50 seconds. We all have friends who buy big clumsy offroad vehicles thinking that they’ll take these giants out for a spin every weekend. Most of them only drive from home to the office and back. And they all regret having to negotiate busy streets in these giant vehicles. This film shows what you really, really need for normal living, with a healthy dose of self-deprecation. ‘Smart TXTBKS’ was probably one of the most worthy Cannes Grand Prix winners ever. I remember being in the Palais for the Mobile Lions ceremony. Everyone was expecting some fancy mobile technology-driven idea.

Repurposing old phones for a brand new way to help school kids be better students.

What an innovative idea.”

Chief Creative Officer Draftfcb Manila

gRaham Fink Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather China

“I decided to make life more difficult and pick two things from within China. After all, ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ has had enough accolades. But I really wish we had done the CCTV campaign for ‘The Aged Care’ (by Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai). My favorite is the ‘Take Away’ spot where an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s remembers that his son’s favorite food is dumplings and so he pockets a few of them as the family eat out at a restaurant. It’s exquisitely directed too.

Internally we have this friendly rivalry between our Shanghai and Beijing offices.

Last year #CokeHands made the Shanghai office worldfamous. This year Beijing fought back with a shockingly powerful campaign for PETA. A million needles made their point in ‘Fur Hurts’.”

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Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Proximity Singapore

Thomas hong-Tack kim Executive Creative Director Cheil Worldwide

“‘Smart TXTBKS’ campaign by DM9.

The campaign is a case-in-point of how technology can overcome educational barriers. It presents the best use of technology; i.e. technology used for human’s welfare and happiness. Our ‘Bridge of Life’, which tackles one of the most debated issues, suicide, with sincerity. The key to success was to find the real problems and then solutions, on-site, not behind the desk.

Using a “digilog” platform, which combines digital technology with analogue messages, the campaign throws a good light on a social issue.”

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2013 review Media

STAR PERFORMER For the ninth straight year, Starcom MediaVest topped Recma’s leaderboard with billings that were nearly double the runner-up. The year turned even sweeter for CEO Joanna Mojica and her team when the agency scored a hattrick of wins at the LIA’s Agency of the Year, taking the plum Media Agency plate and two other coveted prizes. In a nod to the office’s sizzling performance, the network brought its Global Product Committee meeting to Manila for the first time in late October.

GROUPM DEALS WPP’s media investment arm added to its heft in the Philippines by absorbing Unilever’s long-standing local incumbent Masscom into its Mindshare brand.

Struck at the tail end of 2012, when Mindshare retained much of its Asia Pacific brief for Unilever in a global shootout, the deal was consummated early in 2013. GroupM also acquired digital agency Netbooster at about the same time and, in typical fashion, rechristened it with a name beginning with the letter M – Movent.

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MEDIA CONGRESS Barely weeks into 2013, the Media Specialists Association of the Philippines (MSAP) put media in all its forms in the spotlight at its first-ever media congress, which doubled up as a launch event for the Advertising Board’s youngest member. Media practitioners were taken into a ‘Brave New World: Embracing the Media Revolution’, where convergence has become a byword in media strategies. Local and regional media gurus guided practitioners on the journey that MSAP dubbed an eye-opener for strategic media planning.

ELECTION SPLURGE Despite stringent spending caps, the mid-term elections provided record revenues for media owners, especially broadcasters. Using so-called “advocacy ads”, candidates embraced sundry causes, which were self-promotion in disguise, allowing them to communicate with the electorate before the official jockeying period began.

Going by broadcasters’ official rate cards, these pre-campaign ads would have had a total value of 892 million pesos. ABS-CBN was a major recipient of the pre-campaign spending boom, booking a 68% spike in revenue to 508 million pesos for the first quarter.

MEDIA MVP Continuing the convergence strategy mapped out for his telecoms and media empires, business tycoon Manny Pangilinan shifted the head of PLDT’s Individual Business unit, Noel Lorenzana, to lead the media investment arm MediaQuest, which includes the third-ranked TV5 and pay-TV operator Cignal TV. The consumer goods and telco marketer had to hit the ground running since TV5 has been bleeding red ink despite hefty investments in talent and programming. The year also saw MediaQuest extend its reach in print, snapping up a majority stake in BusinessWorld and an eye to doing the same with the Philippine Star.

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6 8 PRINT’S NEW CHAPTER The country’s two leading broadsheets have made it clear that print has a future in the 21st century so long as digital is a big part of it. To this end, Philippine Star and Philippine Daily Inquirer launched augmented reality apps – Live It and INQSnap respectively – using digital to bring print pages to glorious life. The apps add a new dimension to the newspaper experience, significantly extending content beyond the confines of the printed page to offer digital content in the form of audio files, video clips such as TV-style news reports, photo galleries, movie trailers and the like. Both have reported strong advertiser demand for their new services.

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NOT SO FAST Within days of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA ) signing an Outdoor Magna Carta with various outdoor groups, the Outdoor Media Advocacy Group made it clear it opposed new guidelines for the medium.

Chief among its concerns were the lack of opportunity to discuss the guidelines and whether MMDA would have the power to enforce the rules in Metro Manila, where local governments have their own ordinances in place that are in some instances at odds with MMDA’s. In a separate move, another government agency has vowed to strip wrap-around ads off public utility vehicles since these have been used to conceal busted parts of vehicles.

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TOP OF THE HEAP Television is still king in the Philippines even as smartphones and tablets have turned media into a mobile experience. Nielsen data point to a staggering 97% had “watched TV yesterday”, making it the most accessed medium. Advertisers agree, plowing more funds into the medium – 18% more in the first half of this year, based on ratecard values, over the same period last year.

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BUSINESS EVERYDAY BusinessMirror became the world’s first business title to publish seven days a week, bucking the global trend of newspapers cutting back staff and pages. The country’s leading business newspaper began publishing its weekend editions on October 19, and also launched a mobile app to reach out to a younger audience who take their news mobile.

REALITY CHECK Elsewhere in the world, the year has been more doom than just gloom for print. In the US, newspapers are expected to lose US$1bn in advertising revenue. Other troubling signs include Reader’s Digest’s parent company filing for bankruptcy protection, its second in four years, Time Warner hiving off its struggling magazine division, which includes the storied Time magazine, effectively removing the Time portion in the parent company’s name. Then came news that the 125-year-old International Herald Tribune is no more since the New York Times rechristened it the International New York Times in October, a decade after becoming the newspaper’s sole owner.

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2013 media buys Media buys that took agencies out of their comfort zone

oyie pingol

Business Unit Head Starlink, Starcom MediaVest Group “To Filipinos, water is water; there’s hardly any differentiation. To establish credibility, our competitors have taken to endorsements from doctors, even celebrities. To win after a two-year hiatus, we needed to create relevance and credentials without any material or asset to begin with. Nobody knows more than moms, as moms seek the advice of fellow moms when it comes to their families. We engaged moms by asking them to share their personal stories of love and care. Five of the top stories were featured in leading parenting magazines, while the top story was brought to life using a platform close to moms’ heart – a mini-drama series which we produced.

This consumer-generated content allowed us to converse with moms in a language familiar to them and highlighted the brand’s credentials as moms’ trusted and safe partner.”

liam capaTi

Media Director, Starcom MediaVest Group “As part of a purposive push button crisis management initiative this year, agility in responding to the unexpected was necessary and entailed close collaboration with several parties involving several moving parts in the process, weather notwithstanding. It was a complex undertaking that was rewarding in its own right and went beyond what is traditionally asked of a media agency.”

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Jam de guzman Director for Media Services, Dentsu Philippines

“The most difficult/complex media buys we worked on in 2013, by far, has to be the Philippine Department of Tourism’s ‘It’s More Fun In The Philippines’ campaign.

The sheer number of buys, spread across multiple international markets, and using virtually all types of mediums, made it a monumental planning and execution challenge. The resulting tourism numbers though were worth it.”

aRuna naTaRaJan Managing Partner, OMD International

“OMD helped our client, Standard Chartered Bank, partner with The Economist to create a debate on the subject of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility has nothing to do with charity’. This was executed through a social online media platform. This was one of the most complex campaigns we executed this year, because it went well beyond just media placement. First, we needed to get the audience interested in the topic and then we needed them to

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participate in the debate and contribute to the topic. Also, the conversation needed to be moderated continuously in order for the debate to be meaningful.

We accomplished all of this through a combination of paid, owned and earned media and with very close collaboration among the client, the agency and the media owner.”

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VeRon agusTin Media Director, Starcom MediaVest Group

eduaRdo mapa JR Chief Innovation Officer, Havas Media China

“New technology is changing the ways media agencies operate including how we buy media. The most innovative media buy we have mounted in 2013 is in digital.

Through our global partnership with Kenshoo – a premier global technology solutions provider in search and social – we are able to permutate social ads, creating 100+ ads in an instant with only a set of headlines, body copy and thumbnails.

This allows us to optimize as granularly as possible to show which pairings generate the highest efficiencies.”

gong sung-Won Managing Director, UM Korea

“The biggest challenge we faced with the way we did campaigns was to identify how to chase down the elusive Pinoy. With media convergence, it becomes less and less about just doing mainstream on-air campaigns, but more about creating relevant experiences.

For a campaign we mounted for a kids’ vitamins brand, we went down to the local communities in different provinces and invested in spending time with the moms we wanted to talk to. We listened to their stories and then customized our activations around their real needs and aspirations. It was not only offering a one-time activity, but investing in a sustainable experience.

This was the best complement to an onair thematic presence. Long after we’ve gone off-air, the consumers remember and continue to value the brand.”

FRancis nicole cRuz

Associate Media Director, Carat Philippines “Collaborating with TV5 to come up with our own show – Boracay Bodies, on its primetime block. It’s easier to just sponsor a regular show with the brand owning a segment, but I haven’t seen a brand

Bharad Ramesh Head of Trading and BhaRadVivaKi Ramesh Partnerships, Head of Trading Southeast Asia and Partnerships, VivaKi Southeast Most excitingAsia media buy: Regionally,

we work with a few clients on outcomebased remuneration.

So for every “As part of a purposive push button outcome delivered (an email address, crisis management initiative this phone number, sale, shift in to brand year, agility in responding the metrics...), we get a ‘cut’. What is unexpected was necessary and exciting about this is 1) it’s not just entailed close collaboration with for digital or digitally-led clients. This several parties involving several approach applies even to traditional moving parts in the weather media advertisers.

2) process, It forces clients notwithstanding.

It was a complex to ask themselves some hard questions undertaking that wasofrewarding like ‘what percentage my media in its own right and went beyond dollar actually impacts the sale’. what 3) We is traditionally of a media are able to workasked with media owners on agency.” the same metrics.

enter a primetime spot within the top 3 networks and actually put up their own show. Everything was coursed through us, from talents to the script, and even the production timeline. As a brand which only comes alive during summer, it certainly made its mark as the show became the highest rating program every Saturday for all of its eight episodes. The scope of work for media practitioners is truly growing continuously, dependent only on how creative you can get. We are already in talks with TV5 for season 2.”

“Our most innovative buy was UM Korea’s Windows 8 branded train.

This immersive experience on Seoul subway, built brand awareness and maximized Win8’s reach to core audiences – students, key influencers and office goers. At the same time, devices were brought on board to acquaint commuters with its borderless devices that enabled them to connect with friends, families and loved ones on the go.”

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2 13 2013 review digital

DIGITAL GAME PLAN ABS-CBN stepped up efforts to become a power player in digital, hiring Donald Lim, the brains behind MRM Manila’s transformation to digital specialist agency, to drive digital strategy across its entire ecosystem. In that time, the broadcast titan launched a series of major initiatives such as a landmark contentsharing deal to put ABS-CBN News Channel content in front of Yahoo! Philippines’ 2.1 million daily user base, created a fund to turn five crowd-sourced content ideas into webisodes and a groundbreaking partnership to deliver its content and voice, SMS and data through Globe’s platform, making the multimedia player a mobile telco player in its own right.

SMART MOVE As PLDT re-engineers itself into a digital media player, its mobile arm Smart took a step forward, becoming both a media platform and marketing company. With the Smart Mobile Advertising service, the telco promises highly-targeted mobile marketing opportunities to advertisers by mining its sizeable database t connect brands with their desired market segment. Smart’s move is not unexpected as telcos across the world have had to reinvent their operations to make up for the loss of voice revenue from internet-enabled services such as Skype.

FASHIONABLY LATE For search titan Google, it was a case of better late than never. After leaving the field wide open to Yahoo! for five years, the search titan finally landed in the country on January 23 and hit the ground running to make up for lost time.

Initiatives included the launch of a one-stop hub for mid-term election-related news, Cebuano translation facility, the Cloud Developer Challenge, hosted the Google Entrepreneurs Week, backed the first Women on the Web Philippine Summit and unveiled the Knowledge Graph.

Just don’t ask where its office is – Google may be a font for all search needs but this doesn’t extend to revealing its office location.

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FACEBOOK ADDICTION It’s fair to say Filipinos are addicted to social media, Facebook in particular. According to comScore data released in August, the Philippines is the second-largest Facebook market in the world, behind Brazil but only marginally. Even after Facebook did a spring-cleaning of inactive accounts, the country still has close to 35 million Facebook accounts, making the social network a go-to platform for companies such as Nescafé and brands such as Nescafé among others.

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME Dominant mobile operators Smart and Globe began pilot-testing competitive location-based marketing services, setting a new marketing milestone in the country in anticipation of surging smartphone adoption rates as the cost of the devices fall. Powered by the PLDT Group’s 67.1bn-peso network modernization program, Smart has been testing street-level geo-fencing to provide tailored ads, promotions and deals to its opt-in customer base, while Globe was adding more location-enabled services on its modernized 2G and 3G and new LTE networks.

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EXPANDING ATOM Havas Media mobile specialist Mobext has taken its Atom project region-wide this year. Launched with a 10 million-peso budget as a pilot in the Philippines last year, the program aimed to convert marketer curiosity of mobile marketing into actual use of the medium.

Mobext planned to offer 100 advertisers US$5,000, which is half the recommended budget for a mobile campaign, to spend on mobile, amid soaring growth in smartphone adoption rates across Asia. In the Philippines, Mobext funded campaigns for a host of big-name brands such as McDonald’s, Pond’s, Ayala Malls and Petron.

ROLL-OUTS The year saw a number of digital launches in the Philippines from established agencies. DM9JaymeSyfu unveiled Di9it headed by former TV5 online publishing business unit head Carlo Ople and DM9 executive creative director Eugene Demata. GroupM meanwhile completed its acquisition of Netbooster Asia, and kept with tradition by christening the agency with a name beginning with the letter M – Movent. Publicis Groupe brought its Performics brand to the market through its ZenithOptimedia office, while Activa Media opened its third Southeast Asian office in Manila, led by movie producer and Post Manila and Revolver Studios president Ronald Monteverde. Finally, Aegis Media tapped India-based Vinay Goel for the launch of its digital out-of-home arm Posterscope.

GREAT MINDS? The world’s three internet and search giants coincidentally updated their logos within weeks of each other. Yahoo!, under the new chief, former Googler Marissa Mayer, led the charge, made the first move in early September and was by Bing and Google. “We wanted a logo that stayed true to our roots – whimsical, purple, with an exclamation point – yet embraced the evolution of our products,” Yahoo! explained of the change. Google ditched the drop shadows and flattened the colors of its logo, as part of a redesign of its homepage, while Bing traded its rounder font for a tighter, slimmer option and went from blue to orange as it updated its site.

Never mind the timing, all three appear to have distanced themselves from the child-like exuberance of the early years, for a more serious, grown-up look.

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SMARTPHONE BOOM Local sales of the internetenabled handsets are sizzling.

Smartphone take-up in the Philippines for the year to March 2013 climbed 146%, making it the fastest growing market in Southeast Asia. Falling smartphone prices were expected to keep adoption rates high right through the year. Mobile operators are capitalizing on the cheaper handset prices to drive up mobile internet use – in October, Smart launched its Allin Plan priced at 800 pesos based on the affordable Huawei Ascend G610 that allows subscribers to change their set of voice, data and text allocations each month.

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SPENDING SURGE Global digital advertising spend is expected to shoot up 13% this year to US$117.6bn, according to a new forecast from e-Marketer and Starcom MediaVest. The outlay on digital will account for 22.7% of all adspend this year, rising a full quarter, 24.4%, by next year, according to the forecast. Mobile, at just over half of the overall digital spend, is the real growth driver – it will expand by a spectacular 78.7% t end the year at US$15.8bn, helped by the explosion of smartphone use. 20% of the global population has one of these internet-enabled handsets, up from 1.5% in 2008.

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2013: A digital marketing retrospective Momentum builds from a banner year Words CARlo oplE

2013 was a banner year for the digital marketing industry. The collective body of work, as evidenced by the number of metals handed out in the recent Boomerang Awards, showed a deeper and more strategic understanding of digital and the role that it plays in the marketing mix. We also saw a string of wins in international award shows and this just goes to show that the level of the craft locally has steadily improved. Here are some of the key trends and learnings for 2013 along with a look at what potentially 2014 holds for all of us: MoRE dEfINEd CusToMER jouRNEYs In 2011-2012 the usual customer online journey ended with them going to Facebook and clicking “Like” on the brand page. While that still happens today, more and more digital marketers are coming up with more full-circle campaigns that ends with either an online purchase or drive-tostore.

One really good campaign that comes to mind was the mobile couponing project of McDonald’s where users could pick and get free discount coupons on their

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phones by going to a mobile website. Then all they needed to do was show the digital coupon to the store to redeem the discount or freebie.

CoNTENT Is kINg If someone bothered counting, 2013 would probably be the year that yielded the highest number of “produced” viral videos and content. 2012 was a great springboard year for content marketing because a lot of summits and conferences zeroed in on that particular pillar of digital. A lot of agencies and brands embraced this and experimented with it in 2013.

More than the videos, a lot of brands have been more aggressive and strategic with their content mix for social media.

From produced infographics to branded memes, we’ve practically seen it all already including full shoots with a scale that would dwarf the usual print campaign.

RIsE of oNlINE sToREs There’s no doubting that e-commerce is growing at an incredible pace and even more so this year. Driving the growth are the local deal group-buying sites, seasonal sales of airline companies, and aggressive marketing by online shops like Lazada and Zalora. We also started seeing more “boutique” online shops like Pormada, Ava, and Galleon that offer curated items. These combined efforts created a credit card base that brands can now tap and market to.

o pi nio n / w ear able t ech

Given a certain target market, it actually makes sense for brands to put up an online store now and we’ve seen several that have do so this year. Companies such as MyPhone, Smart, Resorts World, and Nestlé have led the way and there are definitely more coming in 2014.

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Wearable tech Juniper sees an explosion in sales of devices that can be worn for self improvement

INTEgRATIoN foR AgENCIEs One of the biggest reasons why we’re seeing a lot of idea-led and not technology-led digital campaigns lately is because of the deeper integration of abovethe-line (ATL) and digital agencies. Most agencies these days actually offer the entire gamut of creative work, including digital, under one roof. The key really is integration on an operational level across all departments and this allows a rather young practice (digital) to tap into the decades of aTL experience for creativity and ideation.

AffoRdAblE loCAl sMARTpHoNEs pAVINg THE WAY foR MobIlE Lastly, but most importantly, is a significant trend we’ve spotted on the technology side. In the last 10 months one particular industry that has seen tremendous growth is the local branded smartphone business. Companies such as Starmobile, MyPhone, Cherry Mobile, and Cloudfone are dominating the sub 10,000-peso smartphone category and they’re offering superb value-for-money with their products. You can actually get a fully-functional 3G Android smartphone (touchscreen) for less than 3,000 pesos these days.

We feel that this is one of the most important developments for 2013 that will affect 2014 and 2015.

More and more Filipinos are going online and they’re actually meeting the internet for the first time not on their laptops but on the 3-inch screens of their smartphones. It also helps that telcos like Smart and Globe are offering more aggressive data packages.

This frontier is the most exciting part of digital because it sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and technology. Think of these devices not as phones anymore but a new type of canvass for innovative and effective ideas If there’s one thing that’s sure, it’s that digital will continue to evolve and change at an incredible pace.

And that, we believe, is the biggest challenge for any digital marketing professional. We have to keep sharpening our saws because the moment we ignore the signs we might get left behind.

Carlo Ople is managing director and partner of Di9it, DM9JaymeSyfu’s digital agency, and is founder and editor-inchief of gadget site Unbox.ph and digital news site The New Media

Hoping to find Nike’s new ‘FuelBand’ activity tracker or Jawbone’s UP fitness band under your Christmas tree?

You’re not alone. The market for wearable technology devices – smart watches, glasses and trackers – is set to explode from US$1.4 billion this year to US$19 billion in 2018, according to Juniper Research.

Here’s a roundup of the leading players.

Only Google Glass is not available as a stocking filler this year.

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google glass Dubbed by Time as one of the “Best Inventions of the Year 2012”, this hotly anticipated wearable computer and augmented reality form of eyewear is expected to finally hit the market in 2014 after some delays. Glass uses many of Google’s existing applications such as Gmail, Google Now and Google Maps; third-party developers are actively building free apps for news, facial recognition, social network sharing and more. Google has since announced a music feature, allowing Glass users to search for songs, scan saved playlists and listen to music in high fidelity.

It’s the stuff you shouldn’t do with Glass that’s particularly tempting. No retail price has been set – a pair in the Glass Explorer test program is US$1,500.

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FiTBaRk With the eye-watering sums spent on pets these days, it was only a matter of time before activity tracker developers saw the opportunity to cross species. Dubbed the “Nike Fuelband for Fido”, this tiny waterproof wearable technology promises to help in pet parenting. FitBark keeps users connected to their dogs, tracking their activity levels for insights to better guide pet owners in taking action when necessary.

Sadly, FitBark doesn’t include GPS to help in finding Fido when lost. Priced at US$149.

JaWBone’s up and FiTBiT Flex Both compete with high-tech, wristband activity trackers, a segment that is attracting greater interest from all the big guns in tech.

UP comes from a company that – like Apple – combines form with function. It promises to help users “know yourself better”. Users can track how they eat, move and sleep, with a wristband that can take them from sleep to shower and beyond, including contact sports. Syncing with mobile phones (both Android sets and iPhones), UP enables a user to check his progress towards an active lifestyle, analyzing activity and sleep levels and nutrition to prompt users to take action when needed to improve fitness levels. UP is priced at US$130 and FitBit Flex at $100.

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Finis nepTune audio playeR nike+FuelBand se The SE stands for second edition of a wristband activity tracker that nudges users to up activity intensity levels and doubles up as a watch with LED display. The latest version of this intuitive tracker is one of the sleekest around. The SE version features embedded Bluetooth Smart technology for the first time for constant syncing with iPhones (but not Android handsets) and longer battery power. The SE range comes in several striking colors – from crimson to pink, yellow as well as the familiar all-black version. However, there is no wake-up alarm like UP or Fitbit. Priced at US$149.

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A significant upgrade on Finis’ five-year-old SwiMP3 underwater headsets, already one of the best on the market. Like its predecessor, Neptune uses the revolutionary bone conduction technology to deliver music, audio books or podcasts underwater. All components have been redesigned with this device, which essentially transmits music through users’ cheekbones. No ear buds necessary. Neptune doubles the storage of SwiMP3 with 4GB of memory, waterproof to 3m and has improved file transfer compatibility with iTunes. Priced at US$159.99.

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Viral videos and memes from adland When creativity needs refueling, these things happen

ace saaTchi & saaTchi calendaR Boys Ace Saatchi & Saatchi has this hobby of creating movies or viral videos for their officemates – it can be for farewell, birthday or any other type of celebrations. But this video caught our attention, not with the half-naked men washing cars, but the idea that they shot it in front of Saatchi House in the day time – with jeepneys and passers by in the background.

The cReaTiVe conFessional It is no secret that advertising is one of the most demanding professions in the world.

For everything frustrated ad men can’t (or won’t) share in public, they have the Creative Confessional. www.thecreativeconfessional.com

leVel up! games inc. cReaTiVe depaRTmenT haRlem shake While we won’t pretend to know what’s it like to spend our days and nights programming computer games, this video of Level Up! staff loosening up with a rousing performance of the ‘Harlem Shake’ shows that they sure do know how to let loose and have some fun.

ddB ellen adaRna coVeR Local sexy star Ellen Adarna’s workout video may have been shared thousand of times but this version from DDB Philippines deserves just as much love for the effort expended, from the clothes, to the angles and editing, to the props and the font used in the credits.

Black sWan RanTs A local version of the Creative Confessional which started a couple of years ago, Black Swan Rants never stops ranting anonymously. Written mostly in the vernacular, the interactions between creative departments, clients and their account executives have rarely been so entertaining. www.advertisingblackswanrants.tumbler.com November-December 2013

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HIGH-END TOYS A trio of iconic brands launched this year in the Philippines, drawn by a growing economy that has fattened consumer wallets. Enduring marque, Rolls-Royce, motored into town with an eye-watering price tag that is unlikely to faze the super-rich looking for new symbols of luxury. American icon Harley-Davidson’s arrival in town was announced by a parade of 80 of its monster choppers that headed to Bonifacio Global City for an outdoor concert. Making its return journey to the market, Volkswagen pulled out all the stops to bring its idea of “mobility for all” to local consumers in a new partnership with Ayala Automotive Holdings.

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REVERSAL OF FORTUNES Dismissing an upstart challenger – especially one that elicited a cult-like response even before launch – was a major miscalculation for Nokia and Blackberry. Once the mobile brands to beat, both were laid low by the arrival of Apple’s iPhone, culminating in an ignominious downfall within months of each other this year. Microsoft snapped up Nokia’s devices and services unit for US$7.2bn, a fraction of the company’s US$132bn value five years ago when it failed to capitalize on its early use of touchscreen technology, which Apple did.

Valued at about US$80bn in 2007, Blackberry was sold to a private group for US$4.7bn, after bleeding red ink adter it too failed to take the upstart challenger seriously.

SPACE RACE Three Filipinos have been picked to compete for a trip of a lifetime as part of a global ‘Axe Apollo’ Space Academy campaign to send 23 men on a pioneering suborbital space flight in 2014. The Philippines drew the fourth-highest number of hopefuls in the world – a 31-year-old Philippine Air Force lieutenant and a 24-year-old Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate were left standing in a final test of endurance that started with more than 28,000 competitors. For the real icing on the cake: Graphic artist Ramil Montalvo Santos also made the cut in a raffle pick, giving our industry bragging rights, even if it’s only vicariously.

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APPLE’S SHINE Samsung may be selling more handsets these days, but Steve Job’s brand remains the apple of consumers’ eye. Both Interbrand and Millward Brown have Apple as their Most Valuable Global Brand for 2013. Thanks to its shiny array of must-have gadgets, Apple dethroned Coca-Cola, which had ruled Interbrand’s ranking for the past 13 years, and maintained its pole position in Millward’s BrandZ index. Interbrand pegged Apple’s worth at US$98.3bn and BrandZ at US$185bn. Samsung is still streets behind but is coming up fast – it was ranked 8th by Interbrand and 30th in BrandZ.

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POWER OF TWO Asia’s largest low-cost operator AirAsia and Zest Air went from strategic partners to rebranding as a joint operation with a new name and logo. Now known as AirAsia Zest, the rebranded airline is pitching itself as ‘The right way to fly’ with a fleet of 13 aircraft and services and nine domestic and four international routes out of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

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RUM BUZZ Yet another Philippine rum brand is taking a crack at the global market, wearing its Asian origins proudly on its custom shaped bottles. In breaking into the challenging US market where Caribbean themed competitors rule, Asia’s oldest rum distillery is retailing two variants as Tanduay Asian Rum. The brand’s global foray comes after sizzling market response to a considerably younger, made-inthe-Philippines rum brand, Don Papa Rum, which launched last year as an upscale tipple.

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GOLD IN THE TRASH Philippine brands are proving there are indeed plenty of riches in the trash. DM9JaymeSyfu’s ‘Smart TXTBKS’ drive using the mobile operator’s excess pile of SIM cards and old mobile handsets has not only been the campaign that keeps on giving for its agency creator but is making education less back-breaking for young kids who can now leave heavy text books behind. Unilever Philippines’ Satchet Recovery Project is helping de-clog the country’s congested drains by turning Surf sachets into bricks and cement pavers. Under the program, consumers can trade in used Surf sachets for 25 free Smart texts at Cebuana Lhuillier outlets nationwide under a partnership to recycle as many as 25 million sachets. It takes about 800 kg of sachets to create 1,000 cement pavers.

SOAP LOVE STORY Giving the old fashioned soap opera a modern twist, Procter & Gamble Philippines bankrolled Must be Love, its first-ever full-length movie in the country. In this coming-of-age Star Cinema produced rom-com featuring the teen love tandem of the moment, a boyish young girl, played by Kathryn Bernardo, embraces her femininity after falling in love with her childhood friend, Daniel Padilla. For the consumer goods giant, it was the perfect stage to showcase its blockbuster brands – Olay, Whisper and Rejoice.

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ADVERTISER WITH POP Apple may have dethroned Coca-Cola from the top of Interbrand’s ranking, but the soft drink purveyor has had other triumphs this year. Clio bestowed its inaugural Brand Icon award on the 127-year old cola favorite, while Cannes Lion named it its Creative Marketer of the Year. Clio saluted Coke’s status as a permanent fixture in popular culture, from helping shape the modern image of Santa Claus to getting the world to sing along to ‘I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke’ while reminding generations about the joy in life’s simple pleasures.

Cannes awarded Coke for its commitment to creative excellence after having amassed 120 awards across multiple disciplines and geographies.

TRUST RUNS DEEP The year has also been one of triumph for PLDT as ‘Screen-Age Love Story’ charmed audiences for its my DSL brand and ‘Smart TXTBKS’ underscored the mobile brand’s commitment in helping school kids. Capping it all, PLDT Home scored Reader’s Digest Platinum Trusted Brand award for its phone service for the ninth year in a row while myDSL won for the seventh straight year. Platinum Awards are reserved for brands earning a trust score that is three times or more of its nearest rival.

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Counting the years adobo recalls notable brand and agency anniversaries in 2013

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With over a million Facebook likes, online shopping site Lazada Philippines unveiled its alternative to malling in April 2012.

Offering a wide array of products and a free Android app, the store created an experience that earned it the Best Online Shopping Mall for 2013 prize from the Golden Globe Annual Awards. Incidentally, Lazada launched at an adobo nights event.

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In 2003, the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game, Ragnarok, was launched in the Philippines, getting bigger and more popular every year since. Aside from helping shape local gaming culture, Ragnarok Online also put the Philippines on the online gaming map – the Ragnarok World Championships, normally held in Korea, came here for its 2008 edition.

The local franchise has since grown to include a mobile edition. A highlight of the anniversary celebration was the hosting of the Ragnarok Philippine Championship Season 2 Finals in September, with the country’s best teams competing for the coveted RPC 2013 Season 2 crown.

nike ‘JusT do iT’

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The highest selling video game franchise under the PlayStation brand, Gran Turismo, celebrated 15 years of virtual driving and car racing following its 1998 worldwide released. Five years in the making, GT was release to widespread and critical acclaim.

It has since sold more than 70 million units sold worldwide for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable.

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It’s one of the world’s best known taglines but few realize how creator David Wieden of Wieden+Kennedy came up with it. In 1988, Wieden recalled the last words uttered by notorious killer Gary Gilmore at his execution some 11 years earlier: “Let’s do it.” The agency founder tweaked the idea and ‘Just Do It’ was born, a tagline that has stood the test of time for the sports footwear and apparel brand. In marking this milestone, Nike launched ‘Possibilities’ campaign featuring a 90-second commercial with its A-list stars LeBron James and Serena Williams fronting the spot and actor Bradley Cooper narrating it.

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Tupperware Brands Philippines marked its 20th year as a distributor of the 20th century’s recognized product lines – Tupperware Kitchenware, Colour Collection, Baby Care +, and Pop Shop.

In celebrating the milestone, the company launched ‘Confidence Is My New Beauty Mark1’, a promotional video encouraging women to share their own source of confidence so others would also discover their own strengths. The campaign led to the ‘Search for Women of Confidence,’ who were selected based on their inspiring life stories

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ToyoTa moToR philippines Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) stamped its mark as the country’s leading automotive marque and is on course to setting a new sales record this year. To mark the landmark year, the distributor shared profits from a quarter century of operating in the Philippines by donating 25 million pesos to its social and humanitarian arm, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, for the TMP School of Technology, which started in September.

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ayala land The crowd at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati encountered an unexpected day of fun in October when Ayala Land distributed free products from different sponsors to celebrate the company’s 25 years of reshaping the country’s skyline.

The ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ series saw the Ayala Land team, together with mascot Ali, host 25Surprises across the country, and surprising random people with various activities. Ayala also launched 25Stories for people to share their stories of Ayala Land through pictures and videos online.

zeniThopTimedia ZenithOptimedia was born 25 years ago in a converted warehouse in Paddington, London, the product of an amalgamation of the media departments of parent companies – Saatchi & Saatchi, BSB, Dorland and KHBB – following the landmark creativemedia agency divorce. Since then, the network has gone through two positioning statements – The ROI Agency to Live ROI – and added new specialist companies. To mark its milestone ZenithOptimedia will take a peek into the coming 25 years with a global futures study out in December.

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Starting life as an ice cream parlor, Jollibee has become by its 35th year the country’s undisputed fast-food brand and the cornerstone of a food empire that encompasses Chinese fare, local barbeque and a pizza chain. Jollibee has made celebrating stronger family ties its anniversary theme, with its campaign ‘Dito sa Jollibee, ang sarap maging pamilya 35 years na’ (Here at Jollibee, it’s nice being a family. It’s been 35 years.).

Accordingly, activities and promotions were lined up centered on promoting positive values and family bonding.

aVon philippines The ‘Company for Women’ launched in the country in 1978 with the purchase of local beauty company Beautifont, which changed its name to Avon Cosmetics, Inc in 1983. The direct sales and marketing group celebrated its anniversary a star-studded gathering highlighting its latest endorsers for its 2,600 sales leader and, franchise dealers.

loWe philippines A night of celebration and camaraderie filled White Space in Makati for Lowe Philippines anniversary bash in September.

Previous employees and past presidents were all present sharing fond memories, performances and testimonials of a house that has gone through multiple name changes. The agency that started life as CA Lintas morphed into SSCB:Lintas, Lintas:Manila, Ammirati Puris Lintas Manila and Lowe Lintas & Partners, before assuming its current moniker. From the agency that started with only 12 people on its payroll, Lowe, today, is one of the youngest of the country’s top 10 agencies.

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Long before the world of hip-hop, skateboarding and punk rock wore the signature Puma Suede shoes, the kicks had shod the feet of Olympic athletes when it launched in 1968. To celebrate 45 years, Puma Suede is launching Puma ‘Sapphire’ limited edition model made in Japan and with only 450 pairs available around the world.

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The Philippine arm of the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables, Dole Philippines (Dolefil) hit the big 5-0 this year. Established in 1963, Dolefil is one of the largest integrated pineapple plantation, cannery and packaging operations in the world since making its first shipment of 30,000 cases of canned pineapple products to Newark, New Jersey, after just two years in operation.

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From a corner bakery in San Juan, Manila, Republic Biscuit Corporation – better known as Rebisco – has grown to become a Filipino favorite with an extensive range of products including biscuits, chocolates, cakes, breads, and other snack items. Showing its energy for life, the company kicked off ‘Rebisco @ 50 The Gold Rush Run’ at the Bonifacio Global City and released a nostalgic anniversary music video, Salamat (Thank you), with scenes remembering Rebisco moments as performed by local hit teleserye actor, Richard Yap.

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From walls at home to the country’s busiest highway, Boysen Paints has been adding color to the country since its launch in 1953 as a repacking company of paint and lacquer thinner under the trade name Columbus. It later acquired the license to manufacture Boysen Paints from the Walter N Boysen Company in Oakland, California. To mark the milestone, Pacific Paint Philippines unveiled its range of PHLPOST Commemorative stamps featuring the Boysen ‘KNOxOUT’ murals.

Boysen Philippines campaigns, especially the latest ‘KNOxOUT’ series created by TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno to turn the capital’s busiest highway into a giant air purifier, has been bringing home its share of awards metal.

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aBs-cBn Classic TV shows made a comeback, while actors both old and new reunited at the Quezon City Memorial Circle as ABSCBN celebrated their 60th anniversary dubbed ‘Kwento ng Kasiyahan: The Grand Kapamilya Weekend’ over two days in October. The country’s longest running television station traces its roots to the first television station, DZAQ-TV, beginning commercial television operations on October 23, 1953 as the first fully licensed commercial television station in the Philippines. The first program that aired was a garden party at the Quirino residence in Sitio Alto, San Juan. Today, ABS-CBN not only reaches homes in the country but across the world with its international offer, The Filipino Channel.

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The country telecommunications pioneer, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), was born after a typhoon hit Eastern Visayas, Bicol Peninsula and Samar in 1928. Then Governor-General Henry L. Stimson approved a bill for a nationwide telephone network to make it easier for people to connect beyond their city networks. Fast-forward to the present, PLDT – now part of business tycoon Manny Pangilinan’s empire – continues to dominate the communications industry, having extended from landlines to dial-up and now high-speed internet services.

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Young & Rubicam, one of adland’s iconic shops, was launched by John Orr Young, a 37-year-old account executive, and Raymond Rubicam, a 30-year-old copywriter, in 1923.

The agency started by doing a brochure for the Quick Tipper, a device for making shoelaces at home, and creative for wheatbased Postum, a non-caffinenated coffee alternative made memorable with catchy headlines such as ‘Why men crack’ to dramatize the dangers of drinking coffee.

Today, this storied brand is a US$1.98bn revenue earner, according to AdAge, with 186 offices in 90 countries, and clients such as Campbell’s Soup Company, ColgatePalmolive, Danone, Virgin Atlantic, Xerox, Revlon, GAP, Land Rover, Telefonica and many others.

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Paula Tempongko Product Manager Del Monte Philippines

Hazel Cabuay Online Advertising Manager TV5

Mich Bustamante Mobile Advertising Manager Smart Communications

ye ar- ender Nikki Arriola Marketing Manager Rogue Media, Inc.

Macy Magpayo IMC Manager Coca-Cola Philippines

Anna Legarda Country Brand PR Manager Procter & Gamble Philippines

Karen Co Senior Brand Manager Johnson & Johnson Philippines

Brand Mavens

Resplendent in formal attire between lighting and camera set-ups, one could be forgiven for mistaking these ladies for professional models at their latest fashion shoot. Of course, it just so happens that these particular talents spend their days managing the marketing agendas of some of the nation’s largest, most important brands. After all, nobody ever said you couldn’t be brilliant at what you do and look fantastic doing it.

Words Mikhail Lecaros Photography Dan Harvey of Parallax Studios Art Direction Victor Garcia Makeup Andrew Ferraris, Tin Rodriguez & Nadj Zaragoza Hair Mayve Canamo & Ron Ross Stylist Clint Catalan and Abir Asda of clintworm.com Gowns courtesy of Eric delos Santos and Anna Legarda venue pool bar, raffles makati special thanks to eugene tamesis, monique toda & bianca rodriguez

Love Fernandez Asst. Marketing Manager Starbucks Philippines

Joseph Aruta Brand Manager Jollibee Food Corp.

Lawrence Cua Marketing Manager BDO Rewards

Cesar Avena Brand Manager Emperador Light

Art Sale

The of the

As they gather at the neighborhood pub, ready for a night on the town, it becomes readily apparent that this assemblage of dapper gentlemen is no random bunch of thrill seekers looking to have a good time. Individually, they represent the interests of some of the biggest brands in the country; together, the smartly-dressed pack is the personification of a generation that knows the importance of paying one’s dues and, of course, playing as hard as you work.

Words Mikhail Lecaros Photography Dan Harvey of Parallax Studios Art Direction Victor Garcia Makeup Andrew Ferraris, Tin Rodriguez & Nadj Zaragoza Hair Mayve Canamo & Ron Ross Stylist Clint Catalan and Abir Asda of clintworm.com Suits courtesy of Onesimus venue long bar, raffles makati special thanks to eugene tamesis, monique toda & bianca rodriguez

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Mike Constantino Country Sales Director Yahoo! Philippines

Oliver Rabatan Marketing Manager Golden Arches Corp.

(McDonald’s)

Mark Bantigue Marketing Manager Groupon Philippines

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Year’s top parties adobo highlights big events and significant parties in 2013

solaiRe ResoRT & casino opens Boasting an architectural design by worldrenowned Paul Steelman, Solaire Resort & Casino opened to great fanfare in March, with a preview party held at the Peninsula Manila. The extravagant resort accommodations and high-end gaming facilities is set to reshape the face of Manila’s casino scene.

adoBo seVenTh high Before setting records at the Philippine Quill Awards this year, adobo magazine marked its 7th year at Buddha Bar Manila as the Philippine advertising industry’s primary source of news and information with a content overhaul and redesign fronted by the ever-lovely Matec Villanueva. Here’s to seven more years of celebrating creativity!

samsung galaxy noTe 3 launch

loWe TuRns 35 Three and a half decades in, Lowe Philippines pulled out all the stops to reunite all of its alumni. Held at White Space Manila, it was a night of nostalgia and remembrance for everyone who helped make the shop one of the 10 best advertising agencies in the country. We’ll drink to that.

hola! deBuTs in manila

As tech-savvy consumers await the next groundbreaking release from Samsung, we look back at the shebang that launched the company’s Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear at SM Aura Premier at Bonifacio Global City in September. With notable celebrities and members of the press in attendance, it was a techie celebration well worth the wait.

The Harbor Garden of Sofitel Philippine Plaza was the site of HOLA! Philippines’ launch party. A franchise of Yes!, the vent was hosted by TV actress and model Solenn Heussaff and HOLA! Philippines editor-in-chief Jose Mai Ugarte. The event, complete with overflowing drinks, was attended by high profile personalities in the entertainment industry.

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aBs-cBn @ 60 Crowds packed Quezon City Circle for an event-filled weekend that bore witness to a milestone for the Philippines’ pioneer television network. As ABS-CBN turned 60, complete with performances from entertainers current and classic, , it was a weekend that tugged at the heartstrings and nostalgia of everyone involved.

shoes aucTion FoR a cause Designers turned shoes into works of art as part of Marikina City’s shoe festival, the ‘Mayor’s Gala: A Benefit Dinner’. Featuring designs by prominent names in art and style like Andre Chang, Brian Tenorio, Kristel Yulo, Leeroy New, Maco Custodio, Nereku and Vania Romoff, proceeds from the event, which included an auction, went to relief operations in the Visayas and the ‘Sapatero Scholarship Fund’ in Marikina City.

hoWaRd shoWs his moVes FoR adidas

saRah Jessica paRkeR lighTs up auRa’s aRRiVal SM Aura opened in May with Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker up front and center as the first endorser of the rebranded SM Store. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon, members of the media and fans welcomed the actress as VIPs and fans alike crowded for a chance to meet the Sex and the City star.

The adidas ‘Signature Shots’ event and NBA Global Games Philippines brought Houston Rockets star and Olympic Gold medalist Dwight Howard to the country. Apart from the Houston Rockets’ pre-season game with the Indiana Pacers at the Mall of Asia Arena, basketball fanatics of all ages congregated at the MOA Atrium for a demonstration of Howard’s legendary cager skills.

leBRon James in manila NBA Superstar and two-time champion Lebron James of the Miami Heat visited the Philippines for the first time in July. As part of his ‘Witness History Tour’ for Nike, James showcased his signature basketball moves at the Mall of Asia Arena and joined in a training session with students and professional teams. An exhibit of 10 pairs of the LEBRON X – decorated by various Filipino graphic designers, architects, tattoo artists and toy creators – was also a highlight.

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unlikely pairings Head-scratching brand-celebrity partnerships

Vice ganda Funtastyk Tocino

deRek Ramsay Dunkin’ Donuts

We don’t really know which is more of a headscratcher, the notion that Vice Ganda is a credible source on the source of one’s pork products or the the oh-so-suggestive tagline that younger tastes better.

Because marketing would have us believe that nothing says Dunkin’ Donuts to us like Derek Ramsay’s washboard abs?

anne cuRTis

daniel padilla

Ok, we get the (flimsy) rationale behind the ‘Anne Curtis’ Choice’ and ‘Live Like a Star’ campaigns for SMDC. But having her endorse both sides of the Ateneo/DLSU real estate fence is just asking too much.

Okay, the “medyo Bad Boy” thing was a stroke of genius, but having the kid go so far as to emulate his famous uncle’s staccato tough-guy diction to endorse...butter?

Colonel Sanders would be shocked.

SM Development Corporation

KFC Butter Chicken

Jean claude Van damme Volvo Trucks

The Muscles from Brussels waxing lyrical about the highs and lows of his life while executing the most ridiculous split in history between two moving trucks against a golden sunrise as Enya’s “Only Time” plays?

Priceless.

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JusTin BieBeR OPI Nail Polish

Seeing as Justin Beiber’s PR woes would make for a fascinating case in and of themselves, seeing products like this remind one of the good ‘ol days when people thought he was a girl.

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2013 review design

2 STEP FORWARD Designers have hailed the Philippine Design Competitiveness Act, passed in record time by its backers, former Senators Teofisto Guingona III and Manny Villar, as a milestone for the sector. By spurring local development while promoting local design capabilities overseas to generate employment, the Act aims to turn local design muscle into a viable economic sector.

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ADVERTISING ANIMATED Best-known for his awardwinning fantasy comic series Mythology Class and noir-fantasy graphic novel Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat, Arnold Arre returned to his advertising roots for his firstever animated featurette. Milky Boy – originally the second chapter of a three-part graphic novel of different characters working in the business – goes beyond the pleasures and perils of an industry career. It tells a sweet tale of infatuation and friendship. Fingers crossed Milky Boy will make the cut at festivals overseas.

COBONPUE’S COUP Internationally acclaimed designer Kenneth Cobopue opened his first store in the country in early October after a lengthy gestation.

Located in the heart of Makati, the outlet saves buyers a trip to Cobonpue’s factory in Cebu for his whimsical creations such as the Bloom Chair and the Yoda Chair that are more than just furniture.

They are whimsical works of art. Ever the innovator, Cobonpue is breaking with retail practice, inviting store visitors to touch and even sit on the fanciful furniture.

DESIGN WINNERS Leo Burnett Manila and M&C Saatchi Malaysia were the biggest winners at this year’s adobo Design Awards, themed Design with a Purpose. Burnett walked off with a Gold and the Best in Show prize for its broadcast animation ‘Nightlife’ entry for WWF, while M&C scored nine metals, the night’s biggest haul. Burnett’s entry clearly struck a chord with Jury President Thomas Yang, DDB Singapore‘s deputy creative director and head of art: “The whole execution is very well done and every part of the film that reveals each scene are well thought through. This film doesn’t just speak to adults; it speaks to the future generation (our kids) as well, which is more important.”

M&C’s haul included two Golds for SPCA Malaysia’s ‘Desperate Animals’, while TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno amassed seven metals, including Gold for its ‘Lakihan Mo Logo Nights’ entry.

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AIGA ACCLAIM Philippine-born graphic designer and educator Lucille Tenazas added another feather to her cap, becoming one of eight designers honored with AIGA Medal in 2013. Awarded since 1920 by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, since shortened to AIGA, the medal is conferred in recognition of an individual’s exceptional achievements, services or other contributions to the field of design and visual communication. In her more than 30 years in the US, first as a student and later design practitioner and educator, Tenazas has been conscious about developing a distinct design voice – wisdom she imparted at the Ayala Museum Design Talks series this year.

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INTOXICATING BUZZ Negro’s premium Don Papa Rum brand enjoyed an awardwinning second year run, charming international design jurors and drinkers at home and overseas. Its Stranger & Stranger-designed label conveying the brand’s premium positioning scored awards from GD USA Magazine, double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, three Golds (Overall Package, Graphics and Illustration) and Package Design Best of Show honors at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, a packaging prize at the Communication Arts Design Awards and Gold at the International Spirits Challenge. The New York-based design agency harked back to the country’s colonial Spanish era and the country’s native wildlife for inspiration in the label design.

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POP MAKEOVER Pepsi gave its 16- and 20-ounce bottles a new look, its first since 1977, marking a new milestone in its ‘Live for Now’ marketing offensive.

Key elements of the new look include swirled grip on the bottom of the bottle, a shorter label featuring a “cola-colored” border and a larger version of the brand’s current globe logo. The updated look has been introduced for its Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Pepsi Next variants. Pepsi also married soda and fashion, enlisting fashion designer Marc Jacobs to create three limited editions to mark Diet Pepsi’s 30th anniversary this year.

ADOBO TO A T Japanese retailer Uniqlo teamed up with adobo magazine for its line of ‘Creative Journal Directions’ T-shirts, a project featuring the world’s top creatives selected by the editors of participating trade journals. A specialist T-shirt graphic designer, Dimarucot played on Filipinos’ amusement with malapropisms for adobo’s T-shirt. In a fun take on the Filipino penchant for christening businesses with funny names – think Bread Pit or Anita Bakery – love of local candies, Dimarucot recreated Adobe Creative Suite icons as Adobe Creative Sweets.

Dimarucot hit the sweet spot with buyers who snapped up every single T-shirt on sale at the local stores.

GLOBAL AMBITION Doritos has gone through from 25 design variations its quest to become a global brand. The logo for Pepsico’s Frito-Lay tortilla chip brand is made up of bold, graphic elements intersected by an electrified triangle graphic that speaks of the brand’s purpose: ‘Ignite You’. A picture of the chip takes center stage as the core visual element on the packaging. Key graphic trends in gaming, sports, beer, fashion, music and grooming were analyzed to help create a look that would resonate with the target segment.

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POWER OF CROWDS Nescafé is crowd-sourcing the design of a coffee machine in its first-ever Nescafe Dolce ‘Gusto Asian Design Contest’, which ran across eight markets and closed at adobo press-time.

Participants had to design a skin for the brand’s automatic coffee machine, Genio Automatic System, online with the help of a design app. The winning design will be produced as a limited edition Genio for sale in spring 2014.

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pinoys abroad Adding to the country’s advertising and marketing diaspora

aRVin sanchez

JonaThan yaBuT Bursting with confidence, this UP graduate, Glaxo SmithKline alumni, marathoner, wannabe food entrepreneur and canny strategist bested 11 others from across the region to become Apprentice Asia’s first winner. With that came a move to Kuala Lumpur for a year-long stint as chief of staff for Tony Fernandes, the self-made tycoon behind the AirAsia empire and the reality show’s Asian franchise holder. As his busy Twitter feed shows, this proud Pinoy – he had a flag pin throughout the series and wore a barong for the final task’s charity event – is still in competition mode.

Sanchez was general manager of Redworks Inc Manila for a little over five years before jetting to Bangkok as managing director of Animated Storyboards.

The full-service production house provides 3D cinematics, 2D animatics, audio and art with its team of illustrators and counts the major network agencies as clients.

Bea aTienza

Romasanta is something of a pro at relocation.

In January, he returned for his second stint in Bangkok, both times with Pepsico, in a career that began in the Philippines in August 2004. His last Bangkok-based stint was for nearly three years in 2007 as Asia Pacific business unit marketing director for non-carbonated beverages. This time, it’s as Asia Pacific marketing director for colas, where he recently helped bring Mountain Dew, sold in a unique neon bottle, back to the kingdom after a hiatus of decades.

One of the industry’s young digital stars, Atienza, left mid-year for Shanghai for sister McCann Worldgroup agency, Commonwealth, filling a digital strategic planning role for the shop’s biggest account, Chevrolet. Before her making the move to China, Atienza was digital planning director at MRM Manila and, in her 17 months scooped up a few honors including McCann Worldgroup’s global Rising Star crown.

“The language barrier has kept things interesting! But I have mastered Chinese for laowai (foreigners) – about 15 phrases that get you where you need to go and allow you to shop for what you need. My parents visited recently and said that my Chinese is fantastic. Anyone who can actually speak Chinese here would burst out laughing if they heard that.” Despite its pace, Atienza says Shanghai has actually made it possible to have a worklife balance. “We still have our late nights and some weekly evening conference calls but OT has become the exception rather than the norm it was in Manila.”

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sTeVe RomasanTa

eduaRdo mapa JR. This self-described loyal soldier of Havas made his second jump to an overseas role in August as Havas Media China’s chief innovation officer, some 13 years after his first posting to a Southeast Asia role in the network’s Singapore base. A veteran of advertising, media and digital, Mapa’s flair for innovation in setting up Media Contacts caught the eye of Havas’ bigwigs looking to profit from his brand of thinking in China. For Mapa, it means getting to grips with a monster media market that is already has the world’s largest base of internet and mobile iOS and Android users and the biggest QR code consumption.

aRlene amaRanTe Amarante packed her bags for her new Yahoo! role in Singapore in May after nearly four years of building the brand in what was, until early this year, Google-free terrain.

Keen to replicate her Philippine success on a broader canvas, Yahoo! plucked its Philippine country ambassador and sales director for the Southeast Asia head of display advertising position, Amarante’s first overseas assignment after 27 years working in variety of corporations in the country, including Microsoft Advertising as country manager-sales, Splash Corporation as president and COO and Motorola Communications as general manager.

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Raymond RodRiguez Toyota Motor Philippines’ first vice president for its marketing division, Rodriguez, left for a two-year assignment with Toyota Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Rodriguez dubbed the move as an “exposure” trip in his interview with Business Mirror. Rodriguez left on a high: Toyota Philippines achieved its best-ever year in 2012, capturing a nearly 35% share of the market to secure its 11th triple crown for the highest sales volume overall and in passenger and commercial vehicle sales.

VicToR Joseph yemaT Dr Victor Joseph Yemat headed to Singapore early this year to launch and lead Havas Life Southeast Asia as its healthcare director. A doctor by training, and with an MBA from Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Yemat was managing director of McCann Healthcare and VP of McCann Worldgroup before taking up his third overseas tour of duty following earlier stints to spearhead Publicis and Saatchi health practice start-ups in China. Yemat settled easily enough in the “collaborative” Havas operation and in Singapore. There are a few things though that the good doctor misses about working in Manila: Celebrating victories and drowning sorrows with alcohol, what Yemat calls “VJ Hour”, a staple of his McCann years.

“We would open a couple of vodka and wine bottles at 5pm, and once we were done with the booze and the chichiria, (junk food) we would finish the remainder of the day’s work. Food and alcohol are great peoplebinders, methinks.”

Cloned

01

John mescall McCann Australia The FouRTh docToR Doctor Who

02

Joey ong Aspac Advertising sheen esTeVez Jimmy Neutron

03

maRk TuTssel Leo Burnett maRk addy The Full Monty, Game of Thrones

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The exhibitionists Local agency creatives make time for their art

apol sTa maRia For his first solo outing, JWT’s associate creative director combined his funny signature style with comics for the ‘Oil on Canvas’ exhibition. Reading like a “komik about art”, the 17 pieces of art formed a narrative but could be viewed as stand-alone pieces.

Raizel go Best known for her world of monsters and zombies, the art director and illustrator of gig posters and magazine covers played with food concepts using silk screen, the main medium for Suez and Zapote space. True to form, monsters were part and parcel of Go’s silkscreen ‘Spaghetti & Meatballs’ and other food concepts

aJ dimaRucoT Jp cuison The Publicis JimenezBasic creative director is something of a serial exhibitionist. This time around, he brought his wild imaginings to “misplace” pop culture icons – Homer in the Family’s Guy’s home or Mr. Peanut with the gang from Peanuts. ‘Misplaced’ was his first exhibition featuring silk-screening.

In between handling graphic, web and apparel designs and running his restaurant, the talent behind the graphics of Nike – he created the striking ‘Manila Inferno” design as a new spin for Miami Heat star LeBron James’ shoe – Van and other sports brands found time to exhibit in Team Manila’s new design space. Dimarucot focused on typeface designs.

RoBeRT cham Like his exhibition partner Apol Sta. Maria, the designer, illustrator and teacher had his first solo outing with Headspace. The show was full of “explodey head things”, the fruits of Cham’s obsession with how imagination works. “I’m obsessed with organic stuff, moments of grotesque and beauty mixed in one.”

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November-December 2013

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Trending words

Words enjoying their 15 minutes of fame

Twerking

Phubbing

Seen Zone

Napoles

Big Data

This suggestive dance move has been around at least since the early 90s as part of hip-hop culture, if not longer.

But it took a reed-thin, former Disney child star to bring twerking to your grandma’s notice. Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance may have scandalized viewers, the creator of the foam finger and her ex and earned a nonetoo-subtle dig from Lily Allen but at least her wild twerking was accident-free.

Coined by a University of Sydney team, phubbing describes the habit of ignoring the person in front of you in favor of your mobile phone. Phubbing first appeared on May 22, 2013 and was only recently outed as a teaser to launch Macquarie Dictionary’s 6th edition, a campaign created by this year’s unbeatable awards champ, John Mescall and his McCann Melbourne team. Could it soon be tripping off our tongues, much like ‘Dumb Ways’ insanely infectious lyrics did?

Just when the socially awkward and love-shy thought they had a safe haven in online chatting, Facebook adds a ‘seen’ tag to their chat offer. Read messages are marked in real time, breaking the hearts and the selfesteem of the many who have been relegated to the Seen Zone – the twilight zone where no reply is sent after the message has been seen.

It’s the brutal honesty of technology telling you in no uncertain terms that your online buddy just doesn’t want to speak to you.

It has made ‘seen’ the harshest four-letter word in recent history.

2013’s mega corruption drama unfolded on the small screens with some juicy tidbits.

Particularly memorable were the improbable monikers for two of the alleged senatorial conspirators: Sexy and Pogi (handsome), both at least 20 years out-ofdate. Now the woman behind the alleged 10-billion-peso plunder of national funds, Janet Lim-Napoles, has had her family name immortalized as the acronym for National Assistance Program of Lawmakers Engaged in Swindling.

2013 shall go down as the year that every digital marketing prognosticator named “Big Data” as their term of choice in to describe the confluence of information across multiple platforms.

Truth be told, Big Data is just the latest name for all of the material that communication research majors love to pore through, and demystifying it for clients just may be the ticket to the digital future we’ve been hearing so much about.

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Humble brags, verbal missiles and snark – it’s just another year in adland

Tough Talk

aussie Rules

BuRn

“…they should stop being the silent assassins of our industry. In the meantime, they talk about ‘ideas’ and ‘storytelling’, but, actually, they are killing creativity.”

“Piss weak.”

“Martin Sorrell’s first job was carrying my bags. I made Martin Sorrell.”

Patrick Collister, Ogilvy & Mather’s former vice chairman and ECD and now head of design at Google, savages media agencies in a guest column for The Drum.

Adam Ferrier, founding partner & global head of behavioral science, Naked Communications, on the audience applause for him at Spikes 2013, before blaming his DNA – “I’m Australian” – for his choice phrase.

no loVe losT “Good riddance.”

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on hearing that the embattled Advertising Board had cancelled the 23rd Advertising Congress, originally set for November, on his turf.

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Racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart’s favorite quip of WPP’s head honcho at Spikes 2013.

claRiTy “Stomach-churning, vomit-inducing” Self-proclaimed “internet loudmouth”, Publicis Manila’s Peachy Bretana, who helped galvanize anti-corruption protests, on the Senate livestreaming its hearing into abuses of the Priority Assistance Development Fund.

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word play

Words to retire Going out of fashion faster than you can say cool, here are 10 words that we hope won’t make it to 2014

Crackberry

State-ofthe-art

Viral

noun (crack ber·ry)

Adjective

Adjective (vi·ral)

In the not-so-distant post, this quaint term referred to those who were joined at the hip with what was then a hip device. With its value crashing and its legion of addicts ditching the Blackberry for iPhones and Samsung Galaxys, the Crackberry is an endangered species.

With the next leap forward getting ever shorter, the term doesn’t quite fit the bill to explain the highest level of development in technology, devices, science etc. What about replacement options?

Bleeding edge? The gross-out factor is just too high to make it palatable to anyone but surgeons.

The bane of every digital creative who’s faced a client demanding the agency “make me a viral campaign”. The word dates back to 1996 from a FastCompany article. Retiring this word is no guarantee client requests for viral content will go away anytime soon.

SoMoLo / YOLO

Hashtag

Acronyms

Noun (hash·tag)

(so·co·mo / yo·lo)

Marketers’ mantra for SoMoLo (social, mobile and local) communications and the YOLO (you only live once) excuse to do something outrageous, dangerous or dumb have sort of turned into the language version of Blurred Lines, overplayed all summer long.

Artisan Adjective (ar·ti·san)

Curate

Selfie

Meme

Verb

Noun (sel·fie)

Noun (meme)

“To curate” means to manage and arrange a museum’s collection. A museum’s collection.

It does not mean to select wines for a wine list, songs for a playlist, or dog toys in a store. It does not make you seem smarter or cooler, nor does it lend validity to whatever your endeavor might be, to attempt to equate whatever low-level selection process you’re undertaking with curating a museum collection.

Seeing as this word has pretty much supplanted “Kodak-an’s” place in Philippine vernacular as the photography verb of choice, thanks in no small part to the myriad digital options now available, we think it’s safe to put this one away, even though The Oxford Dictionary has proclaimed it the word of the year.

What started as a self-aware way of expressing oneself on the internet has grown into something resembling selfmockery as everyone from corporate gurus to academicians and even clergy began jumping on the meme bandwagon in an effort to appear in the know.

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November-December 2013

As far as pretentious coopting of words goes, few have endured quite as much abuse as “artisan”, a term now used to describe pretty much any product whose creation involved a modicum of effort. Specialty shops and/or stalls that stock uniquelycrafted offerings notwithstanding, seeing as we live in a world where the likes of Dominos Pizza and Dunkin’ Donuts have both taken to claiming the “artisan” nature of some of their recent offerings, it may be time to let this one go.

As if the pound signphrase combo that debuted by chance when a Twitter user tweeted about a miracle Hudson River plane landing in 2009 wasn’t ubiquitous enough. Now, with a blockbuster IPO under its belt, a growing base of celebrity users – Cameron Diaz just signed up – and rival Facebook mimicking its move, this fast and furious form of communication could well become the way to converse. Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon have shown us how it’s done.

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Top TREATs Favorite foods for anytime (especially OT!)

Ramen We don’t quite remember when the metro got hooked on this Japanese delicacy, but it’s become one of urbanites’ favorite go-to meals. Unless you’re chasing after a deadline, taking the time to seek out a good bowl of ramen beats a cup of instant noodles any day.

cookie BuTTeR Spread on bread, topping your ice-cream or in a pastry, there’s nothing quite like the joy of this sinfully delicious treat.

cRonuTs

salTed caRamel

Culinary snobs can turn their noses up all they want, but there’s no denying that this lovechild of French pastries and the humble donut has caught the attention of many a sweet tooth.

Salty and sweet are two opposites that most definitely make beautiful music together. And you know something’s hit the mainstream when McDonald’s has got it on one of their sundaes.

Tea In a city where the citizens guzzle caffeine as quickly as coffee shops can be built, the rising popularity of tea salons and lounges is definitely something to take notice of.

Classy!

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Things that moved us adobo picks its favorites from around the world

FReshness BuRgeR ‘Liberation Wrapper’ Japan

Based on the Japanese concept of “ochobo”, which in which women’s physical beauty is inversely proportionate to the size of their mouths, this Gold Spike winner for Use of Media handily solved fastfood chain Freshness Burger’s dilemma of marketing their large sandwiches to the fairer sex.

lego

‘Let’s Build’ United Kingdom For Lego’s first TVC in 30 years, they hit this one right out of the park, playing on the world’s inherent love of the beloved plastic bricks and the bond between father and son.

Fantastic.

google ‘Reunion’ India

VolVo TRucks ‘Live test # 6’ Sweden

This one is so simple, we don’t know why it wasn’t done sooner. Featuring a heartwarming series of events that lead to a couple of senior citizens playing in the rain by way of their grandchildrens’ machinations (with a little help from a certain search engine), this one gets you right where it counts.

John leWis

After his award-winning turn in the meta ‘JCVD’, everyone thought that Jean Claude Van Damme had entered a new, serious stage in his career. As The Expendables 2 and his bizarre spots for GoDaddy would go on to show, we were dead wrong, and thank goodness, or else we wouldn’t have been treated to this spot for Volvo Trucks.

From lighting to cinematography to the soundtrack and, of course, the stunt itself, we are literally speechless with joy.

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‘Bear and the Hare’ United Kingdom

Odd-couple pairings are a dime a dozen, but rarely has one been utilized in so effective and moving a manner as this spot featuring the lengths a rabbit would go for his hibernating pal. Excuse us, we have something in our eyes.

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sunshine SUNSHINE aQuaRium AQUARIUM ‘Penguin Navi’ Navi’ ‘Penguin Japan Japan

We’ve count up how many days In orderlost to drum attendance at (and the Sunshine nights) we’ve had atanthe where we Aquarium in Japan, ARoffice app was introduced foundvirtual ourselves wishing that afoot an overlyusing penguins to guide traffic in the enthusiasticdirection. muscleman chocolateappropriate Webearing don’t know about you guys, butwafer even without an app, we the would follow covered sticks would lead staff in penguins to pretty much anywhere. synchronized dance.

caRlTon dRaughT

kiT-kaT

ReThink

At first we thought that it was our undying love for alcohol and 80’s action movies that made this hilarious, but if ‘Beer Chase’s’ string of awards at this year’s festivals is any indication, we’re definitely not too old for this shit.

We’ve lost count how many days (and nights) we’ve had at the office where we found ourselves wishing that an overly-enthusiastic muscleman bearing chocolate-covered wafer sticks would lead the staff in synchronized dance.

We have to salute the audacity of this spot, which sees an agency mock award-mania by using their 3D printer to fabricate 811 Gold Lions, 194 Silver One Show Pencils and a smattering of Agency of the Year metals.

‘Beer Chase’ Australia

‘Swimming’ Philippines

‘The agency with the most awards in the world’ Canada

coRneTTo ‘Roller Coaster’ Philippines

From the very first TVC of a destitute youth trying to get into a club to this one’s budget-friendly trip to the amusement park, the Cornetto series asking viewers how far they can get on 20 Pesos is always good for a laugh.

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Things that moved us adobo’s pick of 2013 web hits

doVe Real BeauTy skeTches men

laTe nighT WiTh Jimmy Fallon #Hashtags

Before a certain telco (that shall remain unnamed) thought that ripping off a sketch that went viral would be a good way to advertise their post-paid plans, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake were laying the smackdown on the now-ubiquitous punctuation mark.

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comedy cenTRal ‘Who’s Better: Thor or Loki?’

Even before Ogilvy São Paulo’s ‘Dove Real Beauty Sketches’ began winning major awards left and right, spoofs were showing up faster than we could keep track. This one, however, is one of the very best.

This spot for Comedy Central in the US made brilliant use of Tom Hiddleston’s starmaking turn as the unabashedly villainous Loki from Marvel films and put him up against foes mightier than anyone the Avengers could throw at him.

neFT Vodka

BBc

Ok, we admit it: If we hadn’t been told that this was a viral video for Russian vodka brand Neft, we never would have known it – not that we’re complaining! Picking up from the now-classic ‘Insane Office Escape’ that blended Go-Pro cameras with ultra-violence, parkour and, yes, teleportation, ‘Bad Motherfucker’ takes everything we loved about the original and cranks it up to 11.

After a slow start, the BBC has inundated their airwaves and the internet with enough Doctor Who-related material to satisfy even the most rabid of fans, but they outdid themselves with this Facebook app that lets users insert their name and photo into the program’s iconic title sequence. More fun than you can shake a sonic screwdriver at.

‘Bad Motherfucker’ (Insane Office Escape 2)

November-December 2013

Insert Yourself in the Doctor Who intro

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list of favorite things Stuff that entertained the industry in 2013

Thomas yang Deputy Executive Creative Director/Head of Art & Design DDB Singapore “A free app call RunKeeper. A personal trainer app that can track your runs, walks and bike rides using GPS on your iPhone. Best gadget: My new bicycle imported from Japan – a Bianchi Lepre Mini Velo, an Italian brand. Suitable for cyclists who want to take it slow and easy. Favorite movie: Gravity. I didn’t get to watch the 3D version but I love the simplicity in the story. It might sound boring that the film stars only Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, but it uses very long and uninterrupted shots throughout to draw the audience into the action. Must watch!”

Bunny aguilaR

Vice President , Communication Channels, Consumer Marketing , Globe Telecom

“Best read: The Holy Bible. Reading it with maturity makes it really the best life coach book. Best app: Path, my new photo album. Best buy: The new Toyota Vios, a fuel efficient car that looks good. Favorite movie: On The Job, a world class Pinoy action movie, and my favorite TV show is My Husband’s Lover, a groundbreaking Pinoy soap with good script, acting and direction.”

paul aBeaR Senior Corporate Marketing Officer, Avida Land “Favorite movie of 2013: Pacific Rim. Most critics would say that the movie is overrated but I remember some of my friends and batch mates over Facebook talking about how the movie should be enjoyed as a kid – to let your inner kid out. It’s just pure awesome for me, having the mix of Japanese monster (Godzilla) and Mecha culture (Gundam) although I’m not really a fan of anime. A really big screen treat for all ages!”

Tony haRRis Chief Executive Officer, BBDO Guerrero\Proximity “Two surprises from stories I thought I knew, but imaginatively presented. Firstly, Mick Wall’s When Giants Walked The Earth, a retelling of Led Zeppelin’s story which showed the power-play within the band but depicted real character. On TV, I loved Mr. Selfridge – the charming tale of how modern shopping evolved was both uplifting and moving. If you loved Downton Abbey, I recommend the second but probably not the first.”

nicole BulaTao Digital Marketing Head, Nestlé Philippines “The Skeptoid Podcast (available on iTunes and www.skeptoid.com). There are all sorts of claims – supernatural, health-related, historical, political – floating around 21st century culture.

The Skeptoid podcast takes on one claim every week, examining it critically and calling out nonsense. It’s a bracing, fun and smart 10 minutes, and exactly the kind of thing a practical girl like me enjoys.”

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list of favorite things Stuff that entertained the industry in 2013

alBeT Buddahim

Digital activation and business transformation head, Avon Philippines

James huRman Managing Director, Y&R New Zealand “Best read: This is a little tricky, as I’m waiting for my copy of The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton to arrive. Eleanor is a young New Zealand author and The Luminaries just won the Booker Prize. You can’t get it anywhere right now – but it’s on order and I bet it’ll end up being the best thing I read this year. So – bird in the hand is Jon Ronson’s The Psychopath Test. I started reading it when I woke up one morning and couldn’t get out of bed until it was done. A brilliant look at psychopathy from a writer who is a kind of combo of the ethnographic skills of Louis Theroux and the comedy skills of Louis CK. Lorde’s album Pure Heroine is the best thing I’ve downloaded this year. She’s just turned 17, she’s from my town and, as I write this, her single Royals has been #1 on the US Billboard chart for six straight weeks. The album is amazing, and watching Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry getting schooled by a brainy, goth-y, feminist teenager from Auckland has been awesome.

Best movie: The 20-minute one-take conversation between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke in Before Midnight was something else. Date night perfection. TV show: Derek, a whole new frontier in doing comedy with genuine heart. It’s the best thing Ricky Gervais has done.”

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“Best read: Marketing in the Participation Age by Daina Middleton – opened my eyes on why psychographics (understanding intrinsic motivations and human behaviors on preferences/choices) need to go hand-inhand with demographics (purchase power).

Best gadget buy: Flashlight – very handy in the house when looking for something underneath the house and in cinemas, and car seat for my baby who goes into silent mode when sitting on it. Favorite movie: The Internship showed how much the world has changed and it gave me a tour of the Google complex and the cool workplace practices that can be re-applied by other companies to encourage innovative thinking. Favorite TV show: Brain Game – very insightful and makes me aware of the power as well as limitations of the human brain.”

elyse Bella

Group Account Director, Dentsu “Best app of 2013: Viber – it brought out the digital mom in me which took me a while to download as I’ve forgotten my password! (sorry late bloomer). Makes communication easier and more convenient. The app is helpful especially when abroad for cheaper calls, SMS and MMS.”

eugene Tamesis

Director of Sales & Marketing, Raffles and Fairmont Makati “Favorite download: Zedd’s Clarity (featuring Foxes, Tiesto Remix]. Heard the original version on radio but did not know the title. I had to ask my 11-year-old daughter. Was not expecting her to know but she blurted out ‘Zedd’. How times have changed, my daughter knows more than me now – at least when it comes to new songs!”

Jimmy lee Creative Director, Cheil Singapore.

“Gravity. A heavy heart weightless in loneliness… on another note, I need to get back into diving.”

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sheila gonzales

Creative Director, Ren Partnership Singapore “Best read: The Postmortal by Drew Magary — one of those books you grab as you queued for the cashier and end up totally enthralled by it. This novel suggests a world where a cure for ageing is discovered. Best download: Boy George’s King of Everything – He’s back with original material after 18 years! Makes you realize the guy has a great voice. Favorite movie: The World’s End – I’m a big fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ever since Shaun of the Dead so I make sure I don’t miss any of their films. As usual I wasn’t disappointed.

Favorite TV show: Foyle’s War – since discovering Tunnel Bear (this VPN app should also be in my best buys of 2013), I constantly tune into the Beeb via iPlayer and ITVPlayer where I follow this powerful, well-written war drama set in the middle of WW2 in Hastings. It’s actually an old series from early 2000, which sadly, ended this year.”

paul pRince

CEO & Founding Partner, The Sweet Shop “Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

This book wasn’t written in 2013, I just happened to read it on my current trip the US. It is the collective musings of Henry David Thoreau between 1845 and 1847, while he built himself a small house in the woods, by Walden Lake, on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s property. It’s an intriguing read of a man’s thoughts, on a simple life, with philosophical insights on man’s societal needs and his relationship to nature.

Something frighteningly real at this moment in time.”

paul RoeBuck

Chief Executive Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and Malaysia

aRThuR young, JR Chairman & CEO, Ace Saatchi & Saatchi

“Loveworks builds on a marketing concept first introduced by Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts called Lovemarks. Brian Sheehan’s book provides us real world business examples of famous brands that have achieved Lovemarks status; and when brands engage consumers’ deepest emotions… they win in the marketplace.

They win not only because their customers respect them, but they also love them. Best Movie: Jobs. I thought it was a great film that was well written and it showed another side of the man that changed the way the world worked. I appreciated its honesty about the man. Best New TV Show: The Blacklist, a terrific new TV series that stars James Spader as a criminal on the FBI’s most wanted list. The Blacklist shows us that even familiar concept type shows can still work by getting our attention and giving us reasons to stick around and watch.”

November-December 2013

“My best read of 2013 (so far) has been Give & Take: A Revolutionary Approach To Success by Adam Grant. An informative read in which Grant sets out to debunk a lot of the myths we have in the business world about the characteristics of those people who ‘succeed’. Far from reinforcing the common assumption that those who ‘take’ more than they ‘give’ in a business environment, Grant proves through his research and analysis that this is far from the truth, and in reality it is the ‘givers’ who succeed. Through entertaining stories and anecdotes, Grant shows how ‘givers’ can succeed and avoid been taken advantage of.

An eye-opening and entertaining read.”

paul gRuBB Owner, Red Pill

“Favorite movie: Rush story of the real-life 70s Formula One rivalry between Brit James Hunt and Austrian Niki Lauda. Superbly acted (always been a Brit annoyance to hear foreigners, especially Americans, destroy our accent but Aussie Chris Hemsworth does an admirable job), it’s a biopic done properly, without being ‘Hollywooded’ unlike the recent Jobs’ attempt. Very engaging and you don’t need to be a petrol-head to enjoy it.

And, of course, the race scenes are visually awesome.”

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RECORD BREAKERS (L to R): Managing Editor Mikhail Lecaros Consultant Editor Sharon Desker Shaw President & Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero Creative Director Victor Garcia Vice-President & COO Janelle Barretto Squires Sales & Marketing Head Apple Manansala Multimedia Artist Ricardo Malit

adobo sets Quill

Top Award record

Wins third award with ‘Project Reinvention’ adobo magazine took home a Top Award at this year’s Philippine Quill Awards, a competition that saw Smart Communications and the University of Santo Tomas also scoop Top honors. The latest win, the third in adobo’s history, set a record in the annual competition organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

The winning entry, ‘Project Reinvention’, detailed the seven-year- old magazine’s successful content and design overhaul in response to the changing media environment and readers’ demands. It also won a Excellence Award in Design for the Project, while another entry, also part of the editorial overhaul, ‘Making adobo the must-read industry title’, took a Merit prize.

The other Top Award contenders wee ‘Rescue 5 Activity Book’ (ABC Development Corporation/TV5), ‘Women on Top: Meralco Pioneers Linewomen Training in PH’ (Meralco), ‘Jesuits in Mindanao: The Mission’ (Media Wise Communication Inc/Muse Books), ‘Dispatch– Explore. Teach. Inspire’ (Primer Group of Companies). The Top Award goes to the entry with the highest score in the category.

Smart’s ‘Jump In’, which detailed a program which exceeded its target SIM activations, and cemented the company’s status as a youth-friendly wireless provider, was the company’s second straight Top Award.

UST student Ivana Victoria T Bito won the Student Quill Top Award for ‘Balik USTe’, a back-to-school initiative in social media and on the university TV channel The Tomasian Cable TV (TOMCAT).

The IABC also conferred Special Awards to the company, agency, and school with the most Excellence Awards. Manila Electric Co. was named Company of the Year, ahead of Smart Communications, Inc and the Energy Development Corporation, which were first and second runners-up respectively.

Campaigns and Grey PR Inc., DDB Philippines, Studio 5 Designs Inc. had a rare triple tie for Agency of the Year, while UST emerged as School of the Year.

Close to 500 entries competed across four divisions and 42 categories this year, making for the biggest Quill competition to date, according to 2013 awards chair and IABC Philippines vice president Kane Errol Choa.

Scan the qr code to view the adobo project reinvention case study

Words Amanda Lago Photography Ken Kurachi and Dan Harvey of Parallax Studios Makeup Elvie Recalde and Bianca Vela Hair Jheff Duran and Aya Caliboso venue Kenneth Cobonpue, Greenbelt Residences Special thanks to Paolo Konst and Luisa Lim apparel Religioso (for Sharon’s gown), Azucar (for Apple’s and Janelle’s gowns), Bijou by Ana Rocha at Greenbelt 5 (for Sharon’s and Janelle’s earrings)

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BONG OSORIO

Logic & Magic

Rethinking reputation

BONG OSORIO is an active marketing and communications practitioner, educator, and writer. He currently heads ABS-CBN’s corporate communications department, and is a professor at the University of Santo Tomas, as well as a columnist at the Philippine Star.

Will PR displace advertising in brand building?

In the integrated communication practice in the coming years, effective public relations will perform a more critical – if not – principal role. It will even be more essential in strategic planning, as it is seen to be very important to a company’s competitive success – more than advertising or marketing. It may sound wishful thinking, but PR is leading the way these days, as traditional advertising appears to be losing its glitter.

In the book Rethinking Reputation, How PR Trumps Marketing And Advertising In The New Media World, Fraser P. Seitel and John Doorley note, “It used to be that a company or a candidate or a bank president could ‘purchase’ their way to prestige and positivity through advertising or marketing. No longer.”

In this age, where images are established through 24/7/365 mobile, internet, cable TV, radio commentary and non-stop social media conversations, reputations can no longer be built through top-down, paid media.

Reputation depends largely on honorable deeds communicated candidly and consistently through a steady stream of free media – releases and speeches, media appearances and charitable contributions, and Facebook and Twitter postings. Stated simply, a smart organization or individual today will acknowledge that in rethinking its reputation, PR must lie at the center of its strategy. The tome makes you realize the growing magnitude of word-of-mouth interactions and free publicity.

Here are major takeaways: 4 All PR messages must be clear and consistent. With muddled and incoherent messaging you’re bound to pay the price for unreliable communications in the 21st century.

4 Reputation depends on good behavior

and honest communications. At the center must be what academics call “identity,” or “character” – what one stands for.

4 PR gets through to consumers because of its power to engage. Tom Leatherbarrow, head of B2B at Willoughby Public Relations, says that within the B2B sector, PR is surely turning into an equal and complementary partner to advertising – if not more dominant.

Indeed, many want to go beyond ‘product pushing’ to engage customers by using more sophisticated messages about added value and whole life costs to justify premium pricing strategies and customer benefits. Here, PR is increasingly being seen as more empathetic to customer need.

4 It’s best if you can have both accuracy and speed in your communication. Seitel and Doorley cites prosecutor turned legal commentator Nancy Grace for being swift but floppy with facts. In the death of Whitney Houston, Grace reports, “Houston was found drowned in a Hollywood bathtub” and that “the LAPD” had ruled out foul play or force to the body. In truth, Houston died in a Beverly Hills hotel and the investigating agency was the Beverly Hills Police Department. These details may not be material to Grace’s point, but the media later rebuked Grace for being more concerned with speed than accuracy.

4 You can’t possibly win with spin. If you listen to critics of the profession, “PR is spin”. Seitel and Doorley dispute such claims, asserting, “Spin is inappropriate and counterproductive.” Lie even once to the media and they will never believe you again.

4 PR is about developing discourse, engagement and relationships. As you become increasingly conversant and actively engaged in networked societies, the role of PR becomes more important as it creates value

adobomagazine

November-December 2013

that advertising can’t. In fact, PR workload picks up during belt-tightening periods when “squeezed budget buys precious-little advertising, but a lot of targeted, sales-driven, profile-raising PR coverage, and that’s what’s in demand during hard times”.

4 PR may claim the digital space, but Gavin Devine, CEO of MHP Communications, points out that advertising also has a role to play here. “Digital and social media campaigns prove that there is a place for both industries to co-exist and collaborate, as these campaigns often have elements of both PR and advertising. What we’re seeing much more are joined-up campaigns, where PR builds on traditional advertising and vice versa, often through social media activation,” he states.

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RE G UL AR Secti on

Events Calendar

Business of Design Week 2013 December 2-7, 2013 Hong Kong Exhibit and Convention Center Hong Kong Design Center

adobo Design Awards Call for entries: December 2013 Deadline of Entries: February 28, 2014 Judging: March 18 & 19, 2014 Design Talks and Awarding Ceremonies: March 28, 2014 www.adobomagazine.com

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2013.bodw.com

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Campaign Asia Pacific Agency of the Year Awards December 11, 2013 Singapore www.aoyawards.com

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New York, USA advertising.newyorkfestivals.com

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D&AD Deadline of Submissions: January 29, 2014 London www.dandad.org/awards14

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APAC Effie Awards On Time Deadline: November 22, 2013 Extended Deadline: December 6, 2013 Last Chance Deadline: December 20, 2013 Singapore www.effie.org

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Young Guns Awards December 18: 20 Guns Winners Announcement March 17, 2014: 2013 YGA Winners and Finalists Announcement

One Show Deadline: January 31, 2014 Extended deadline: February 14, 2014 Judging: Advertising: March 10–21, 2014; Interactive and IP: Ongoing quarterly; final judging February 28 – March 6, 2014; Design: March 24–28, 2014; Branded Entertainment: March 14–22, 2014 Creative Week : May 5–9, 2014

www.ygaaward.com

New York, USA

www.clioawards.com

enter.oneclub.org/theoneshow

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adobomagazine

NYFEST: International Advertising Awards January 31: 2014 Call for Entries Final Deadline April 2014: Announcement of Shortlist May 1, 2014: Announcement of Winners

November-December 2013

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Clio Awards Entries open: February 3, 2014 Awards Night: October 1, 2014 New York City