Is59 adobo magazine innovation issue

ISSUE 59 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2015 Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Hong Kong Thailand

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THE CORE OF INNOVATION adobo peeps into the hearts and fertile minds of pioneers and trend chasers whose images, ideas, inventions and processes cajole change in the hope that it will make people’s lives better.

I S S U E

59 S E P T- O C T

2015

MUSINGS ON THE NATURE OF INNOVATION.

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nnovation is loosely defined by Philippe Starck as designing or making things better for a greater number of people. At a D&AD talk in London, Starck said: “Everyone can say they are an artist; I don’t know if you can build civilisations with this. You need creators.”

And indeed, you need that human touch, that leap of ingeniuity to achieve the next step.

Artist Leeroy New created “Innovation is Human”, an installation piece showing that the human touch still rules in a digital world.

In the succeeding pages, you’ll see examples of imaginative campaigns by Future Lions, PHD’s Chris Stephenson who talks about artificial intelligence already becoming a part of our lives, and AKQA, a firm that lives and breathes innovation in their culture. As we put this issue together, guest editor Leigh Reyes of Lowe Philippines pointed us to people making great strides to make life better for a greater number of people. Ibba Rasul-Bernardo was one of them, the CEO of tech-startup Sari.ph who is also part of I am Cardboard PH, which supports 360-degree videos produced by collaborator Marcus Biemann.

Step-by-step along the path of creating the September-October issue, we were given gems like

this one from Jonathan Bonsey at the IMMAP Summit 2015: “Innovation, by definition is disruptive, but not all disruption is innovative.”

In our quest to achieve a better life with the aid of technology, our innovators never take out the human touch. Case in point: the use of emoticons to better express a mood, or even record your voice on Viber or WhatsApp to convey how happy (but tired) you are after a celebration. As Yas Sasaki shared during Spikes Asia: “Only human creativity can create new innovations.” And he goes on to say that the need for creativity will grow exponentially along with the growth of technology.

In the age of information, remember that it’s the thinkers who get ahead. Innovate and adapt. Or risk being overtaken. And despite the digital divide, we require that the all-too-human element called trust to bridge the breach, to provide an element of warmth and deliver the handshake that cuts through all those binary ones and zeroes.

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

Staffb x Management President & Editor-In-Chief ANGEL V. GUERRERO

Vice President & Chief Operating Officer JANELLE BARRETTO SQUIRES

Senior Editor IRMA MUTUC Associate Editor ANNA GAMBOA Multimedia Journalist MARJ CASAL

Multimedia Content Editor OLIVER BAYANI Editorial Coordinator & Writer REA GIERRAN

Art Creative Director VICTOR GARCIA Multimedia Artist DEMPSON MAYUGA

Graphic Artist JULIAN VINZON

Sales & Marketing Account Manager Events Manager NICOLE SONGCO ROCKIE RAQUENO Sponsorship Sales Consultant PIE YAP

Business Development & Circulation Officer EMMANUEL DOMINGO

Marketing and Events Coordinator JOCHE GUERRERO Finance & Admin Finance Consultant ELLEN MACANAS

Finance Officer ELSA GALAMGAM

Liaison Officers MICHAEL BARCELON ALAN AGCAOILI Telephone +63 2.845.0218 / +63 2.886.5351

For advertising, sales, subscription, editorial and general inquiries, please get in touch.

Guest Editor Leigh Reyes LOWE PHILIPPINES

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ABOUT THE COVER NEW TERRITORIES Using inorganic materials to evoke the ephemeral and fragile nature of organic life, Leeroy New explores territories of the mind by mapping it out as real life installations that clamber up walls, invade urban areas, and in the case of this cover, point out that at the heart of it all, innovation is still a human endeavor.

Enlisting the help of performance artist Eisa Jocson as his muse for the assemblage requiring over five hours of preparation at Parallax Studios, New transformed the space with the help of several assistants—and it wasn’t long before adobo’s staff joined in, partly fueled by that communal bayanihan spirit, and lured by the process of creation.

In the end, we may have captured an aspect of Leeroy New’s art for our cover, but the enduring mystery remains: how do we innovate or improve? The answers may lie within our pages, as some writers profess it is found in collaboration, in studying what has existed before and evolving from there, or in simply being brave enough to forge into the unknown to plant a flag in terra incognita.

It is every innovator’s dream to find that spot to claim as their own. And it takes effort, bravery, and the will to explore before arriving at that mythical edge of the known world that provokes fear—as innovation always steps into unknown territory. We sometimes require reminding that this land isn’t often far, as it often lies in the regions of the human mind.

Cover Art

Leeroy New Artist, Sculptor and Designer

Photography Wesley Villarica & Cez Young of Parallax Studio

ntribut rs

Leeroy New Cover Artist

Wesley Villarica Photographer

Cez Young Photographer

Raneil Ibay Photographer

Ricardo Malit Photographer

Jamie Tolentino Columnist

Mark Tungate Columnist

Chris Stephenson Guest Columnist

Ed Geronia Writer

Misha Lecaros Writer

Niki Yarte Writer

Regina Layug Rosero Writer

Mike Alcazaren Writer

Bernard San Juan III Reviewer

Yvonne Kiunisala Reviewer

Yaroslav Orlov Reviewer

Third Domingo Reviewer

Glenmarc Antonio Reviewer

Alberto Cinco, Jr. Illustrator

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September – October 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT

124 Pam Lefebure

DIGITAL

of Design Army

Opinion

Creative Corner

16

Chris Stephenson

128 Apol Sta Maria

Opinion

18

Jamie Tolentino

130 Gail Tan, Google PH

Feature

20

Riding the Currency

132 Bianca Grey, Media 5

Current

Digital Gallery

24

Guns, Ink, Lock & Roll

THE WORK

Deconstructing Creativity

inno- is vation HUMAN

Design

In the Bag Sidedish Getting to Know

134 Scott McKenzie,

NBC Universal

THE FIRM

Shoptalk

136 Agencies Joining

28

Clean River,

Sweep Awards

Design

32

Walls as Canvas:

144 Mother London

The Art of Nemo Aguila

150 AKQA

Opinion

34

Mark Tungate

INTELLIGENCE

The Startup Game

Profile

138 HAVAS Media Ortega

36

Innovation Showcase

Trendwatching

adobo exhibit

156 Enlightened Brands

40

Sweet Success

Then and Now

158 Future-Proofing Brands:

42

Gadgets Old and New

RAW

44

Future Lions

Rrrrroarrrrr !

Creative Review

48

Yaroslav Orlov

Bang for the Buck

52

“Touch the Pickle”

Integrated Media

54

Take-Home Lessons

from The Singapore Dialogue

85

Future Brand Why Size Doesn’t Always Matter

INNOVATION

DOWNTIME

86

Innovation for Inclusion

92

Pressure-cooking Diamonds

94

Virtual Worlds:

An Exploration of the History of Virtual Reality

98

The Sari-Sari Store Goes High-Tech

100 Creative Innovation for the Millennial Generation: Producing One-Stop Holistic Lifestyle Solutions for the Digital Consumer

Watering Hole

160 Not Your Common Room 162 Fresh Haven 164 Cafeteria Coolness 166 Patay kung Patay 168 Delivering Creativity to Your Doorstep 170 Brief Cocktails,

Long Friendships

Book Reviews

Festival coverage

57

4A’s Agency

of the Year Awards

172 “Sentience”

74

Ad stars

174 “Twitter is not a strategy”

PEOPLE 108 Creative LIAson Winners

Profile

110 Jose Miguel Sokoloff 114 Kentaro Kimura 118 Ronnie del Carmen 120 #TitosofDenmark

CENTERFOLD

104

Ed Mapa, TBWA\SMP

TRENDSPOTTING

106 Colorfy

Movie Review

176 “Ex Machina”

Entertainment Review

180 “Humans”

Feature

182 Peugeot 186 adobo out & about

D I G I T A L

Opinion 16 Chris Stephenson 18 Jamie Tolentino Feature 20 Riding the Currency Current Digital Gallery 24 Guns, Ink, Lock & Roll

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

DIGITAL

TALKING ABOUT AN AI REVOLUTION In its latest publication ‘Sentience: The Coming AI Revolution and the Implications for Marketing’, media agency PHD explores the impact of artificial intelligence on consumers and marketing words

10

CHRIS STEPHENSON

Y

ou’ve watched Watson winning Jeopardy and the footage of Google’s selfdriving car. Your words may have been translated in real-time whilst talking on Skype. You’ve probably already read an article in a newspaper that was written by a computer. Artificial Intelligence will be one of the most transformative technologies the world has ever seen, a new utility that uses the data from billions of people and objects to perform tasks, provide services and adapt and learn as it does so.

With both computing power and data collection increasing exponentially, our machines are gaining on us. Within just over a decade from now they will be far more intelligent than we are, AI is crossing the chasm from science fiction to science fact.

Although AI has largely been the domain of academics and large internet companies, it’s starting to trickle down into the consumer sphere, and that’s where the most noticeable applications will present themselves. Those applications will be largely ad-supported, meaning that marketing will be one of the first disciplines disrupted by AI. The new world of intelligent machines will create many new opportunities as well as new challenges for brands. On the one hand, there will be far better tools for finding new audiences and for delivering customized ads to the right customers. But it will also create new challenges, as for many consumers personal AIs will take the place of traditional advertising.

AI-ENABLED MARKETING: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKETING

The place where AI will become most visible will be in day-to-day

consumer products — informationaccess, entertainment-centric and social-connection platforms accessed across multiple devices.

For premium products where the producer of content can demand it, these products will be accessed on a pay-model. But, based on what we have seen over the last decade,

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

most of the informationaccess and social-connection products are most likely to be advertising and datasupported payment models.

That is why advertising, and therefore marketing, is most likely to be radically reorganized by this AI-revolution.

Chris is the APAC Head of Strategy and Planning at PHD. He believes that considered and creative media thinking adds value to consumers, brands and businesses.

The most interesting bridging device, and the one that is likely to become the ultimate bridge, is arguably the Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA). At present they are very weak in their AI functionality, but at some point your VPA will have, what is ostensibly, a sentient mind that spends its entire time and focus managing your life — making everything easier, removing boundaries.

These VPAs will be much more than the walled gardens that they currently are. They will be open-ended VPAs — as in they will scan the tagged-up world and manage it for us.

The VPA will have access to the world and will edit it for you — our sense of what the internet is will dramatically contract from an unfathomably large expanse of information into a simple human voice.

MARKETING’S AI FUTURE

THE RISE OF THE SENTIENT VPA

If you look at the most innovative products being created today, they are skillfully trying to create the bridge between the external world and you — with map and navigation services, image-recognition features in social sites, recommendation engines and much, much more.

The more we depend upon AI software to handle tasks on our behalf, and the more power – and data – we give to those AIs, and the smarter they will become. Ultimately, they will usher in a new world to which advertisers will need to adapt.

Optimizing to the machine will be the greatest determinant of success. Ensuring that the current disciplines of SEO, PPC and programmatic buying are being embraced and upskilled now will help in the future, as these will be the most transferable skills to the new models.

Ultimately, there will be fewer messages seen by consumers, but the ones that do get through will have been selected based on extremely specific purchasing

and behavioral data about us.

This will be combined with a bid price from the advertiser, a quality score for the product/service and usage data to confirm the product/ service’s experience. All of which will be handled in nanoseconds by our VPAs, and served up without us knowing which brands or products narrowly missed out.

And when done well, broadcast brand communication will take the form of spectacular content and experiences, indiscernible from entertainment. Because whilst marketing’s AI future will usher in a new era of technology and data, creativity will also be reinvented – innovation and ideas will be more important than ever to win attention and recommendation in the conversations between humans and their VPAs. Marketing and communications won’t be spectators to this greatest show on earth – they will be transformed by it. Our algorithms are set to wake up – get ready to say hello.

DIGITAL

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

11

For many consumers, personal AIs will take the place of traditional advertising.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

OPINION

DIGITAL 12

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS YOU CAN DEVELOP TO BE INNOVATIVE

I

nnovation is quite a hot topic right now, and as they all say, it’s ‘innovate or die’. While you may not consider yourself an innovative person, the good news is you can learn to be innovative by cultivating a few characteristics.

AN OPPORTUNISTIC MINDSET

Innovation occurs when there’s a gap in the market, but some people are better at spotting opportunities than others. You can cultivate this mindset by trying to keep an idea diary, where you jot down any ideas that come to mind. You can also spot opportunities by generally being curious and learning about how things work. This will maximize your chances of finding the loopholes in the way things currently operate.

something that has never been done before, you might get a lot of resistance from various people.

To push through with what you have in mind, you have to be persistent enough to overcome the barriers and break down the resistance. You should also be resilient to criticism and people who are negative to change. Try to develop persistence by setting some goals and doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Start small, then gradually set bigger goals.

SOCIABILITY

Innovation is the result of good teamwork. Although, the founder of the idea or innovation gets

Jamie Tolentino works as a digital marketer at a global asset management firm. She writes for TNW (The Next Web) and blogs on the Huffington Post UK.

all the glory in the press, there’s usually a team behind that person.

It is therefore beneficial to have good social skills to not only work within a team, but also to sell the idea or strategy to other people and keep the team focussed on the mission at hand. If you’re not a sociable person, you might want to join a club, team or do some volunteering to get more practice on how to work in a team and learn to love interacting with people.

So there you go, if you want to be innovative, you can increase your chances of success by developing an opportunistic mindset, proactivity, persistence and resilience as well as sociability.

PROACTIVITY

Nothing happens when you don’t act upon something. When you finally spot an opportunity, a proactive spirit will enable you to explore and make something out of the best opportunities that you find. You can start being proactive with something small. Learn how to anticipate even the simplest of problems and the smallest events to be able to improve the situation. Don’t allow yourself to become complacent. A little exercise on proactivity could be to notice what is happening, think about your options and then act on the situation.

PERSISTENCE AND RESILIENCE

It’s very rare for an idea to work perfectly the first time around.

Therefore, persistence and resilience are very important characteristics to have when doing something innovative. Since you’re doing adobo magazine | September - October 2015

illustration

DEMPSON MAYUGA

DIGITAL 13

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

FEATURE

DIGITAL

RIDING THE CURRENCY CURRENT In the not-so-distant future, there’s a big chance that money will lose its power and currency transactions will be done using Bitcoin. words

REGINA LAYUG ROSERO |

illustration

14

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

DEMPSON MAYUGA

L

iterature, movies and TV shows are full of fictional currency, invented in the far future or the distant past, named after imaginary rulers and lands. But in the short-lived show Almost Human, transactions are paid in Bitcoin.

That’s real world currency.

SO WHAT IS IT?

According to John Bailon, cofounder and CEO of Satoshi Citadel Industries, Bitcoin’s technology was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009. Nobody knows who he really is, but “he published the code of this revolutionary technology for free. No person or company owns Bitcoin–it’s like the Internet.” It’s not tied to any country, either.”

Entrepreneur Luis Buenaventura (http://medium.com/@Cryptonight) explains, “Bitcoin exists without the need for government or a central authority, so it’s truly the world’s first peer-to-peer digital money.

Other forms of digital money have existed before, but they were created by private organizations who controlled their respective microeconomies, and these eventually collapsed. Bitcoin was designed to resist being controlled by any large entity, and its value is decided purely by the open market.”

Buenaventura says in a sense it’s just like regular money, which you earn “by working for it, or by

selling goods in exchange for it.” In the same way that you buy foreign currency from banks and forex shops, “You can buy Bitcoin at services like BuyBitcoin.ph or at a Bitcoin ATM in Makati,” says Bailon.

Unlike paper money though, you can earn Bitcoin through your computer, by “mining”.

Using special software, you solve complex math problems and are issued a certain number of bitcoins in exchange. CNN Money says, “Currently, a winner is rewarded with 25 bitcoins roughly every 10 minutes.” For security, there’s a public ledger called the “blockchain,” which is used to verify transactions.

Bitcoin is not an infinite resource. According to bitcoin. org, “Bitcoin is unique in that only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be created. However, this will never be a limitation because transactions can be denominated in smaller sub-units of a Bitcoin, such as bits – there are 1,000,000 bits in 1 Bitcoin.

Bitcoins can be divided up to 8 decimal places (0.00000001) and potentially even smaller units if that is ever required in the future as the average transaction size decreases.”

What does that mean in peso terms? Bailon explains, “You can own as little as Php 1.00 worth of Bitcoins, which is around 0.000093 BTC right now. In fact, you can own some Bitcoin that isn’t even worth 1

centavo, because the lowest Bitcoin denomination is 0.00000001 BTC or 1 Satoshi.” To find out the exchange rate for peso to Bitcoin, just Google “1 Php to BTC”.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Most banks now have an app for your smartphone, for bills payment, funds transfer and other transactions. Bitcoin is much the same. Bailon enthuses, “It’s very easy to use! You just download an app, and load it up with Bitcoins. Sending it is as easy as sending an email.”

And just like banks, transactions incur fees. But Buenaventura says, “When you are paid in Bitcoin, the transaction fees are less than Php 3, no matter the amount. The bad news is that you often need to trade that Bitcoin for pesos if you want to spend it, [so] you incur some costs. In practice you lose about 1%. That’s still not a bad deal compared to PayPal or bank wire transfers.” Companies like Microsoft, Dell and Overstock. com already transact in Bitcoins.

CURRENCY OF THE FUTURE?

Bitcoin sounds like currency straight out a dystopian future.

Bailon says, “In the future, expect to have your land titles, personal identification and even marriage certificates all using some form of Bitcoin technology.”

Some have even suggested that someday, Bitcoin could be used as a single universal currency.

But Scott Si of Coins.ph isn’t so sure. “We don’t see Bitcoin as a replacement to fiat currency or the existing financial system. Rather, it serves to augment it. The current banking system relies on physical and IT infrastructure that is just too expensive to serve most people, who in contrast, have little or no savings. By providing a more efficient way to transfer value and reduce the reliance on cash, Bitcoin can save costs for government, banks, and end consumers. In effect, this will also increase the number of people that can be banked.”

“If you look at Coins.ph as an example of a [Blockchain] September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

DIGITAL

FEATURE

15

FEATURE

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service, we serve as a low-cost, low-commitment gateway for these people who urgently need basic financial services and who could eventually become banking customers themselves. It only takes 30 seconds to create an account on your mobile phone, after which you could pay bills, top up your phone, and send funds to anyone, anywhere.

We’re essentially extending the reach of financial institutions to a market they previously cannot serve.”

CONTROVERSY

Bitcoin has its fair share of detractors, controversy, and abuse.

Says Si, “The emergence of Bitcoin made possible the exchange of value between any two people on the planet without any intermediaries.

Those who cared the most about user anonymity were unfortunately (and expectedly) the first ones to gravitate towards this use case.

When you step back and look at the bigger picture however, you’ll see that Bitcoin is no different from any other breakthroughs in history, in the sense that social deviants were the first to discover the use

cases and regulations often had to catch up with the technology.”

One of the biggest roadblocks Bitcoin hit was the Silk Road debacle. It was designed by surferscientist Ross Ulbricht to be “a new kind of online market, where people could buy all the things that aren’t available on ordinary online markets”. Ulbricht used Tor software for the website, so that users couldn’t be tracked. Then to facilitate payments without risk of leaving a trail, he used Bitcoin.

Why all the secrecy? Because Silk Road was an online shop for drugs like LSD, mescaline and ecstasy.

The FBI got involved, and the site was shut down in October 2013.

Says Si, “After the Silk Road debacle, the industry has taken great strides to focus on more common use cases and more strictly observe KYC (know-your-customer) and AML (anti-money-laundering) regulations. Silk Road was a rite of passage of sorts, a turning point that led to more mature and responsible use of the technology.

It is only by serving customers responsibly and operating in line

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

with local laws and regulations that Blockchain can truly move forward and reach its full potential.”

BITCOIN IN THE PHILIPPINES

Though Bitcoin is less than ten years old, it’s already here in the Philippines. Says Bailon, “The first ever Philippine Bitcoin company started in December 2013, called BuyBitcoin.ph.

This company offered buy and sell services and has since merged with our company, Satoshi Citadel Industries.”

Buenaventura says there are few local businesses trading in Bitcoin. “It’s a niche technology right now and it doesn’t seem like it will be significantly more mainstream in the near future.

Bitcoin is great for moving monetary value from one country to another but currently it’s difficult to use it as an everyday currency.”

With the speed at which technology is evolving, all that may change in the next ten, maybe even five years. Whatever the case, Bitcoin is definitely technology worth watching.

DIGITAL 17

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

DIGITAL GALLERY

DIGITAL

GUNS, INK, LOCK & ROLL A gamut of digital creative work which tackles autism, art, assassins, locks, love and loss.

18

AGENCY: Grey Group CLIENT: Moms Demand Action TITLE: Groceries Not Guns

In partnership with Grey Group Canada, Moms Demand Action, a gun safety group collaborated to shift Kroger’s policy on open carry of loaded weapons. Kroger, a U.S. grocery store giant second only to Walmart faces a threat of being boycotted when conversations between the grocery store’s employee and a customer were recorded, explaining that while scooters and dogs aren’t allowed inside, guns are fine.

AGENCY: FCB Global CLIENT: Hewlett-Packard TITLE: Print for Help

Every year, 200,000 people are reported missing in Brazil. Families of the lost ones go on and day and night putting posters all over their area in hopes of finding them. To help take this search to a global scale, HP partnered with Associação Mães de Sé/ABCD. Users can print and spread their “missing” posters via the ePrint feature. More connected printers means more disseminated posters, increasing the chances that people will be found. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

DIGITAL

DIGITAL GALLERY

AGENCY: Goodby, Silverstein and Partners CLIENT: Adobe TITLE: Photoshop 25th Anniversary Dream On

On its 25th anniversary, Adobe celebrates its years of colorful and energetic contribution to design, illustration and film by coming up with an ad which serves as a tribute and challenge to Photoshop users. They teamed up with Goodby, Silverstein and Partners to launch the 60-second spot which highlights the important role Photoshop has played in the design process of almost everything we see and touch these days.

AGENCY: BBDO NY CLIENT: Autism Speaks TITLE: The Missing Project

Autism Speaks teams up with BBDO NY to bring awareness and at the same time, funds for their markedly innovative project, MSSNG, a new open-source research platform that will house the world’s largest database of sequenced genomic information on people with autism. Autism Speaks and BBDO worked with fine art photographer and biochemist, Linden Gledhill to create over 10,000 unique images of liquid crystal DNA and time-lapse films of liquid DNA molecules crystallizing. The resulting images are being used to create 10,000 one-of-a-kind DNA posters, each available for purchase to directly fund the 10,000 DNA sequences needed for the MSSNG project.

AGENCY: 84.Paris CLIENT: Google TITLE: Street Art Project

84.Paris has created and designed a Street Art platform to celebrate Google Cultural Institute’s commitment to preservation of street art. Since 2007 Google has been digitizing street arts around the world. In just six months, the platform averaged 3.6M hits from 226 different countries making it the seventh most visited art museum in the world.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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DIGITAL GALLERY

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AGENCY: Mother New York CLIENT: James Patterson TITLE: James Patterson’s

Self Destructing Book Mother New York and James Patterson took storytelling to the next level by coming up with a book designed to self-destruct. One physical book is up for grabs for a wealthy fan who’s willing to pay $294,038 to jet set to an undisclosed location, read Private Vegas through a pair of gold binoculars, and watch it explode before having a meal with Patterson.

AGENCY: Marcel CLIENT: Orange TITLE: Relock Love

After the structure was threatened by the weight of all 40,000 padlocks, Paris ordered the removal of all 40,000 “love locks” from its Pont des Artes bridge. To ease the dismay of lovers all around the world, Orange, a cloud offering brand, and Marcel digitally recreated the bridge. With the help of photographer Alexis Bourdillat, photographs of every single lock were placed to a website called relocklove.

Virtual locks were also made available so that anyone can also place padlocks without having to travel to Paris.

AGENCY: Sid Lee Paris CLIENT: Ubisoft TITLE: Assassin’s Creed: Unity

The tandem of Sid Lee Paris and Ubisoft gave birth to a campaign which made gamers the hero, giving them the liberty to customize their Assassin’s Creed characters meticulously. 1,400 of them were then incorporated into an emotional, all-CGI spot directed

by Joseph Kosinski, featuring crowds storming the streets of 1780s Paris.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

UPFRONT

OUR CHANGING DRESS CODES

It seems like technology is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives in so many ways. It’s even on our wrists, head, and eyes and on our ears. Soon, it will be woven into the fabric of our clothing as well – and even inside of us.

22

VICTORIA’S SECRET

“INCREDIBLE” SMART BRA

This special bra comes with two built-in electrodes that will attach to most clip-on heart rate monitors. It’s not exactly mindblowing, but at least it’s not a dud like the Microsoft smart bra in 2013.

INTEL MICA MICA (short for My Intelligent Communication Accessory) is a stylish bracelet that behaves like a smartwatch.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

MISFIT SHINE SWAROVSKI Misfit calls it one if the first activity tracking jewelry in the world. It can track running, walking, bicycling and other activities and uploads the data into charts that keep track of your progress.

SEP 6 | SUNDAY | 10:30AM ON Available on SKYcable Channel 34 and Destiny Cable Channel 36 www.facebook.com/BallsChannel

@BallsChannel

www.ballschannel.tv

UPFRONT 24 SAMSUNG GEAR S2

Good news: the design and stainless steel body screams premium plus flagship features like NFC payment capabilities. Bad news: Considering the rapid rise in popularity of Android Wear-powered devices, Samsung decided to use its proprietary Tizen OS. Sorry, no Google Play for you.

RALPH LAUREN POLOTECH SHIRT This smart shirt is embedded with sensors that read vital signs like breathing and heart rates, stress levels and calories burned.

This data is then streamed to an app to generate customized workout programs.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

RAZER NABU & NABU X A slim wristband that counts steps, measures calorie burn, tracks sleep and make mobile notifications.

IKEA FEB 2015

UPFRONT

BURGER KING MAR 2015

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options include furniture, pets, and Swedish meatballs

PETA: CRUELTY BEYOND WORDS MAR 2014

asked consumers to text a heart emoji to help prevent animal cruelty

‘BROAD CITY’ JAN 2015 Comedy Central teamed up with developer Snaps to create an emoji keyboard with characters and themes from the show, which returns for a second season

celebrated the addition of its Chicken Fries product as a permanent menu item with a Chicken Fries emoji keyboard

GENERAL ELECTRIC DEC 2014

a periodic table of the elements with emojis, each representing a science experiment

DOMINO’S PIZZA JUN 2015

allows people to instantly order pizza saved in their accounts by tweeting a pizza emoji

MENTOS BUD LIGHT

DEC 2014

released its own so-called Ementicons, which it calls “a fresh new way to express yourself”

CAN YOUR BRAND SPEAK EMOJI?

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

JUL 2014

For Independence Day 2014, Bud Light posted an American flag emoji tweet

T H E

Deconstructing Creativity 28 Clean River, Sweep Awards Design 32 Walls as Canvas: The Art of Nemo Aguila Opinion 34 Mark Tungate 36 Innovation Showcase adobo exhibit 40 Sweet Success Then and Now 42 Gadgets Old and New

W O R K

RAW 44 Future Lions Rrrrroarrrrr !

Creative Review 48 Yaroslav Orlov Bang for the Buck 52 “Touch the Pickle” Integrated Media 54 Take-Home Lessons from The Singapore Dialogue Festival coverage 57 4A’s Agency of the Year Awards 74 Ad stars

DECONSTRUCTING CREATIVITY

THE WORK

CLEAN RIVER, SWEEP AWARDS TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s Creative Directors Chino Jayme and Ali Silao take us through the meticulous process of mounting an award-winning water-purifying billboard. words

MARJ CASAL

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T

he Pasig River is one of the most polluted rivers in the Philippines. Over the years, environmental advocates, spearheaded by the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), have tried to resuscitate this major body of water that flows through the heart of Manila.

So, to introduce what was then a new beauty brand–Shokobutsu Hana–that uses natural ingredients and advocates the protection of the environment, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno has decided to partner with PRRC to come up with adobo magazine | September - October 2015

a project that will not just create buzz for Hana but also to contribute to the rehabilitation efforts of the dying river, and spread the drowning call of the earth for help.

The result–a first-of-its-kind floating billboard made up of water-purifying vetiver plants mounted on top of the river which spelled the plea “Clean River Soon,” and later on, “Purifying Now” and “Restoring River”.

Creative Directors Chino Jayme and Ali Silao talk to adobo magazine about how this project turned from an effort to introduce Hana into the beauty brand scene,

and help clean the Pasig river into an award-winning idea that reaped metals across the international festivals like AdFest, D&AD, Clio, One Show, AD STARS and the coveted Cannes Lions.

Can you tell us about how this started?

CHINO: This was our on-ground component for the Hana campaign actually. We had above-the-line and digital campaigns. Hana is an advocate of the preservation of nature so our campaign aimed

THE WORK

DECONSTRUCTING CREATIVITY

29 in garbage dumps. Companies use it to filter out water in their sewages.

The agency thought that using it as the advertising itself is actually a good idea. Of course, we also had to talk to production designers, to the PRRC, a lot of permits happened.

Was Hana a new product when you did this campaign?

CHINO: Yes. This was part of the new campaign. There was a fair amount of pressure to really get out there. That’s why putting it at a disruptive medium is one way to attract attention for the brand and for the good message we want to put out as well.

CHINO: It was really a collaboration.

We really needed help from so many different people and so many different groups to make it happen.

Apart from Hana, you’ve worked on a lot of pro-environment campaigns.

Is this really the kind of projects that your agency prefers to work on?

It’s going to take a lot of work to restore the grandeur of the Pasig river but, at least, Hana took a valiant baby step.

CHINO: TBWA has focused on creativity for humanity. We believe that by focusing our creative brand that way, we can actually resonate better with people. When we did the Hana campaign, we had this in mind.

And if you put it along with our previous works, it fits our mantra.

How long did it take before the campaign materialized? Did the idea of the floating billboard seem impossible at first?

to promote just that. Naturally, we looked for an area where we can spread the message so we thought that putting it on the river would be a good idea.

What was the original brief?

What did Hana want?

ALI: Hana is about the distortive powers of nature. The advertising talks about that. So for this certain project since we already have the traditional advertising, we also decided to think of a disruptive medium to spread the message.

ALI: Yes, it was a bit hard. At first we needed to talk to Gina Lopez because she’s the president of PRRC. When she found out about the project, she really liked it and she asked us to talk to PRRC. So when we presented the idea, she said we can work on two of their estuaries in San Miguel and Santibanez.

After that, we had to research.

We had to research what kind of plant could help clean the water so we came up with the vetiver. We talked to the vetiver queen, Ms. Noa Maranan. She was the one who provided the vetiver. Apparently, they use vetiver talaga to clean water

What were the challenges that you faced while making the billboard?

Did you have problems with the residents living along the river?

ALI: No, not all. The residents were actually volunteers for the rehabilitation of the river.

There were isolated cases though that we lost some plants because we were also experimenting with other than the vetiver for the first billboard.

I think the biggest hurdle here is finding out how to do it on the first billboard. How are we going to do it? How is this going to last?

How about the maintenance? How does it really clean? Those were the things that we had to figure out.

Curious question, where did you mount the plants? Did you have to use plastic?

CHINO: We had to study the structure very well. There was the problem of moving water and there was the problem of weather.

Though we put it up during the non-rainy season, we’ll never know when a typhoon might hit.

ALI: The first billboard was made of bamboo pontoons. But later

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

DECONSTRUCTING CREATIVITY

THE WORK

Campaign: This shampoo brand is antihairfall and proenvironment.

Hana Water Billboard Awards: Cannes Lions Clio Image Awards

30

D&AD New York Festivals AD STARS AdFest Kidlat Awards Tambuli Awards adobo Design Awards Credits:

Vetiver, the wonder plant in Hana’s water billboard.

Melvin Mangada Executive Creative Director/ Creative Director Ali Silao Creative Director/ Art Director Chino Jayme Creative Director/Copywriter CJ De Silva-Ong Art Director Nolan Fabular Art Director Kathy Cosico Business Unit Director Dennis Carlos Print Producer Abi Ramos Asst Print Producer Emilie Batard Director/Videographer Francis Allan De Dios Editor/Animator Teresa Camposano Production Designer John Chua Photographer Maan Dela Cruz Agency Producer Sunny Lucero Agency Producer Valentine Naguit Director RJ Paculan Planner

on we realized that PVC plastic pipes would be better kasi it would require less maintenance and it’s more sturdy. But of course we made sure it doesn’t contribute to the pollution! The entire process was monitored by the Vetiver Farmers of the Philippines. It was really a big collaboration with them when we were creating this.

Did the campaign generate the buzz that you hoped for?

ALI: It did! Actually it exceeded our expectations. Of course we wanted the environmental and NGO websites to pick it up. But even design websites featured the campaign, it was even selected as ad of the week by Creativity.com, and also appeared in Co-create. They were likening it to other campaigns abroad like the billboard that can generate water in Peru. We’re happy that our project is changing what advertising and marketing is.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Did you expect this project to win a string of awards including a Cannes Lion?

CHINO: Every time we do a project, we don’t expect to win. We just hope for the best in terms of winning for our creative work. But we’re very happy that it did.

Are there future applications for the water billboard in other areas in the Philippines (or other countries)?

The campaign was given a seat in the Sustainable Brands Conference in London last year. Since then, other international brands have taken an interest in using vetiver. Same goes to many local manufacturing companies that produce wastewater as a byproduct.

This project was also a way to make NGOs and LGUs aware of how easy it is to play your role in bringing the river back to life.

The billboards may have cleaned parts, but certainly we need as much help we can get to revive the entire body of water. We hope that they join us on the mission.

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

DESIGN

WALLS AS CANVAS: THE WORK

THE ART OF NEMO AGUILA An innovator with haunting and funky visuals plays with lines, colors and images to break barriers between the seemingly disparate worlds of street art and gallery art. words

NIKI YARTE

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F

or many, walls are an obstacle. A hindering block.

A divider and separator.

For multidisciplinary Cavite-based street artist Nemo Aguila, however, walls are an opportunity to connect and communicate, to create and collaborate, to comment and commiserate.

Walls allow Nemo a medium to influence and contribute to other people’s experiences by introducing curious imagery into their memories and inducing surreality in their perspectives.

Indeed, walls are more than just barriers in the eye of Nemo’s mind.

In them, he sees doorways to other worlds and realities. With paint, the artist lets the general public discover the secret universe that lurks behind and beyond the surface of walls. And it’s a fascinating trip that begs the question: Where did the artist first make contact with the characters that inhabit his imagination?

“Bago ako matulog sa gabi, andame kong nakikitang (Before I sleep at night, I’d see) creepy images from shadows at yung nakakatuwa dun: Natatakot ako sa kanila! (the funny thing was that I’d be scared of them!) Eventually, dun pala nagsimula yung nakakakita ako ng (that’s how it got started when I’d see) images sa mga simpleng (in simple) shapes at formations, so many creepy images ” Nemo recalls.

By his own account, his tenure with the world of art began as a child playing with chalk, dabbling in comics and cartoons in high school, and finally taking up fine arts at the Far Eastern University.

Now, as a full-time artist, his schedule is filled with gigs such as the recently-unveiled mural in Camp Bagong Diwa, commissioned by the City of Taguig, and participating in a live art event at SM MOA in celebration of National Heroes Day. According to Nemo, it was in high school when his art had first become more “distorted and morbid” (his own words). Yet his signature style isn’t necessarily dark and foreboding. His choice of monsters for subjects certainly lends an air of freakishness to them but the playful manner with which Nemo plays with lines and colors in his rendering can only be described as fun and funky.

Nemo himself defines his work as “pop surreal” but even that depends on what he’s creating: “Pag yung blacks lang, ‘spontaneous creatures’ yung tawag ko sa kanya. Yung kung ano yung gawin ng kamay ko, sumusunod na lang ako sa lalabas.

Wala na akong studies. Galing sa imahinasyon na nakikita ko sa mga blots, gagawa ako ng image. At palagi syang one-of-a-kind. Di ko na sya nauulit. Para syang happy accident.”

(What my hand does, I’ll follow to the finish. I don’t do studies. It’s from my imagination, these blots, and it’s from them I make images.)

As an artist with a talent in more than one medium, Nemo’s brand of pop surreality and his spontaneous creatures have also made appearances inside art galleries and retail spaces. His paintings were mounted at his “Out of Order” show at Saguijo late last year that featured his take on mental disorders. His vivid imagery crossed

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

over to Bench t-shirts, which sold out quickly. Aguila made art out of a fleet of tricycles cheekily dubbed “Nemotoda.” Not surprisingly, his style had also taken on threedimensional life as toy sculpts.

When asked to reflect on the warm reception his work had received, he outlines three things that draw people to his world: “Una, siguro medyo weird din yung gusto nila or pop surreal yung trip nila na mga gawa. Pangalawa, yung nakakarelate ka. Madalas kasi yung tema ko is about random daily experiences ko at ng mga tao. Yun yung mga madalas na ginagawa ko sa paintings. Medyo may Pinoy humor sya at sobrang relatable.

Pangatlo siguro ay to collect. Di ko din alam. Masaya lang ako at thankful na trip nila yung gawa ko.

Minsan mas kilala pa nga yung style o gawa ko kesa sa akin mismo.” (They probably like surreal work. Or find it humorous or relatable. And they like to collect. I’m just thankful they like my work, some are familiar with my style but don’t know me.)

Is there a particular discipline or art form that had so far eluded him and would like to engage with in the future? On Nemo’s wish list, he enumerates doing collages, learning Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as studying to ink tattoos.

Despite the varied nature of the disciplines he practices, at his core, Nemo prides himself as a street artist. How does he differentiate street art against vandalism? Pointing out the many forms street art can be seen in -- murals, stencil, wheat pasting installations, graffiti, etc. While he

The artist at work in his “studio”.

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DESIGN

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acknowledges that vandalism has had negative connotations, it was through that form of street art that he found himself and moved on to murals and legitimate street art.

“Importante sa akin kung saan ako nag-simula at high respect ako sa mga kaibigan at kakilala ko na

nag-gra-graffiti at nagva-vandal.

Sila yung main reason kung bakit buhay ang eksena na ginagalawan namin ngayon.” (It’s important for me to acknowledge where I started, and I have high respect for graffiti and vandal artists. It’s because of them that the scene

we move in is alive today.)

As of this writing, Nemo, along with the Cavite Collective, is currently working on a mural in Pasay commissioned by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He is also set to mount a solo show in 2016 at the West Gallery.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

OPINION

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THE FUTURE IS GOING PLACES

Some agency people were taken aback when Google Cardboard won the Grand Prix in the Mobile category at Cannes.

I

n case you’ve been too busy doing old-fashioned things like reading or watching TV, Google Cardboard is a Virtual Reality viewing device made out of cardboard, as the name suggests.

You order it online and it arrives in the mail, flat-packed. After an Ikea-like assembly struggle, the package transforms into a cheap 3D stereoscopic viewer that, with the help of some apps, turns your phone into a VR device.

Google Cardboard is a product, not a campaign, hence the controversy at Cannes. But the Mobile jury described it as

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

“an enabler” of campaigns. These included ‘Volvo Reality’, from the US agency R/GA and visual effects house Framestore, which allowed Google Cardboard users to test drive its new XC90 car.

In fact the real problem was that Cannes did not have a category for VR work, as a number of creative professionals at the festival pointed out over the usual glasses of rosé.

Never one to miss an opportunity, I announced that same week that the Epica Awards (of which I am editorial director) would become the first ever awards show to include a VR category. We will hand over our

first prize in Berlin on November 19.

Of course, Google Cardboard is merely an accessible version of a more advanced VR headset, the Oculus Rift, owned by Facebook.

Despite the fact that it won’t be commercially available until next year, it has been heavily buzzed about in geek circles. Cost estimates range from US$200 to $300.

Not be left behind, Samsung also has a VR player called Gear.

Until recently, VR has been most strongly linked with gaming: imagine a first-person shooter that plunges you into an immersive landscape full of slathering aliens.

But the Volvo work mentioned above hints at many other opportunities.

The production studio Unit 9 – which has offices in New York, San Francisco, London and Berlin – already has a department dedicated to VR and has done some pretty staggering work for the likes of Nissan and Wrigley’s 5 Gum; the latter took users on an immersive journey through four alien worlds by combining the Oculus Rift with haptic technology (feeling, as well as seeing).

Another agency, Inition, teamed up with UK fashion brand Topshop to virtually beam five competition winners from its central London store to its runway show at the Tate Modern art gallery, via Oculus Rift.

Staying in the UK, I recently learned that tour operator Thomas Cook has placed VR headsets in selected travel agencies so users can explore its hotels, or experience a helicopter trip over Manhattan.

In France, home improvements company Point P deployed the Oculus Rift to help customers see what their homes might look like after redecorating. One can imagine real estate companies using VR to give potential buyers a tour of property developments before the first stone has been laid.

A recent article on Tech Republic suggested that no less than nine different industries were using VR. These include entertainment, of

OPINION

A DIFFERENT ANGLE ON CREATIVITY Mark Tungate is a British journalist based in Paris. He is editorial director of the Epica Awards, the only global creative awards judged by the specialist press. Mark is the author of six books about branding and marketing, including the recent Branded Beauty: How Marketing Changed the Way We Look .

THE WORK

course (go to a virtual rock concert where nobody can prevent you from climbing onto the stage), as well as advertising, automotive and tourism, which we’ve already covered. But the advantage of using VR when it comes to training astronauts, soldiers, fire fighters and even welders is pretty clear.

One of my favorite examples comes from the healthcare sector.

“Psychiatrists at the University of Louisville use VR in cognitive behavior therapy to treat patients with social anxieties or phobias of things like flying, public speaking, or heights. The controlled environment allows doctors to expose their patients to simulations and direct them on how to cope with how they’re feeling.”

The corporate world should welcome VR too: think virtually real meetings and job interviews.

Finance guys are probably rubbing their hands at the prospect of saving thousands of dollars’ worth of plane tickets. The concept of “face to face” meetings has proved surprisingly resistant, but VR may turn out to be more compelling than Skype or FaceTime.

Surely the most attractive facet of VR is that it can take users to places they might never have the chance to visit. Google Creative Labs has used Google Cardboard at schools to bring the outside world into the classroom. Pupils who had just been introduced to Shakespeare could take a virtual trip to Verona, the home of Romeo & Juliet. In my day, the best our English teacher could do was play the Dire Straits track of the same name.

Virtual reality is also set to make the online shopping experience more entertaining. Instead of clicking on images, you’ll be able to walk around a virtual store, select items and put them in a basket for later purchase.

And you may not have to wait for very long. Gartner Group predicts 25 million VR headsets will be in consumer hands globally by 2018.

The future is virtually here.

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illustration

ALBERTO CINCO, JR.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION SHOWCASE

THE WORK

YOUR WISH IS AT YOUR COMMAND If someone needs something, the tinkerers are on it, pronto!

These awesome innovations truly deserve the limelight.

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AGENCY: Baidu Online Technology, China TITLE: Baidu Kuaisou, Smart Chopsticks (Baidu Online Network Technology Pekin) CLIENT: Baidu Online Network Technology

For China, issue on food contamination is a weighty manner. Therefore when Chinese internet giant, Baidu, launched a pair of ‘smart chopsticks’ designed to detect contaminants in food, it became an instant need for franchised dining establishments, government and food safety public welfare organization.

AGENCY: R/GA New York TITLE: Owlet CLIENT: Owlet Baby Care

Owlet Baby Care aims to cross out lack of sleep in the list of stresses first-time parents face. Owlet is a smart baby bootie that monitors a child’s vitals. The bootie allows the parents to track their baby’s heart rate, oxygen levels, skin temperature and sleep quality. Owlet recently completed the RGA Connected Devices Accelerator in New York through Tech Stars. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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INNOVATION SHOWCASE

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AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney TITLE: Penny the Pirate CLIENT: Luxottica

Eye tests can be a little bit scary for kids, therefore ‘Penny the Pirate’ a project by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney and Luxottica give kids an eye test without them realizing it.

With 80% of a child’s learning coming as a result of their vision, the idea has already helped many parents realize the importance of getting their kids’ eyes checked.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION SHOWCASE

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AGENCY: Grey Group Singapore TITLE: Life Saving Dot CLIENT: Talway Bindi

Grey Group Singapore made use of the traditional Indian beauty ornament, the bindi, to make sure women in rural India get their daily dose of Iodine. These were distributed in medical camps in four different villages in India: Badli village near New Delhi, Niphad-rural, Peth-tribal and Kopergaon/Sinner.

AGENCY: Colenso BBDO TITLE: Reduce Speed Dial CLIENT: Volkswagen

Colenso BBDO and Volkswagen use emotional appeal to engineer safer drivers. The Volkswagen Reduce Speed Dial is a replacement panel for the speedometers in Volkswagens. The panels were made exclusive by having the dial personally hand written by their loved ones to remind the drivers what they have to live for at the exact moment they consider speeding

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

ADOBO ADOBOEXHIBIT EXHIBIT

THE WORK

SWEET SUCCESS Home-grown sensibilities and globally-oriented smart designs combine to make Theo & Philo artisan chocolates irresistible treats for the senses. words

ANNA GAMBOA

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(Disclaimer: the writer is an unabashed addict of dark chocolate, the higher the cacao percentage, the better.)

S

tarting out as a specialty brand sold at shops like Gourdo’s and EchoStore, Theo & Philo chocolates were initially available in milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties, neatly wrapped in paper-backed foil and sealed with a gold sticker before being encased in thin cardboard, with a silver-and-black motif for the dark chocolate and the white-and-gold.

Then owner Philo Chua started expertimenting with flavor combinations, and the results have been fantastic, flavor-wise and in terms of the patriotic-themed wrappers that lovingly envelop each bar. Dark chocolate and siling labuyo (finger chilies); milk chocolate and barako (liberica) coffee; dark chocolate, green mango and sea salt; milk chocolate, toasted pinipig (flattened immature glutinous rice) and pili; dark chocolate and

calamansi (calamondin lemon); milk chocolate with adobo or soy sauce toffee and pepper; turon or milk chocolate with banana, caramel and sesame seeds; “ginger mint” featuring dark chocolate, candied ginger and mint; and their newest baby: milk chocolate with potato chips and black pepper.

(If you’re drooling by now, please accept my apologies.)

Creating distinct designs for each flavor, using the gold, white, red and blue found in the Philippine flag, the visual identity of each bar makes them instantly recognizable to addicts who can immediately reach for their favored confection. The potato-and-pepper combo sports a playful wrapper theme reminiscent of the casual gaming app Dots.

The calamansi bar wrapper has solid chevrons in different colors, while the green mango bar has a funky zigzag pattern bordering on psychedelic. Creating an exclusive product for sale in Rustan’s Filipinana section, Theo & Philo

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

bonbons are found in a distinct cone-shaped wrapper which simply stand out in their display area, colorful (and pointy) chocolate hills.

PHILO CHUA EXPLAINS: “When we first started out, we originally just wanted to concentrate on the pure unflavored chocolates as a showcase of the cacao that we are using. We wanted to go with a box type wrapper because it reflected a more elegant wrapper. On the design side, we deviated from the norm by having an abstract design to reinforce the artisanal nature of our product. Later on, when we decided to create the flavored chocolates, we made use of paper wrapper instead because it was more economical since we were doing a lot of flavors.

We also wanted to show a more colorful wrapper since the flavors can be fun and quirky. The starting

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ADOBO EXHIBIT

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DARK CHOCOLATE WITH GREEN MANGO AND SEA SALT

point was the colors of the Philippine flag since the flavor we went with are influenced by Philippine flavor and cuisines. With the colors as a unifying factor, we went ahead and have fun with it by creating patterns and illustrations that are partly influenced by Philippine design and iconic images. Again, not being very typical of chocolate packaging, we went with abstract concepts in our design rather than using images of the ingredients on the wrapper.”

The nationalistic theme is further reinforced in their gift boxes and labelling for other products like the chocolate spread available in crunchy peanut or cashew-and-pili variants. Asked about their design influences and process, Chua simply states: “Our design process is very organic.

Sometimes, designs are influenced by what we see in our surrounding

and sometimes it comes from just playing with shapes and what comes out. We have no particular process although there usually [are] one or two prototypes that will be honed into the final design. We get input from everyone and usually when we design things, we let it sit out for a while and come back to it days or weeks later with a new set of eyes.

I think it’s always important to distance oneself from the design for a period of time because one can get so caught up in it that one can no longer look at it objectively.”

A change that quietly took effect involved changing the foil that the chocolate comes in. The old paperbacked foil was switched out for matte foil featuring a crosshatched pattern and stamping/embossing of the Theo & Philo brand. Practicality prompted this change, despite the difficulty of sourcing the foil locally.

Chua explains: “[S]torage conditions in the different stores we distribute to, and sometimes in the customer’s house, has caused some quality issues because the seal is not airtight.

We have since switched to the new foil that allows us to fully seal the chocolates.” As for the chocolate bar’s unusual diagonal pattern which allows for the breaking of uneven chunks (the better to eat them, my dear) as opposed to breaking off squares, Theo & Philo’s owner points out that they favored the “slightly unconventional” in keeping with their philosophy.

For this home-grown brand, with imaginative packaging that has evolved over time to reflect nationalistic sensibilities and changes, the future still holds endless flavor possibilities and combinations—and the colorful designs to promote them.

We wanted to go with a box type wrapper because it reflected a more elegant wrapper. On the design side, we deviated from the norm by having an abstract design to reinforce the artisanal nature of our product.

- PHILO CHUA

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

THEN AND NOW

THE WORK

GADGETS OLD AND NEW adobo takes a fond look at the tools we almost find as essential as eating utensils— and their subsequent evolution. illustration

JULIAN VINZON

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TYPEWRITER/LAPTOP

This humble device may be experiencing a comeback of sorts, but has been outpaced by a more modern way of getting words in print.

CAMERA

Image capturing devices, which used light and photosensitive film, now have transcended into the translation of pixels and data.

OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

PAGER/SMARTPHONE

Telecommunications were a little simpler when you needed to send an instant message to someone with a beeper- but now you can send SMS and so much more (without censorship) using smartphones.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Transparencies may have ruled in the days of manipulated optics, but modern-day projectors can now serve many other purposes when it comes to showing off images to a large group of people.

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

RAW

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FUTURE LIONS

RRRRROARRRRR !

Future Lions is an annual worldwide competition done in collaboration with Cannes Lions International. It’s the first free student competition that celebrates the young and daring and allows them to create with no boundaries or restrictions. It is AKQA’s initiative to celebrate bold and progressive ideas and is guided by a simple brief - “Connect an audience of your choosing to a product or service from a global brand in a way that wasn’t possible three years ago.”

Meet the five bold teams of cubs who were celebrated at the world stage at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes this year. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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MIAMI AD SCHOOL SAN FRANCISCO AND EUROPE ENTRY TITLE: SafeStamp BRAND: Heineken International TEAM: Divya Seshadri and Meghan D. O’Neill SUMMARY:

After a few drinks, people tend to feel invincible – and tend to believe they’re more sober than they actually are. So instead of a traditional wristband or ink stamp when patrons enter bars or clubs, they’ll get a Safe Stamp to ensure they know when they’re not sober enough to drive.

The SafeStamp is a flat microchip capable of measuring blood alcohol levels that sticks to the skin using temporary tattoo paper, and glows blue when it reaches the legal driving limit.

MIAMI AD SCHOOL SAN FRANCISCO AND EUROPE ENTRY TITLE: Chromebook_type BRAND: Google TEAM: Elton Rhee, Ludvig Pehrson and Louis Meyer SUMMARY:

Google recently invested in SpaceX’s ambitious plans to deliver microsatellites across the globe and provide internet to remote areas of the world. But a quarter of the world’s population lacks electricity, meaning they still can’t access the internet. The chromebook_type laptop would bring us one step closer to a world where knowledge is accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Every key on the computer’s keyboard is installed with a Piezo-Electric nanogenerator that harvests energy from the pressure of typing, making it a completely self-powered laptop.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

RAW

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FONDAZIONE ACCADEMIA DI COMUNICAZIONE ITALY

ENTRY TITLE: UberFIRST-AID BRAND: Uber TEAM: Andrea Raia, Andrea Zanino, Pierpaolo Bivio and Francesco Sguinzi SUMMARY:

In large cities, the average response time for emergency services is more than seven minutes – which can be the difference between life and death. With the rapid growth of Uber fleets in major cities, Uber cars can arrive at a person’s location in about three minutes. This program would provide Uber drivers with certified first aid training and equip them with lifesaving first aid kits. When 911 receives a medical emergency, the closest Uber car is notified. Once at the scene, the driver can provide first aid until the ambulance arrives.

KYUNGHEE UNIVERSITY BIGANT ACADEMY, SOUTH KOREA ENTRY TITLE: Snaphelp BRAND: Snapchat TEAM: Yusol Shim SUMMARY:

Bullying is a serious problem that can lead to depression and suicide, and young victims are often too intimidated to tell their parents or school authorities. Snapchat could offer a secure and accessible platform to help bullied children. Snaphelp connects children with professional counselors on Snapchat, allowing them to speak freely about their situations and get the help and guidance they need. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS SINGAPORE ENTRY TITLE: Treeprint BRAND: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) TEAM: Cheryl Seah Su Yin SUMMARY:

Rainforests are an important wildlife habitat, and deforestation is having a significant impact on animal populations. To inspire a human connection, the Treeprint app would use the iPhone’s fingerprint sensors to match users to the tree whose rings most closely resemble their fingerprint using the International Tree Ring Databank. The app provides detailed information about the unique tree including location, deforestation threats, and wildlife that call it home. Users can donate to WWF seamlessly using their Apple ID. September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

CREATIVE REVIEW

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YAROSLAV ORLOV

CREATIVE REVIEW Executive Creative Director of Instinct & More / BBDO Moscow Group.

Yaroslav has 15 years of experience in advertising, including work with BBDO Moscow, Saatchi and Saatchi Bates Moscow, and Avrora FCB. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Management/Marketing from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).

AGENCY: J. WALTER THOMPSON MANILA CLIENT: KITKAT, NESTLE PH TITLE: #MYBREAK TVC

What starts with a pretty classical and generally positive TV-spot might have been much more interesting and insightful with continuation in Youtube with UGC involved. In my experience, people are hard to get moved to create decent video content on your call, but if you manage to inspire them they might really go big and break through. Talking of the TV-spot stand alone - there are certainly personal and cultural nuances of perception, but for me some of the scenes might work if we keep in mind that we are dealing with such delicate thing as food, especially chocolate.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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CREATIVE REVIEW

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AGENCY: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC CLIENT: GLOBE PH TITLE: MAG #NEXTLEVELKA

WITH GOSURF50

AGENCY: MCCANN WORLDGROUP CLIENT: CHUCKIE TITLE: CHUCKIE BUDDY TYPE: TVC

I’d say that with a production budget certainly and obviously limited, this is a pretty solid and accurate execution. Dynamics and even some CG are there. You wouldn’t expect revolutionary thinking behind just-anotherinternet-offer so it works as message delivering spot and doing it nicely. But you should always consider advertising clutter to make sure that it’s different enough to break through.

Well, I can hear some cynical sighs about this spot - but I find it insightful and sentimental.

Not every work we, as agencies, do would go to festival, but every work we do should go to the heart. And I think this one is targeted really nice and executed in proper way to touch mom’s feelings without being unnecessarily deep. Absolutely positive for me. If there could be a benchmark for the level of “normal” ads we face everyday in a advertising break - I wish it could be this one.

AGENCY: LEO BURNETT GROUP CLIENT: GOLDEN ARCHES DEVELOPMENT TYPE: INTEGRATED TITLE: MCTOLLBOOTH

AGENCY: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC CLIENT: SUMMIT PUBLICATIONS TITLE: FASHION IS POWER TYPE: INTEGRATED

Great idea, I wish they put this one on my way to work today. I don’t want to go deeper into mechanics like “how does that work” and “if it doesn’t make traffic jams” -- I just want my McDonald’s breakfast.

I think that’s an interesting idea to combine fashion and martial arts. And even reinforce women selfconfidence with those lessons and how-to videos.

I just wish, we would live in a world where those would not be needed any more. For the fashion magazine it certainly is a nice PR to spread in different media channels and grab attention. You just have to balance it not to lose the implication behind the huge social meaning of the topic itself.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

CREATIVE REVIEW

THE WORK 50

AGENCY: BBDO GUERRERO CLIENT: CHALCOT AUDIO TYPE: INTERACTIVE TITLE: TOUCH ME NOT

Absolutely fantastic way to communicate and get to new level of experience in a contemporary world we all live in. This is the kind of interaction you would expect now when everything is possible with a slide of your finger. I’d say it even goes to the border between communication and art because this is a very personal and creative experience. Love it.

AGENCY: MRM WORLDWIDE CLIENT: NESCAFE TYPE TVC TITLE: NESCAFE CAPUCCINO

TAKES YOU AWAY

A dreamy symbolic and romantic world suddenly around me... Where’s my McDonald’s breakfast again? I mean, it’s executed nicely and I can see lots of work behind it, but shouldn’t coffee wake me up rather than get me back to sleep?

AGENCY: Y&R SINGAPORE CLIENT: LAND ROVER TYPE: TVC TITLE: TEST DRIVE BILLBOARD

AGENCY: PUBLICIS JIMENEZBASIC CLIENT: BURGER KING TYPE: ONLINE TITLE: #MARKSBETTER

I think this a great idea to grab attention and get people to avail of a test-drive opportunity.

And as a professional I know how hard it is that to find new ways in automotive experiential communication without spending tons of money. Good solid job.

I would personally become a rewarding part of the audience of this campaign - I prefer more personal and deep conversations, but I think it does have all the elements to work - general approach to the humor, campaign ability and direct made-ongrill message. In a world where the worst thing you could do for a brand is to make its ongoing everyday communication dull and and irritating this could really get a smile and leave you positive.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

BANG FOR THE BUCK

THE WORK

“TOUCH THE PICKLE” Whisper sanitary pads empower Indian women to challenge cultural taboos about their period.

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CLIENT

Procter & Gamble India AGENCY

BBDO India

challenges of a huge gender issue … in a very open and disruptive way … and is humorous and engaging.”

The campaign also won a Bronze in Media Lions.

AWARD WINS

The campaign won the inaugural Glass Lion Grand Prix at the 62nd Cannes International Festival of Creativity, which recognises work that implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice, through the conscious representation of gender in advertising. It’s India’s first Grand Prix in six years.

It was a unanimous decision according to Cindy Gallop, president of the first Glass Lions jury and founder-CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld/ MakeLoveNotPorn, explaining that it was so because all of them were looking for work that truly questions gender stereotypeand has the power to change beliefs and behavior, “We saw in ‘Touch the Pickle’ a campaign that takes on the adobo magazine | September - October 2015

THE CHALLENGE

In India, as in some other Asian countries, there are many myths surrounding menstruation. Women who have their period are believed to be impure and she contaminates everything she touches making them unholy, impure or unpalatable.

Thus, ‘a menstruating woman should refrain from touching a pickle jar as the pickle could get spoilt’.

Education and global exposure of the modern Indian women has helped debunk this myth, however, a large portion of India’s feminine population still believe that their menstruation forbids them to enter temples or other places of worship or the kitchen and they should, instead, just remain in their room and wait out their period.

THE SOLUTION

P & G India and BBDO India came up with a challenging but engaging 30-seconder TVC for Whisper, India’s leading sanitary brand.

BBDO’s Mumbai office crafted groundbreaking communication to encourage women to challenge an outdated tradition by daring them to touch the pickle jar. It shows a young girl touch the pickle jar without hesitation and as she did, other women applaud while a voice-over enjoins the viewers “to make taboos go away and touch the pickle jar”.

THE RESULTS

The campaign went viral and stirred conversations in India and encouraged 2.9 million women pledge to “touch the pickle jar” and got the endorsement of a popular Bollywood actress.

It even inspired a TedX Bangalore talk which further pushed the campaign to make more noise.

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

www.julianhanford.com

INTEGRATED MEDIA

THE WORK

TAKE-HOME LESSONS FROM THE SINGAPORE DIALOGUE Chats with industry pros prove that there’s a market out there, but you need the right platform for promoting your content.

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The TV panel in full session at the Singapore Dialogues.

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ot even the torrential rain dumped on the city by Typhoon Ineng put a damper on the hot topics at Singapore Dialogue at Discovery Primea last August 18.

In fact, the discussions on creating television and film content for a global audience proved to be fruitful as several industry players based in the Philippines and Singapore, high-ranking content executives among them, came to listen in and participate in the conversation.

Here are some tidbits gleaned from the day’s discussion.

“22 of 147 films in the 2014 Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) were from the Philippines. It’s a strong showing,

we have a vibrant market.”

–Joachim Ng, Director, Industry Operations, Media Development Authority of Singapore.

“We are so much more [than poverty gimmickry]” -Bianca Balbuena of Epicmedia Productions, Inc. With hits like That Thing Called Tadhana and Engkwentro under her belt, Balbuena encourages filmmakers to ask: “what is this film for?” Philippine cinema—without creating a distinction between mainstream or indie films—is watched by Filipinos (or the global audience). For her, a production earns her interest through gut feel,

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

sparks, being a fan of the director, if it provokes discourse, or promotes history. To raise financing for Above the Clouds, Balbuena secured grants in three years from different countries: Korea, Germany, and France. Why the need for foreign collaborations? Her answer: To get grants, and benefit from the creative collaboration, which shapes the film into a complete package.

“Lines aren’t as clear as before –even young kids can watch whatever they want on the Internet. So how do you make films that can compete against all other content? “ –Gin Kai Chan, Silver Media Group and Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association(SAAVA)

"The Lesson I learned, if Coppola ask for a pink elephant, say 'coming!'"

- JUN JUBASS OF PFSI

THE WORK

INTEGRATED MEDIA

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Chan espouses the crafting of work that’s so real it hits home—for instance 3.50 (a co-production about human trafficking in Cambodia) –was deemed too real that it got banned in Cambodia, which could possibly be considered a badge of honor.

Unlucky Plaza

“The Singapore International Film Fest (SGIFF) is all about championing indie cinema. “ -WeiJie Lai “Unlucky Plaza” (which headlined the SGIFF), features a Singaporean director, Filipino lead actor (Epy Quizon), and a Burmese DOP –reflecting the different ways cross-cultural collaboration can create a film that may have a different twist but often affect audiences the same way.

“We are inspired by what we see...there’s a lot to be done here.”

-Sonia Fleck, Bomanbridge Media Pte. Ltd. CEO Fleck emphasizes creating an appetite for content, representing all genres and working with every market, and distributing it well—finding the right partners to create synergy. Being on the lookout for interesting characters is part of their mission—and “Haute & Saucy”, starring Kelly Randall Sia, illustrates this case, as the beautiful and fashionforward gourmet entrances viewers with food and flair.

“The world is your oyster, but you have to make pearls. Asians are very good at creating content.”

-Peter Bithos, CEO, HOOQ

That Thing Called Tadhana

The audience has changed more than we think, in Bithos’ opinion, as he points out how Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad changed how audiences enjoy their stories –and it’s paved the way for a lot of other content being built. “Tell edgier stories,” he encourages, “Because the audience is here, and it’s changed.”

“The line of separation between local and international [content] isn’t that wide.”

- Galen Yeo, The Moving Visuals Company.

It’s about collaborating and finding content that rings true to your audience. Put different thinking hats on. If you know how to pitch it right, sell it right, why not?

“Now is a good time to be a content creator and be an entertainment consumer... We are attuned to changing and evolving tastes, catering to a demand for quirkier and edgier shows—telling stories with a different lens.”

- Evelyn Raymundo, ABS-CBN Filipinos are exposed to global content, and are digital savvy, as 8.5 million Filipinos living overseas create exposure and connections.

Neverthless, it’s essential to also capture authenticity, and be mindful in collaborating with the right creative people, which is why the Singapore Dialogue is an important step in creating better content for the region, and the world.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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FESTIVAL COVERAGE

Agency of the Year BBDO GUERRERO Independent Agency of the Year 7AD Best in Creative/ Best in Industry Leadership & Community Service Synopsis DM9 JAYMESYFU Best in Market Performance LEO BURNETT Best in Management of Business OGILVY & MATHER Overall Media Agency of the Year STARCOM MEDIAVEST Media AOY, Best in Creativity MINDSHARE Media AOY, Best in Business Performance STARCOM MEDIAVEST Digital Excellence Award for Creative Effectiveness LEO BURNETT Post Production House of the Year UNDERGROUND LOGIC Activation Excellence Award for Creative Effectiveness LEO BURNETT Activation Excellence Award for Execution OGILVY & MATHER Digital Excellence Award for Media OGILVY & MATHER Digital Excellence Award for Production NUWORKS Production House of the Year Award for Radio HIT PRODUCTION Production House of the Year Award for Film FILM PABRIKA

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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FESTIVAL COVERAGE

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AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Agency of the Year THE WORK

BBDO GUERRERO

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adobo magazine | September - October 2015

THE WORK

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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#AOYdarkhorse BBDO Guerrero emerged as the dark horse at the 18th AOY awards last July for winning the coveted Agency of the Year for 2014.

The Omnicom-owned agency didn’t score any other gongs but it was shortlisted in eight out of the 17 entries. This led BBDO Guerrero to earn the highest total score, securing the top award in the process.

“It was a testament to our consistent performance across categories,” shares Francine Kahn-Gonzales, BBDO Guerrero’s Managing Director, admitting that the competition in the last AOYs was tough. DM9 Jayme Syfu won three out of the four top awards in the 17th AOYs, including the Agency of the Year.

BBDO Guerrero was pitted against hopefuls Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett Manila, which hogged the stage three times each.

Ogilvy won Best in Management of Business, Activation Excellence Award for Execution and Digital Excellence Award for Media, while Leo Burnett secured Best in Market Performance, Digital Excellence Award for Creative Effectiveness and Activation Excellence Award for Creative Effectiveness.

Other contenders for the Agency of the Year were DM9 Jayme Syfu, which won Best in Creative and Best in Industry Leadership and Community Service, and TBWA/ Santiago Mangada Puno.

The media company to beat is Starcom Mediavest, which remains as the Overall Media Agency of the Year. Led by it newly appointed CEO Leah Besa-Jimenez, the agency also snatched the Media Agency of the Year for Business Performance.

Meanwhile, Mindshare took home the Media Agency of the Year for Creative Effectiveness.

Below is a complete list of the winners at the Agency of the Year Awards 2014 organized by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As).

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Best in Management Business Activation Excellence for Creative Effectivity Digital Excellence Award for Media

OGILVY & MATHER #incredibleresults

This is the efficient and effective firm that delivers, whether it’s a silent concert featuring music icons on a sound-proof stage to get the attention of music aficionados, creating a trial sized version of a meaty treat to make it more affordable for many consumers, promoting personalized sleeves for a popular confection for that wow factor as gifts, or the establishment of a YouTube channel to promote better hair care. Ogilvy & Mather can find the best way to make abstinence from dark meat so convenient with the use of a road navigation app that helps you find the nearest branch of finger-licking good chicken—or help a real-estate leader achieve its edge once more by using data to inform its business strategy beyond the digital.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Best in Market Performance Digital Excellence – Best in Creative and Effectiveness Activation Excellence – Best in Creative and Effectiveness

LEO BURNETT #peoplefirst

Believing that creativity and effectiveness are better together, Leo Burnett got millennials to give up their phones for a moment—reminding them about the beauty of real-world connections, encouraging them to spend more time offline—for McDonald’s ‘Better Together’ campaign. Becoming known for this people-first kind of thinking, it’s led to advertising that is both creative and effective, and cuts across multiple channels. Recent work that exemplify these include P&G ‘Aid Couture’, WWF ‘Iceberg’ and McDonald’s ‘Princess Dad.’ The proof is in the metals from local and international shows that include Clio, Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness (AME), Adfest, Spikes, New York Festivals, Asia-Pacific Tambuli, AdStars, WARC Prize and Kidlat—not to mention three of the most prestigious effectiveness plates at the 18th Agency of the Year Awards.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Over-All Media Excellence Awards Media Agency of the Year, Best in Business Performance

STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP #successfulgrowth Ranked by RECMA as the Philippines’ number one media agency since 2005, Starcom holds 27% market share, and has succeeded in keeping the top spot despite industry challenges. It’s not easy to stay on top spot, but this media agency managed exemplary consistent growth—as they almostdoubled their revenue in 2014 compared to the past five years with an overall revenue growth increase of 9% which it owed to the leading character of its people, diversification of services, and its top ten loyal clients. Best in class practices and proprietary tools also contributed to Starcom Philippines’ success and recognition on the world map via wins in FOMAsia and FOMGlobal.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Independent Agency of the Year

7 A.D. #scoreteamgoals Whether creating a campaign to promote sustainability, or nudge ladies to give their heart health a good look with clever illustrations and cheeky cardiac-themed captions, a digital film to show that customers are a bank’s most important asset, or promoting the value of saving while hilariously featuring the country’s hottest female endorser in romantic situations—7 A.D. scores not only creatively, but in managing their company as they acquired big accounts and posted positive profits every year. Listing institutionalized leadership development programs, internal training programs, culture-building sessions, and employee rewards programs as part of their strategy to retain and develop good people within the company, these folks are nimble enough to stay abreast with the front-runners, and mindful enough to stay hungry and competitive.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

THE WORK 64

Best in Creative Best in Industry Leadership & Community Service

DM9 JAYMESYFU #sharingiscaring Over the years, DM9 JaymeSyfu has been committed in sharing their time, talent and resources with the underprivileged. The agency’s educational program outside the confines of its office is wide and extensive, requiring the involvement of the entire organization.

Despite its small size, the company makes it a point to include in its yearly calendar learning programs for college students with its DMNi9ht program, as experts from different fields (film & audio production, digital, ATL advertising) are invited to inspire these aspiring ad practitioners. DM9 thought leaders (Merlee Jayme, Alex Syfu, Ronald Barreiro and Carlo Ople) likewise invest a considerable amount of time in speaking engagements here and abroad.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

THE WORK

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Media AOY, Best in Creativity

MINDSHARE #eyesontarget At the core of each Mindshare office across the world lays its dedication to forge competitive marketing advantage for its brands through innovations, fuelled by speed, teamwork and provocation. Endeavoring to create the most talked about campaigns even for local jewels like Cream Silk and Eskinol in the whole suite of Unilever global brands is a testament to the innovative spirit of Mindshare Team Unilever Philippines. Cream Silk’s 30th Anniversary campaign stood for modern day Filipinas. Through its creative media usage brought to life by skillful negotiations, Cream Silk was able to evolve from a mere conditioner to a beauty aspiration that has captured the hearts and minds of Filipinas all over. Riding on the consumer wave, Eskinol became the first brand ever to use the Wattpad platform in the Philippines using the power of storytelling to showcase brand values and build engagement in an environment, where its target audience was most receptive.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

THE WORK 66

Production House of the Year Award for Film

FILM PABRIKA #freshperspective With their novel approaches in creating TVCs, it isn’t surprising that this young firm nabbed this recognition, considering its roster of talents that include respected directors. Clients like Nestlé, Monde Philippines, and Green Cross want to work with them. Agencies like Publicis Manila, Publicis JimenezBasic, McCann Worldgroup, Leo Burnett, and Gallardo Associates keep hiring them. After all, when creating your best work, you’d want to ensure excellence by working with a fellow AOY awardee, right?

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Digital Excellence Award for Production

NUWORKS #StoryTECHING Delivering successful, innovative, digital-centric campaigns for their partners partnered by “storyteching”, NuWorks Interactive Labs tells human stories through creative technology.

For Nestea Beach 2014, they pioneered the use of Near Field Communication tags in LaBoracay, as attendees could automatically post their event photos online by simply tapping the photographers’ tablets with their NFC bands, which helped it become a massive event. For Chooks-to-Go, they created the Kwelavan, one of the country’s first-ever branded interactive gaming booths where the brand’s mascots came to life in five all-Filipino, all-interactive games. For Lucky Me, they upgraded the Noodle Factory Tour experience by bringing the mascot, Lucky M, to life using Kinect Facial Tracking, Audio Level Recognition, and Voice Enhancer Technology to become as dynamic and as human as possible, leaving a memorable impression with all his guests. With this new award under their belts, NuWorks Interactive Labs proves that when it comes to creative technology, they are a force to be reckoned with! adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Post-Production House of the Year

UNDERGROUND LOGIC #comebackcompany Losing the plate after winning it for four years in a row was a wake up call for the Underground Logic team. That loss showed the 16-year-old team that they had to take a step back, re-evaluate their creative compass, and make adjustments. So as a team, they made that conscious effort to go the extra mile in terms of their creativity, speed, resourcefulness, and of course, service to their clients. Some key roles in the organization were redefined to cut the red tape and smoothen the communication between the different departments. Constructive feedback was also requested from partners and clients, as management undertook the effort to promote a healthier work-life balance to allowed for the re-emergence of a stronger, wiser, and overall happier team.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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FESTIVAL COVERAGE

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September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

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Audio Production House of the Year

HIT PRODUCTIONS #teamwork With their 15th AOY win, this company puts its emphasis on company teamwork/values. Hit Productions understands that a strong and motivated team is vital to be able to meet agency/ client expectations, demands and schedules. Determined to achieve their goal of being the best in class in employee retention, they found out that 33% of Hit’s 48 staff members have been with the company for over 15 years; 46% for over ten years; and 75% for more than five years. Retirement benefits were then offered for staff via age or length of service. In addition, the company and its employees undertook the initiative to help rebuild some schools in Ormoc affected by Typhoon Haiyan. To combat desk-bound sedentary lifestyles, Hit also set up its own in-house gym, offered fitness classes, and started a running/triathlon team.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

NOW ON

NOW ON

Sign up for your 30-Day Free Trial now!

Check out www.HOOQ.tv to learn more.

NOW ON NOW ON

NOW ON

THE ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION Back in the day, most families would sit together in front of the television set and watch the same show. Maybe for the “Y” generation and some Millenials this idea is alien, but it did happen, just a few decades back as a matter of fact.

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ow, with the help of technology, families have the ability to connect and bond beyond the confines of their living rooms. Even if sometimes their schedules 1prohibit them from watching a particular show together, they can still watch it “together”, thanks to their mobile devices and other available gadgets. So when they finally have the chance to meet, expect a fun and lively discussion.

No one’s left behind. We are definitely in the midst of change and at the forefront of it all is the Internet.

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Information Leap It is said that over 90% of the world’s data has been generated in the last few years. This is a

mind-boggling number considering that man has been gathering data ever since the dawn of civilization. To claim that the Internet has been transforming the way we live is a definite understatement.

It has revolutionized long-standing industries such as healthcare, logistics and telecommunications, but now is the time to usher in the disruptive technologies in the world of entertainment.

Technology has shaped the way we consume entertainment. We want total control when it comes to our entertainment fix. We no longer want to be confined by what’s on television, and we no longer want to be interrupted by ads every

few minutes. We want the ability to watch what we want, when we want, where we want, and however we want. We want it right here, right now!

Here Comes the HOOQ This is where HOOQ comes into play. “HOOQ has one of the largest collections of Hollywood/ local movies and TV series in Asia. Viewers can now stream, download and enjoy thousands of hits via the HOOQ app (available on Google Play and the Apple App Store) or on our website www.HOOQ.tv. What’s great for the Philippines is that the app is highly responsive and adapts the viewing quality based on the internet connectivity

THE WORK

NOW ON

at your current location.

On top of that, one HOOQ account can be accessed on 5 separate internet-enabled devices, including your smartphone, tablet and/or PC. And for the first time ever, you can now download all your favorites and watch them offline,” says Jane Walker, Country Manager of HOOQ Philippines.

Getting The Philippines HOOQ’d 73 The Philippines is one of the key drivers in this new wave of media consumption. With an increasing Internet penetration rate (over 40M Filipinos are now online) and the third highest Smartphone penetration in the region (around 40%), the Philippines is chomping at the bit for the entertainment revolution.

“Pinoys can’t get enough of entertainment, whether it’s Hollywood or local content. This is why we’ve made sure that there’s depth of both premium Hollywood and Filipino content on HOOQ. We’ve partnered with the country’s top studios such as ABS CBN, Viva, Regal and GMA to make sure we’re catering to the need of every Pinoy”, Walker said.

The Entertainment Revolution is upon us. In the Philippines, HOOQ is leading the way.

Leading the HOOQ Entertainment Revolution in the Philippines is HOOQ Country Manager, Jane Walker.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine ADVERTORIAL

AD STARS

THE WORK

AD STARS SHINES BRIGHT IN ITS 8TH YEAR

BBDO Worldwide was the toast of AdStars 2015, bringing home most of the show’s biggest awards, including the coveted Network of the Year.

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“Judging creative for PSA’s is one of the most difficult categories to evaluate,” - PATRICK TOM, FOUNDER AND HEAD OF CREATIVE FOR LIBERUM13

F

ive BBDO agencies – including Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia - hauled in a total of 56 awards. Colenso BBDO from Auckland led the strong performance by securing 27 metals - 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 14 Bronze and 4 Crystal – for the network.

AdStars had a stellar response this year, receiving a total of 17,698 entries from 67 countries, up by around 40% from 2014 to mark its largest turnout to date.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Among 1,717 entries in the final round, 361 entries earned honors including 13 Grand Prix recipients.

There were 47 Gold winners, 113 Silver winners, 131 Bronze winners and 57 Crystal winners.

The best of Grand Prix-winning campaigns are honored with the Grand Prix of the Year, which covers two categories: Products & Services and Public Service Advertising (PSA). Clemenger BBDO, a sister agency based in Wellington, earned distinction by winning one of two

Grand Prix of the Year awards this year. This is the second time the AdStars handed over two in its eightyear history, the first one in 2014.

Clemenger BBDO clinched the top prize for the PSA category for their work with the New Zealand Transport Agency titled ‘Mistakes,’ which shows the shifting responsibilities between perpetrators and victims during accidents.

“Judging creative for PSA’s is one of the most difficult categories

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AD STARS

A scene from “Mistakes”.

Clemenger BBDO’s top prize winner for the PSA category .

to evaluate,” shares Patrick Tom, founder and head of creative for Liberum13, who was part of the jury team for the Diverse Insights, Outdoor, PSA and Place Brand categories.

“We’ve all seen road safety campaigns that remind us to slow down, but this campaign reframed the topic to remind us that other drivers can make mistakes too, giving us an entirely new way to look at speeding that’s never been

done before. It was perfectly executed, fresh, emotional, relevant and worthy of the Grand Prix award it received,” he adds.

Also taking home a plaque and cash prize of US$ 10,000 is Leo Burnett Canada/Chicago, the big winner for the Products & Services category for the viral ‘Like a Girl’ campaign of P&G brand Always which flipped the tired old phrase from an insult to a source of confidence and strength among women.

Leo Burnett stood out in AdStars by winning four of the 13 Grand Prix awards, the most in the festival. Work from 12 Leo Burnett offices–including Buenos Aires, Beirut, Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Manila, Madrid, London, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Toronto and Bangkok- earned a total of 40 other awards.

“We have already seen the human insights on road accidents and teen behaviors before. But you look for a new human insight.

It becomes fresh and very real,” Merlee Jayme, Chairmom of DM9 JaymeSyfu and member of the executive jury, said.

Jayme explains that often times the judging for the campaigns starts even before the competition starts thanks to the discerning public.

“The ads that were judged here were already pre-judged online. They are already winners. In the jury, we asked ourselves if the campaigns resonate well in the category.

Which is the most powerful?”

The idea of ‘Share Creative Solutions, Change the World,’ the theme for AdStars this year, was reflected in many of the work, presenting new alternatives beyond social prejudices or fixed ideas. Accordingly, those ad works that appeared to have potential as creative solutions for the next generation were highly regarded in the festival this year.

Matt Eastwood, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of J Walter Thompson, jury member, adds that the top winners had “a mission of pursuing creativity that changes the world”, “There is a trend towards purpose-driven work. Brands are embracing the age of transparency.

Our job as creative directors is to lift the standard of creativity. Uplift society, uplift life to a new level.”

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“We have already seen the human insights on road accidents and teen behaviors before. But you look for a new human insight.

It becomes fresh and very real.”

- MERLEE JAYME, CHAIRMOM OF DM9 JAYMESYFU

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AD STARS

THE WORK

TEAM PHILIPPINES SHINES IN AD STARS 2015

TBWA\SMP and Leo Burnett Group Manila earn silver metals, BBDO Guerrero and Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila take home bronze and crystal.

76 AGENCY: TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno CLIENT: Shokobutsu Hana TITLE: Hana Water Billboard

T

he Philippines makes up for its poor performance at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity as four agencies picked up metals at the recently concluded Ad Stars 2015 in Busan, South Korea.

TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno, also this year’s sole Cannes Lions winner, led the Philippine team with a total of five awards for its campaign for Shokobutsu Hana, the ’Hana Water Billboard’. The groundbreaking project took home a silver and a bronze for the Media category, and three crystals for Design and Promotion categories.

The award-winning ‘Hana Water Billboard’ is a first of its kind floating billboard that was mounted on the Pasig River, one of the most polluted rivers in the Philippines. Made of vetiver, a perennial, non-invasive grass often used to treat wastewater and stabilize landfills and garbage dumpsites, research says that a vetiver system can clean up to 2,000 to 8,000 gallons of water per day on average.

‘Hana Water Billboard’ has also recently won a Bronze Lion, Grand Clio Image Award, a Wood Pencil at D&AD, one Silver Pencil and two Bronze Pencils at One Show, the most-awarded Philippine campaign this year.

Right behind the metal haul of TBWA\SMP is Leo Burnett Group Manila with a silver under the Diverse Insights category and a crystal for Integrated for its ‘McTollbooth’ campaign for McDonalds.

For ‘McTollbooth’, the agency turned a tollbooths at one of Manila’s busy expressways into something that resembles a McDonalds’ drive thru booth. Earlybird motorists who were availing of free toll fees also got free McMuffin sandwiches as well that day.

Another winning Philippine campaign was BBDO Guerrero’s ‘Touch Me, Touch Me Not’ for Chalcot Audio which scooped a bronze and a crystal for the Interactive category.

This project was part of the promotional campaign for the audiobook app, Noli Me Tangere, an iconic novel by Jose Rizal. An exhibit was mounted showcasing the characters of the novel painted in conductive ink on wood panels. The ink strokes were connected to a custom Arduino circuit board at the back of each panel. These circuit boards were programmed to play specific clips of dialogue from the audiobook. Human touch closed and activated each circuit, allowing people to hear the quotes from the attached headphones.

Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila, meanwhile, took home a crystal for ‘ZZZ Radio,’ a campaign that made use of a frequency that aired nothing but static and branded it as Pampers ZZZ 99.1 FM. This served as an alternative to white noise machines that help babies sleep. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

AGENCY: Leo Burnett Group Manila CLIENT: McDonald’s Philippines TITLE: McTollbooth

AGENCY: BBDO Guerrero CLIENT: Chalcot Audio TITLE: Touch Me Not

AGENCY: Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila CLIENT: Pampers TITLE: ZZZ Radio

THE WORK 77

FIFTEEN-TIME WINNER AUDIO PRODUCTION HOUSE OF THE YEAR.

www.hitproductions.net

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AD STARS

THE WORK

AD STARS SNAPSHOTSS

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01. adobo’s EIC Angel Guerrero with AdStars VIPs Mullen Lowe’s Jose Miguel Sokoloff, DM 9’s Merlee Jayme, ex McCann Thierry Halbroth 02. Speakers, DDB Mudra Group’s Sonal Drabal and ADFESTS’s Jimmy Lan 03. Jury President Merlee Jayme with her gang adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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THE WORK

AD STARS

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04. Journalists at AdStars take to the sands before leaving 05. DDB Mudra Group’s Sonal Drabal with JWT’s Matt Eastwood 06. Connecting at AdStars, Thierry Halbroth, Jose Miguel Sokoloff, CK Tang, Thomas Hong Tack-Kim 07. After-party drinks 08. Korean food rocks 09. BEXCO AdStars Exhibition

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

THE WORK 80

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

THE WORK 81

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AD STARS

THE WORK

AD STARS GRAND PRIX SHOWCASE

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AGENCY: CLEMENGER BBDO CLIENT: NEW ZEALAND TRANDSPORT AGENCY TYPE: PUBLIC SERVICE ADVERTISING TITLE: MISTAKES

The faster you go the less time you have to react, the longer it takes to stop and the bigger the mess when you do stop. But people still deny this truth or think it doesn’t apply to them. Mistakes sets out to reframe the way that people look at their speed when they’re driving by showing that we make mistakes.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

THE WORK

AD STARS

83

AGENCY: LEO BURNETT TORONTO,

CHICACO, LONDON/HOLLER CLIENT: P&G TYPE: BRANDED VIRAL VIDEOS TITLE: LIKE A GIRL

P&G Always, Leo Burnett Chicago, London and Toronto, with the help of famous female documentarian Lauren Greenfield reversed the negative connotation of #LikeAGirl - through a powerful viral video that shows that to a girl is to be strong, confident and downright amazing.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

AD STARS

THE WORK

AD STARS JURY COMMENTS

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MATT EASTWOOD Worldwide Chief Creative Officer J. Walter Thompson Worldwide

MERLEE JAYME Chairmom DM9 JaymeSyfu

JOSE MIGUEL SOKOLOFF President Mullen Lowe Group Global Creative Council

PABLO BUFFAGNI Creative Director and Head Chef BBQ Agency Argentina

For the Grand Prix of the Year (Products) it was between ‘Like a Girl’ and ‘Samsung Trucks’.

When it came down to the final decision, majority (80 percent) chose ‘Like A Girl’.

For the PSA Grand Prix of the Year the contenders were ‘I Touch Myself’ and ‘Like A Girl’.

The campaigns don’t push something at you, They are authentic. They have a mission of pursuing creativity that changes the world.

There is a trend towards purpose-driven work. Brands are embracing the age of transparency. Our job as creative directors is to lift the standard of creativity. Uplift society, uplift life to a new level.

About the Grand Prix. What made it stand out? Having human insight and make it real that will set it apart. it becomes deep and memorable.

The ads that were judged here were already pre-judged online, They are already winners, In the jury we asked ourselves, did it resonate well in the category? Was it the most powerful?

The human insights of both winners we have seen before on accidents on the road, on teen behaviors. But you look for a new human insight. It becomes fresh and very real.

When you watch a good commercial, it should work over and over again. It should influence you in a more meaningful way.

Soft power is a lot more powerful and hard sell.

Nowadays everything is global. The campaign is famous even before it wins awards. It is a reality.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

inno- is vation HUMAN

INNOVATION

INNOVATION FOR INCLUSION The students of College of St. Benilde show us that when it comes to innovations, intent weighs more than glitz.

ABIGAIL MAPUA-CABANILLA COURTESY OF CSB STUDENTS FEATURED

words photos

Innovation is perhaps the buzz word of this generation. Benilde has always seen it as a calling. In the context of an oligarchic Philippines, wherein distribution and access to resources and opportunities are highly skewed and inequitable, innovation is the Benildean expression of reaching out to the last, the lost, and the least. Inclusion is the unique brand of Benildean innovation.

Inasmuch as technological resources and facilities are the hype of innovation, the harnessing of critical thinking to progress into creative intelligence and confidence is the educational innovation Benilde stands for. To nurture the creative confidence of our students to become the innovators empowered to contribute to sustainable nation-building and inclusive development is our calling. Not for innovation’s sake alone, but for the sake of bridging the widening gap - between people, and between people and the natural environment.

Benildeans are social innovators. We work towards our preferred future.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

“Tropicool-Solar Powered Bamboo Cooling Fan to Caracas, Venezuela�

Dominique A. Delgado and Marc E. Lijauco, BSBA Export Management School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT)

An eco-friendly cooling fan with a unique design made of bamboo and rattan materials that give the fan a tropical feel. It functions without the use of electrical power and uses renewable energy powered by the sun through solar panels that is then stored in the rechargeable batteries that can be used the whole day/night.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

“Ride and Wash�

Louisa Veronica Salazar Ilustre, BS Industrial Design School of Design and Arts (SDA)

The Ride and Wash provides an opportunity for kids to get back to playing outdoors while at the same time doing laundry. It is a safe motorbike that powers the washing machine located in the tires. It runs with an automatic time and segregates the laundry with the used water and stores them at the back wheels after the washing process is done. It gives a chance for kids to get back to being healthy and stay happier through riding and washing.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

“Mushinator” Patrice Ebreo, Nikka Canlas, Micah Gatus, Ranulph Sanchez, and John Uy BS Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (SHRIM) A mushroom kit produced from coffee grounds and used tea bags to grow edible organic, edible mushrooms such as Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom), Volvariella volvacea (straw mushroom) and Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom).

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

“Sugarcane Dental Kit” Lorenzo Antonio Aguilar and Bianca Paulina Carague, BS Industrial Design, and Celina Katleen Cinco, BS Architecture School of Design and Arts (SDA)

A dental kit that minimizes waste and aims to help sugarcane farmers earn extra income.

It consists of a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and packaging which are all made of sugarcane. From the products to the packaging, everything has a function; the packaging doubles as a rinse cup and a toothbrush holder.

Every part of the sugarcane stalk is utilized, from the fibers to the juices and everything else in-between. The Sugarcane Dental Kit is an innovative eco-friendly product that when disposed, decomposes 50% faster than bamboo and much faster than regular plastic dental products .It’s also a socially conscious product that involves sugarcane farmers during the production process to help them earn additional income. Sugarcane was used because it’s rich in minerals that strengthen and whiten the teeth as well as prevent decay. The abundance of minerals in sugarcane also minimizes bacterial growth.

“Unilet” Christian Neri Creus, Jerome Mendoza, Shaina Clarisse Tan, and Clare Mae Joy Clavecilla BSBA Export Management School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT)

“Unilet” is taken from the combined word uni which means one and let which means toilet.

The product is primarily for women, a simple standing cuboid in shape with the sink on top and urinal at the bottom shaped like a toilet bowl for the benefit of women. The drain of the sink is designed to direct the water to the tank of the product and the used water will be used to flush the toilet. The purpose of the product is to save on water and save on space.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

“Vertical Constructs: Establishing Social Integration in Vertical Communities�

Blanche Elaine Marie A. Azachee BS Architecture School of Design and Arts (SDA)

High-rise condominiums are rising all around Metro Manila. Most are, however, generic, profit-driven projects and rarely consider the societal development of its users. This in turn creates social apathy and disconnection amongst its residents and surrounding community. The study aims to develop a new highrise condominium typology that will provide a sense of community among its residents and surrounding community. To achieve this goal, three (3) key principles were used as bases for the architectural solutions of the study. These are, (1) Traditional Neighborhood Design, and (2) Principle of Proximity, and (3) Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. It hopes to provide quality living for residents in condominium developments, reinforce the relationship of the built environment with society and promote a sense of community,

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

PRESSURECOOKING DIAMONDS The engineering school that could--educate innovators, that is. illustration

JULIAN VINZON

Mapua Institue of Technology has long held a reputation for turning out some of the brightest engineers in this country. And apparently they’re also educating minds to take inventive leaps in creative endeavors.

At the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, science fiction and fact are now separated by a thin line, and it only takes time and an innovative leap to breach that barrier. In this case, the school is taking great strides in the science behind membrane technology, developing different materials (and combinations thereof) for various applications—the most immediate being the creation of safe drinking water using sophisticated filters derived from locally sourced ingredients. Imagine that: instead of a using a series of clunky filters to get clean drinking water, one day you’ll only need one as thin as a sheet of fine paper, impregnated with the chemicals required to isolate impurities on a molecular level. If that doesn’t induce goosebumps, you really need to properly appreciate the last time you drank a clean glass of water.

Not too far away, at the School of Multimedia Visual Arts, hard-working students come up with different visual approaches to answer riddles posed by their professors. Or, given the freedom to explore themes, indulge in subjects close to their hearts, opening another world to fellow students or anyone else who would care to view their works of art. Given the demands that their school places on them, the sheer creativity and determination these young upstarts generate can only be described as admirable.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

VIRTUAL WORLDS:

AN EXPLORATION OF THE HISTORY OF VIRTUAL REALITY Are humans redefining reality, is virtual reality redefining our human-ness or are both simultaneously happening in parallel realms?

ED GERONIA, JR. OCULUS RIFT, PROJECT MORPHEUS FROM OFFICIAL PRESS SOURCES. CARBOARD VIEWER FROM IAMCARDBOARD.PH

words

photo credits

A

lthough consumer virtual reality technology as it’s known today was introduced in the ‘90s, the concept of a simulated reality goes further back.

Photography had its start from the early 1800s and by 1851, a device was already invented to view photographs in three dimensions. Threedimensional imagery works by displaying two images of the same scene shot from two slightly different angles. In reality, this is how our eyes perceive depth by viewing the same scene, called a stereo pair, from the left and right eye.

With this very simple but ingenious principle for creating and displaying 3D images, the virtual world was born. Stereophotography could represent the world and make it as real as how our human eyes could see things. Since its invention, interest in stereophotography continued to thrive until the late 19th century.

Three-dimensional motion pictures rose to popularity during the 1950s with the anaglyphic technique of creating a 3D scene. Moviegoers used glasses with polarized lenses to view full-color movies. Most movies were of the sci-fi or horror variety and filmed on a low budget. The 3D effect was also used in comics and picture books.

In 1955, View-Master released its Model E 3D viewer. The Model E was shaped like a binocular and it would introduce a new generation of users to the portable 3D experience. In the years the VR3-Morpheus: Sony’s Morpheus VR headset is designed to work with a PlayStation 4.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

VR1-Cardboard.: The Googlebacked Carboard headset is the most affordable VR headset.

followed, the View-Master viewer, especially the red Model G, became synonymous with 3D. At the height of its popularity in the ‘70s and ‘80s, 3D reels were available based on popular shows and movies as well as educational and promotional reels.

There were also travel reels that featured famous places and tourist spots around the world. It was the next best thing to being there.

Seeded by ideas of futurists like Jaron Lanier and sci-fi author William Gibson during the mid to late ‘80s, the ‘90s was a watershed for virtual reality, or VR as it was now commonly called. Due to the increase in computing and graphical power of computers, simulating a 3D world on a computer became feasible. Making the jump from aerospace, military, automotive, and medical application of VR, Sega introduced the Virtuality series of immersive arcade games in 1991. Most VR equipment at the time were very expensive and cost a few thousands of dollars. It definitely was beyond the reach of the average consumer. Commercial VR gear was only accessible to the average person in arcades.

VR technology at the time was only capable of displaying polygonal graphics and the hardware, such as the headset, was rather bulky. It’s a far cry from present-day computer generated graphics. The graphics had low polygonal count and low

frame rates. They looked blocky and had jagged edges. Still, they offered and immersive world that put users right in the middle of the action.

Companies like Nintendo attempted to make VR accessible by releasing the Virtual Boy in 1995. It rendered 3D graphics using a headgearstyle casing. The Virtual Boy was both a critical and commercial flop because the monochrome graphics wasn’t up to par and the hardware was deemed too expensive. As the new millennium rolled in, VR technology seemed to have taken the backseat as everyone became fascinated with the Internet and the new world of connectedness. Suddenly, 3D and VR wasn’t a priority anymore.

The resurgence of interest in VR started to peak once again with the re-introduction of 3D cinema in the late 2000s. From low-budget flicks of the ‘80s, 3D movies became multi-million dollar Hollywood productions. 3D concert docus and sci-fi epics such as U2 3D and Avatar respectively were filmed and shot natively in 3D for IMAX screening. TV manufacturers released a new wave of 3D TVs to bring the experience at home.

In 2012, Oculus VR started its development on the Rift, a headmounted virtual reality display.

The company released the headset in 2013 via a Kickstarter-funded campaign. With the target price

VR2-Oculus: The Oculus Rift: The headset that started renewed interest in VR.

of the Oculus Rift at just around $300, the idea of affordable VR headsets went from the drawing board to the proof-of-concept stage. The Rift can be connected to computers and supported games and video in virtual reality format.

Since the introduction of the Oculus VR prototype and version 1 devkit, other big companies such as Sony, Google, and HTC announced their own VR devices.

Google Cardboard is the most affordable VR headset system since it’s essentially a 3D and VR viewer that is made from either cardboard, EVA foam or plastic and uses a mobile phone as the main display.

Sony’s Project Morpheus uses a VR headgear form factor similar to the Rift. HTC has partnered with Steam, a software and game platform developer for the Vive VR headset. Google’s Cardboard viewer is now available from local sites such as Iamcardboard. ph. Sony’s headset and the latest version of the Rift are scheduled for release in Q1, 2016 while the HTC Vive will have a November 2015 target launch date. Getting content is also not a problem since there are apps available for viewing VR content and even Youtube channels that showcase 3D and VR reels. With the increased availability of both hardware and content, the future looks very bright and very real for VR. September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

GABRIEL ENRIQUEZ

ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF VR PHILIPPINES Gabriel Enriquez started VR Philippines to bring together groups and individuals interested in the emerging VR technologies. He has a background in civil engineering but he is very passionate about, in his own words, “building worlds, both in the physical and the virtual.”

How did the VR scene start in the Philippines? What made you set up VR Philippines?

We started VR Philippines last February 2015. We started the group because we wanted the Philippines to have a role in shaping the future of virtual reality technology. To do so, the Philippines must become a recognized player in the global VR arena by producing locally made content. Establishing a community is the first step. We wanted to create an avenue for VR developers and enthusiasts to exchange ideas and collaborate with each other. We then conducted events such as seminars and meet-ups that aim to promote virtual reality technology in the country and inspire individuals to contribute and become pioneers in this new and exciting frontier.

What type of VR content is being made locally?

Most VR content right now are coming from the entertainment industry, games specifically. On the other hand, we’re are also seeing groups and individual developing apps and content for real estate and 360 photojournalism.

Do you think we’re ready for VR? Definitely. There are a lot of factors existing today that make us ready for VR: Price. Advancements in graphics and display technology made it possible for head-mounted displays such as the Oculus Rift to cost only $300 today.

Computing power.

Computers (and smartphones) today have the capability of rendering real-time photo-realistic graphics and high-enough frame rate.

Accessibility: You can download the Google Cardboard app for free, plug-in your smartphone, and get to experience virtual reality. Back then, you had to carry around an expensive and bulky computer just to demo VR to people.

Demand: When people try VR for the first time, they are simply amazed at the possible applications.

Entertainment is just one of the many industries that VR could potentially revolutionize.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

What is the future of VR in the Philippines?

Tremendous. People will want to have their own VR device to experience the magic, which will in turn increase the demand for content and open more opportunities for developers to monetize their creations.

Apart from entertainment and games, where do you think VR can also be used?

VR can be used in almost all industries. The technology started in the military with the aim of training soldiers and pilots how to shoot and fly planes without the expense and risk of real training. It was also adopted by research labs to visualize complex objects such as atoms, molecules, human organs, planets, and stars. In education, aspiring surgeons utilize VR to practice performing delicate surgery to a body without the huge cost of preparing a cadaver. Grade school students can go to a field trip to the Pyramids of Egypt, explore the red deserts of Mars, or travel to the nearby galaxy Andromeda without ever leaving the classroom.

In real estate, you can let your client take a look at the interior of the house without

ever leaving the sales agent’s booth. The possibilities are limitless.

Do you think VR content should be rated?

TV shows and games are rated.

VR content in the future might as well be rated. However, I think it’s the individual who should be responsible on what type of content he should allow himself to consume.

If I’m a local VR enthusiast, what groups are there for me to join, websites to visit and where can I buy the necessary gear?

You can join our discussion group in Facebook: VR Philippines. In the group you will see our recommended links where you can check out the latest news, download developer software, and generally learn more about the technology. You can also reach us through vrphilippines@ gmail.com.

As for the VR gear, you can start tinkering and experimenting with only a smartphone and a Google Cardboard. Most of the highend VR devices will begin hitting the market by the end of the year and early next year.

INNOVATION

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

THE SARI-SARI STORE GOES HIGH-TECH Ibba Rasul-Bernardo of SARI Software Solutions creates a platform to empower Nanays (term of maternal endearment) through financial and digital literacy.

I

bba is a Tausug who partly grew up in Switzerland and the United States, a certified IMF-World Bank brat who counts himself lucky for all the opportunities thrown his way. Growing up, he got exposed to various types of people and culture but more than that, “ I was allowed [by my parents] to choose what I wanted to do…I am incredibly blessed.”

What he wanted to do was to go into anything related to technology and entrepreneurship.

His mind often wondered about how technology can impact people’s lives, and this led him to try “weird things” on weekends like being part of ‘Buhay Ko’ where a group of his wellmeaning geek friends chose 25 kids from Smokey Mountain and taught them how to blog: from writing, taking photos and making videos and uploading them online. The kids produced 25 incredible blogs and the project produced 25 confident kids with a new skill. On another weekend, he got involved in 'e-dalaw', a project with the Department of Justice where they provided inmates with affordable technology to enable them to see and talk to their relatives who live in distant areas.

Aside from technology and entrepreneurship, Ibba also loves travelling on his Vespa and little did he know that joining the Solar Energy Foundation’s ‘Ride 4 Light’ initiative one weekend will lead to something which will put all the stuff he loves to do to good use. The project had him travelling to remote parts of the Philippines helping set

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

“We can even use the sari-sari store as a disaster relief hub, and for job matches.”

- IBBA RASUL-BERNARDO

up solar panels. During these trips he noticed that the community tambayan (hang-out) is the sari-sari store (variety store). As the hub of the community, the store isn’t only where people buy basic necessities, but it’s also where mothers get the latest news and where people congregate to drink, chat and socialize. And then he thought, “We can even use the sari-sari store as a disaster relief hub, and for job matches.” His idea is that if someone in the community want to market his skill as carpenter or plumber, the sari-sari store owner can match them with someone who’s looking for one.

He was worried, however, when he realized that the Nanays or mothers who mostly own and ran these sarisari stores have no idea how to keep sound financial records. Mostly, they rely on random lists made on scrap paper or in small notebooks and may not know if they’re losing or earning money. Sales are kept in drawers or tin cans and the money is used for business as well as personal or household expenses.

The relevance of the sarisari store as a community hub is unquestionable. There’s one of them for every 140 Filipinos, you’ll find them in most street corners and nearly half of the country’s consumer goods purchases are made in sari-sari stores. Their existence and growth is essential. Ibba and his technology group in SARI Software Solutions created a platform that will help Nanays go online and have access to financial tools that big businesses are using through a

smartphone or tablet. It allows her to track her sales, profits, regular costumers and her inventory.

Ibba and his team realized that Nanays need help, and the help she needs is not in the form of a free smartphone or tablet, but through literacy and an app.

The app helps the sari-sari store owner track how she’s doing and even offer her rewards so she does better. They designed or gameified the technology platform in a way that Nanays can easily understand how to operate it—but that took several tries over the course of months to do this.

SARI Software Solutions also makes it possible to connect the Nanays to microfinance organizations, livelihood training and fellow sari-sari store owners.

The team has pioneered the platform in a number of sari-sari stores in the city and in nearby provinces with very encouraging results. In July 2015, SARI Software Solutions represented the country at the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Tech-I competition in Kenya and was awarded the Best in ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

Ibba’s dream is to be able to share the technology to more and more Nanays and sari-sari stores in the country and in other countries in Asia. Before we know it, our lowly suking tindahan (favorite corner store) will be as tech-ie as their sosyal (high-end) entrepreneur counterpart.

The sari-sari store Nanay goes tech-ie.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

CREATIVE INNOVATION FOR THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION:

PRODUCING ONE-STOP HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE DIGITAL CONSUMER Tom Oliver, CEO of Tom Oliver's Group, on creating 'rockstar' brands for the millennial.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

INNOVATION

THE SECRETS BEHIND CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Creativity and innovation are the two biggest drivers for the long term success of any business.

Cutting costs out of the supply side no longer works. Businesses have to focus on the demand side, and here innovation is the biggest issue. Now more than ever, the ability of any business to produce innovation at the highest level will determine its long term success.

Most businesses think that the processes of creativity and innovation are linear, but they are not. Businesses can profit immensely from understanding the process of making music in a band – called “jamming” – to produce innovation at the highest level.

When jamming, a band focuses on bringing an inner vision to life. All band members move in tune with the music. Spontaneously, they give up control and move as one – in harmony. That´s when the magic happens. Only by jamming together, a band can produce great songs.

Therefore, a company has to decode the secrets behind creativity and innovation so that the different parts of a business can work together in harmony, “jam” and hear the music to consistently produce innovation at the highest level.

UNDERSTANDING THE HEARTS AND THE MINDS OF THE MILLENNIALS AND CONSUMERS BELOW 30

Understanding consumers is now more difficult but also more relevant than ever before. The individual consumer has a bigger presence as the global competition intensifies and the digital world increases the speed of interaction between businesses and their customers.

This heavily influences the future of advertising and communication and the ways in which to win the Millennial Generation for products and services.

To become and remain one of the best global brands, businesses have to understand the hearts and the minds of their consumers. They have to understand people and their

emotions, they have to thoroughly understand their customer base and how to connect with them.

Only then brands will be able to engage consumers effectively.

HOW TO WIN THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION AND THE CONSUMERS BELOW 30 FOR YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The highest driver of change over the next decade will be a significant shift in the expectations of the digital consumers of the Millennial Generation.

The dynamic lifestyle demands of consumers around the world expect a more and more seamless experience from the companies they do business with. In the next years, businesses will have to create one-stop holistic lifestyle solutions and services for its consumers to become and remain among the best global brands.

In order to provide this seamless experience to consumers, businesses can profit immensely from understanding how rock stars and global social entrepreneurs engage people´s hearts and minds.

When a rock star goes out on stage, he tunes into an inner vision and then brings this inner vision to life with his band to excite worldwide audiences. A global social entrepreneur applies exactly the same process when he sets out

with nothing more than a vision to inspire global movements and rally millions of people behind a cause.

In applying the same principles, businesses can develop the kind of products and services that have a mass appeal and resonate with consumers around the world.

Apple has done this very successfully by creating a loyal global “rockstar” following for its products.

This is why we see consumers camp outside of Apple stores the night before a new iPhone comes out, as if they were going to a U2 concert.

Very few other brands have managed to create this kind of authentic, passionate and emotional communication and relationship with their consumers. This is why I call Apple a true “rockstar” brand.

Tom Oliver doing what he does best

BUILDING A BETTER COMPANY: CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

The consumers of the next five to ten years will be more and more purpose driven: They want to do business with the best corporate citizens.

To be a good corporate citizen means to build a better company.

Thereby a company ensures its long term success. Otherwise, it will drive its consumers away.

This means that in order to engage with consumers, brands have to constantly redefine and reexamine their place in the world. This requires a constant re-evaluation September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

INNOVATION

of the positioning of a brand and a clear and authentic communication of its values and purpose.

FOCUS ON DIGITAL MARKETING AS THE CORE DRIVER IN CREATING A SEAMLESS, MORE CONNECTED AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE CONSUMERS

In its efforts to get more excitement for a brand to drive top line growth, businesses have to invest heavily in digital marketing to make the digital experience a central aspect of the consumer experience.

A seamless, more connected and emotional experience has to be orchestrated across all touchpoints to respond to the demands imposed by the accelerating digital transformation and the new way in which businesses have to communicate with customers.

Additionally, brands have to create an enhanced digital experience to encourage a two-way conversation with the consumer and use it as an opportunity to reignite identification with the brand. In this context, innovation will be the key element to drive the user experience.

REDEFINITION OF A BAND´S KEY THEMES AND MESSAGING IN THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE MILLENNIALS

In the next five to ten years, businesses can no longer be idle but have to constantly redefine the positioning of their brand, their enterprise and their ecosystem with the Millennials and consumers below 30.

What we can learn from the practices of the best global brands such as Apple is that the brands come out on top that know how to craft a cohesive story around themes that consumers can identify with and that resonate with them enough to shape brand loyalty and consistently drive top line growth.

These themes have to be unified and orchestrated across all touchpoints to create the kind of one-stop holistic lifestyle solution for the consumer we were talking about earlier.

RESTRUCTURING OF AN ORGANIZATION AT THE TOP MANAGEMENT LEVEL

A lot of C-Suite executives still feel that their organization is not ready to deal with the shift in demands from the increasingly digital consumers below 30.

Restructuring an organization at the top management level can result in a more agile organisation that is able to respond faster to shifting consumer demands: local and central leadership are more intertwined than before and can therefore optimize all touchpoints and enable a two-way conversation with the consumers through Adaptive Experimentation in a more flexible manner.

As an example, brands such as McDonald´s proceeded to eliminate additional layers of management and leadership, such as the management layer of McDonald’s Europe.

These measures were taken to respond to the rapidly accelerating complexity of the demands of the digital consumers and to drive innovation across all touchpoints.

These measures ensured that changes could be implemented rapidly to drive consumer loyalty

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

and reshape a much-needed identification with the brand.

McDonald’s is a case in point because it got blindsided after 10 years of stable sales growth and has been experiencing many consecutive months of flat to negative sales now.

Consumers’ skepticism towards the brand, its positioning, purpose and net positive impact on society is at an all-time low, especially with the Millennials. Most of them feel that McDonald’s as a brand doesn’t share their values and doesn’t “get” them as consumers.

They question the brand’s purpose and place in the world.

Management faces an alarming lack of consumer identification with the values of the brand.

McDonald´s is not only a great example of the rising importance of the perceived purpose and the net positive impact a brand has on society.

It shows us that even the best global brands cannot be idle and have to constantly re-examine and change their old mental models to adapt to significant shifts in the expectations of the increasingly digital consumers.

P E O P L E

The Force is strong with this one. Photo by Von Buenconsejo

London International Awards 108 Creative LIAson Winners Profile 110 Jose Miguel Sokoloff 114 Kentaro Kimura 118 Ronnie del Carmen 120 #TitosofDenmark Design 124 Pam Lefebure of Design Army

Creative Corner 128 Apol Sta Maria In the Bag 130 Gail Tan, Google PH Sidedish 132 Bianca Grey, Media 5 Getting to Know 134 Scott McKenzie, NBC Universal

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TO BOLDLY GO TBWA\Digital Arts Network Manila CEO Eduardo Mapa, Jr. may not be Star Trek’s James Kirk, but he has made it his mission to explore digital frontiers that are no less alien than those encountered by fictional starship captains.

From the fringes of the dotcom boom to the rise of crowdsourcing and beyond, he’s seen it all. Never one to back down from a challenge, he is well known for his unrepentant desire to chart advertising and marketing’s strange new worlds, armed with his wits, passion, and very human instincts.

Presently, says Ed, we are at the forefront of a digital renaissance. This is, after all, a world where the world’s largest taxi fleet doesn’t own a single vehicle, and the world’s largest record store doesn’t have any physical albums.

The only tangible quality, according to the digital trailblazer, is trust.

“Trust is the new currency,” says Mapa, of the digital democratization taking place. “And I don’t know what the new world will look like. But my instincts are telling me I’m in the right environment, with the right partners to take that journey and piece that story together.”

Welcome to the future. words

MIKHAIL LECAROS tbwa\ digital arts network manila WESLEY VILLARICA parallax studio

photography

CENTERFOLD

ARNOLD LIONG

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president/ceo

draftfcb worldwide

& Why many people—especially those in the creative industry— love the coloring book app words

ANNA GAMBOA DEMPSON MAYUGA

illustration

You’ve probably seen Marlon Rivera’s interesting executions of mandalas on his Facebook feed, or Leah Besa-Jimenez’s stronglycolored cat-themed artwork. As coloring books for adults have gained more mainstream acceptance, iOS and Android apps have surfaced, making it easier for users to choose from various palettes, redo color schemes, and share the finished work on social media. “Stress busting,” “soothing,” and “addictive” are just some of the words used to describe the program, which some claim leads the way to actually picking up coloring pens or pencils to color within the lines of an actual coloring book. The beauty of using the app, many claim, stems from the fact that you can just redo your colors, reuse the pages, or just move on to the next page, without guilt or waste. Shading a bit of vibrancy into their everyday routines, these Colorfy hobbyists elevate stress-relief above painting by numbers.

MARLON RIVERA director

TRENDSPOTTING GLORIA ROCA former executive producer

MARICELLE NARCISO

marketing director, pepsico inc.

LEAH BESA-JIMENEZ

ceo, starcom mediavest group

LONDON INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

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Andrew Yap Digital Art Director Publicis Manila

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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LONDON INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

John Paulo Villones Art Director BBDO Guerrero

A trip to Vegas awaits adobo’s Creative LIAisons, the winners of the adobo LIA Young Creatives Cover Art Contest

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fter vying with some of the best young creatives in the country, Andrew Yap of Publicis Manila and Paulo Villones of BBDO Guerrero emerged as the winners of the adobo LIA Young Creatives Cover Art Contest.

Asked to submit an artwork for Class A, adobo magazine’s campus edition which will be published for college students, Yap and Villones emerged triumphant, after being judged the winners by no less than the hotshots of the creative industry namely Raoul Panes, Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett Group Manila; Joey Tiempo, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno; Dave Ferrer, Executive Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson Manila; Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Manila’s Creative Director Denise Tee and BBDO Guerrero’s Dale Lopez.

That means in November 2015 they’ll be representing the Philippines as adobo Creative LIAsons, attending the judging of the London International Awards (LIA) and listening to talks by advertising stars like DDB Worldwide’s Chief Creative Officer Amir Kassaei and J. Walter Thompson Manila’s Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Matt Eastwood at the Creative LIAisons Conversation Program.

Launched in 2012 as a fullyfunded educational initiative by LIA to help hone the next generation of creatives, the Creative LIAisons program this year can expect nothing less than magic from this duo.

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IS CURIOUS AND LAZY JOSE MIGUEL SOKOLOFF, PRESIDENT, MULLEN LOWE GROUP GLOBAL CREATIVE COUNCIL has a gift for turning even the most mundane statement into quotable gold. interview

ANGEL GUERRERO

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his civil engineer and business manager didn’t dream of being in advertising, but he had an unreliable car and wanted to work in an office close by. Fortunately, Leo Burnett was a few blocks away, “I walked through the offices and saw these cozy cubicles, and there were people who were using headphones. I thought this is perfect. I can hide in one cubicle and listen to music all day and people would think I’m working.

Turns out that these are the people who listen to market research. But it did give me an opportunity to express myself to change the things that I felt needed to be changed and I never left. I loved it.”

against each other, as an agency, as offices. I base the bonus, everything on the general performance of the agency. So when somebody wins, everybody wins and I believe that the best work comes from being able to believe. Positive constructive work comes from constructive agencies, so I dedicate most of my time in generating the right environment, the right type of collaboration and making sure that I’m always surrounded with people who are a lot better than me. I’ve always realized that I’m not really good at coming up with a brilliant idea.

I’m really good at making it better.

And so it’s about making sure that people can make any idea better, that the ideas are owned by all of us.

Gamble has to build another toothpaste plant, that meant they need to increase their sales by a lot so they had a plan that in order to grow their toothpaste business, they needed to double their sales in X amount of time. What they did is to teach America to brush their teeth twice a day: once in the morning then at night. It’s very selfish but what it did is that it kind of made cavities a thing of the past.

Sometimes we’re irresponsible on how we use advertising. I always set goals about being the need to be respectful, responsible, that we need to be aware of the consequences of what we’re doing.

Then we will produce work, which will not easily be forgotten.

The legacy of Frank Lowe has given the Lowe agency its strong creative hold in the U.K., now that you have this global role, how do you lead? What creative culture do you instill in Lowe right now?

I lead by staying out of the way when I can, but frankly what I do very much is, I make sure everybody understands that we do not compete

What are the goals that you’ve set for the Lowe network?

If you think about it, advertising is changing the world permanently, and the reason for advertising to exist, is to amplify stuff, so in the forties, after the war, there was a lot of stuff that they used to make gunpowder, which eventually became toothpaste. Procter and

What is Mullen Lowe?

How has it changed?

Lowe is a small, medium-sized multi-national agency, which has never had, for many years the chance in the past, maybe 15 to 20 years (to develop a credible presence) in the U.S. It’s a U.K. agency. We were strong in the U.S. years ago, but then September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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The reason for advertising to exist is to amplify stuff.

- JOSE MIGUEL SOKOLOFF

that all kind of fell apart. Everybody started leaving. There were too many conflicts, and the next thing they did was they merged it with Lintas, and that merge with Lintas was a hostile takeover if you will, by a small boutique-y agency that had a network of 17 or 18 agencies around the world. Changing the culture of Lintas was fundamentally impossible, and that destroyed the United States. And then they merged us with Bozell, which did not work so, and then we tried something with Campbell-Ewald which is an agency out of Detroit, and that was nice.

Within Interpublic, there’s another agency, a very good agency, which is Mullen. Mullen is based out of Boston; it has three agencies, three offices in the U.S. And they have a lot of clients that want to go global.

Together, we won Caribbean, which is a big global cruise line. All mergers were arranged marriages. But I think with Mullen, there is love because we need each other very much and we work together to reach far. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

In your creative department, what kind of creative people do you look out for and in the traditional sense, we have art and copy, has it changed?

I look for people with passion - cooking, running, collecting butterflies, I don’t know, and I look for people who love to work together.

Everything else doesn’t really matter to me. I believe that there are two fundamental types of creative: the revolutionaries, like Mozart or the evolutionaries like Beethoven or Picasso who invented Cubism at 24 or Matisse who did his most beautiful work when he was almost blind. You need to have a balance of that in every creative department.

That’s what I’m looking for.

I noticed you brought a few Latin American talents into Asia, do you see similarities between Asian markets and Latin Americans, what do you think they’ll bring to the table when you put them in offices in Asia?

Again, my focus is about people who can work together, people who

respect other people and other cultures. When you see what happens in Dubai for example where a lot of people just kind of hang out together, they don’t get really get anything done around them. So if I’m going to send somebody there, I want to make sure that they will respect the culture. They will want to learn from it, they want to become part of it. Having said that, that is not a Latin American trait, that’s a personal trait. It just so happens that I see Lat Ams do that.

How important are award shows?

We don’t like to work for the money. We like the money and we certainly know how to spend it but we work for the recognition.

Award shows are fundamental if you want to attract talent, now having said that, some award shows are more important than others because clients care. Clients also have an ego. Clients also want to be on stage. I think we need

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All mergers were arranged marriages. But I think with Mullen, there is love because we need each other very much and we work together to reach far.

- JOSE MIGUEL SOKOLOFF

this research and development stage where we compete against each other and we come up with the greatest idea. One example is Ogilvy’s Coca Cola can with a name. That was entered three or four years ago, they got a Gold Lion. And now that became a global thing. That’s what I think about awards show now. The second part of my answer, is how do we involve, how do we connect with the young ones now?

Advertising is old and dying. If we want award shows to matter, we need to equate, we need to have our awards at a level of different awards. We need to make people think they’re as important as fashion designers, as music people.

It’s not an evil creativity that sells.

Having a bunch of Gold Lions, how do you explain that?

My mother decides to go to my office. She will see a thing there and ask, “What is that?” I would say that is a very important award, a D&AD black pencil. If

she saw an Oscar, she would not ask me. You know what I mean?

I think both Cannes and Clio are walking the same path but different directions. Cannes is trying to be a festival of all things creative, and Clio is doing it differently. One of them will prevail. I think probably what Clio is doing, sounds smarter to me. But only time can tell.

There was this conversation about dinosaurs, Madison Avenue and then you talked about agencies like RGA, they’re tying up with TechStars, the idea of combining technology in what we do and also looking at Techstars, is that something you think Lowe would do, our industry should do, to move us out of being in this old age of just selling McDonald’s?

Yeah, I think that’s more of a media issue. I think in a way that is trying to regain the control of the media, where your message, or where your ideas come to live. We can’t forget that we are content providers, in

20secs, 15secs or 20mins. I think all agencies need to do that in order for them to survive. But I don’t think it’s fundamental, what I do think is that we need to be better and more in tune in what we’re saying. Because in Silicon Valley, there’s a saying that I love which is “Marketing is the prize you pay for lame products.”

It’s so true. We in our industry, we get the lame products. The ones that don’t need advertising, they don’t come to us because they don’t need us. That’s why I’m saying we’re dinosaurs because all the lame products will go away, unfortunately.

Snippets from the latest creative from Mullen Lowe US's Innovation lab.

What do you love about advertising?

I love its capacity to change things.

I love the people. I think the people are very interesting. When you seat with a client who does tires, and you listen, you learn a lot. And I’m fundamentally a very curious person. This is a profession that is curious and lazy. So it gives me a lot of knowledge about stuff that just comes to you, and I love it.

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KETTLE'S BOILING Kentaro Kimura of Hakuhodo Kettle on City and Forest thinking and the humanization of data and technology interview

ANGEL GUERRERO

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e first came to Cannes as a judge in 2004.

During that time he would critique and watch film entries from dawn to dusk.

Taxing one might say, but Co-CEO, Executive Creative Director and Account Planner, Kentaro Kimura is one to scrutinize all the details.

In this exclusive interview with the father of Creative Alchemy, Kimura talks about innovations, his shift in career and his famous analogy on City and Forest thinking.

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You started out as a planner, what made you shift into being a creative?

KENTARO KIMURA: It’s very simple.

The position limited me into doing other things. I always come up with the better idea in digital, PR or creative TVCs but I can’t tackle on the creative side because I’m limited into the responsibilities of being a planner. I’m only a planner yet I always end up doing everything.

That’s why I train people in Kettle.

All 30 people in Kettle don’t have

Eye Play the Piano aims to help physicallychallenged people to play the piano without the use of arms or hands

a job title. There’s no copywriter, no art director, no nothing. For me everyone should be able to do everything. Every beginning of the year, I interview them and assess what projects they’ve done. I then analyze and assign them tasks they’ve never done before, because otherwise they will tend to stick to a task where they’re comfortable and familiar. I avoid having people stick to their comfort zone.

These 30 people that you train, how long is the process for them to be able to learn everything?

KENTARO KIMURA: It depends on the person. If they’re a freshman, it usually takes them ten years, but if not, it just takes three years.

What’s the age range of these thirty people?

KENTARO KIMURA: They are in their thirties. They’re a little bit old because we don’t hire freshmen. Kettle is a place for career

expansion. We have people in their 20s but they’re very few.

You’ve mentioned two kinds of thinking, the City and Forest thinking, can you elaborate on that?

KENTARO KIMURA: City thinking is conscious thinking while the Forest is subconscious.

City involves logic and structure while Forest kind is full of wild imaginations and risk. Going to the forest will bring brilliant ideas, however, if you’re looking to pursue a client brief, these wild and adventurous ideas will need to take the back seat to inject a dose of reality.

This year at Cannes, there’s a focus on innovation. Can you give us your thoughts about that?

KENTARO KIMURA: Innovation is humanizing the data and its function. Make things more human centered rather than tech centered. The keyword is humanization by bringing life to the function. There’s a lot of opportunity for to us to humanize.

We humanize technology not only because we want to make things convenient, but also because integration of life and emotion is important. Humanization of data and technology is going to take us in the next few years.

A lot of innovation now is more product-based rather than communication-based, how do you get into concept-making to actual implementation of a product? Other agencies are having a hard time jumping into that. How do you go as far as you have?

KENTARO KIMURA: It all comes down to relationship. In many cases in Japan, there’s no brief. It’s a next level type of relationship if a client shares all the information with us. A perfect example would be Suntory. We were able to come up with that concept because the adobo magazine | September - October 2015

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client briefed us regarding Hibiki’s brand story. Hibiki’s original blender was actually a musician, and he blended that whiskey while listening to an orchestra. We focused on the sound, behavior and technology.

You talked about product innovation category where Eye Play the Piano was shortlisted. Can you tell us about the thinking behind that campaign?

KENTARO KIMURA: It’s a campaign where technology was very humanized. This project allows a physically challenged person to play the piano through eyes and head movements instead of arms and hands.

Physically challenged people needs physical accomplishments. The little boy featured in the film wanted to quit learning several times, but because he was continuously encouraged, he was finally able to do it after four months.

The kind of work you do reflects the kind of power the advertising industry has. How do you encourage people to create more projects which actually make a difference.

KENTARO KIMURA: They have to realize that there are a lots of areas, which need humanization. It doesn’t matter if it’s through new media or technology. The key message here is that there are a lot of opportunities for us.

How is Japanese industry different from the rest of the world?

KENTARO KIMURA: Japanese people are too tech-savvy. I think that’s an advantage and disadvantage for us. We enjoy data in technology too much, but other people sometimes find it boring or uninteresting.

What’s life at home like?

KENTARO KIMURA: I have a wife. I play tennis and I ski. Every chance I get, I spend my time with my family.

You say if you could quit your job you’d travel the world, do you have a bucket list of places to go to?

Suntory blends traditional Japanese design with innovative sensor technology

KENTARO KIMURA: Not so much this year but I’m thinking of going to China and Thailand. I’ve made it a point to go to go visit a new country every year.

Last year, I went to Slovenia. Two years ago, I went to Malaysia and Brazil.

Knowing the differences in culture is very important to creative thinking; otherwise your manner of thinking will be confined to city thinking.

When I was 19, I went to India.

I stayed there for three months. I don’t have money then so I only eat curry everyday. For a year I traveled to thirty countries. I like it because when I cross a border, the conventional concept of the world changes.

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THE JOURNEY TO INSIDE OUT Ronnie del Carmen, co-director of Disney's Inside Out, takes us through the process of translating the psychobabble of feelings into animation. words

MARJ CASAL

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t all started with a father’s curious love and concern for her teenage daughter. From being a jolly little kid, she became a gloomy and indifferent adolescent. The father is Inside Out co-director, Pete Docter.

“Pete Docter wanted to know what was going on inside her daughter’s head,” shared Ronnie del Carmen, the film’s co-director, during a lecture about the making of Inside Out at SM Aura’s IMAX.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

In between the production stories and behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the newest film, Ronnie also shared a little bit about his life and journey with Pixar.

Ronnie hails from Cavite. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Fine Arts major in Advertising. Early on, Ronnie’s love for animation has become apparent. He joked that as a student, he would draw

caricatures in his Mathematics books instead of studying them.

He joined Pixar right in time for the production of Finding Nemo where he was a story supervisor.

Apart from Finding Nemo, del Carmen also worked on Ratatouille, and Up–where he was responsible for the famous four-and-a-half minute montage of Ellie and Carl’s love story. Ronnie, having had a background on advertising, credits this feat to his experiences in

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“ A movie is about writing and re-writing, storyboarding and re-boarding.”

- RONNIE DEL CARMEN

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compressing stories to 30-second or even 10-second TV spots without missing the message that needed to be communicated.

Inside Out according to Ronnie was by far, the hardest film he has ever worked on. “We don’t know what emotions look like,” chortled Ronnie. The team had to research about a lot of psychological concepts. They had to talk to psychiatrists and learn about each emotion that a person feels and had to narrow the long list down to joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust.

The characters representing the five emotions were conceived after post its upon post its of ideas plastered on boards, and 3D figures that were reviewed and revised by the Pixar team over and over, “Pixar characters are fruits of years and years of meeting and refining.”

Despite the tedious process that the team of Inside Out had to go through, Ronnie never thought of giving up, “a movie is about writing and re-writing, storyboarding and re-boarding.” Inside Out follows the life of a young girl named Riley.

From the moment she was born until she grows up to become an adolescent starting to experience different kinds of emotions especially when she, along with her family had to move to a different city.

The five main characters are voiced by Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis

Smith (Sadness), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger) and Mindy Kaling (Disgust). Also in the movie are Richard Kind as Bing Bong, Kaitlyn Dais as Riley, Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley’s mom and dad. As parting words, Ronnie reminded the audience who were a mix of students, press, writers, storytellers and ‘animation freaks’ that films, like other brilliant works, always start with a simple idea coupled with determination, “Just make something and finish it. Show it to people. Get feedback and then do it better the next time. Do this over and over.”

Ronnie and Pete Docter at the Philippine premiere of Inside Out.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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#TITOSOFDENMARK JASON DRILON, IAN STA. MARIA AND MERVIN IGNACIO talk about how working at LEGO is really awesome. interview

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Finding a job at the LEGO headquarters in Denmark is a dream for many. Is it a dream achieved?

JASON DRILON: I grew up with LEGO bricks, and I never really thought I would end up working for the company. I sometimes still pinch myself when I walk into the office.

IAN STA. MARIA: One of my first toys as far as I can remember is the LEGO Spaceman. I never grew tired of those bricks and I learned to make my own stories while playing with action figures. And I loved it.

I discovered role playing and world building. Eventually that led to me drawing my own comic book stories and designing characters and creating my own universe. I would always make time to draw, and getting home and going straight to my drawing table to make a comic book page was always the best part of my day. Yes, it’s a dream achieved. And to tell you the truth I never really applied. I was very lucky that my good buddy, Marvin gave them my online comic book portfolio. Next thing I knew I was Skype-ing with a creative manager from LEGO telling me to pack my bags and head on to Denmark!

MARVIN IGNACIO: The office itself is like a geek dream come true.

Walking in to the lobby, there’s a huge display of every LEGO Star Wars Minifig ever made, along with the greeting – “MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU”. Just a short walk adobo magazine | September - October 2015

from where I sit is a giant slide that takes you down to an area where you can watch the Toy Designers at work on their latest creations.

Everywhere you look, it seems like someone’s building something cool and new. There’s such a strong culture of play at work, so just being able to be part of that is definitely inspiring. I get to pay my love for the brand forward. And that makes it very easy to be excited about going to work everyday.

What is your role in LEGO and what are you responsible for?

JASON DRILON: I’m a DCS (Digital Content Specialist) for one of LEGO’s prime franchises – LEGO City. It’s a bit of a hybrid role. It’s content creation mixed with a whole host of things like project management, technology and strategy. There are ten of us in the DCS role at the company, each handling a different franchise.

It’s a varied mix of people from different backgrounds, not necessarily from advertising.

IAN STA. MARIA: I am a Senior Concept Artist in a team called Front End. We are actually at the start of the production line. I get to design characters and models and draw scenes that would help the stories that we make into actual toy lines, cartoon shows or video games. I get to work with the model designers and influence the look of the toys. And drawing scenes with

the toys in action is the best part because I get to be part of developing original stories and characters in building a whole universe!

MARVIN IGNACIO: I work for the Consumer Marketing Agency (CMA) of LEGO, which handles 80% of all communications for the different themes, in-house. I’m the Senior Creative Manager of the Big Bang Team, and our job basically is to introduce new homegrown LEGO IPs to the world. We have a team of 12 people from different disciplines working together on different aspects of our global campaign, making everything

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from communication strategies and concepts, to packaging, TV commercials, content and websites.

What is a day like for you, and what do you do on weekends?

JASON DRILON: We normally start work early at LEGO – sometimes at 8:00am (!). A typical day involves a whole lot of meetings to co-ordinate global digital asset creation and production, as well as ideate on new forms of content to deploy for the franchise. LEGO works at least a year in advance since there’s so much content to produce on a global scale.

There’s a big emphasis on work/

life balance in LEGO, so we almost always go home before 5:00pm. Yes, we get to play with LEGO bricks any time we want. :D Our weekends are spent going around the countryside, having brunch and going to Copenhagen to have some good Texas barbecue and craft beer. We’ve even come up with a hashtag for our adventures - #titosofdenmark.

IAN STA. MARIA: I usually get up at 7 or 8 am, have a cup of coffee and walk to the office. I live ten minutes away. Start the day with a short meeting and just draw all day. Sometimes there are random Nerf wars that last around 10 to 20

minutes in the afternoon, and the best way to meet new friends from other departments is to shoot them in the face with a Nerf gun and viceversa. I get home around 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Take a run or skateboard around town for two to three hours. Head home, grab a beer, play with my action figures, or get on the PS4 for a while before going back to drawing comics again on my drawing table.

Making their mark in LEGO, the #titosofdenmark.

MARVIN IGNACIO: A typical workday for me begins at 9am and ends at around 4:30pm. They take work-life balance here very seriously, so meetings are run very efficiently, allowing everyone to be September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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I would create a game universe based on our comic book Skyworld!

- IAN STA. MARIA

as productive as possible -- and still go home in time to pick up their kids. Half my time is dedicated to working with different creative teams, helping develop and craft each concept, and the other half is spent coordinating with the different stakeholders, presenting ideas and discussing project requirements. And despite the cold weather sometimes, there’s a lot about nature to enjoy in Denmark.

There are parks, beaches and forests everywhere, and we’ve learned to appreciate the simple pleasure of having a beer out in the sun. Every month, we drive up to Copenhagen for a taste of big city living, making sure to visit our favorite ribs place. Then of course, there are the Viking Museums that are next on our list.

What are you missing the most from the Philippines?

JASON DRILON: It’s natural to miss family and friends. What I do really miss are our beaches. Mervin

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

and I live in a fjord-side town called Vejle. I wouldn’t dare wade into the water there. I’m an avid SCUBA diver, and they mentioned that the Vejle Fjord was diveable, but I’d rather stay dry, thank you.

IAN STA. MARIA: The weather sometimes, but mostly of course friends and family. Oh and the street food. I miss isaw! I also miss all those week day stress compression drinking sessions with officemates where everyone would vent out about work, the camaraderie.

MERVIN IGNACIO: Definitely the food. Eating out is a bit expensive here, and there aren’t too many choices, so people mostly eat at home. I also miss the warm weather – especially during winter. The days here can get really short, and you hardly get to see the sun. When I come home, going to a white-sand, blue water beach for at least a week would be an absolute must.

If there was a LEGO game you would create, what will it be?

JASON DRILON: I’m a firm believer in physical play. I’d do something that bridges the physical-digital play gap. The game would have to incentivize creation so kids are constantly challenged to think up of new creations to build.

But idea wise? The game has to have dragons, ninjas, robots and zombies. Definitely zombies.

IAN STA. MARIA: I would create a game universe based on our comic book Skyworld! Filled to the brim with Filipino mythological creatures like aswang and tikbalang and kapre!

MARVIN IGNACIO: It wouldn’t be a game – my ultimate dream would be to have a LEGO Voltes V play theme.

Reboot the whole franchise with new TV episodes and a brickified version of the legendary robot.

There’s just something about LEGO bricks being able to volt in that makes so much sense in my head.

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PUM LEFEBURE

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PUM LEFEBURE, the woman behind Design Army, about going beyond graphic design, the beauty of simplicity, and finding inspiration in travel. words

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aking inspiration from around the world, designer Pum Lefebure is the creative mind behind numerous successful campaigns. Among these are visually stunning short films for The Washington Ballet’s Sleepy Hollow, clever and playful designs for swimwear by Karla Colletto, and surreal and whimsical animations for One Show 2012.

Lefebure, who is Design Army’s co-founder and chief creative officer, started the company in 2003 with her husband Jake. From working out of their home, the company has evolved into a full-service agency that has done everything from naming new companies and products to designing high-end swimwear collections. Design Army also produces video work and does environmental design, such as helping The Ritz-Carlton align their 87 properties around the world in terms of the sensory experience they provide to guests.

Pum explains that everything is still rooted in graphic design, but the company takes it beyond that. “We do beyond beautiful graphic design; we’re creative consultants that help clients resolve their business problems,” says Lefebure, who explains that there is a lot more to addressing a problem than fixing it.

“In the old days, a designer was like a plastic surgeon who just fixed a problem. Now, clients almost view us like a really good internal specialist, who has a deep knowledge and can analyze your problem and come up

with a remedy. That’s where we’re headed - more of the diagnostic work first, understanding the problem, and then coming up with a creative solution,” she says.

Declining to define where she’s taking Design Army next, saying “the world will take us where it needs us to go.” This belief may well be based on experience, as Lefebure has lived half her life in Asia and half in the U.S. According to the Bangkok native, this gives her the advantage of “really, truly understanding both sides.” “I grew up in Thailand, where color is crazy and vivid. And then in America, it’s so mass market - McDonald’s, Times Square - everything is loud and in your face,” shares Lefebure, whose unique perspective has given the company a distinctive voice and vibe. “By not relying on a perfect translation across languages, I learned how to speak visually, explaining concepts and directions without words,” she says.

Getting out there and being exposed to different cultures is food for the creative spirit, according to Lefebure, who says that while traveling isn’t that productive, it brings inspiration. “That’s when my mind is the most free - even traveling for work, there’s something about being outside that makes you feel more creative, like you can dream and not be confined,” she says. For her, travel is almost like research, and in the same way that primary sources are the most authentic, vicarious experiences simply aren’t

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Design Army poster designs

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“I’m a city girl, but a beautiful landscape calms me and makes me feel small, which is necessary. There’s a spiritual quality to the experience of feeling small.”

- PUM LEFEBURE

the same. “You become a better designer when you actually see a place or an object. Travel gives me greatest inspiration because it’s real - what you see on Instagram is not real. You have to go,” says Lefebure, who believes everyone should take a vacation. “You have to be able to get out, so that you can come back refreshed,” she says.

While her work has taken her around the world, Krabi is still her go-to place. “I love the ocean, southern Thailand, and Thai food.

It’s my happy place. I want to be there and have a ‘do nothing’ day,” she shares. Apart from home, Paris and Tokyo are also her favorites.

“If I could move there and set up a studio, I would,” she says of Paris.

“Every street, every cobblestone, every design decision is amazingly rich in heritage and culture.

Parisian design is really amazing; you get Baroque design, painting, architecture, as well as the really new, experimental stuff. I also adobo magazine | September - October 2015

love Tokyo — the combination of the old and historic with the new and super weird is so appealing to me. That mix is incredible, and everything is all about quality.”

She would like to visit Argentina and Brazil, but the place that stands out on her to-visit list is Iceland.

“I’m a city girl, but a beautiful landscape calms me and makes me feel small, which is necessary.

There’s a spiritual quality to the experience of feeling small.”

The idea of smallness and simplicity is something that resonates with Lefebure, whether it’s about everyday good design or bigger things, like innovation.

She cites sticky notes as one of her favorite things, because it’s both functional and beautiful. “It’s simple, square, I can get organized, I can make art out of it. It was something that probably started out very small and simple, but the concept really has legs,” she says.

She also appreciates good design

that is more aesthetic. “Good design has the power to transform things around it. Think about two coffee shops: one with terrible interior design and one with a really beautiful interior. The coffee is going to taste better at the second one, you’ll stay longer, you’ll spend more money on the coffee. Good design has that kind of power,” she says.

On the other hand, innovation as Lefebure sees it is less about technology or beauty than it is about solving a problem. As an example, the Nutifood’s plastic bottle life vests by Y&R Vietnam. “It really struck me as a creative way to solve a problem, and that’s the core of innovation. It can be a way of solving a problem with available resources, and it starts with thinking about ‘what is the problem’ and ‘how can we solve it’,” she explains.

Another great example of pragmatic design, according to Lefebure, is a collaboration between Crown, a moving company, and

PUM LEFEBURE

some parents who choose to keep their work and home life separate.

It seems to have turned out well, as Lefebure describes her daughter as a creative problem-solver. Apart from learning the processes, she also learns the value of hard work.

“She understands, through growing up in our business, what it’s like to be a self-made person - nothing is ever handed out. She sees the process of our big projects from start to finish, so she knows how much work goes into creating art.

As a mom, I see everything as an opportunity to teach, and kids are like sponges, absorbing everything they see. I think it’s been a good way to prepare her for the future and help her get ahead,” she says.

Although it has worked well in Lefebure’s case, people are often warned against going into business with friends or relatives. The way to do it, she says, begins with finding

the right partner. “It has to be someone you trust, who is truly committed and shares the same vision. They have to be willing to work as hard as you do,” she says.

The second tip she gave is to fail fast. “Expect right away that you will fail. Edison probably tried a thousand light bulbs before he got it right. Just try to fail as quickly as you can — jump back in and try over and over until you get it right,” she says, before giving her final piece of advice: make sure you’re really passionate about whatever business you’re starting.

Pum relates passion to creation.“If you’re not passionate, you’ll never become a great creative — you’ll just have a job. Owning a business requires a lot of passion; you have to love your company and what you create more than anyone else, and deliver that passion to your clients and your employees."

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the Salvation Army in Hong Kong.

They designed a moving box that allows the sender to display either “Keep” or “Gift” on the top panels, depending on how the box is closed. Movers then know which boxes are to be brought to the new house, and which are intended for the Salvation Army. “That, to me, is innovation — not how pretty the box is, but how it can make a lot of peoples’ lives easier,” she says.

Lefebure’s belief in learning from experience can also be seen in the way she brings up her daughter, who grew up in the art studio. Having an early exposure to her parents’ work has given her an edge in the sense that she can do things other kids can’t do. “I think she’s efficient almost automatically. She’s been on photoshoots since she was two years old; she’s never gone to a shoot and not helped or contributed in some way,” says Lefebure, who is unlike

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“It has to be someone you trust, who is truly committed and shares the same vision. They have to be willing to work as hard as you do.”

- PUM LEFEBURE

Design Army's flights of fancy on posters

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CREATIVE CORNER

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As a freelance creator, Apol Sta. Maria has constantly been self-publishing (komiks, music, animation) since 2009.

He's done tie-ups with Team Manila, Artwork and Blank You Very much.

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1. Pilar by Tokwa Penaflorida. I like supporting young artists with good work, because I was in their shoes before.

2. Tim Burton signed print. I admire him: He writes, draws, directs -and does so much more.

3. Autographed Eraserheads Esquire EP. The reunion album was a must-have for me.

4. Michael Allred signed prints. An artist whose work was published independently and in commercial work like DC Vertigo's Sandman.

5. Sharon Cuneta signed photograph. .

6. Barkada picture.

Because your friends keep you grounded, or like to remind you where you came from.

7. Peppermint scent. Yeah, I like aromatherapy. Keeps the bugs away too.

8. Not my shoes. If you recognize your shoes in this photo, come back for them!

9. Many pieces of Alamat ng Panget. For sale at various shops, comic conventions and book fairs. Bumili na kayo!

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IN THE BAG

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1. Wallet - for life’s little (or big!) surprises

5. Alcohol - I could be a borderline germaphobe...

2. Post-it notes - for those thoughts that need to stick

6. Floss - Motto in life: Eat, Laugh, Floss

3. A pen - because it’s mightier than the sword. (Could be better than a pepper spray?)

7. Lipstick - A dab of lip color can make a world of difference

4. Business card holder - For “Call Me Maybe” business moments.

8. Perfume - Complete the look with a touch of scent

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9. Mints - For those really big AHA! moments when you have to say AHA! 10. Passport - always ready to go when duty calls 11. Power bank - so I’ll always be powered-up.

12. Nexus 5 phone - Every time you reach for the phone is a special micro moment waiting to happen

13. Nexus 7 tablet - There are times when watching YouTube Offline is more fun on a bigger screen 14. Earphones - When I need to escape to my world while in a crowd

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SIDE DISH

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BIANCA GREY

Head of Sales for Brand New Media channels for the Philippines Media 5 ANY SKILL YOU FAKED TILL YOU MADE IT?

Selling, as funny as that sounds given my current role. When I first started out in sales, my background was in product development. I nerded it out, learned from people who were great at it, kept at it, until I got it.

WHY MARKETING AS A CAREER?

All brands have a story to tell. I like finding that emotional connection between a brand and its audience.

WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?

Hip-hop dance skills.

YOUR FAVORITE BRANDS, EXCLUDING YOUR COMPANY’S?

Google. :) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL HERO?

Batman. I love the idea that he doesn’t have any actual superpowers.

He’s just incredibly smart, resourceful, and has tried to make the most of his dark past. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s a billionaire).

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MOST OVER RATED AND UNDER RATED QUALITY?

Most over rated quality - good looks. Substance always trumps form. Most under rated quality - punctuality.

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GETTING TO KNOW

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SCOTT MACKENZIE VP of Channels NBC Universal

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN NBC

As VP of Channels at NBCUniversal, I currently oversee areas including Programming, Production, Creative, Branding and Marketing for the company’s pay-TV channels in the region – namely E!, DIVA, Universal Channel and Syfy. I also spearhead the company’s social and digital content initiatives, in addition to being the Executive Producer of local productions such as E!’s It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez and DIVA’s How Do I Look? Asia.

WHICH OF THE CHANGES IN MEDIA/ TELEVISION ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?

The rising importance of social media on TV. It is fascinating to be able to see in real time how fans are engaging with a particular TV program through various social media platforms. This makes the TV viewing experience more adobo magazine | September - October 2015

interactive and insightful for both audiences and TV networks.

Television content (news and entertainment) has evolved from a traditional TV set appliance, where the household can now access programs in every screen format be it mobile phones, tablets or TVs. Conversely, television sets are now “smart” allowing access to the internet and its infinite content, transforming television as we know it. This ultimately makes content more pervasive and accessible.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE NBC CHANNEL? WHICH OF THE SHOWS IN THIS CHANNEL DO YOU WATCH MOST OFTEN?

Each of our channels have a special place in my heart. I grew up being a huge fan of Syfy (previously Sci Fi), and still enjoy almost any show or movie that is set in outer space, like the new series Dark

Matter, that recently premiered on the channel. I would say that in recent years, I have been watching a lot more E! Working on locally produced shows like It Takes Gutz to Be A Gutierrez and new addition styleList inc., has been a great experience. Honestly, I can watch and re-watch all of the scenes with Tita Annabelle over and over.

WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?

Skipping gym to binge watch #Rich Kids of Beverly Hills.

WHAT TALENT DO YOU MOST WANT TO HAVE?

The ability to convince Kim Kardashian to make a guest appearance on It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez. Would also be thrilled to have her, Kendall or Kylie Jenner as a guest stylist on How Do I Look Asia.

T H E

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Shoptalk 136 Agencies Joining the Startup Game Profile 138 HAVAS Media Ortega 144 Mother London 150 AKQA

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AGENCIES JOINING THE STARTUP GAME Firms are mashing up startups and agencies with spectacular results words

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ny agency worth its stripes are constantly on the hunt for fresh ideas and the freshest ones these days come from startups. Which may explain why in the past years, agencies have taken a leap of faith to invest in the very businesses disrupting every part of the industry.

When the world’s biggest advertising festival, The Cannes Lions, dropped the word “advertising” from its name back in 2011, it was the start of big changes. Creativity seems to no longer belong to those who have the word “creative” in their job title.

In fact, many of the creative ideas at Cannes and most of the apps, platforms and utilities we are taking for granted have been coming out of “non-creative people” – labeled as such before creativity was usually domain of artisans and advertising practitioners.

This year’s Cannes Lions illustrates it well. R/GA, one of the world’s respected ad agencies, had a commendable haul of 33 Lions last June. But the most interesting part wasn’t the number of metals it won.

Out of that total, 14 of them were won by entries with out the word “advertising” or “campaign” in its name. The awards were won by four startup companies under R/GA Accelerator and R/ GA Ventures – the agency’s own accelerator programs launched in December 2013 in partnership with Techstars, a mentorshipdriven startup accelerator.

And were not just talking about Bronzes here. Diagenetix, a genebased diagnostics to protect food; Owlet Baby Care, a smart baby monitor; Hammerhead Navigation, a navigation tool for bicycles, and

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

LISNR, all brought home a Gold Lion in categories that reflect the new age – Innovation, Cyber and Mobile.

R/GA is not the first ad agency to get into the accelerator game. In 2012, Brooklyn-based agency Huge created Huge Labs, opening event marketing platform Togather and Honey, an internal social network for corporations. Y&R also opened Y&R Spark Plug the same year.

We also have Publicis spending £1 million in September 2014 to open The Publicis Drugstore, a co-working space that will also house the agency’s incubator program. Legendary ad man John Hegarty of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), followed a month after with his own startup play called The Garage.

The latest to join the ranks of potential suitors to startups are big multinationals like Unilever with The Foundry. The world’s second

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“Will networks embrace the startup mentality model? Yes. The animal, because of the food chain, is now different.“

biggest advertiser introduced this incubator at Cannes last June, reporting that it has done pilots with 60 startups and paid over $5 million to startup partners.

HERE TO STAY

Agencies seem to be not really motivated by money the same way venture capital firms are. News coverage paints the trend as a win-win: startups have many to spend to develop their ideas and access to potential clients, while agencies get a front row seat to fresh ideas spin into remarkable products right under their roof.

“Personally, I am very entrepreneurial and it makes so much sense for an ad agency to channel all that creative thinking, to channel all of that insanely good skill set to solve problems and create

products,” Carlo Ople, managing director & partner of Digit, the digital arm of DM9 JaymeSyfu, opined.

“It's something that agencies that are bold enough should be doing. And the agencies that will do that I think are the ones that can avoid being disrupted.”

Except as any VC company will tell you, investing is not that easy, especially for agencies that are investing from their own coffers. In addition, agencies are entering in unfamiliar territory, competing against VC firms and accelerators globally.

“There is considerable risk.

It’s a totally new approach but the underlying premise seems to fit hand in glove. There's much to gain for those who are bold enough,” Earl Valencia, President and Co-founder of the IdeaSpace

Foundation, a non-profit incubator and accelerator based in Manila.

Critics would say that this might look like desperation, agencies eager to hang out with the cool kids.

Not so, explains Ed Mapa, CEO of TBWA\Digital Arts Network in the Philippines, who believes that the intersection of agencies and startups is inevitable, “Will networks embrace the startup mentality of model? Yes. The animal, because of the food chain, is now different.“ “That’s the way to go. We got to experiment, build it, and see where it takes us. Isn’t that what startups are all about? Only the brave agencies that are ahead of the curve can do this now but eventually, big networks have to embrace it. It’s a new revenue stream and business model. From a creative stand point; it’s a new playground."

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

HAVAS MEDIA ORTEGA

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WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Havas Ortega’s triumvirate traipse the offbeat path by tying the knot of advertising with other-tising. words

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his story opens with a break up. Jos Ortega has long been engaged with traditional agencies in his illustrious career in advertising. He’s a respected brand guru and pre- Havas was cofounder of BBDO Guerrero Ortega; co-founder and current chairman of BrandLab, and CEO of J. Walter Thompson, Philippines. Little did people know that he was getting tired of the way things were. “Havas Ortega was born out of my frustration of the silo system that I was living in, the holding company structures where the advertising agency, the PR agency, the activations agency, and the media agency has a separate CEO. If there’s a client that you’re all supposed to handle…when you come to the nuts and bolts of day to day operations, if the [client’s] budget is 100M, all of you will be fighting for that 100M. Never will one of you say, ‘You know what Mr. Client, you won’t need advertising in this campaign, so I’m going to take a step back because you need my colleague in activation to be the lead of this project.’ because a CEO has his objectives: one, he has his targets to meet, two, he has bonuses to aspire for.” For someone like Jos, who thrives at helping brands grow from a big picture perspective, this

tipping point would be inevitable: to shun silos in favor of synergies.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT: NO TO MERGERS, YES TO INTEGRATION

In recent interviews, Jos mentions that what attracted him to Havas was its growth record, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to thought leadership, “Havas is totally unlike other organizations. The WPPs, the Omnicoms and the Publicis of the world are looking for the next big merger or acquisition to get bigger.

We’re not looking for those. For us, it’s about content, distribution.

It’s still an agency but our eyes are set on how do we get hold of best content, best distribution of our ideas – and data. How do we get hold of the tools of tomorrow? Yun ang exciting life namin dito (That’s our exciting life here).” This elucidates why, Jos took on the Havas challenge, “They were looking at a media and communications play…[I told them] Look, I’m not a Media person but I can give you the best media person I’ve ever worked with and she just happens to be the head of Omnicom, I can also bring in a creative person and we used to have a digital guy…

The philosophy has always been about integration…We’re going to be

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" What if we actually come up with a team that can solve this [client's problems] but they're not all advertising guys ...an innovator, ideator, designer and integrator?"

- TONYPET SARMIENTO

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HAVAS MEDIA ORTEGA

“The workload of the three of us is equal.

Each client has a partner-incharge.”

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– HERMIE DE LEON

“How do we get hold of the tools of the best content, best distribution of our ideas and data. How do we get hold of the tools of tomorrow? ".

– JOS ORTEGA

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01. Havas’s print series for Heritage Conservation Manila illustrates how a building is never just a building, but an edifice built from the memories, moments, and stories in and around them.

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the first full service media agency…

Imagine a media agency coming in with a recommendation that has a creative spin, and not necessarily a TV storyboard…here’s a new platform or here’s a new thing that you can do in this medium… it’s inventions and innovations …we’ll challenge you [clients], we’ll push it within the media framework.”

Havas Media Ortega started with four people Jos invited: Hermie de Leon, former CEO of Omnicom Media Group to be Managing Partner; Tonypet Sarmiento, the first person to hold the title of VP for Integration in an advertising agency, to be chief collaborator; and Eduardo Mapa, Jr. digital guru and founding member of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP). Ed Mapa has since bowed out, and a lawyer-friend of Jos recently joined the partnership.

GETTING HITCHED

When Jos, Hermie and Tonypet said yes to Havas, their work was cut out. Jos is in-charge of their front

office, “ Facing clients, planning, account management.” Hermie heads the middle office and with a big laugh, Jos explains, “Lahat nang pagkakakitaan, sa kanya (Anything that has to do with profit, that’s hers.).”

Hermie talks about her Havas role, “ The only difference is that I’m learning digital. It’s basically the same thing [that I’m used to doing].

The middle office is operations, internal and external. In Omnicom, I lead the agency so I take care of the client servicing with my general managers. Here there are no general managers…The workload of the three of us is equal. Each client has a partner-in-charge.” In addition, she instinctively plays the nurturer role in the office with most everyone calling her, Mother.

The back office is Tonypet’s domain as chief collaborator. One might also add innovator, as he is pioneering an approach to ideation, which they started in Collab. “He’s about the most generous creative person I’ve ever worked with,” Jos volunteers, “ What not a lot of

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

02. The story of Saktong Timpla for Kopiko was echoed in the perfect mix of engaging entertainment, innovative games and prizes enjoyed by the target market.

people know about him is that he’s also great with organizational skills.

He likes playing with structures.”

Jos believes that Collab is Tonypet.

Collab without him is possible but he brings the bite and luster.

OPEN TO ADAPT

Tonypet’s roots weren’t ATL, he did pay his tri-media dues but his multimedia upbringing served him well. He counts himself lucky that he worked with some of the brightest stars in the industry. He was exposed to other Asian markets early in his career and noticed, “When budgets tighten clients will find other ways of tapping the market.” This egged him to pursue other-tising or integration, “What if it’s made more streamlined? What if it’s the first order of business? What if we don’t just shift to integration as a last resort?” At some point he also noticed that clients were getting antsy, “Iba na yung play, e (The game changed.).” The idea of integrated marketing was getting real.

He wondered why one can’t start with activation and grow into a TVC? He

03. To represent this year’s APEC CEO Summit, they used actual data to form the logo, turning it into a useful device to represent different sets of information on the summit's 21 member economies.

realized clients were starting to smell the bullshit, “ There was so much fat within an agency, people get caught up in the glitz and glamour. What if we actually come up with a team that can solve this [client’s concerns] but they’re not all advertising guys … an innovator, ideator, designer and integrator?” So he sired Collab.

Collab isn’t Havas-born. It was in the late 2010 or early 2011 where Tonypet and three of his colleagues set up their own lean but mean shop – guns for hire doing pitches and winning accounts for other agencies.

Before long they won their own accounts, too, but Havas proposed, “ I’m a big fan of Jos…big fan of planning and strat [egy]…Jos has this unique ability to make clients see the strat in a vacuum not with any other bias …It’s a superpower that I don’t have.” He’s

also a big fan of Hermie, “ Her brand of media is different.” So he said yes and Collab got adopted and adapted.

Collab

FOR BETTER NOT FOR WORSE

They started with 30 people in November 2012, and they expect to number 130 before 2015 ends.

They just won the Kopiko account, the digital marketing of Globe Communications and Del Monte, Philippines (creative, CRM and e-commerce included). Tonypet is sharing the Collab process with other Havas offices in Asia and its hit rate is far from mediocre, having helped win accounts for India and Indonesia. It’s a marriage of superpowers but still we ask: is it a bird or a plane? It’s not entirely new but it’s innovative. Will it soar? It’s too early to tell.

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HAVAS MEDIA ORTEGA

PROPER NOUN

a Havas Media propriety brainstorm session that brings together a unique crack team of communication specialists from the fields of creative, social media, innovation, digital, mobile and production with the aim of addressing or solving real client business problems shared ideation, creation in an incubation area where ideas flow freely, egos and hats left hanging by the door

5C's OF COLLAB

Content – The one thing a brand or product needs to express; what we need to say and convey Culture – Are we creating a culture of sharing? Of fun? Of empowerment?

Or what culture do you want to revive?

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04. To make the most of Phoenix Petroleum's partnership with UFC Fight Night Manila, they created videos that put the viewer in the shoes (and gloves) of two up and coming young MMA fighters .

05. To launch Kopiko 78 degrees latte in Philippines, they produced two 15-second TV teasers, with Solenn Heussaff and Paulo Avelino outplaying and outsmarting each other.

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Context – The complex interplay of media (where), consumer insight (when), and consumer behavior (how); the right context is the closest thing to a one-on-one with your consumer Community – A living, breathing, gaming, sharing, loving ecosystem that can influence, push, cajole, question, and buy the product or message you’re pushing Commerce – The key performance indicators: results, response, return on investment (likes, new members, shares, inventory movement and sales)

OUTPUT

Manifesto – An integrated marketing solutions campaign or specific individual executions specified from the start or a full branding proposal.

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MOTHER LONDON

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BEING MOTHER

ANA BALARIN, one of MOTHER LONDON’s ECDs, talks about the firm’s unconventional culture, and how it attracts and nurtures outliers. interview

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evolutionary is an understatement to describe one of U.K.’s leading independent advertising agency. From challenging the idea of putting long credits behind ad campaigns, down to deviating structured process, Mother London was set to turn against every rule traditional agencies has been implementing for years (imagine Strategists doing the copy!)

Founded in December 1996 by Mark Waites, a creative at McCann adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Erickson’s Amster Yard in New York; Stef Calcraft, an account director at BBH; and Libby Brockhoff, an art director from GGT, and Robert Saville, creative director at GGT. Campaign UK in a 2006 release, described Mother as ”living proof that an agency can be original, creative, innovative and successful.”

Their recent claim to fame, Beds

by IKEA, attests to how Mother continues to be legendary in what they do. Their Gold Lion at the recently concluded Cannes Lions Festival

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stands fierce; reinforcing what Mother is all about – a cool agency which nurtures extraordinary ideas.

The world took notice of this creative independent agency for their hilarious and entertaining campaigns in the late nineties and into the mid-2000s, for Magic FM “‘Baby,’ ‘Roosters’ + ‘Chicklets’ Mother’s founders, after nearly two decades of rule have decided to hand over the reins to a new breed.

A Brazilian husband-and-wife team as Executive Creative Directors

and Michael Wall, the global CEO of Lowe (until IPG merged the agency with Mullen), has joined Mother as its first global CEO. adobo’s Angel Guerrero sat down with Ana Balarin, Mother London’s newly appointed co-executive creative director, in Cannes to discuss Mother’s culture, Michael Wall’s appointment as global CEO, and her day to day routine as a creative. Ana partners in the creative leadership role with her husband Hermeti Balarin. The peppy duo is behind

all the IKEA ads that we love.

Having been nurtured for the majority of their careers at Mother London, Ana and Hermeti have worked on almost every one of the agency’s clients and have been involved in some of its most populist and groundbreaking work in recent times.

“This is a big deal for Mother London. Handing creative leadership to a new generation is not something Mark (Waites) and I do lightly.” said Creative Chief, Robert Saville.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

MOTHER LONDON

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From that discipline, we reinforce a straightforward way of brainstorming, which is sitting all around in one table including the clients.

Has the agency changed to embrace digital?

ANA BALARIN: We don’t necessarily drive a digital agenda because we don’t like the executions be the answer to briefs. The talent pool evolves constantly along with the social strategists and digital producers.

What we need is a craft man. What’s important for us is highly creative people who understand brands and business contents. Everything at Mother happens organically.

In the London office we have about 115 employees, 40% of which are creatives. We have male and female ECDs. Our ECDs of strategy are also male and female. 60% of the management team is composed of females.

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What is the creative process in Mother?

Newly appointed CEO, Michael Wall

Could you describe the culture in Mother ? It is good to hear from someone who has risen from the ranks.

ANA BALARIN: It’s different for each person, but I think Mother’s independence is what attracts people to join. It’s really exciting because you’ll be working directly with the partners. There’s no mysterious voice. It’s daunting because you have to step up a notch, but the sense of opportunity outweighs everything.

We don’t have a structured way of doing things. Other agencies have long credits, but Mother enters as Mother. We don’t enter as the Art Director or as the Creative Director.

It’s not true that only one person can own an ID. Mother stands out because we recognize that many people are needed to nurture a position. adobo magazine | September - October 2015

What I think also is important is the number of different nationalities under one roof. People working in UK and America are mainly from overseas – that has a massive impact in the work.

Although it’s been changing lately, majority of the employees came from abroad.

What does Mother as an ad agency represent?

ANA BALARIN: Mother is a destination for creativity. It’s a place open for the world. Everyone who wants to unlock his or her creativity is welcome to Mother.

When I’m saying everyone, they can be a client, a brand or an artist.

In London, we have a big space downstairs. We use it as a place for people who want to show their work.

ANA BALARIN: We don’t have a structured process. Everyone at Mother share a little bit of clientfacing duties. It isn’t the traditional way wherein in the Strategists will sit with the brief for two weeks. You get the brief, we sit all together and we all work on it. We have scripts written by Strategists, last year. You learn and grow a lot creatively and emotionally compared to other agencies wherein they do one job at a time.

Do you think that being a Brazilian you were able to bring in a part of your culture into Mother London?

ANA BALARIN: I think it’s interesting to see Brazil and London’s difference in humor. While London is very idea-based, Brazil has a very strong approach on art direction. Everything is heavy on visual. I had to learn and relearn how to think when Hermeti and I went to UK because the creative process of the two is very different from each other. For me, it’s work hard not hard work. In Mother, you get a lot in what you put in.

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If there’s one piece of work you’re proud of, what is it?

ANA BALARIN: It’s a woman-related work for Stella Artois called ‘Buy a Lady a Drink.’ We repurposed that expression and turned into a do-good cause. It’s a CSR campaign in partnership with Water.org to end developing countries’ problem in availing a clean water resource. For every chalice sold, one woman gets five years of clean drinking water. It was launched in January this year.

We submitted it to Glass Lion but it didn’t win, however, knowing that 70 thousand were sold out is already an achievement for us.

Cannes Lions Festival is important because you see where the world is leading. Awards are important because they’re recognition from the industry,

but I think that being inserted in cultures means a lot more.

We don’t enter as many as big networks do. But for what we enter, we get a good turnover.

We always get a few awards.

The greatest compliment we got so far was when we met with an ECD from London. We chatted and he said I’ve heard of your work before I’ve heard of you.

Why did you think Michael Wall decided to take the role global CEO at Mother coming for a long career in Lowe?

ANA BALARIN: It was just about time. Mother opened offices in London, New York and Argentina not only because of the clients but also because we value culture.

Mother is a destination for creative

people. It’s all about the right person, at the right time, at the right place. Although the three offices work with a lot of projects together, they are very independent from each other. I think uniting all the agencies is one of Michael’s missions.

How’s your day like at Mother?

ANA BALARIN: Meetings all day, but it changes. Sometimes I’m just in the agency, sometimes I’m in a shoot.

Not a lot of routine, which is great.

Clockwise: Founders of Mother London (From the man with cane) Stef Calcraft, Robert Saville, Mark Waites, Andy Medd (wheelchair) and Matt Clack

What do you do outside of work? Do you travel?

ANA BALARIN: We go back home. We go to Brazil. We are the only couple who have separate holidays. We work together but take holidays apart.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

Post-production in Bangkok without leaving Manila.

Are you remotely interested?

www.orientalpost.com

www.bulletmanila.com

AKQA

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ALL KNOWN QUESTIONS ANSWERED

AKQA’s story as told by Duan Evans, their International Executive Creative Director, in a tête-à-tête with adobo during a recent visit to Manila. words

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o that’s what AKQA means? No. What does it mean? I can’t tell you.

You should have said, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Ooooh, I should have said that.

It was a holiday and rain was pouring. Duan has to leave in about 45 minutes to do post-sound work in Sampaguita Studios but that didn’t mar the pace of the exchange.

He wore cropped pants, black high-cut Converse, a striped blackand-white shirt and what he calls a ‘funny hat’ he scored in Shanghai.

His cool demeanor belies his depth, passion, and understanding of what AKQA is about.

You like stripes. It’s been a phase for the last couple of years. I like black and white mostly. Handy when you travel. Exactly. I remember that stripe on stripe photo someone took of you in your office. You showed us that when you showed us your photos of Ethiopia. You like to travel. Prior to getting into AKQA I travelled the world for like a year. Packed up everything, sold everything…took a 1965 Volkswagen combi from New Zealand, shipped it to London and then travelled through Australia, Indonesia, part of Europe and landed in London to meet the combi van…

DUAN EVANS/AKQA

lived in the van and travelled all around Britain, over to France, down to Spain…and went back to London with no money … and said, “Might as well get a job.” For a few months I went to a small design agency in London called Room 4, which was run by an amazing guy named Jo Boylen.

Somehow he found his way to AKQA through a recruiter. He had no idea that it was boom time in London, “In 2000, if you can operate a computer, do design, if you can write, you get a job. I went to a job interview on a Wednesday and I left thinking there was no way I’d get the job because they wanted someone digital and I didn’t have that but I got an email saying they like my work and got called for another interview.

I get there and there was a contract, ‘Can you start on Monday?’”

James Hilton, one of the founders of AKQA was the one who hired him.

He loved Duan's designs but he asked for his digital design work. Duan claimed he had a CD-ROM of his digital work in New Zealand and he’d have it sent. That CD never turned up because it didn’t exist. AKQA was five years old with around 50 people when he joined them. Evans didn’t ask for much but asked James if he can travel with the job, “Just stick with us

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

and you will travel.” A year later, they merged with some U.S. companies and started businesses around the world.

He worked in the San Francisco office, helped set up the Japan and Portland office. He did travel, he’s still travelling and he’s stayed on for nearly 16 years.

How was it like in AKQA when you started? I was 27 when I joined

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“If there’s a good client relationship, briefs can come from every direction: from a strategy person, from accounts or even from a tech person...”

them and I was probably one of the oldest people there. Ajaz [Ahmed] and James, the founders, were younger than me. By one day. All our birthdays are three days in a row, weirdly. It was a really young and energetic company.

Very high pressure, everyone wanted [to do] their best work and do work that people hadn’t done before. [We

were] working for a few brands: Microsoft, Nokia…it was small but you can feel the culture. And it felt unique. It felt pretty special.

Did they ever find out you had no digital experience? For the first two years, every day I thought, “It’s gonna be my last day, they’re gonna find out...I’m gonna be

sacked, oh, this isn’t good.”

He plowed on and learned day by day and on the fourth year realized that he then knew what they were doing. The company changed in that time as well, “ We went from pure digital to communications – everything! …deep branding work.

Ajaz, was very hands on. He’s an September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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inspirational leader. He has a real vision of the future. In 1995, he knew that the Internet is gonna change the way brands behave. He was years ahead and he still is. He can see things that people can’t see which is awesome. [Like] making people shop online which in those days were unheard of…he knew that digital was going to connect people way deeper.”

This was right after the dotcom crash? When the dotcom crashed happened, we had a few clients...but we didn’t lose a client…maybe their money went down but our team stayed and from what I remember, no one was laid off. Companies were closing down all around our office… it was terrifying. I remember in the office we had free toast – bread and jam all the time and we just had to stop that. We slowed down but kept going.

I think going through that whole period made us stronger. The toast disappeared…but people arrived.

For Duan, it was incredible to see something grow from 50 to 2,000 people in 14 offices all over the world.

It was also a vast learning experience for him to be part of the way AKQA works that isn’t completely different from other agencies except, “It’s a far more collaborative process… If there’s a good client relationship, briefs can come from every direction: from a strategy person, from accounts or even from a tech person and then the account team will assess it…the project team will figure out what scale it is, what sort of budget…and then we get the whole team together. The whole team will brainstorm the idea...

As teams you’ll have people from technology there…from creative… from user experience…some junior people, interns, we always bring [them] in…from the social team… everyone will put ideas in on the wall.

He adds, “Depending on the project we usually have a team of 5 or 10 people and hope the idea come together. Then we give it to creative to make it really sharp.

Sometimes we bring the clients into the first brainstorm…sometimes the clients want to sometimes they don’t. The first round [if clients join] is kind of like a workshop and the second round becomes kind of like a

presentation. It’s not like standing in front and pitching an idea. It’s more like here’s seven territories that we can go in and here’s five ideas in these territories. Let’s talk about these and break the ideas down … and then put teams on them to really crack it.”

So you don’t wear any hat and you put your ego aside? Exactly. The whole point is there’s no ego, even seniority…even a young strategy guy or a young social person can say, “Do you know that this is happening in Instagram and the way we can use this is…,” That can inspire an idea. That’s how it’s done for most projects? Specially for new business… occasionally we have specific briefs… but even then people help…contribute.

He thinks it’s good for the young to have a voice and a big idea. He’s seen some very good creatives from other agencies wonder why an accounts person or a social person is giving the group ideas and he’s had to explain why it’s done that

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

way, “And I’ll tell you what, it’s fun to work like that.” He thinks it’s because the industry created the idea of creative superhero and the creative as dictator. Someone still has to look after the quality of the work but the ideation need not be limited to that one same person.

Duan also believes that advertising season comes and goes but what AKQA does is create a platform so it lasts longer instead of just a campaign with a bit of media, “ All our briefs start with: What is the brand asking?

What does the consumer need? What are they gonna do with the brand? And then we really look at the behavior of the consumer and then we connect the brand and make it amazing.”

And that’s why AKQA calls itself as an ideas and innovations company.

To them it matters that a brand has to have its core values which they stick to. In addition, they must be vigilant and how they operate and progress has got to change with the times.

“I don’t get bored…I get scared. How are we going to do something good?...Or beat what someone did for that brand last year?”

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Duan with Rei Inamoto and one of AKQA's founders Ajaz Ahmed.

Where do you think AKQA is headed? I don’t think we’re wanting to just get bigger and bigger…that was never the mission, it was always that we try to do the best work wherever we are…I want every office in every country to have one to three pieces of work every year that are first in the world of its kind and that changes the market…like the House of Mamba… getting the quality through the ceiling.

Are you still happy that you’re working with AKQA? Fifteen years and I’m probably more happy now than I ever was. Because now you know what you’re doing? Kinda…I know what we’re trying to achieve…It sounds like the same thing but you can completely reinvent the way you do something so that’s the challenge. And I think what’s exciting is that the industry has in some ways caught up as to how we’re

working…we need to get better…we need to come in and own the way data, brands and people and everything collide and make it beautiful…I don’t get bored…I get scared. How are we going to do something good? …Or beat what someone did for that brand last year. We’re always about change and that never gets boring. Are stripes your signature, like Rei Inamoto’s stars?

Stars and stripes, that’s pretty funny.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

Deadline for submission of entries is on September 30, 2015 JURY A: Print Single, Print Campaign, Craft

DAVEFERRER

Jury President Executive CreativeDirector J.WalterThompson

MARCUSREBESCHINI Chief CreativeO r Y&RAsia, Asia Paci c

LEIGHREYES

President & CEO LowePhilippines

JOEYTIEMPO

Executive CreativeDirector TBWA/SMP

ANDREWPETCH

Executive CreativeDirector AceSaatchi&Saatchi

BADONGABESAMIS Chief CreativeO r Y& RPhilippines

RAOULPANES

Chief CreativeO r Leo BurnettManila

DAVIDGUERRERO CreativeChairman BBDOGuerrero

JURY B: Student, Interactive, Integrated, Special Execution, Online

YOLYCRISANTO

SVPfor CorporateCommunications GlobeTelecom

For more details:

Sponsors:

GRACE M AGNO

VPforAdvertising SMPrimeHoldings,Inc.

BOYPANGILINAN

Chief ExecutiveO r MediaforceVizeum

philippinetintaawards@gmail.com

VENUSNAVALTA President & CEO IPGMediabrands

MALUVASALLO Managing Director MECPhilippines

+632 403 7787 / +63 915 2130 236 (Millette) Partners:

I

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Trendwatching 156 Enlightened Brands Future Brand 158 Future-Proofing Brands: Why Size Doesn’t Always Matter

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illustration

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS

Why brands must evolve to a higher state of consciousness words

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philosopher once said: “Hell is other people”.

But that was before anyone ever had to endure the spectacle of two brands flirting on social media.

Along with a clutch of marketing gurus, brand strategists and social media experts, we’ve championed the cause of HUMAN BRANDS – that is, brands with a dose of empathy, flexibility and humor – for years. But now, it’s clear that this epic trend has jumped the shark, and descended into an orgy of youth culture bandwagon jumping, pop-up eco and social responsibility vanity projects, and awkward inter-brand ‘fun’ on social media.

The HUMAN BRANDS trend promised so much more. So what went wrong? After all, human beings can also aspire to, and occasionally achieve, the highest virtues: empathy, generosity, responsibility and more. But in

DEMPSON MAYUGA

pursuit of a HUMAN side, most brands took a shortcut: a chirpy brand voice that covered them in a patina of humanity and allowed them to pay lip service to those virtues.

Now, customer expectations have raced onwards.People are looking to brands to evolve to a higher state of consciousness by taking real, meaningful, even painful, action to make their lives – and the world we share – better. It’s the difference between being HUMAN and being ENLIGHTENED. The irony: Many customers are far from saintly themselves.

And now, they’re looking for brands to embrace ENLIGHTENMENT for them.

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS

A million and one brands are tweeting, instagramming and periscoping their HUMAN side.

But in 2016, brands that want to assure their survival will start

on the hard path towards true ENLIGHTENMENT, by taking meaningful action to improve both individual lives and the wider world.

RESTLESS: That means they’re forever in search of new ways to make the world a better place, and to hold themselves to higher standards of fairness and responsibility.

EMPATHETIC: That means understanding and addressing customer pain points and working to make individual lives easier, faster, and more fun.

DEMANDING: Making individual lives better can also mean pushing consumers to overcome their human flaws, and become the people they want to be.

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS ARE RESTLESS...

They will continually take steps (even costly ones) towards a better world through new products, services, production methods, marketing and internal policies.

One powerful way for big brands to move closer to ENLIGHTENMENT? Let change start from the inside by creating a fairer, more equal or simply more fun, internal culture. In March 2015, Vodafone announced that it would implement a worldwide minimum level of maternity pay.

All female staff will be entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave on full pay, plus full pay for a 30-hour week for the first six months after their return to work. Vodafone claims the move will help staff who work in countries with little or no legal provision for maternity pay. The telecoms company employs around 100,000 people in 30 countries.

Helping to educate and inform – especially when that means fighting prejudice and misinformation – is always a powerful way to take a step towards ENLIGHTENMENT. In May 2015, Austrian lifestyle magazine Vangardist was printed using ink infused with HIV+ blood. The move was intended to tackle the mistaken idea that it is possible to become infected with

HIV simply by touching someone who is infected. The makers of the magazine followed safety guidelines developed by Harvard and Innsbruck universities, ensuring handling the magazine is 100% safe.

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS ARE EMPATHETIC...

That means understanding the way customers live, and what it takes to make their lives better.

Finding one small way to make life more convenient for customers is one small step towards ENLIGHTENMENT. In November 2014, Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt hotel launched the Leave it at Hyatt scheme, giving regular travelers the option of leaving items at the establishment between visits. Within the limits of available space, there are no restrictions on what can be left, and the hotel also offers to launder any garments (at the regular rate). Similar programs have since launched at Grand Hyatt properties globally.

Finding new ways for customers to make constructive use of infrastructure is good for society and the planet. Opened in Warsaw during February 2015, Idea Bank‘s city center branch is styled as a café and staffed by baristas. The retail bank’s coffee shop and workspace was opened to attract small business owners away from local cafés, offering free beverages, offices and bookable meeting rooms. The space also gives entrepreneurs and small companies access to wifi, printers and photocopiers.

ENLIGHTENED BRANDS ARE DEMANDING...

That means nudging, pushing and cajoling consumers to DO better and BE better.

A cunning way to push consumers to be better (and for a brand to embrace ENLIGHTENMENT)? Lure customers with an incentive, before delivering the nudge that will help make them better or keep them safer. In May 2015, on the Playa Agua Dulce beach in Peru, the Peruvian League Against Cancer set up a large blue structure that allowed beach-goers to access free wifi – but only if they stayed in its shadow. Before being able to access the wifi, users were taken to a landing page where they could read information on skin cancer.

Being DEMANDING can mean finding innovative new ways to improve customer behavior, creating an improved experience for everyone. In April 2015, Australia’s Art Series Hotel Group launched Reverse Reviews: a promotion giving guests the chance to obtain discounts and upgrades in return for being reviewed.

People staying at any of the group’s boutique hotels could opt in to take part, with their behavior and demeanor being ranked and reviews then published online.

Any guests who gained ratings over four stars were rewarded with complimentary food and beverages, stays or upgrades.

Ready to start YOUR journey towards ENLIGHTENMENT?

September - October | adobo magazine

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FUTUREBRAND

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FUTURE-PROOFING BRANDS:

WHY SIZE DOESN’T ALWAYS MATTER

Advertisers and creatives often preach that you’re only as good as your last work.

Futurebrand points out, however, that even that offers no guarantees. words

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oogle has emerged on top of the latest Futurebrand Index, for the second year running, followed

by Apple, Microsoft, Disney and Abbvie. Also ranking on the PwC Global Top 100 Companies

by Market Capitalization from March 2015 – the report where the index was derived, financial value was partly the reason why they ended up on the top 10. But Futurebrand explains that they are leading the pack not just because of their financial strength but what they stand for and aspire to do.

This year’s top ten tell a story about bold companies that enhance human potential, which the IPG-owned branding agency believes will essentially be the yardstick that will determine this century’s leaders and movers.

“The 2015 FutureBrand Index sets out the hypothesis that the first fifteen years of a century gives us the future,” said Tom Adams, Global Head of Strategy for Futurebrand.

The impact of technology companies like Google, Apple and Samsung are fairly obvious, helping us to communicate, organize and instantly access the world’s information. But there is also the emergence of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations like AbbVie, Gilead and Celgene that are at the frontier of research into technologies that prevent and treat disease at the cellular and biomolecular level.

With the general weakening of perception towards U.S. organizations this year, Interbrand found a correlative strengthening in perceptions of some of their

Chinese counterparts – with Tencent Holdings climbing eight places, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) up four places, Agricultural Bank of China up twenty nine places and organizations like Ping An Insurance entering the top 100 for the first time at 19th position.

China has also now moved to second position in terms of the number of companies in the PwC Top 100 ranking (up from 8 in 2014 to 11 in 2015), second only to the U.S. “The negative cap gap (difference of perception vs market capitalization) in many of these cases reinforces the argument that financial size does not insulate organizations from weak or declining perception strength by our measures regardless of sector,” Futurebrand pointed out.

There is no sure way to future-proof businesses, only opportunities. While the 2015 Index shows a highly unpredictable global business landscape, Futurebrand assured that that there are factors towards business success that have yet to change.

Thought leadership, innovation and authenticity were identified as vital attributes that leading companies in the index have, but innovation, defined was identified to be most important.

‘This means the organization is seen to go beyond change or novelty for its own sake, and instead focus on inventing products, services or experiences that are genuinely useful.”

Adams concludes.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Top 10 companies in the FutureBrand Index 2015

Source: FutureBrand Index 2015

Top 10 declines in FutureBrand Index with country of origin indicated

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Rolling Pig a la Joey. Photo by Johann Bona

Watering Hole 160 Not Your Common Room 162 Fresh Haven 164 Cafeteria Coolness 166 Patay kung Patay 168 Delivering Creativity to Your Doorstep 170 Brief Cocktails, Long Friendships Book Reviews 172 “Sentience” 174 “Twitter is not a strategy”

Movie Review 176 “Ex Machina” Entertainment Review 180 “Humans” Feature 182 Peugeot 186 adobo out & about

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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NOT YOUR COMMON ROOM Thirty four ingenous crafters in one room make this Katipunan shop anything but common. words

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Hand-made stuffed toys from popjunklove

Hardy pocket plants make cheery table tops

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haven for crafters and art enthusiasts lies on busy De la Rosa Street in Quezon City, not far from Katipunan, carved out by ingenious sisters Roma and Maan Agsalud.

By coming up with a spot where top local brand owners in the bazaar and online scene can gather together to exhibit their art, this collective effort was the clever solution faced by many first-time entrepreneurs: scraping together the budget to pay for rent, utilities, and other expenses.

Establishing a place for bazaar junkies was on the Agsalud sisters’ bucket list for 2016, but when a spot in the Katipunan area opened up, they couldn’t resist. “We weren’t really planning to push it this year as we need more time to save, to pay for the rent and all other due

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

fees, but when we heard about an available place in Katipunan, we thought that this is too good an opportunity to pass up,” Roma says.

Partnering with the owners of local craft brands became the solution to their budget constriction.

Originally targeting 20 partners, the number grew to 34 after the sisters saw the need to reduce the cost of contribution. While craft and art shops aren’t new ideas, as other countries use them as a tourist attraction, Roma and Maan had a hard time getting all 34 partners on board.

“At first, when the partners heard that there’s an opportunity to set up a shop for their merchandise, they were all game, but as days pass, fear began to take over,” says Roma.

Having a shop is an unchartered

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Calligraphy pens and accessories

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Wood-framed blackboard canvas

territory for the established crafters, even for popjunklove –the Agsalud sisters’ brand. What kept them going despite the trepidation was the idea that more and more Filipinos are becoming socially-conscious buyers, being more willing to spend on items which have purpose and are tied to an advocacy.

When asked what makes The Common Room different from other craft shops, Roma says it’s that they genuinely involve their partners. They meet over major decisions - branding, decorations, even the name of the shop was won by a vote of hands.

Opened last August 1, 2015,the shop and its collaborators are all bound for a hilly learning curve ahead - even those who are already in the business for years. However,

the mostly-positive feedback has left the partners ineffably happy and motivated to create more.

“I think it’s successful in a sense that this is the first ever craft shop in the Philippines wherein we were able to gather many established crafters whose works are being sought after,” Roma reflects.

Housing a wide array of art instruments such as calligraphy pens and blackboard canvas, The Common Room also sells pocket plants, hand-made stuffed toys, accessories and bags are also available. Aside from these products, they occasionally offer crafting workshops.So if you’re looking for a place to channel your artsy side, squeeze those creative juices at The Common Room and get inspired.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

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FRESH HAVEN Refresh your tired mind or revive your passion for books and art in this tiny space tucked a hop, skip and jump away from Greenbelt 1. words

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Local Edition also happens to be a home for Edita, a recently adopted street cat.

These grids serve as stage for collaborators’ art work.

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etwixt and between Legaspi Village’s restaurants and bars on Perea street, awaits a spot for bibliophiles craving some reading time, creatives fighting potholes of stagnant brainwaves and friends in dire need of catch-ups.

Owners Jackie Arceo and Julia Sevilla’s idea was simple: to create a space where locals can gather to enjoy good coffee. But Local Edition has transformed into more than just a neighborhood café, it’s also become a showcase for artists and artisans whose works are on display.

Stepping into the small coffee shop is a campy experience. The walls and ceiling feature metal shelves with grids to serve as a pulpit for brands, designers and artists who would like to showcase their work. This collaborative installation encourages young and up-and-coming virtuosos to send a moving and timely message across to an audience.

The design of the space and the furniture used were carefully put together for their collaborators benefit. To date, Purveyr, Rags II Riches, UP Fine Arts sophomores Rayniyel Hernandez X Herschel Supply Co., Buensalido+Architects and Fondo Manila have worked with them.

“We wanted to create a space where people can gather, inspire and create. A space that is warm and inviting, but at the same time very dynamic and ever-changing,” Arceo shares. Their communal table can be sundered into three tables to accommodate smaller groups. Bar seating inside and outside the café has become an ideal setting for groups of friends catching up and individuals working on their laptops alike.

Local Edition is a haven for bookworms. Arceo explains that their collaboration with The Book Project Manila was very timely. She and Sevilla have long been planning of dedicating a spot for in their

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

store for a community book swap, therefore, when the opportunity to collaborate came knocking, the young entrepreneurs instantly agreed. The books on their shelf have been growing ever since.

Arceo and Sevilla believe that real identity must come from within. That’s why all their coffees are 100% Philippine-sourced.

Drinks can be personalized according to taste. With a menu that covers breakfast, lunch and merienda, foodies can get a good fix of healthy and delicious fare.

“My partner and I are passionate individuals. We both aim to uplift other entrepreneurs wanting to make a difference and make their mark. We find ways to either collaborate with them or support them. We believe that creating a community of like-minded and goal-oriented individuals will definitely add value to the Philippine market.

And with a community working together, it’s always win-win.”

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CAFETERIA COOLNESS ACE SAATCHI & SAATCHI renovates a neglected area of their office, resulting in a welcome multi-purpose space for everyone. photos

DEMPSON MAYUGA

A loft was added to the pantry area to give the staff more space to brainstorm

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ith a refurbished pantry, massage center, bar and now a gym, Ace Saatchi & Saatchi has definitely become one of the coolest offices in Manila. Hopping over for a quick visit, adobo was first shown photos of the old cafeteria, a functional affair with grey walls that didn’t lend itself much to.

On what used to be a cooped up and dark place before renovation, is now a lambent and cavernous space for Ace Saatchi & Saatchi employees.

It’s no wonder why their office is the talk of the town, What prompted the change, CEO and Chair, Arthur Young Jr. has his own theory. “It was just like waking up and realizing it’s time for a change,” he shares.

Young recognizes that for a business like theirs, creating a homey environment is important as people spend a lot of time in the office. “Nowadays, it’s no longer a perk, it’s a need. It’s important that people can relax or invigorate while working,” he adds.

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This pool is not for swimming but for chillin’.

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Mike Alcazaren is a veteran TV commercial director, a Palanca award-winning writer and a recovering firsttime filmmaker.

PATAY KUNG PATAY

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(DEATH BE DAMNED)

Three artists collaborate to create a comic book for an idea originally intended to be translated to film.

MIKE ALCAZAREN NOEL PASCUAL illustration AJ BERNARDO story

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The comic book cover which somehow reminds one of a movie poster.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

As a follow-up to my art-house mystery Puti, I wanted to do a genre film. I wanted a tongue-in-cheek homage to the old Seiko horror/ massacre films like Huwag Mong Buhayin ang Bangkay, God Save the Babies and Machete. I suppose it was a way of detoxing from the heavy theme of Puti and a chance to make some money from a gratuitously violent film. The story was complete and while trying to recruit a co-writer for the screenplay in Noel Pascual, a full-time comic book writer, I realized that I hadn’t fully recovered financially and emotionally from my first film and absolutely dreaded going through that whole process of pitching and looking for investors. So the question popped up: “Would this translate well into a comic book?”

The answer came after an hourand-a-half meeting with Noel and illustrator AJ Bernardo. They had worked on the comic book cult favorite Crime Fighting Call Center Agents. AJ loved the concept and was on board. Why a comic book?

Compared to producing a movie, it’s cheaper to produce and it can serve as a gauge if there will be an audience for the film version.

Filmmaking is a long, drawnout war of creative and financial

attrition. At the moment I’m trying to figure out a way to produce a movie in the most un-level of playing fields. But whatever happens, we’ll always have the comic book.

THE PLOT:

The wealthy Muguerza family hosts a party in their sprawling 10,000-hectare hacienda to celebrate a deal with business giant Zenith Corporation. The deal will cement their economic and political power in the region, but the celebration is spoiled by unexpected guests…of the flesh-eating type.

The night of revelry quickly turns into a night of blood and gore.

THE CONCEPT:

The comic book is a six-part series told from the POV of a showbiz TV crew. What’s supposed to be a simple coverage of some ostentatious social event turns into the news scoop of their stale careers. If they survive the night.

The party is gate-crashed by the undead led by a mysterious 14 year-old girl. Where did these creatures come from and what’s their beef against the powerful Muguerza family? The answers will be revealed, piece by piece, with all its gory details in each issue.

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DELIVERING CREATIVITY TO YOUR DOORSTEP

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01 adobo kariton founders, Marga Garcia, Cera Santos and adobo magazine’s EIC Angel Guerrero 02 Lakihan Mo Logo lead and Y&R ECD Herbert Hernandez flanked

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03 -04 JP Cuizon of Kikomachine and Joey Santos of Halik ni Gringo were amongst the poignant lineup of musicians

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

dobo magazine, the word on creativity, has just launched a new e-commerce store for creatives looking for material inspiration and a one-of-a kind marketplace for their recreational passions Called adobo kariton, it currently has an inventory of 150 products (and growing!) with thought-worthy design and utility. It has been in the works since 2014 and has already launched an official website just last March ready for business.

This new venture was organized in partnership with young entrepreneurs Marga Garcia and Cera Santos, both of whom were working previously at online fashion hub Pormada.

With the tagline, “creativity at your doorstep”, adobo kariton will eventually expand to sell passion projects and products made advertising practitioners.

It will partner with After6.org (AfterSix) for the project, an organization founded by Y&R Philippines executive creative director Herbert Hernandez to nurture and tell the stories of creatives hard at work with their hobbies after their nine-to-six jobs. Currently, Apol Sta. Maria, Nelle+Gissele and Selcouth are selling their wares on adobo kariton.

“We wanted to build a site that would capitalize on adobo magazine’s brand as the Word on Creativity. We decided to deliver this promise of creativity to everyone’s doorstep”, says Garcia. adobo kariton was launched at Lakihan Mo Logo 37 held at 12Monkeys Music Hall & Pub, another project from Hernandez geared towards promoting creativity of artists through music and their work.

Agency bands and DJs - Motto Stella, Halik ni Gringo, Pasok mga Bwitre, Golden Sound x Kristian, CRWN x Jessica Connelly and AYON - rocked the roof but the main highlight of this year’s gig was Kikomachine, who reunited to play again after being disbanded in May 2005.

Also on board the adobo kariton launch are 88storey, Budweiser Radio Republic and Scout.

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L’OBSESSION WATERING HOLE

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FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES:

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01. adobo’s Angel and Janelle and, together with Manila’s creative set welcome D&AD’s Paula Taylor

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BRIEF COCKTAILS, LONG FRIENDSHIPS GIVING D&AD SOUTHEAST ASIA A TASTE OF PINOY HOSPITALITY

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02. D&AD Regional Director for SEA, Paula Taylor and adobo’s EIC Angel Guerrero toast to their partnership 03. adobo Senior Editor Irma Mutuc chats with Paula 04. adobo’s COO Janelle Squires, Campaigns and Grey’s Noel Orosa and Rizzo Tangan enjoying each other’s company at M Café 05. Ace Saatchi’s Andrew Petch with Deng Tee

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

oasting to partnerships and good beginnings, Paula Taylor, D&AD Regional Director for Southeast Asia, was adobo’s guest of honor at cocktails hosted at M Café last August.

Featuring the best reprsesentatives of Manila’s creative set, people enterrtained and regaled each other with tales as drinks flowed and guests enjoyed the delectable hors d’oeuvres served that everning.

“We really appreciated the warm welcome for D&AD in Manila, and it was a pleasure to meet so many of the country’s leading creatives at a cocktail event hosted by adobo magazine and its publisher, Angel Guerrero.” says Ms. Taylor. “We are delighted to partner with adobo as D&AD’s media partner is Southeast Asia and look forward to future collaborations. As the word on creativity, adobo magazine was our top choice when the time came to consider a partner for the region.

With the help of adobo, we look forward to bringing some of D&AD’s core activities to SE Asia, supporting young talent and creating a programme of events.”

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BOOK REVIEW

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SENTIENCE:

AN ATTEMPT AT AN INTELLIGENT REVIEW The predictive technology we keep talking about that’s in the”far off future” has been here under our noses all along.

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BERNARD SAN JUAN III

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eing a marketer by profession and a geek by nature, Sentience by PHD speaks to me at so many levels.

The book design is sleek and simple and while the content is heavy, it’s a light read—I completed the full read on two drives to the office.

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

GEEKING IT OUT

Hold your breath this is a long sentence: If you’re a Marvel comic-collecting, DC graphic novel devouring, Star Trek series following, Star Wars movie-enthusing, Transformers toy-hunting, scifi novel consuming geek... This is soooo the book for you.

Dempson Mayuga

Sentience covers the 60-year history of artificial intelligence or AI, its progenitors and its current champions. It’s a treasure trove of “Did you know’s” that’s enough to make any maven drool.

It begins with the history of AI and a few broad prognostications of where it’s going. From the microchip to IBM’s Deep Blue and

Watson, to Apple’s Siri, to Google’s AI Project (led by none other than Ray Kurzweil) and all the other AI companies out there (big and small) that are breaking new ground.

The book discusses the involvement of our age’s brightest, best and most disruptive industry leaders such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Peter Thiel, and of course industry veteran Ray Kurzweil.

AI YESTERDAY AND TODAY

AI is not a 21st century concept. The term was coined and the science invented in 1956. In short, the concept is either as old as your mom or your grandmother. Sentience briefly covers what AI is and its history. The authors then cover the impact of AI (and even today AI is still primitive compared to what experts are predicting it will be 14 years from now) on our modern lives. By this, I don’t mean a scene from a current sci-fi movie. I mean what you are doing right now - the websites you visit, the phone push notification you just received, the ad you skipped on YouTube, and the last instructions you gave your Siri.

THE FUTURE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

In 2010 Siri was released to the public through the Apple App Store and in 2011, she was released as a standard feature of the iPhone 4s. Siri was developed by the SRI Artificial Intelligence Center which originated from DARPA (If you’ve played Metal Gear Solid, then you know what DARPA is).

In 2011 Google Now was created as an Intelligent Personal Assistant and not to be outdone by Siri. In 2012, Google rolled out one of the most aggressive algorithm updates in Search history called the “Penguin” and during that time, Search Marketing professionals everywhere were screaming “the end is here!” Nothing could have been more further from the truth. What they should have been screaming is “the future is here!” Penguin demonstrated the search giant’s capability for

Bernard San Juan III is a geek who enjoys collecting toys, reading sci-fi and savoring good food.

understanding, sorting, and has since then enhanced its information display of the “Semantic Web.” Sentience makes a great point: most marketers attempt to talk to their audience. Very, very few (that’s not a typo, it’s really that few!) marketers “talk to the algorithm.”

If you remember the scene from Minority Report where Tom Cruise is walking around and his retina keeps getting scanned and ads were being intelligently presented to him based on his supposed historical buying behavior, that intelligence is run by an algorithm. We are at a turning point where we have a lot of marketing professionals that know how to interrupt customers, but only a few know how to gain a customer’s attention by creating content that can be understood by the algorithm that serves that content to a specific user.

So I’ll ungeek that for a bit.

Imagine yourself watching a series of YouTube videos. At some point in that series, a video ad will pop up.

The success of that ad is determined by how many people completely viewed the ad versus people that pressed the “Skip>” button. A lot of people know how to produce the ad video. Very few people know how to make that video present itself to the right customer. THAT is algorithmic marketing. And it isn’t happening tomorrow... It’s been happening for the better part of a decade.

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A VISION OF THE FUTURE NOW

Sentience provides a good vision for the future of programmatic ad buying and algorithmic marketing.

Personally, I feel that focusing almost exclusively on the Virtual (Intelligent) personal assistant as the primary portal for the future of digital marketing is a bit limiting.

What it does hit spot on is that as our attention is captured primarily by our devices (most people in a modern metropolis spend 11 to 13 hours or more in front of a device), and less by our environment (including your home TV), digital marketing will become more and more pivotal and the need for algorithmic marketers will increase dramatically (it is already very high now).

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BOOK REVIEW

In 2013, eMarketer released a study that predicted people will spend more time in front of their mobile devices by the following year. In the third quarter of 2014, Flurry reported that mobile phone usage had exceeded TV viewership.

As interruptive marketing becomes less effective and permission marketing more effective, marketers that know how to penetrate the algorithm that captures the audience’s permission or attention will become exceedingly more successful - for themselves, and the brands they work with.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

BOOK REVIEW

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Glenmarc “Flash” Antonio is a hobbyist, an athlete, and a charity work volunteer. He is also a cosplayer, a pirate, and a Sith.

He is an occasional advocate of mixing Extra Joss with San Mig Light

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GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME Innovations abused are opportunities unused.

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GLENMARC ANTONIO

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om Doctoroff’s recently published book was quite the entertaining read – albeit not a short one. As its outline suggests, the book is divided to include an entire chapter dedicated to insight into customer behaviour (often one of the most overlooked practices in communication) – to strengthening brand identity / brand idea regardless of strategy, as it becomes an integral part of a consumer’s life and routine – to engagement ideas (variable through time and feel of the local landscape, and may be influenced as a market leader or a competitor), and engagement planning (the author speaks of conventional media planning with the use of digital technology in order to further endear the brand to its consumers – thereby resulting in loyalty and profit).

As much as today’s modern world has driven local and international marketers to employ digital media as a key part of their strategy – Doctoroff’s book emphasizes the idea that Twitter (and personally – insert any other major social media network in here such as Facebook, and to an extent – Instagram) – is but a channel.

Far from being anti-digital media (as the book’s title may seem to suggest) it considers the need to use digital media, how to effectively

use it, and providies examples and execution strategies for digital.

One of the most compelling quotes from this book is actually from its first few pages – “Every brand needs a soul, etched with a carefully crafted concept.

The best brands simplify life; they do not complicate it.”

From a casual reader’s standpoint, the book tells of digital media as a channel and not the message nor the tactic. Yes, it (digital) is a factor to be considered in engaging the customer, one to be built upon with care and proper investments, but has to be backed by the soul of the campaign or advertising push. The author’s sentiments are true: Ineffective use of digital media may actually prevent brands from delivering the message to their consumers

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

and can only be seen as a want (to look cool and relevant) rather than a need (to be able to engage well, elicit responses, and secure loyalty, purchases, and patronage).

This book comes in as a highly recommended read – whether you’re a campaign strategist intent on launching the next big idea, or a marketing student simply looking for a key reference material on the current state of marketing and advertising – digital, traditional, or otherwise. On a more personal note, this book should be high on the wishlist for gift ideas from marketing professionals for their bosses – it could very well be an excellent eye-opener. While there are a lot of innovative ways to use digital in marketing today – the fundamentals of brand building always remain the same.

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MOVIE REVIEW

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ARTIFICIAL SEXUALITY Third Domingo, CEO of Ideas x Machina, reviews Ex Machina and tells us about a world where a genius who can’t get chicks decides to create the perfect robot girlfriend. words

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THIRD DOMINGO

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o review Ex Machina, I watched it seven times. Each “session” gave me seven different ways to appreciate it. Ok, I really watched it four times. But I enjoyed it every time.

IT’S A SCI-CHO MOVIE

Alex Garland’s directorial debut is an elegant, psychological, sci-fi fantasy about artificial intelligence.

His previous projects include writing credits for: The Beach, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine. Garland has us intrigued by the motives of a hypnotic robot named Ava—played beautifully by Alicia Vikander.

Whenever she’s on screen, she transfixes the audience. Even small moments are electric, like the roboerotic spectacle of removing her leg-warmers ever so slowly from her hi-tech legs. Vikander’s performance is especially remarkable because playing robots in movies can be tricky –one example that comes to mind is Michael Fassbender, who played a particularly robotic robot in Prometheus.

The setting is a subterranean research-retreat facility, owned by a reclusive global-CEO-hipstervirtuoso-Internet-mogul-a**hole named Nathan, played, almost realistically, by Oscar Isaac.

Realistic in that he has no six-pack abs despite the fact that we see him exercise and drink nutritious beverages every morning.

Invariably, Nathan is a prick. We know this because he says f*ck occasionally and

from out of the blue. Also, he makes robot girlfriends instead of actually dating women.

Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb Smith, a young programmer in Nathan’s company chosen as the human participant in a Turing Test: a measure to find out if a machine can think, learn and lie like a human.

Caleb soon finds himself face to face with Ava, who possesses a face not dissimilar from those Caleb sees in his porn searches. He finds the whole thing “miraculous” and falls under Ava’s spell almost instantly.

How you cannot program a perfect girlfriend and why you should never ever lie to them In my second viewing, Ex Machina was, to me, not really a movie about Artificial Intelligence but Artificial Sexuality. Like any genius, Nathan finds it hard to get chicks.

He hides his discarded creations in his closet, while employing the services of a mute robot-maid named Kyoko who dances really well. (See above, i.e. prick.) Ava—so far—is his favorite and his masterpiece.

Naturally, Nathan wants to show her off to a bro: Caleb.

Caleb is transfixed by Ava, but asks: Why was she given sexuality?

The juxtaposition between Caleb’s and Nathan’s characters is clear; as Caleb is asking a philosophical question and Nathan considers Ava’s sexuality to be: “a hole between her legs that is very sensitive.”

This Nathan-dude doesn’t

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

have a clue, does he? A dramatic confrontation is inevitable!

Despite the absence of blockbuster action-sequences, a staple in most sci-fi thrillers, Ex Machina holds your attention because its romantic tension perfectly resonates. You can see it happening in front of you and it makes you want to yell to the characters on screen: You shouldn’t let another man check-out your girlfriend no matter how cool you think she is! She’s not something to show off. And if you don’t like her anymore, or if you are just planning to replace her with a better, upgraded version, just let her go.

Women are good at figuring these things out and she will figure out what your real intentions are!

Third Domingo is the CEO of IXM. A generous leader, teacher and mentor.

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177 Like Frankenstein, it’s a movie illustrating how things mess up when you try to create life without the aid of a woman Frankenstein, and the movies it’s inspired, are typically about people who mess with nature and natural progression. In the last two centuries, we’ve seen the mad scientist evolve from chemistbiologists like Frankenstein, physicists like Einstein and Dr. Strangelove, Jurassic Park geneticists, and now computer programmers in Nathan. All of them have a “missing woman” in their lives, someone that Ex Machina tries to replace. Here, though, the mad scientist isn’t protecting “her”—or anyone, for that matter—he is a child with a toy. He’s not contemplating

his existence, he’s trying to be God. He’s proud and desperately excited about the “destruction of the world” as we know it, wherein he is the architect of that destruction. And in the end, even I want to stick it to him. Mad scientists are mad, but they are also passionate and in love. Nathan… he’s just giddy.

An understanding of why the word “movie” is short for “moving pictures” For a first-time director, Ex Machina is a masterful film. The whole production is sizzlingly smart with gorgeous art direction, sharp writing, and memorable, strong performances. Every frame in the movie has meaning. The director was obviously visually and intellectually grandstanding,

but the overall effect was good.

I, as the audience could tell that this was cinematography intended as art, not as commerce.

I particularly loved the shots where Caleb and Ava talk, separated by a transparent glass wall, the play on reflections is beautiful. When you watch it again, notice how Garland plays with the reflective surfaces around the characters, the imagery representing dishonesty is intriguing and makes for excellent foreshadowing.

While most movies today care more about the expensive visual spectacles, Ex Machina cares only to make you think about what it means to be powerful, creative, and human.

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SINGAPORE: With an abundance of quality content in Southeast Asia, the recent Singapore Dialogue on TV and film panel sessions showed that proper promotion to a global audience is needed to give Asian content a chance to shine.

Featuring key industry players like Bomanbridge’s Sonia Fleck, HOOQ’s Peter Bithos, The Moving Visuals’ Galen Yeo, ABS-CBN’s Evelyn Raymundo, Singapore International Film Festival’s (SGIFF) Weijie Lai, Abracadabra’s Jessel Monteverde, Epicmedia’s Bianca Balbuena, and Philippine Film Studios’ Jun Juban, among others, the Singapore Dialogue TV and film panel sessions provided the platform for key players, experts and creators from the Philippines and Singapore to interact and exchange insights on the potential of Filipino content on the global stage, ahead of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), which will be held in Singapore from 26 November to 6 December 2015.

Last year, more than 147 films from 50 countries were shown to an international audience at the SGIFF and approximately USD 256.28 million in sales deals were registered during the Asia TV Forum & Market and the Screen Singapore portion. Providing the opportunity for media content producers to connect and network with potential partners, investors and collaborators, SMF is poised once again to be Asia’s top platform that fosters collaboration across markets.

With an increasingly mobile world looking for digital content to consume, exploring the myriad opportunities open to content producers and providers at SMF can only be beneficial. With the festival’s flagship events, participants can optimize networking opportunities as well as foster collaboration and synergies between markets.

With state-of-the-art infrastructure and the dynamic presence of media companies, Singapore continues to gain the confidence of partners and investors with their capability to stage event platforms showcasing unique Southeast Asian content.

This year, the SMF promises to be packed with more ways for attendees to interact and explore how they can get financed and to distribute their content for the world to see. Viewed as one of Asia’s leading international media events that brings together the latest trends, talent and content for all platforms, it also hosts various workshops where young practitioners and industry players can further hone their talents or strengthen their networks.

Organised by the Media Development Authority of Singapore, SMF brings together established media events such as: SGIFF, Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore, Asian Television Awards and Digital Matters.

ADVERTORIAL adobo magazine | September - October 2015

Singapore, the No. 1 nation in Asia when it comes to protecting intellectual property, has the hardware and soft skills that creative media companies seek.

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A HOTBED FOR MEDIA

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Singapore is on its way to establishing itself as the regional hub in the media and digital space.

Ranked first in Asia for its robust intellectual property environment. Singapore’s combination of excellent communications infrastracture, sophisticated IT network and top creative talents makes it an ideal location for establishing cutting-edge digital media services*. Little wonder why international digital media companies, like Lucasfilm and Ubisoft, have established their bases in Singapore. Unlock your full business potential by gaining access to this space.

The exciting line-up of media and digital events in Singapore brings together the biggest names and most influential brands in the industry.

After Business Comes Leisure If you’re not attending an after-hours networking event, do take the opportunity to check out the city. There are plenty of options. Wish to immerse yourself in local culture? Then head for Chinatown or Little India. For retail therapy, traipse down iconic Orchard Road. Wish to sample the cuisine of Michelin-starred chefs? Then book a table at one of the restaurants within the architectural marvel that is Marina Bay Sands. With so much to discover, you’re going to want to stay longer.

Make your trip to Singapore a one-of-a-kind experience.

It all starts at yoursingapore.com/morethanjustbusiness * The Global Information Technology Report 2013, World Economic Forum

magazine September - October 2015 | adoboADVERTORIAL

ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW

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THE UN-DIVINITY OF BEING HUMAN A future where machines are warmer than humans?

It’s closer than you think. words

YVONNE KIUNISALA

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ention the word robot and the storyline that usually comes to mind is one of a futuristic world where robots have gained sentience, defied their programming and are on a mission to either enslave or exterminate the human race. “Humans”, a new British TV series about robots takes this familiar premise and finds ways to make a fairly common plotline compelling, thought provoking

adobo magazine | September - October 2015

and oftentimes quite unnerving.

In the world of “Humans” robots called synths have become a common sight. Apart from their glowing green eyes, slightly stilted speech and somewhat stiff movements they look exactly as humans do and they are everywhere.

They assist people in train stations, hand out flyers, take care of the elderly and even drive cars.

The show does not unfold in a dystopian or even futuristic

looking setting; instead we see a world much like the world we live in today. People still travel by train and ordinary cars, kids still ride bikes and phones still look like phones. It is partly for this reason that everything that goes on in the show feels disconcertingly plausible.

In fact, just last July the first hotel run by robots was opened in Japan. The robots take care of guest relations, carry luggage and clean rooms and while these

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ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW

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Japanese robots have a long way to go before looking and behaving like the synths, it does indicate that a world of stronger artificial intelligence is probably not as far off as many believe it to be.

The use and development of artificial intelligence is fraught with issues and although “Humans” does touch upon the more sinister concern of robots turning violent and intentionally hurting humans, it is the way the show deals with the all too human concerns of love, purpose, loneliness, family and memory that make the show must-see TV. “Humans” has multiple plotlines but at the center of it are two families, the human Hawkins family and as we later discover, an android family of rogue synths who have somehow become capable of intelligence and emotion.

The series begins in the home of the Hawkins family; Joe Hawkins

is a father of three struggling with the mundane duties of domestic life while his wife Laura is away on business. Overwhelmed, he decides to buy the family a synth. The youngest child, Sophie, is thrilled and names the synth Anita. Anita by the way is gorgeous and so Toby, the teenaged son, is also thrilled by her presence. Mattie, the eldest, is at first dismissive and merely reminds Joe that Laura will not be pleased with a synth in the house.

Laura comes back from her business trip and immediately complains about the presence of Anita but is persuaded by the rest of the family to keep her. We begin to see how the presence of the synth unearths some of the emotional landmines that have been buried in the family’s dynamic long before Anita even came into the picture.

This is particularly true with Laura who feels like a lousy mother and wife and becomes even more

distressed by the fact that Anita cleans better than her, cooks better than her and even reads bedtime stories better than her because as Sophie put it, Anita “doesn’t rush”.

As the show progresses we see the human family slowly falling apart while the family of rogue synths are doing all they can not only to survive but to find one another and re-unite.

It is intentional irony that some of the most touching displays of love, loyalty and courage in the show are displayed by the synths while some of the more disturbing, inhumane acts are instigated by humans.

In a large part what makes the show so intriguing is the excellent acting that is on display, particularly among the actors who play the synths. So much more goes on in the TV show than can be written about here but suffice it to say that at a time when there is so much good TV to choose from, “Humans” is definitely one to watch.

September - October 2015 | adobo magazine

FEATURE

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PEUGEOT:

INNOVATION IN THEIR DNA A 200-year old name behind performance engines, cutting implements and pepper mills.

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rimarily known as a car manufacturer, Peugeot has had a long history of making stylish performance vehicles by constantly studying whatever they can improve and swiftly acting upon it. Heeding the call to evolve or risk being overtaken, many of the features found in up-and-coming or current Peugeot vehicles sound like sci-fi conjurings. A geolocated distress signal that the car emits in the event of an emergency? They have it. Fuelefficient, low-emissions engines?

They’ve been winning awards for them. A food truck that pays homage to the Peugeot lineage of fine food and vehicles? “Le Bistrot du Lion” was conceptualized by the Peugeot Design Lab, and is currently on display at the 2015 Expo Milano.

Transcending their humble roots, but always emphasizing good design and innovation, Peugeot may have started off by making

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coffee mills and pepper mills that boasted of quality workmanship and warranties to boot, but soon conquered other realms thanks to the passion to improve, as well as the engineering-driven curiosity of members of the Peugeot family who branched into bicycle design, car production, and motorcycle manufacturing. And to this day, they still stay true to their design-driven roots--and if you know where to look, a set of Peugeot cutlery can be bought at reputable shops.

If you’ve always wanted to stay connected to your smartphone while keeping eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, the French car manufacturer patented Peugeot Mirror Screen®, only available on the 108 and the New 208 models, which allows a compatible smartphone to communicate with your car.

This allows the driver to display compatible apps on the 7-inch touch

screen and manage them using the vehicle controls, utilizing the latest Mirrorlink™ and AppinCar technologies compatible with Samsung Galaxy SIII and Samsung Galaxy Note II; iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S (iOS4.3 and higher). However some AppinCar applications may become disabled on the iPhone 4S when upgrading with iOS8.

Peugeot Scooters was the first manufacturer to equip its scooters with an ABS system, and since 2011 has also been equipping its models with airbag jackets.

These jackets are extremely loose and light, don’t hinder riding and inflate in 0.1 seconds when the safety cord is pulled, creating a protective sheath around the wearer that automatically deflates in a few dozen seconds. The jacket’s CO2 cartridge can be replaced for the next ride. Speaking of airbags, while this inflating safety feature have become a standard feature of vehicles, very few of them can inflate in varying stages according to the intensity of the impact, as Peugeot’s does in its more recent models.

Combining high-performance engines that perform efficiently and are a pleasure to drive, Peugeot has proven over the years that it’s an enduring brand that thrives on innovation.

ADVERTORIAL

Printing + Technology A step up to the next level.

It is believed that as early as 868 BC, Chinese monks published the first known book – “The Diamond Sutra” using wooden blocks coated with ink and then pressed to paper (known as block printing).

Printing today, has come a long way since then and has adapted the advances in technology, while continuing to evolve to meet the needs and expectations of the millennial readers.

We can say that printing still produces a valued product (a book, a magazine, a collateral) that transforms ideas and messages into a solid, readable form. While it is true that the digital age has slowly eroded the value of print, still, we cannot fully discount the experiential wonder a well-­‐written and printed book can impart. We take into account for example, the power of sensory experience which online marketing (personalized emails) cannot possibly deliver. To touch, see and feel a beautifully printed piece of direct mailer, personalized with your name, communicates sincere efforts on the part of the company to reach out to the customers.

VJ7 PRINTING P. Gomez Street, Maysan, Valenzuela City Tel No. (02) 355 5077 Email : info@vj7printing.com

VJ7 Printing, a printing press based in the heart of Valenzuela City, is keeping up with the advancements in technology through the acquisition of brand new offset, digital and finishing machines to keep it agile and create a synergistic relationship with clients.

According to Enrico Santos, President & Owner, “The foundations of our aggressive growth strategy for the business is based on three key factors and they are: leveraging on technology, working closely with our customers and investing in our people who will help us build the business.”

True to form, the company has recently invested in the Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102, a powerful machine that can print 12,000 sheet an hour. And to complement this, several other finishing machines like the Heidelberg Polar Cutter, the Heidelberg Stahlfolder and a Eurobind machine, plus a UV laminating machine, a Die-­‐cutting machine and Stitching machine were added to its existing inventory of machines to step up production.

Likewise to expand the services offered, the Ricoh Heidelberg Digital Machine and the HP Latex 360 machines were acquired as well.

VJ7 Printing continues to look at new and powerful machines that will strengthen its foothold in the printing business to serve its clients beyond expectation.

CALL US NOW FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE!

TELEFAX NO. (02) 277 9513 or E-mail us at info@vj7printing.com

www.vj7printing.com

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FEATURE

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JUICE KO, JUICE MO LORD Locally Blended Juice Drink brings Pinoy flavors to a convenience store near you. words

ANNA GAMBOA

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H

ydrate, they said. Get some vitamins in you, they said. After nursing a cold for the nth time and mulling over my choices at the convenience store near the adobo office, a bright pink bottle caught my eye, causing me to abandon my Taiwanese sugar-free jasmine tea.“Tamarind My Bell” the label cheekily introduced itself, with quirky graphics that reminded me of wholesome Trader Joe’s wares, and informative copy

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that announced the provenance of the tamarind pulp from the earthy terroir of Cavite, Bulacan, Batangas, Zambales, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija. In short, gawa sa Pinas (made in the Philippines)–and I was swayed by the promise of thirst-quenching, sour-sweet bliss. Following the directions stated on the label, I shook the contents, twisted the cap and took a swig. Let’s just say I was instantly transported to those joyous grade school days of pestering the sari-sari store lady on a summer day for my daily hit of sampalok.

Naturally, the next drink my id-driven appetite clamored to try was “Kamias You Are” –with the fruit puree sourced from Batangas and Laguna that promised “tart and sour goodness.” The yellow-orange label sported a similar aesthetic as the tamarind juice, and the cheeky copy once again lured me into parting with Php 36 at the store.

Alas, the promised tart(ness) didn’t materialize, leaving me feeling like a bachelor staring at an empty trick cake. Seriously guys, I grew up having a kamias tree in my garden, so the slightly overripe fruit flavor was disappointing to say the least.

So you can understand my trepidation as I eyed the purple label that declared “You’ve Dalandan It Again” –was it going to be a hit or miss?The cheery image of a dalandan slice seemed to assure me that the sweet-sour citrus fruit sourced from Batangas, Laguna and Mindoro would deliver on some sort of juice-infused magic. “Dalandaan! Tadaan!” the borderline trippy copy tried to wave imaginary spirit fingers as I forked over my cash at the register, but by this time I was trying the product out of curiosity, bracing myself for disappointment. And the dalandan, well, it did it again—it kinda disappointed. Sorry, not sorry. That slightly overripe flavor (or cloying sweetness) turned me off as quickly as a dude stuck in the 80’s drenched in Drakkar.

There’s an upcoming fourth flavor with guyabano (soursop), but I’ll withhold judgement until I fork over Php 36. Hope springs eternal after all, when it comes to trying Pinoy products—you have nothing to lose except a bit of cash and your faith.

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ADOBO OUT & ABOUT

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1. Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero chats with Christina Hendricks about life after Mad Men, along with David Guererro and Dick van Motman.

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2. The shoot team ropes in more adobo staff members for a souvenir shot after photography shoot with the adobo Creative LIAisons winners.

3. Birthday surprise. Janelle BarettoSquires throws a surprise party at the office for adobo’s EIC. 4. Team members take a break with Angel Guerrero at the Manila Polo Club.

5. Marj Casal, our multimedia writer defies gravity --or does she?

6. Marj Casal and Rea Gierran do their best to channel Sadness and Joy from Inside Out. Nice try, you two.

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adobo magazine | September - October 2015