Advertising Agency: KING JAMES, Cape Town, South Africa Executive Creative Director: Alistair King Creative Directors: Paige Nick, Karin Barry Copywriter: Jabulani Sigege Art Director: Rachel Brown Account Supervisor: Lesley Wright Advertiser's Supervisor: Michael Vale
This month's Ads of the World pick for Best Print Ad deserve to leap beyond the pages of the Ad Archive. Just like news...it is simple yet concise... An online reader says that Crispin Porter and Bogusky did a similar thing for the Mini before...but heck, I'm posting this beauty anyway.
The advertising world has inspired the runways once again. Michale Kors has released a new fall collection based on the fashion of Mad Men, AMC's 1960-Period Advertising TV Series. Just think of Don Draper and the gang's svelte suits, skinny ties, and sheath dresses on the catwalk. It seems that the mature, polished, and dressed-up look has been making a comeback in New York thanks to the show. In fact, even Bloomingdale's has taken notice.
I wonder when Philippine advertising fashionistas will inspire the local runways? There certainly is a plethora of good taste ranging from the signature awards night black, funky artist looks, smart preppy writer chic, and seductive account executive types.
Jollibee certainly is no drone. If ever there was a King Bee, Jollibee would be it.
When Jollibee celebrated its 30th anniversary last March 26, 2008, it did what could be considered as the next strategic step in penetrating the consciousness of Filipino kids even deeper. The fast food giant launched Jollitown, a kid show on GMA 7 to be aired every Sundays at 9:30 to 10:00 am. In what could be considered as a Sesame Street meets the Teletubbies show, Jollitown features Jollibee, Mr. Yum, Popo, Hetty, and Twirlie in various educational and branded adventures. I tried finding out what happened to Chickee and Champ, but a wikipedia entry alleges that they were discontinued in 1983 and 84, respectively. All for the good of the hive, I guess.
So imagine my surprise when my bestfriend and I discovered the Jollikids apparel line while shopping at the SM Department Store. My bestfriend thought the designs were nice enough but I still couldn't get over the Jolli-words branded in the various shirts and shorts that were on the shelves.
Isn't it enough that Filipino kids have been brainwashed by the hive to throw tantrums every time they are not able to eat "Jolli-food"? Now, we'll have kids crying in Department Stores so that they could all wear "Jolli-clothes", too.
With over 1,655 stores worldwide and 1 billion sales in December 2007 alone, Jollibee is truly making some real honey for Tony Tan Caktiong. Old McDonald has been warned. The killer bee is definitely out for blood.
How far can you go by just lipsynching? If you're just an ordinary singer, probably not very far. But if you're a true "recording artist", well you could suddenly catapult yourself to youtube stardom.
Moymoypalaboy, is a talented dynamic duo from Pasay, Manila. It's easy to dismiss these two as youtube trash - but for somebody who just joined last February 24, they already have amassed 271,855 channel views. Still modest by youtube standards, I know. But anybody who can remake the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" into something hilariously entertaining as below seriously has my respect. And that's not even considering that the Wannabe video is one of their biggest hits (pun intended) with 1,262,922 views and counting.
Watching the "Speed Dressing" Ad below, one isn't surprised that it bagged a Bronze Lion in Cannes.
But what is actually surprising is the fact that after winning the award, J.C. Penney strongly disowned the material completely - saying that it had no idea that this was made and that it was completely off from the usual J.C. Penney communication values (because of its provocative concept).
Now, this raises the bar completely on ad scams. And they said Asia's AdFest had a lot of scams.
What happens when soap operas start to become stories about actual soap?
The next wave of product integration has surely arrived in Philippine shores. With the tremendous popularity of television soap operas (these include fantaseryes, teleseryes, sineseryes, or whatever stations try to call them) television stations have realized the true value of soaps as media vehicles. Not content with having bewildering volumes of media placements, they have now turned to product integration with actual content.
This was perhaps first seamlessly demonstrated in ABS-CBN's Ysabella. In the soap, Judy Ann Santos takes revenge on Connie Reyes, who stole her mother's recipe for Chicken Inasal. During the run of the series, there were several billboards of Judy Ann for Chicken Inasal Bacolod. The product integration was so good that it even got some of my friends to actually try Chicken Inasal Bacolod (Which of course, didn't quite live up to expectations).
Now, rival network GMA7 is exploring similar territory with Dyesebel and Sunsilk Shampoo. In the story, the lead male character played by Dingdong Dantes happens to work in what appears to be an advertising/marketing agency with Sunsilk as one of their clients. A recent plot development has him searching for Dyesebel played by Marianne Rivera so that she can be the next face of Sunsilk. While on my way to the office today, I even saw the same billboard featured in the soap opera along the South Super Highway.
But the Dyesebel-Sunsilk integration is not as seamless as the Ysabella-Chicken Inasal Bacolod. Whereas Chicken Inasal was the central device used in the plot of Ysabella; in Dyesebel, Sunsilk is merely a protruding plot development. Nevertheless, these product integration efforts may be a portent of the future. Perhaps ten years from now, all television shows and movies will be centralized on some brand or product - which, on hindsight, may be a transmogrified throwback to the history of advertising wherein a single brand paid for a whole show.
Judy Ann Santos may be one of the most popular celebrities among the broad C and D crowd but she truly suffered a dramatic backlash after appearing in the Meralco System Loss Infomercial below.
Celebrities may not realize it but when it comes to advertising, associating oneself to a product has two effects - one, it increases positive perception towards the product and two, it decreases positive perception towards the celebrity no matter how good the ad is.
Consider it a push and pull mechanism. As the celebrity pushes the product up, in some sense, the product pulls the celebrity down. That's the price that the celebrities really have to pay in exchange for the millions in talent fees that they receive.
Weeks ago, China was perceived by many all over the world as the powerful rising country of billions. Poised for its hosting of the Olympic games and fresh from the boom brought by the gradual opening of its economy, it was truly a behemoth in the eyes of many.
Nevertheless, this chinky-eyed goliath was also judged as shrewd, cunning, and cold by the global community. Adding to this negative image was the government's iron glove on Buddhist Monks faithful to the Dalai Lama and their quest for independence.
But when a devastating earthquake hit the country recently, Chinese government officials consciously or unconsciously managed to humanize the iron giant. Unlike Myanmar which severely impeded international efforts to help the country, China did the unprecedented and threw open the gates to news agencies and humanitarian groups. How could the world not empathize with the rising death toll of over 30,000, and an injured list of over 200,000?
In the game of imaging, sometimes it truly pays to be weak to be strong.
Imagine if kids could have their own social networking site. If they could have something like Facebook, Friendster, or Multiply that distinctly caters to their kiddie needs.
Well, there's no need to imagine anymore. While scouring Trendhunter for the latest trends (obviously), I found a list of the Top 50 Innovations in Social Networking. Most of it isn't really that great or mind-blowing, like artists who have their own social networking site (50 Cent and Kylie Minogue) or politicians who did the same (come on, I have Senators Chiz Escudero and Francis Panglinan among my "friends" in Friendster).
But what really drove me crazy was Moshi Monsters - a social networking site specifically designed for kids. Just like the Powerpuff Girls without Chemical X (pardon the reference but if you visit the site you'll definitely understand) - it has sugar, spice, and everything nice - plus a good dash of web savvy. Here, kids can "adopt" cute little monsters which they can customize instead of profiles. They can also build and customize the house where their monsters live. Instead of using profiles, they can interact, make friends, and play with other kids using their monsters. London-based Mind Candy really did a fantastic job in developing this site. I tried it out and it felt like Pokemon, Tamagotchi, and Friendster combined.
Just one thing, I'm not sure there are enough anti-pedophile safeguard mechanisms in the site. So parents still beware! Otherwise, this is a refreshing way for kids to keep in touch with friends online.
Client: Barska Optics Advertising Agency: Ireland/Davenport, Johannesburg, South Africa Creative Directors: Philip Ireland, John Davenport Art Director: Marion Bryan Copywriter: George Low Photographer: David Prior Stylist: Nicola Bower
Did the copywriter happen to get stranded in the Philippines and get rescued by the megastar with multimillion commercial endorsements? Was he a die-hard fan of that femme fatale whose slit way under enslaves men with a slight cross of her legs? Or was he dumped by a batty lady of the same name whom he vigilantly stalked afterwards?
Whatever the reason, "Sharon" was selected for Best Copy by Ads of the World for April 2008. It felt so weird and even disturbing when I first read it. But when I finished, I had a big smile on my face and I could definitely see why it was picked.
Thanks to Ads of the World and Ivan for this early morning treat.
When you're writing for a celebrity, sometimes you really feel the need for a cocktail to keep yourself inebriated. So just imagine my uncontrollable laughter when I found this list of Top 20 Most Unforgettable Movie Lines from QTV's "Ang Pinaka", while researching material for one of our celebrity endorsers. I never realized the literary power and "stickiness" of campy Filipino movie lines until I read this list.
I don't think even the greatest foreign movies could compare to these Filipino movie lines. Even the immortal line from Gone with the Wind ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn....") which is considered by many to be the best in Hollywood, doesn't come close enough to Cherie Gil's rhetoric. And that's considering that although many of these lines came from Filipino classics, most didn't exactly come from the greatest reel of Filipino masterpieces.
1. "You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!" - Cherie Gil, Bituing Walang Ningning (1985)
2. ""Para kang karinderyang bukas sa lahat ng gustong kumain." - Vilma Santos, Palimos ng Pag-ibig (1985)
3. "Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao! Nasa puso nating lahat!" - Nora Aunor, Himala (1982)
4. "My brother is not a pig! My brother is not a pig! Ang kapatid ko ay tao, hindi baboy damo!" - Nora Aunor, Minsa'y Isang Gamugamo (1976)
5. "Once, twice, thrice, gaano ba kadalas ang minsan?" - Hilda Koronel, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (1982)
6. "Ayoko ng tinatapakan ako, ayoko ng masikip, ayoko ng mabaho, ayoko ng walang tubig, ayoko ng walang pagkain, ayoko ng putik"" - Maricel Soriano, Kaya Kong Abutin ang Langit (1984)
7. "Hayop... Hayuuup... Hayuuupppp!" - Nora Aunor, Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo (1979)
8. "Trabaho lang ito, walang personalan." - Rudy Fernandez, Markang Bungo (1991)
9. "Si Val! Si Val! Puro na lang si Val! Si Val na walang malay!" - Vilma Santos, Saan Nagtatago ang Pag-ibig (1987)
10. "Ikaw pala. Ikaw pala ang sinasabi ng asawa ko na asawa mo na asawa ng bayan!" - Laurice Guillen, Nagalit ang Buwan sa Haba ng Gabi (1983)
11. "Akala mo lang wala.. pero meron!! meron!! meron!!" - Carlo Aquino, Bata, Bata...Paano Ka Ginawa (1998)
12. "Gutay-gutay na ang katawan nyo... pati na ang kaluluwa nyo!" - Sharon Cuneta- Pasan Ko ang Daigdig (1987)
13. "Sabel! This must be love!" - Carmi Martin, Working Girls (1986)
14. FPJ: "Ang problema sa'yo maaga kang ipinanganak" Sharon: "Ang problema naman sa'yo huli kang ipinanganak" - Sharon Cuneta and Fernando Poe Jr., Kahit Konting Pagtingin (1990)
15. "Wala akong pakialam..ibalik mo sa akin si Jun-jun. Ibalik mo sa akin ang anak ko! Ibalik mo sa akin si Jun-jun. Ibalik mo ang...ahhhhh!" - Vilma Santos, Paano Ba Ang Mangarap (1983)
16. "Kung saan, kailan, at paanong labanan, magpasabi ka lang. Hindi kita uurungan!" - Sharon Cuneta, Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin (1984)
17. Alice: "Mamamatay ako, Ate, pag kinuha mo sa akin si Alex!" Lorna: "Ipalilibing kita." Alice: "Ate, please!" Lorna: "Nung inagaw mo sa 'kin si... muntik na rin akong mamatay. Puwes, ikaw naman ngayon ang mamatay" - Lorna Tolentino and Alice Dixson, Nagbabagang Luha (1988)
18. "Simple lang naman ang hinihingi ko. Kung hindi mo ako marespeto bilang asawa, respetuhin mo naman ako bilang kaibigan. Kung hindi naman, respetuhin mo ako bilang tao." - Vilma Santos, Relasyon (1982)
20. "Kung hindi tayo kikilos sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?" - Vilma Santos, Sister Stella L. (1984)
Although I love the melodrama and popularity of the number one line, I still can't get over the ridiculously hilarious metaphor of Vilma Santos at number two.
Tom Ford for Men. A scent that opens with a bouquet of fresh citrus accord and violet leaf with a dominant heart of amber, cedar, leatherwood, and patchouli. Contains hints of oak moss, tobacco leaf and faint undernotes of basil, black pepper, ginger or blossoms. All well-blended for a slightly sweet and sprightly fragrance.
The perfume doesn't sound that overpowering but the ad surely is - just like the others listed in Trendhunter's Top 50 Shockvertisements. Although most of these ads could never be aired or published in the conservative Philippine media landscape, these are still definitely worth seeing for their pure irreverence and ability to grab your attention by the balls (or jugs).
Personally, I felt that this list should have included United Colors of Bennetton's Priest Kissing Nun and the Marithe Francois Girbaud's Last Supper. But that's just me and I was raised as a Catholic.
After instigating the mobile revolution that has changed the way people communicate, Nokia is set to lead another rebellion with the Nokia Artist Advisory Council. The rhetoric is that this council is envisioned as a means to promote an artist-friendly atmosphere within the company.
Among the projected benefits is the potential for artists to be more in control of their music and how it is marketed. And because this is a Nokia project, mobile devices is expected to be the primary means for consumers to access content – eliminating the middleman from the distribution equation, totally.
Whether Nokia succeeds or not, one thing is certain – the company is serious about this operation. In fact, they have even signed up former Eurythmics stalwart Dave Stewart to be a “change agent” for their “weapon of mass entertainment”.
Amidst the solemnity of the Manila Cathedral Mass for Good Friday, there was what many in the industry would love to call “disruption”. Or at least I would.
I was deep in meditation or pretending to be, when the priest suddenly compared the love of God to Coke Zero. He said it was sweeter than sugar and that it was UHAW: U-maapaw (Over-flowing), H-umihilom (Healing), Abot-kamay (Attainable), and W-alang Hanggan (Endless).
I have always considered similes and metaphors as some of the simplest copywriting tools. All you need is something that resembles or represents the characteristics of your brand or product to make it more tangible and understandable for your audience.
Which is why I found the comparison of the love of God to Coke Zero as absolutely fantastic. Forgive me but if somebody from Coca Cola or its ad agency heard it, I’m sure it was as if the Heavens just parted and an olive-carrying dove descended with a choir of angels to give its imprimatur.
This made me realize how the ad industry has shaped much our cultural references. It also provoked my imagination of a future where advertising permeates everything.
It’s hard enough to swallow the jarring variations of “Fish Be With You”, the latest being “Seafood Be With You” for LuckyMe. But homily placements? If this continues, then it may really be the sign of the times. Pun absolutely intended.
Can you spot what's wrong with this picture? If you want to find out, it's time you visit this blog called Photoshop Disasters which scavenges for examples of photoshop retouching gone wild!
Spiderman once said that "With great power comes great responsibility". This has been quoted and worn out that it really is becoming irritating already.
Nevertheless, this is perhaps exactly what Photoshop enthusiasts and art directors should be chanting as their mantra. Their amazing powers of bending truth and reality to create images with a click on the clone tool is simply incredible.
But more than just being abused (like erasing a few pimples here and there then adjusting your skin tone and lighting with photofilters), what's more disturbing is when these powers are misused.
Whoever said music is the laughter of the soul must have foreseen the coming of Binibing Pilipinas World Janina San Miguel.
Found this cool remix by DJ Dense Modesto of the recent Binibining Pilipinas Q&A through the Multiply blog of Roy Del Valle at roydv.multiply.com. This could be one of the best tracks to play before closing any bar in the Metro. It will surely flush away any traces of alcohol in your bloodstream and knock you back to consciousness!
Janina eventually won Binibining Pilipinas World so she may really have the last laugh. Oh my God...ha ha ha!
Spotted - Brian Gorrell, an Australian national dishing serious dirt through the blog delfindjmontano.blogspot.com on DJ Montano, Celine Lopez, Tim Yap, and other members of a so-called Gucci Gang within Manila's Party Scene.
If you haven't read the blog at delfindjmontano.blogspot.com yet, you might be missing one of the most entertaining scandals to ever hit Manila's social party circles.
Amid alleged exposes of HIV, sniffing coke, sexual trysts and money swindling - this blog has it all. Or more appropriately, "had" it all. After shoveling heaps of the most scandalous revelations, the blog seems to be slowly disappearing into the vast archives of cyberspace.
Did Brian finally have his so-called "justice" and recovered the US$70,000.00 allegedly borrowed among others by his alleged ex-boyfriend DJ Montano? Or have the alleged threats of shutting down the controversial blog finally become reality?
Is Gossip Gay out for the count? Only Gossip Gay knows. XOXO.
If you're a fan of Andi9 or any of the Sabado Boys then you just got lucky. Ellips recently released its new commercials featuring Andi9 and the Sabado Boys. If you haven't seen them yet, you can watch the videos at www.ellips.com.ph.
This was an absolute blast to shoot since there were no pretensions, no acting involved. The cast were being true to themselves. The wacky but down-to-earth gang composed of Jimmy Bondoc, Paolo Santos, Luke Mejares, DJ Myke, Top Suzara, and Mike Chan were really wild on the set during the shoot with their crazy musical antics. And Andi9 was not just a 9 but a 10 in all aspects.
By the way, the Ellips website is giving away three iTouch if you join the matchmaking promo. You just need to pick the best Sabado Boy for Andi9.
Now, which do you think is better? The new Andi9 commercials with the Sabado Boys in the Ellips website or the old Andi 9 commercial with Mo Twister and Mojo below?
Visit www.ellips.com.ph to see the new ads, win an iTouch, or download some fun stuff.
The stars of "My Bestfriend's Girlfriend", Marianne Rivera and Richard Guiterrez, may have had the jampacked theater and my date swooning but it was the product placements that really got my attention.
After previously experiencing a grating Biogesic placement while watching Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz's "One More Chance", I couldn't help but notice the following brands among others during our date last Sunday:
Hershey's Kisses Dunkin Donuts Yellow Cab Mr. Softee Ice Cream
I don't think the Ducati appearance was a placement (I think it was just used to add much needed character to Richard Guiterrez) but it was very prominent in the movie.
Hmmm...it's either I'm becoming too ADdicted or product placements are just becoming more pervasive in movies.
In last Thursday’s episode of Man Men on 2nd Avenue, Sterling Cooper CD Don Draper became flustered after the ambitious young AE Pete Campbell flopped on the team during their client presentation. Don was confident in the campaign that the Creatives prepared for Bethlehem Steel Company – which featured Warhol-type artwork of the Manhattan skyline with copy that read, “New York City, brought to you by Bethlehem Steel”. The print campaign also showcased Chicago, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. However, the client was still on the fence and he remained stuck there after Pete suddenly apologizes and promises client that they would just do something better within 24 hours.
When the team finally regroups, Don is stupefied after the “Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem” campaign that he conceptualized is rejected for the “Bethlehem Steel is the backbone of America” idea that Pete pitched to the client previously behind his back.
After the satisfied client leaves the conference room, Don tells Pete, “I need you to go and get a cardboard box. Then put your things in it.” This leaves Pete sulking in his office while drowning his emotions with rhum.
But this isn’t the end. Don later finds out that he can’t fire the erring AE because Pete’s mother has important connections to possible big-time clients. To save Don’s face, Agency Partner Roger Sterling informs Pete that the company was about to fire him if it wasn’t for Don’s intervention - asking management to give the AE another chance. Painful enough, Don still knows the truth.
This storyline is so strikingly true for the ad world even today. In a so-called New Order where “creative” work can come from everywhere, Creatives are constantly on a defensive about their equity to the agency and its clients.
But in a war between Creatives and Accounts, can anybody ever win? Or will it just leave the agency and its clients as losers?
Mad Men airs at 2nd Avenue every Thursdays at 9 pm. Check your local cable listings for more schedules. Visit http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/ for more details about the show.
For more examples of photoshop evils, visit 
