47. BAGUIO OIL: “Order ni Mrs." Campaign, 1962

BAGUIO OIL 'ORDER NI MRS.', with movie stars, Nestor de Villa and Rod Navarro
as talents in this 1968 ad.

The country’s most popular kitchen brands in the 60s was BAGUIO EDIBLE OIL. It was first introduced to Filipino consumers in 1932 when the Cheng Ban Yek family established the International Oil Factory (IOF). It was the first locally owned cooking oil factory in the country with a modern plant in Binondo.

AN EARLY 60s BAGUIO EDIBLE OIL, extolling
the ideal qualities of the cooking oil.

 Housewives quickly took to Baguio Oil’s superb qualities: the 100% coconut oil gave no “sebo” taste and no rancid smell. It can also be used many times—all the good “misis” did was to strain it after very use for another round of delectable cooking.

 Baguio Oil became so much in demand, that housewives asked for it by name. Hence, when it was time to launch its advertising in 1962, the brand latched on to the theme: “Order ni Mrs”—Baguio Oil. 

This 1968 print ad from the launch campaign, made use of movie talents Nestor de Villa and Rod Navarro as husbands shopping for cooking oil as ‘ordered by their Misis”.

WATCH BAGUIO OIL 'ORDER NI MRS' 1975

TVC 30s HERE:

 The campaign would be one of the most long-lasting for a kitchen brand. “Order ni Mrs” endured through the 70s, with refreshed executions done in 1972 by its ad agency, Atlas Promotions and Marketing.

IGOROT BOY TVC, the most well-known of the "Order ni Mrs." ads

 A series of TV spots were produced, “Husband” and “Igorot Boy”—with the last one becoming the most memorable what with a catchy jingle, arranged with an ethnic sound, and images of a young Igorot waiting for Baguio Oil delivery up the mountains.

 The “Order ni Mrs.” campaign arguably is one of the most successful and effective advertising campaigns for a local brand. Its tagline became so popular , it achieved a top-of-mind recall, and made Baguio Oil a household name. After more than 50 years—notwithstanding the advent of canola, soya, sunflower, corn and other new oils, Baguio Oil’s “Order ni Mrs.”, endures to this day,

Sources:
youtube video : ADman1909

46. 1987 TV AD OF THE YEAR: MILO’s “Gymnast Bea Lucero”

MILO'S BEA LUCERO, Ad of the Year, 1987.

MILO's Olympic Energy story began way back in 1968, when it bagged the accreditation as the energy drink of the premiere world sports competition. But actually, it was rival Ovaltine that exploited the Olympic energy angle even earlier in 1936.

 Milo, however, then a new brand, pulled the rug out from under the then market Goliath Ovaltine, by getting the sponsorship for the Philippine Olympic team. The people behind Milo even had the foresight to reserve in advance, media space for the 1972 Olympics! By the time Ovaltine realized what happened, Milo had gained much ground in the marketplace—and the sole glory of an Olympic association.

 MILO’s “overly serious” image. The campaign, “Let’s build champions” began to seem grand. Could every child become an Olympic winner?

By the 1980s, the prime account was with AMA-DDB Needham, a longtime Nestle agency. In 1983, its Executive Creative Director Bambi Borromeo had gotten worried about

 “The winning situation,” Borromeo insists, “could be as a simple as being able to complete a difficult routine, or going over an initial hurdle.” A new theme that brought the campaign closer to home was crafted and set to music—“A Milo a day…for Olympic energy!”.

 Borromeo had the additional challenge of finding a sport that has not been used in previous MILO executions. After some brainstorm, he chose the graceful discipline of Gymnastics. The agency caster scoured Manila gymnastic clubs for a possible talent and discovered the young prodigy, Bea Lucero, who had been training in the U.S. and winning age meets there.

 An approved storyboard showed the young girl flying through a full day’s schedule of school and sports, with glasses of MILO and Bea’s sensational somersaults figuring significantly in the story.

 The directorial details were turned over to veteran director, Jun Urbano, who captured Bea’s fresh face in natural moments that left the audience charmed.

WATCH MILO GYMNAST TV AD HERE:

From the opening frames, when Bea wakes up and washer her face to Trisha Amper’s voice light-heartedly singing..”I’m getting ready, getting ready…oh, boy, what a day it’s gonna be!...”, the ad sends a refreshing message, mesmerizing MILO-chugging youngsters, inspiring a new generation to be Bea Lucero wanna-bes.

 Not only did MILO sales dramatically increased with the refreshed campaign, but when it was time for the Creative Guild of the Philippines to select their TV Ad of the Year for 1987, MILO’s 60 sec.”Gymnast”, was their top choice.

 The ad also catapulted Bea Lucero to instant stardom, and Nestle Philippines showed its corporate gratitude by sponsoring Bea’s many international sports outings. The year she made the Milo commercial, she competed at the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta and won 2 Golds—one for the prized All-Around Gymnast—and 3 Silvers.

 MILO and Bea helped create a new level of awareness for the sports of gymnastics that had never existed in the country before.

CREDITS: 
AGENCY: AMA-DDB Needham                            ADVERTISER: Nestle Ph. 
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bambi Borromeo           WRITER: Cynthia de Castro 
ART DIRECTOR: Roberto B. Miranda                   PRODUCER: Romy A. Esio 
PRODUCTION HOUSE: Filmex                            DIRECTOR: Jun Urbano 
FILM EDITOR: Dante de Leon

45. No One Throws Away Memories: HALLMARK CARDS

The enterprising Ramoses built the school supply and bookstore chain National Book Store beginning with their Escolta stall in the 1930s,  In the 1950's, Mrs. Socorro Ramos thought of producing a line of greeting cards and postcards using Philippine views and artwork.

NATIONAL BOOK STORE forayed into greeting card production in
the 60s featuring native views and scenes, which proved to be popular..

Later on, she acquired for National Book Store the Philippine franchise for HALLMARK CARDS. Hallmark was founded in 1910 by Nebraskan teenager, Joyce Hall and turned it into a billion dollar business, bannered by its bestselling greeting cards.

National Book Store's advertising in the 70s was assigned to Ace-Compton Advertising--and Hallmark Cards merited a separated ad campaign. The agency pretty much was free to explore other creative ways to promote the Hallmark brand,so in 1979, it came up with the theme, "No One Throws Away Memories", and a full song was commissioned from composer-singer Jose Mari Chan. The lyrics were supplied by the agency, written by copywriter Ramon Jimenez Jr. and Executive Creative Director Gryk Ortaleza

LISTEN TO THE HALLMARK FULL SONG HERE:

Tapped to sing the song was former Circus band member and balladeer Richard Tan. The record was first released in 1979 and quickly took off, gaining wide following and airplay on Philippine radio. The commercial jingle drove top-of-mind awareness for Hallmark Cards as well as market leadership, and today, the  song "No One Throws Away Memories" has become a classic in Philippine music and advertising history.

NO ONE THROWS AWAY MEMORIES

Long after your phone call has faded away 

Long after your warm hello has dimmed 

I can't forget the memories that you sent my way 

Those Hallmark memories of yesterday. 

 Remember my birthday when you were away 

Your happy return on Christmas day 

That Valentine you went but could not run away 

Sweet Hallmark memories of yesterday. 

 Words that you sent me were so simple yet so true 

Dearest, sincerely I'll never share my life with someone new. 

 Long after your phone call has faded away 

Long after your warm hello has dimmed 

I can't forget the memories that you sent my way 

Those Hallmark memories of yesterday. 

For no one throws a Hallmark card away 

Cause no one throws away memories.

*****

TRIVIA

* Ramon R. Jimenez Jr., agency copywriter,  is now the Secretary of the Department of Tourism. The Hallmark ad headline written in script is his own handwriting.

* Gryk Ortaleza, ECD of Ace-Compton Advertising, also co-wrote the hit song and 2nd Metro Pop Festival Finalist, "Umagang Ka Ganda". His co-lyricist was Annabel Lee, then, also an agency copywriter, and who later became the wife of Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. Gryk is also the father of actress Chynna Ortaleza.

*Richard Tan was a champion college swimmer at San Beda; he passed away on 28 May 2005 at the age of 51.

*Ace-Compton Advertising is now known as Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi