231. COMTRUST JINGLE, “We Share The Same Horizon”, 1973

Commercial Bank and Trust Co. (COMTRUST) was a commercial bank that was founded in 1954 and its head office was at the J.M. Tuason Bldg., in Escolta. By the 1960s, the fast-growing bank had bracnches along Taft Ave., Quezon City, San Fernando in Pampanga. It moved to Makati, then, a burgeoning commercial district, a spanking new corner building on Ayala Avenue in mid 1960s.

 

EARLY COMTRUST PRINT AD, 1966

The bank started advertising actively in the 1960s. It was rebranded in the 1970s as COMTRUST, complete with a modern logo.

 

COMTRUST PRINT AD, 1968

In 1973, COMTRUST rolled out its new corporate commercial featuring a minute-long song that achieved a measure of popularity with its simple, but engaging melody and its lyrics that talk about building a bright future together.

The song was composed by Jose Mari Chan, who by then, was an established singer and composer, known for hit songs like “Deep in My Heart”, “Afterglow”, and “Can We Just Stop and Talk While?”, which was the country’s entry to the 1973 Tokyo Music Festival.

LISTEN TO THE "COMTRUST JINGLE" HERE:

Singing the song was Tillie Moreno, one of the female vocalists of the hugely popular Circus band that spawned great singers like Basil Valdez, Hajji Alejandro, and Jacqui Magno. “We Share the Same Horizon”, was so popular with the young crowd that Jingle Chordbook Magazine, the top music magazine of the 1970s, had to include it on its pages, complete with guitar chords. To top it all, Vicor Records put out a 45 RPM disc of the said jingle. 

By the late 1970s, Ayala Avenue was teeming with scores of banks, and the banking giant, Bank of the Philippine islands, began acquiring other banks. COMTRUST became one of its notable acquisitions in 1981.

The only reminders of  COMTRUST today is its distinctive saucer like building in Escolta designed by national Artist Jose Ma. Zaragoza, and its memorable jingle –“We Share The Same Horizon”, which fortunately is included in one Jose Mari Chan CD compilation, “Strictly Commercial”.

SOURCES:
"COMTRUST" FB PAGE, https://www.facebook.com/Comtrust-101454099939266/
JOSE MARI CHAN, STRICTLY COMMERCIAL (The Jingles Collection)
http://pinoyalbums.com/82783/jose-mari-chan-strictly-commercial-the-jingles-collection/
BEFORE AYALA, THERE WAS QUAD, https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/71404/14-nostalgic-images-of-old-makati-a1806-20170912-lfrm4?ref=feed_1