42. It's A Small World: 1968 SAN MIGUEL BEER.CAMPAIGN

SAN MIGUEL BEER: From Manila to Madrid, 1968.

The advertising for the Philippines' premier beer--SAN MIGUEL BEER--have always been the cynosure of consumer attention, its TV and print ads, awaited with much expectation. After all, San Miguel consistently command attention and its slogans, often replayed and quoted. "So good...ayos na ang kasunod",for example, became a byword, and so it was retained for the 1968 campaign.

SAN MIGUEL BEER: From Bacolod to Bangkok, 1968

The internationality of San Miguel Beer was highlighted in that year's "small world" campaign, juxtaposing local and foreign imageries; the locales were carefully chosen so that they are alliterative: Manila to Madrid, Bacolod to Bangkok, and so forth.

SAN MIGUEL BEER: From Malabon to Melbourne, 1968.

"The world over, what people want in a beer is flavor..", the copy goes. And "the international beer--- San Miguel Beer is just a walk away from you..", it then concludes.

SAN MIGUEL BEER: From San Fernando to San Francisco, 1968.

As usual, the campaign was received well, even if the shots were faked in the print ad series. The TVC looked expensive and succeeded in conveying the universal appeal of San Miguel Beer, even if the ad looked a bit highbrow. The next year's campaign though, would prove to be more popular, more memorable and enduring though. It is to be noted that the same "international" strategy was rused by Nescafe in the 1980s, using "the great cities of the world" theme, and employing the same juxtaposition of famous places in the world and in the Philippines. Nescafe may have done it better, but San Miguel Beer did it first.