277. 1989 Creative Guild’s Radio Ad of the Year: Glaxo’s DEQUADIN , “Do Re Mi” RC 30s.

(THIS WEEK’S POST IS A TRIBUTE TO MR. RAMON R. JIMENEZ JR. (14 Jul. 1955/d. 27 Apr. 2020),, or simply MONJ to his colleagues, whose passing at the age of 64 is mourned the Philippine advertising industry that he inspired. After his illustrious career, he was named as the Secretary of the Department of Tourism, promoting the country via his well-received and hugely successful campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” . Back in 1989, MonJ was already making waves as a co-CEO (together with his equally talented wife, Abby Lee Jimenez) of a small agency, Jimenez & Partners. One of their joint works was a celebrated commercial written for DEQUADIN, which was named as the the year’s best radio ads by the Creative Guild of the Philipines, in a tie with Colgate’s “Nguya” radio ad.)

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The year 1989 marked the first time that two radio ads tied for the year’s honor. The first ad “DEQUADIN Do, Re,Mi” showed a novel way to present an undeniably antiseptic product, a throat lozenge, whose previous advertising exposure was limited to scientific testimonials in what Jimenez/DMB&B co-CEO Abby Jimenez calls “the pesteng ahem tradition”. The client, pharmaceutical firm Glaxo, had been advertising for 6 or 7 years, using the same authority figure in a white coat, but there was very little product awareness. “There was a need for truly impactful advertising:.

Abby’s co-CEO husband,Mon Jimenez Jr. , discovered that Dequadin’s biggest competition was a decidedly non-medical little green candy called Storck. “The earth-shaking news was that everybody knew you couldn’t die of a sore throat. People were simply not taking sore throat seriously as Glaxo was. So we had to lighten up a little”.

The solution was to produce “a commercial that celebrated the end result”, according to Mon. “We wanted a clear demonstration of throat power”, Abby adds, and that earch for “the well-est throat in the world” led the Jimenezes to young tenor Nolyn Cabahug, who blew the agency away with his o-the-spot demonstration.

LISTEN TO THE DEQUADIN AD 

BY CLICKING THIS LINK:

DEQUADIN 'DO RE MI' TV AD

As for possible jingles, several operatic pieces were eliminated until the agency was left with the simplest jingle of all. Abby recalled how, as children, she and her bother would try to outdo ech other by singing higher and higher notes. Cabahug ended up delivering an up-front powerful series of octaves that begins a capella and builds up to a convincing crescendo.

The TV ad begins with a frame of the tenor’s face, but the radio commercial takes off with pure sound. It is onely when Cabahug pauses before the last “DO” of his 3^rd octave  that the product makes its perfectly-timed appearance. “the final note is brought to you by DEQUADIN”—no explanations or product analyses necessary. By this time, listeners who have been impressed Cabahug’s formidable range are absolutely amazed by what the product has allowed him to do.

The radio commercial did not only catapult DEQUADIN to new heights of consumer familiarity. It also did much to the career of Cabahug, now one of the country’s opera stars, and for classical music in general. Plus “Do Re Mi” was the campaign that turned a small agency called Jimenez and Partners into the powerhouse of creative work that it is considered today.

SOURCE:
This article originally appeared on:

Perfect 10, A Decade of Creativity in Philippine Advertising, pubished by the Exeutive Committee of the Creative Guild of the Philippines, First Edition 1995.  pp.76-77

VIEW ON THE 3RD, by JOJO BAILON, Nolyn Cabahug for Dequadin, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2009299202443075
DoReMi pix: https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2012/01/do-re-mi-songs.html

Dequadin pix: honestbee.ph

276. BERT ‘Tawa’ MARCELO for HITACHI Space Wind Module ELECTRIC FAN, 1980

HITACHI SPACE WIND MODULE ELECTRIC FAN, Print Ad, 1980

In 1980, HITACHI-UNION, a joint venture with Hitachi ldt., of Japan,  introduced a new electric fan with advanced features perfect for the cosmic age—the HITACHI SPACE WIND MODULE ELECTRIC FAN.

The revolutionary fan has a Streamlined Body Base designed by the world’ s top engineers, and an easy Space Slide Switch to change fan speed. Its unique Aerodyne Control is a special attachment to the fan guard that is designed to concentrate air-flow and direct it as you please.

Who best to sell the new HITACHI SPACE WIND MODULE ELECTRIC FAN than a TV space alien—a MORK lookalike inspired by the 80s TV hit series, “MORK AND MINDY”, starring goofy Robin Williams. 

WATCH BERT MARCELO'S HITACHI FAN

 "MORK" TVC  30s HERE:

The Filipino comic counterpart was the equally zany Bert “Tawa” Marcelo, who hammed it up as a Pinoy Mork, who emerges from an egg  dressed in a similar alien costume , and selling the fan features using his famous Bulacan accent and spiced with his trademark laughter.

Na-noo, na-noo? “Aw, come on!”

SOURCES:

Bulacan Accent by Bert "Tawa" Marcelo in his Hitachi Commercial, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSNB52_7aqA, uploaded by Bulakenyo KaKung, 23 Oct. 2018.

275. TESSIE TOMAS, CREATIVE GUILD HALL OF FAME AWARDEE 1990

On the 18^th of May 1990, at the star-studded Ad of the Year Awards held at Hotel Nikko Manila, the Creative Guild of the Philippines paid tribute to its very own--TESSIE HERMOSA TOMAS—by according her a Hall of Fame award.

The former agency creative-turned-show biz star, Tessie Tomas (b.31  October 1950), was to showbiz born. Her mother, Laura Hermosa was a famous radio personality, a much sought talent who voiced classic radio serials as well as radio commercials during the fledgling age of Philippine advertising.

14 YEAR OLD TESSIE modeling for PALMOLIVE with mother LAURA HERMOSA

Tomas finished Broadcast Communications at the University of the Philippines and opted to follow a different path—advertising.  She cut her teeth at Ace-Compton Advertising and then moved to McCann –Erickson where the gifted copywriter wrote successful campaigns for blue-chip client Johnson & Johnson products (Remember Johnson’s Baby Powder--“Ikaw Lamang, Wala ng Iba” campaign).

Tomas rose quickly up the corporate ladder; she was sent to London and New York for further training, and upon her return, she was named as the creative head of McCann-Erickson, the first Filipina creative director.

TESSIE TOMAS, the first Filipina Creative Director of a multinational ad agency.

But her showbiz genes impelled her to foray in stand-up comedy even as she conceptualized campaigns and wrote product slogans. Tomas joined a comedy troupe that included Subas Herero and Noel Trinidad (himself, an ex-agency man) and started performing at a popular bistro in Magallanes,”The Windmill”. 

She introduced  whole brand of humor to a willing audience--more cerebral, less slapstick, comedy that made funny commentaries on our social state, from the perspective of unforgettable characters. Tomas took a jab at corrupt politicians, and celebrated the resilience of Filipinos. Suddenly, Tomas became the talk of the entertainment circuit!

CREATIVE GUILD OF THE PHILIPPINES CITATION

In early 1983, she did the unthinkable--she  resigned from her steady and stable corporate job and decided to plunge headlong into the dizzying, dazzling world of showbiz-- a world she was born in, and whose challenges she was now set to embrace.

Her first one-woman show—“Miss Margarida’s Way”—featured her as the demented, underpaid schoolmarm, which proved to be her first hit. Like a true creative, Tomas wrote most of her material, and created alter egos like social worker Charito Calubaquib, Boni Buendia “da bold star”, sex therapist Natassia Kinky, Saudi wife Mimay Timtiman, Japanese geisha Sakura Bitsu-Bitsu, Princess of Leyte Gulf Lady ‘Day, and Miriam Defensor Saanmanmagtago.

TESSIE TOMAS WITH CHAMPOY GANG, 1984

When she joined the hit comedy show “Champoy”, Tomas introduced the wacky umbrella-wielding weather girl “Amanda Pineda” who made dire observations about our social conditions under a repressive government, with her fearful forecasts for the nation, sugar-coated with her brand of seemingly-innocent humor and catchy punchlines.

TESSIE TOMAS as MELDITA

But her most famous perosna was “Meldita”, a deluded, larger-than-life  take on the First Lady. Each staging exposed Rizal Theater SRO crowds to the lurid madness that was Malacanang: from Meldita’s  stormy relationships with Macoy and rebel child Imee, her royal fantasies, her obsessive-compulsive drive to make the Philippines great again. But it was also a story about finding fulfillment and acceptance by all means and at all costs, which Meldita always sought but never gained.

HAKONE SARDINES AD,as Sakura Bitsu-Bitsu 1989

Tomas not only received accolades for her tour-de-force performance, but also death threats. But she couldn’t care less; it was her craft that spurred her on--her pioneering one-woman shows had given her the avenue.

It was just a matter of time that movie producers saw her talent. From the stage to the screen, Tomas proved to be an equally effective performer. Her first film was “Broken Marriage” in 1983.

TESSIE TOMAS MODELLING FOR CHIZ WHIZ, channeling Barbara Tengco, 1993

Then in 1987, she was cast in the international TV series “A Dangerous Life” based on the dying moments of the Marcos regime, where she bagged the coveted role of—who else?—Imelda Marcos. For this, she won an HBO Best Actress nomination.

She found another groove on television by becoming a TV host. For six years, Tomas hosted the popular morning talk show, “Teysi ng Tahanan”. At the same time, she was in the cast of the highly-acclaimed “Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata” as the rich, but paranoidal  Barbara Tengco. Her other critically-received movies include “Separada” (she wrote the screenplay) “Ploning” and “100”.

THE MANY FACES OF TESSIE TOMAS

Happily married to marine biologist, British Roger Pullin, Tessie Tomas is also a mother of an artist, U.S.-based deigner Robin Tomas. After playing a supporting role in the ABS-CBN soap opera The Blood Sisters, Tomas and her husband moved to the Isle of Man where the family is now quietly and happily settled.

274. Brand Stories: SAFEGUARD of Procter & Gamble (1963)

SAFEGUARD GOLD, INTRO AD, 1987

Procter & Gamble has a rich heritage of soap-making, as James Gamble was a soap maker. In 1879, they created Ivory that became a worldwide business success. P& G was also known for its beauty and toilet soaps.

SAFEGUARD SOAP PACKS, White and Gold, 1987

In 1963,P&G ventured into the germicidal soap market to answer rising consumer demand for odor and germ protection. Thus SAFEGUARD was launched, a deodorant and antibacterial soap that reduced bacterial skin count by 99.3% in clinical tests. It was successfully rolled out in the U.S., and then in 1966, it was launched internationally, beginning in the Philippines.  The soap came in wrappers with a trademark shield icon, symbolic of its germ protection property.

BEFORE & AFTER DEMONSTRATION OF
DE-GERMING POWER OF SAFEGUARD

The next year, scientific proof of SAFEGUARD’s de-germing efficacy were published in clinical journals.  The studies also showed that Safeguard reduces skin infections by 44%. This became the basis of SAFEGUARD’s advertising messaging in the Philippines that remained unchanged to this day.

SAFEGUARD SHIELD ICON USED AS A SYMBOL OF SAFEGUARD'S GERMICIDAL POWER

One of the earliest, if not the earliest SAFEGUARD TVC shows a man in a bath tub  (played by unknown actor Mario O’Hara) happily scrubbing away with a bar of SAFEGUARD as he extolled the virtues of the anti-bacterial soap.

SAFEGUARD enjoyed even greater success when the local P&G secured the endorsement of the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET). In the 70s, advertising code prevented doctors from promoting products—but not allied medical workers like bacteriologists and medical technologists.  

WATCH SAFEGUARD'S "MILA DELFONSO" 1970s TVC HERE:

uploaded by Juan DeLa Cruz, 1 June 2008

SAFEGUARD capitalized on this, and its advertising agency—Ace Compton Advertising—produced a series of  commercial  featuring real-life medical technologists using the soap, both in the lab and at home.

The creative thin-tank of Ace Compton continued to churn out even more effective and memorable SAFEGUARD advertising with the launch of the “Conscience” campaign. The TV commercials featured mothers in the act of buying more affordable beauty soaps for their families. The mother’s personified “ghost conscience”  appears,  to remind her of her responsibility to give only the best for her family. With her conscience piqued, she chooses SAFEGUARD with 24 hour germicidal protection.

WATCH SAFEGUARD'S "KONSENSYA" 1980s TVC HERE:

Uploaded by Safeguard Philippines, 1 May 2016

With SAFEGUARD dominating the germicidal soap market for decades,  the brand was in a position to launch other promotional initiatives—introducing variants such as SAFEGUARD White and Gold,  linking with PAMET to offer free med tech scholarships, and leading the way with allied efforts like the “Wash Your Hands” campaign that has evolved into a Global Handwashing Day—a unique event that is saving lives around the world.

For the rest of the 80s-90s decade, SAFEGUARD continued to rule the germicidal soap market with its unique combination of effective germ protection and mildness, even with the fold-up of the local P&G marketing office. 

WATCH SAFEGUARD GOLD 1987 TVC HERE:

Uploaded by vibesey, 6 May 2017

SAFEGUARD continues to be present worldwide in 15 countries, including the Philippines.  The modified shield on the packaging is still there—now called Germshield, also a name for the active ingredient  in SAFEGUARD that fights off more types of harmful germs longer than any other anti-bacterial soap. Over the years, new products have been added to the SAFEGUARD name as well—from anti-acne soaps.  body and face wash, to foaming hand soaps.

In these times when the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us, we need to fight germs and viruses more than ever, and reduce incidence of preventable diseases such as diarrhea, influenza, and pneumonia.  Then, as now,  SAFEGUARD is on our side!

SOURCES:

Procter and Gamble Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procter_%26_Gamble

Safeguard, Par of the P&G Family : https://www.safeguard.ph/en-ph?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmpb0BRCBARIsAG7y4zaql_-P3CrUumjeWi9sDEiyTFHlBE71D6S4cyJ5hWjAMAHUh0dlQ5kaArJUEALw_wcB

1988 Creative Guild of the Philippines Awards Night Souvenir Program

VIDEOS:
Safeguard Commercial (Mila Delfonso), uploaded by Juan dela Cruz, 1 Jun. 2008, 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUtUgHRBOw
Safeguard "Konsensya", uploaded by Safeguard Philipines, 1 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqPVw79prs&t=37s
Safeguard Gold with new fragrance, uploaded by vibesey, 6 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uusp1RHW1-Q

273. The Alcohol that’s Got It All: GREEN PINES ALCOHOL by Union Carbide

Union Carbide Corp. (founded 1917), is more famous for its brand of car batteries and alkaline batteries. But through its chemical division, Union Carbide  is also a producer of ethylene, a basic chemical made from components of crude oil and natural gas. Ethylene is converted into polyethylene to produce ethylene oxide, which is used by the company in the making of ethylene glycol,  solvents, and—alcohols.

In July 1971, the Union Carbide introduced to the Philippine market, its new GREEN PINES RUBBING ALCOHOL. It mentholated alcohol fives an instantly cool feeling on skin.  It has soothing wintergreen for comfort that lingers.

Packed in Tru-grip bottle, GREEN PINES, also has a flow regulator to avoid spillage. And it’s guaranteed pure. No wonder, GREEN PINES claim is that this is the “alcohol that’s got it all”.

Too bad GREEN PINES didn’t survive the decade. Just like the current situation caused by the corona virus, the alcohol went out of stock before the decade was over. Today, Union Carbide is now wholly owned by the Dow Chemical Co.