357. MIRINDA ORANGE, THE SUNSHINE DRINK, 1978

MIRINDA 'SUNSHINE DRINK' LAUNCH PRINT AD, 1978

PEPSI COLA in the Philippines has been around for over 70 years, and in the mid-1960s, launched its own orange soda brand, MIRINDA. Meant to compete against the more established Royal Tru-Orange, MIRINDA was launched with its own campaign and promotional support, starting with the “More Fun” print series in 1966.

Its early TV ads were canned commercials from the U.S., notably the “Orange Avalanche” , which featured thousands of oranges magically appearing, dropping  and bouncing everywhere---to dramatize the “natural orangy-ness” of the soda.

WATCH MIRINDA'S 'SUNSHINE DRINK' TVC HERE:

(c/o Jojo Bailon, Voice on the 3rd)

It was only in 1978 that the brand had a local campaign hit with the “SUNSHINE DRINK” campaign, which reinforced the product’s 100% natural orange taste. This was visualized by  “slicing” a MIRINDA bottle and squeezing that half of the bottle on an orange squeezer—as if it were a real orange. The voice-over announcer goes: “If you can slice it like an orange, squeeze it like an orange, then you’ll discover the 100% natural orange taste of MIRINDA”. 

Conceived and produced by J.Walter Thompson Phils., MIRINDA’s “SUNSHINE DRINK” campaign endured through the early 1980s.

SOURCES:

Mirinda Orange 1980 TVC, Jojo Bailon, View on the Third (VOT III), via Dateline Anime, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0smIinktsiQ

356. MAYA BIBINGKA MIX for Christmas 1962-1965

MAYA BIBINGKA FOR CHRISTMAS 1962

What is Christmas without the ubiquitous “Bibingka”? Those round rice cakes cooked on banana leaf-lined clay pans covered with a sheet of tin topped with live coals to “bake” the dough completely. 

Original native “bibingkas’ were made from “galapong” or ground gelatinous rice, coconut milk, milk, sugar, butter or margarine, and eggs. Special ones have embedded slices of red eggs and cheese. In more modern times, some baking powder was used. Nothing evokes nostalgic Christmas memories better than a slice of “bibingka”, sprinkled with grated coconut, and slathered with more butter.

MAYA BIBINGKA, Omnibus Christmas Ad, 1965

In 1961, MAYA, one of the more successful flour mix products from Liberty Flour Mills, attempted to make the cooking of the native “bibingka” more convenient, while retaining the genuine deliciousness of the native treat. Beginning in 1961, MAYA came out with print ads touting its MAYA BIBINGKA MIX SPECIAL  as perfect for the holidays, that’s “full of tasty, old fashioned-goodness”.

While it was not intended to replace the original homecooked goodness of native bibingkas, MAYA BIBINGKA MIX SPECIAL  found a considerable following among Filipino housewives in the 60s and 70s, who wanted a break from the drudgery of cooking. With MAYA BIBINGKA MIX SPECIAL, there’s no more soaking of malakit rice in water overnight, no more milling with the hand-turned gilingan, and no more long waiting for the bibingka dough to cook as it lay sandwiched between fire and coal.

 Competitor White King, of Republic Flour Mills eventually took over the market due to its marketing strength, and MAYA’s bibingka mix was phased out, and was left to concentrate on hotcake and cake mixes. Meanwhile, White King Bibingka continues to be available in the market today.

355. EDWARDSON Top Star ATHLETIC SHOES, Print Ads, 1962

BOB SOLER "Mr. Basketball", for EDWARDSON 1962

Edwardson Manufacturing Corp. (founded in Nov. 20, 1959) was the maker of EDWARDSON Athletic Shoes, which became one of the more popular sports shoe brand din the Philippines from the 1950s thru the 60s. One of their bestsellers is the EDWARDSON TOP STAR, which were recommended for the basketball hardcourt. 

Perfect for the hardcourt, thy won’t skid or slide,  while giving you speed and comfort. With the shoes’ double binding, they are guaranteed for strength and endurance. As their ads claim—“with EDWARDSON you’re ready to win!”.

EDWARDSON TOP STAR was launch using an unnamed but a rising personality—Bob Soler (Robert Ycsiar Gutierrez)—who happened to be an ace player of the sport himself, He was an NCAA basketball player from San Beda College when he was discovered for the movies.

BOB SOLER, "Mr. Basketball", Source: Video48

In 1958, he was tapped to appear in the film, “Mr. Basketball”, along with Olympian basketballer, Carlos Badion. No wonder, 4 years later, he signed a contract to appear in EDWARDSON Top Star Ads. In 1966 he would find greater fame in the film “Captain Barbell” in the title role. 

EDWARDSON athletic shoes became so popular that main competitor  Jacinto Rubber & Plastics Co., came out with a similarly-designed pair. In 1966, Edwardson Manufacturing Corp, and Converse Rubber  Corp., (maker of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Rubber Shoes), sued Jacinto for unfair business practice. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the defendants, restraining Jacinto from making shoes with confusingly similar features as EDWARDSON and Converse’s.

 Edwardson Manufacturing Corp. closed down its business in 1983.

PHOTO SOURCE:  VIDEO 48, for the ad of the film, "Mr. Basketball', starring Bob Soler.

354. Brand Stories: LA PACITA BISCUITS, 1921

LA PACITA QUALITY BISCUITS, 1964 AD

In the 70s and 80s, people joked that the German term for biscuits was “Ski-Flacks” (from Skyflakes, pronounced with German accent), while the Japanese term was “Hai-Ro” (from M.Y. San’s “Hiro” biscuits).  In Spanish, they say, the word for biscuit was “LA PACITA”.   Indeed, all though the 60s “LA PACITA” brand became a generic term for Pinoy favorite treats like biscocho, mamon tosatado and crackers.

The brand name began in the Fabrica de Biscochos Y Dulces Biscuits Especiales, established in 1921 by Luis Martinez at Progreso St. (now J. Eustaquio) in San Juan. In this bakery were baked assorted biscuits, that were branded “LA PACITA”, named after Don Luis’s  wife Pacita.

TASTY...CRISPY...LA PACITA. 1960 PRINT AD

Luis Martinez & Co. produced 5 kinds of LA PACITA biscuits that included Cream Filled Cookies, Club Crackers, Chees-Et,  Tostados (Prima) and Camachile (baby finger cookies), which became favorite in-between meal snacks, pasalubong treats and baon for schools and offices. L. Martinez and Co. also produced Vitamin Bread.

LA PACITA Biscuits were heavily advertised in the 50s and 60s. In 1970, son Felicisimo took over the management and the company was rechristened F. Martinez and Co., Inc. The product line expanded with the addition of  Paciencia, Butter Cookies, Raisin Cookies, and new product launches for Snax and Supreme Flakes. Its assorted Famous Five—all 5 biscuit varieties contained in one big canister—is consistently a pasalubong favorite.

FAMOUS FIVE, 5-IN-1 Pasalubong Favorite

Luis Martinez & Co. was acquired by San Miguel-Purefoods in 2014. Its factory is based in Antipolo City and continues to operate to this day, churning out classic Pinoy snack goodies with the LA PACITA brand, made flavorful by 100 years of outstanding biscuit-making experience.

 SOURCES & NOTES:

Alex R. Castro, originally written for FilipiKnow, under the title “14 Classic Philippine Brands And Their Surprising Origins”, https://filipiknow.net/classic-filipino-brand-name-origin/

Reposted on spot.ph.

353. JAY ILAGAN for COLGATE DENTAL CREAM, "Mouth Specialist" , 1986

JAY ILAGAN for COLGATE "The Mouth Specialist", 1986

In mid-1985, COLGATE Dental Cream unveiled a new campaign theme for the popular toothpaste brand—“The Mouth Specialist”—which further underlined Colgate’s role in oral hygiene and dental science vis-à-vis the many “lifestyle” brands that promised social confidence. Instead of dental authorities to drive the message home, COLGATE relied on a young, appealing movie personality to tell his COLGATE experience—JAY ILAGAN,

Julius Abad Ilagan ( b. 20 Jan. 1953/d. 3 Feb. 1992) belonged to an illustrious showbiz family, the son of Sampaguita star Corazon Noble and director Angel Esmeralda. He started acting early in films, using “Angel” as his screen name. At age 9, he appeared in “Batang Maynila”.  It was in “Maruja” that Jay—still just 14 years old—shows his mettle as a young matinee idol, capped by a sterling performance in “Tubog sa Ginto”, and “Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa”, where he starred in one episode of the trilogy as a juvenile drug addict. 

WATCH JAY ILAGAN'S COLGATE TVC HERE:

He made a successful transition to adult roles like “Kisapmata” (a 1982 Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actor), and Sister Stella L. (1985 Gawad Urian Best Actor). Jay was riding high on the crest of victory when COLGATE called to offer him the plum role in the testimonial commercial. He was already a well-known face on TV by that time, as he was one of the “Bad Bananas’ (along with Edgar Mortiz, Johnny Delgado and Christopher de Leon), whose “Goin Bananas” comedy program was a certified TV hit.

Jay was formerly married to actress Hilda Koronel and then, after their separation, lived in with Amy Austria. Jay died in a terrible accident on 3 Feb. 1992, when his motorcycle skidded, throwing the actor to death. He was only 39.

SOURCES:

Jay Ilagan, uploaded by juniorsky52,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQu717_Eb0I

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Ilagan