476. BENCH COLOGNE "Fire", Platinum Award, Philippine Advertising Congress, 1995

 In 1995, all eyes were on the hotshot agency Jimenez/DMB&B , the ad shop owned by the husband and wife team, Ramon and Abby Lee Jimenez. They were fast gaining a reputation as brand builders, taking on mostly no. 2 brands like Selecta (vs. #1 Magnolia) and Pfizer (vs. Unilab), then turning these into formidable challengers that caused market leaders to pay more attention to the agency’s successful campaigns.

When Jimenez/DMB&B took on the rising lifestyle brand BENCH/ , the brand relied on out-of-home and point-of-sale materials like billboards and posters to increase its visibility. The extension of the product line beyond clothing prompted the company to look into the possibility of using mainstream  TV advertising. Thus, BENCH/ took their new lifestyle offerings—Beddings, Stationery and Cologne Spray---to the fledgling agency to see what they can do with them despite a limited budget allocation for TV production.

Unfazed, Jimenez/DMB&B creatives took on the challenge and created three (3) 15 sec. TVCs on a very short shoestring budget. All were designed to carry single scenes, shot with a solo camera, using a “tabletop” setting. No talents were used—saved for a hand talent that belonged to an agency personnel.

The over-riding visual theme were the 3 elements: Earth, Wind, and Fire. Hence, you see a folded paper boat made to float on a stoney creek (for Stationery products), a bed sheet hanging from a tree branch, billowing in the wind (for Beddings), and the flickering flame of a candle bursting into a blaze (for Cologne Spray).

 

The 3 simple, but stunning ads were received with wide acclaim. The campaign dominated the Low Budget production category, winning an Award of Excellence at the 1995 Philippine Advertising Congress Araw Awards in Baguio City. But the BENCH/ “Fire” version for the Cologne Spray did even better by winning a Platinum Award, the supreme accolade ever for the best TV ad with the highest level of excellence---all compressed in 15 seconds, and produced at a very low budget.

CREDITS:

AGENCY: JIMENEZ/ DMBB&B

EXEC. CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Butch Uy

WRITER: Teddy Catuira / ART DIRECTOR: Nikko Cornelio

CLIENTS: BENCH SUYEN CORP.

SOURCES:

4 A's youtube channel: Bench,Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfwQoLwOe3k

475. EGGO MAYONNAISE, SANDWICH SPREAD & SALAD DRESSING, 1959-1967 Ads

EGGO SANDWICH SPREAD, 1967 Ad

An early American mayonnaise brand that made its way to the Philippines in the late 1950s and which briefly earned the nods of Filipino consumers before the advent of Lady’s Choice and Kraft Mayonnaise  was EGGO. In 1959, EGGO Mayonnaise, Sandwich Spread and Salad Dressing were brought to the Philippines by Kaw Sek and Co., a product retail, wholesale, and distribution firm that was established by Peter Kawsek Sr. back in 1945 in Quiapo, Manila.

FRANK SR., ONE OF THE 3 DORSO BROTHERS, SAM AND ANTHONY,
CREATOR OF THE EGGO MAYONNAISE IN 1932

One of the American products they made available was EGGO, a mayonnaise brand that was developed in 1932 by 3 brothers: Frank, Sam and Anthony Dorsa. The brothers formulated their mayonnaise made from fresh eggs in their hometown of San Jose, California. As a tribute to their egg-cellent and successful product, they name their company EGGO Foods.

EGGO SALAD DRESSING, 1959

Eventually, they branched out to making frozen egg waffles that were even more successful which became their flagship brand. Eventually, the EGGO line would feature a host of other products like EGGO syrup,  noodles, and pretzels, along with their original EGGO mayonnaise, salad dressing and spreads.

EGGO, FOR TASTIER SANDWICHES, 1966

Early advertising of EGGO products in the Philippines began in 1959, with small ads, both in black and white and in full color. It featured the EGGO Mascot, complete with a hat and bowtie. EGGO spreads and dressings were available all throughout the 60s, until the company began to focus on its highly successful waffle products, which are still in production to this day. In the 1970s, EGGO became part of Kellogg’s.  The senior Frank Dorsa passed away in Saratoga, on Jan. 17, 1996 at the age of 88. 

As to the local distributor Kaw Sek & Co., it is still in operations under the name Kawsek Inc., based in Mandaluyong. It is managed and operated by Lawrence L. Kawsek, the founder’s 2^nd son. It is currently a distributor of Pauls Milk products, Gina Nectar, Apex and Susan Baker brands. It also manufactures the Apex detergents and its services are utilized by major brands like Kraft, Dole, Anchor and Minola.

SOURCES:

San Jose History: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanJoseHistory/posts/2365718663559354/

 The Origins Of Eggo Have Nothing To Do With Waffles: https://www.thedailymeal.com/1127961/the-origins-of-eggo-have-nothing-to-do-with-waffles/

 

474. The Most Talked About Name in Male Fashion: R.M. MANLAPAT, Tailor and Haberdasher

RANDOM SHOTS FOR '69, R.M. Manlapat Ad, 1968

One of the most enduring names in the history of male fashion is R.M. MANLAPAT, the iconic tailor and haberdashery shop now on its 7^th decade of operations. It was established by Rosendo Manlapat Sr. in 1951, and slowly built a reputation for its quality tailoring of formal suits, coats, contemporary jackets and native barong.

R.M. MANLAPAT even ventured into providing costumes and wardrobe for films, like Lo'Waist Gang,  Og sa Mindoro (1958), Hell of Borneo (1964) and Mano po (2002).At its peak, aside from its main office in Sampaloc, R.M. MANLAPAT had branches in Greenhills, Cubao, and at the Manila Hilton by 1975.

Its reputation was cemented when, at the 1974 Miss Universe Pageant held in Manila,  the shop provided officials, VIP guests, judges (Jose Greco, basketball star Jerry West, film actor Dana Andrews, Gen. Carlos P. Romulo) and the celebrity host, Bob Barker.

R.M.MANLAPAT "Thrilla in Manila" Ad, 1975, courtesy of Pinoy Kolletor

The next year brought R.M. MANLAPAT more fame when the Games and Amusement Board for the Ali-Frazier fight, dubbed as the “Thrilla in Manila”, was appointed exclusive tailor and haberdasher. The shop designed and supplied the exquisitely-embroidered  barong tagalog worn by boxers Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton.

Today, R.M. MANLAPAT operates a shop in Timog and in Pasig, continuing a tradition of fine tailoring in men’s fashion that has become its signature legacy to generations of Filipinos.

 SOURCES: R. M. Manlapat “Thrilla in Manila” ad, courtesy of Pinoy Kollektor, used with permission.