487. Channeling Travolta: VICTOR LAUREL, for TOP SEED Casual Wear, 1978

Victory “Cocoy” Laurel (b. 1 Jul. 1951) is the middle child of former Vice President Salvador Laurel and  stage actress Celia Diaz-Laurel. Cocoy  entered showbiz via the “Search for the Philippines’ Romeo & Juliet”, a contest to promote the Franco Zefirelli movie “Romeo and Juliet” in 1969. The 8 year old bagged the “Romeo” title  to Lotis Key’s  “Juliet”. 

He debuted in the 1971 film, “Lollipops and Roses and Burong Talangka”,  where he became a screen idol appearing opposite superstar Nora Aunor. At his peak, he recorded songs, performed in a live concert and made a film with Miss Universe Margie Moran in “Oh, Margie, Oh!”  

It came as no surprise that advertisers sought hims out for endorsemenr, becoming the first face of ESKINOL MASTER in 1974.

In 1977, the film "Saturday Night Fever" starring disco king John Travolta became an international blockbuster. Showbiz people started to see a bit of Travolta in Laurel, what with his facial resemblance and his dance moves (Laurel had studied in dance and portraiture abroad) that were so "Tony Manero", the main character in "Saturday Night Fever". 

Laurel looked the part even in his TV guestings where he showed off his dancing prowess  while wearing a white 4-piece suit--the same style won by Travolta. It was definitely for this reason that TOP SEED Casual Wear got him for a print ad. Even the pose he assumed was copied from the iconic Travolta pose on the movie soundtrack album cover. 

LAUREL AS THE PINOY TRAVOLTA, 1978

Did the Travolta gimmick worked for TOP SEED? Only the sales figures would tell for sure. But Laurel obviously enjoyed the exposure, and continued to embrace the Travolta image throughout the popularity of the movie and its star. 

486. Long Lost favorite: MAGNOLIA ICE CREAM CAKES AND ROLLS, 1979

One of the novelties introduced by MAGNOLIA Ice Cream in the 1970s were the line of MAGNOLIA ICE CREAM CAKES and ROLLS that were produced in limited numbers made for special occasions. They were basically ice cream that were frozen in molds that had special shapes (mortarboards, toys, logs, flowers and fruits)  to mark Birthdays for adults and kids, Graduations, Weddings, Debuts, and other milestones. They were airbrushed with food coloring by hand and individually decorated. 

The Ice Cream Cakes could also be pre-ordered if one wants customization of the cakes. These were created at the MAGNOLIA Dairy Plant along Aurora Blvd. where visitors can even see their production on the ground floor, next to the Magnolia Flavor House. These novelties had a niche market and were popular treats that continued through the 1980s. Eventually, the production of MAGNOLIA Ice Cream Cakes and Rolls were phased out as the manual process proved to be not cost-effective, making the products premium-priced. But for followers of these ice cream novelties, they were one of the best ideas ever to come out from the finest name in ice cream, MAGNOLIA.

485. 1988 Creative Guild's Radio Ad of the Year, ROYAL TRU-ORANGE "Ganito Talaga Ang Buhay", RC 30s

KID STUFF. In 1988, the Radio Ad of the Year was part of a best-selling campaign that hepled endear a softdrink to its young Pinoy market in an unprecedented way. The softdrink was Royal Tru-Orange, a purebred Pinoy product of faithful old McCann Erickson client Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The campaign debuted in TV and introduced a character destined to be one of the immortals of local Philippine advertising, an amiable, wonderfully regular adolescent named Joey, played by a charismatic young La Sallite named RJ Ledesma.

The very first ad began with the jingle strain: “Ganito talaga ang buhay…”, and the first words of Joey’s lighthearted, causally delivered flashback narration which proved to be the durable and permanent opening salvo for a series of ads harping on the natural goodness of the product and how it fitted in, just as naturally, with the ups and downs of a wholesome young protagonist’s life.

The campaign extended into radio advertising , of which the winning “Mantika” was an involving example. As he McCann creative director Letty Javier recounts, she and copywriter Kathleen Mojica collaborated on a scenario straight from everyman’s childhood experience.

The TV ads have Joey mingling with friends, going to school, and eventually falling in love and maturing over a span of several memorable years. RJ Ledesma practically grew up under the consumer’s watchful eye.

The radio commercial however, harked back to those embarrassing, pre-pubescent moments where every boy would die before being caught running a sissy errand for mom  in this case, buying a bottle of cooking oil from the neighborhood sari-sari. A bottle of Royal Tru-Orange proves the ideal cover-up in the presence of Joey’s pal, Jake, who, it turns out, was set to buy something just as sissy—bagoong. The pals are on equal footing, such all too familiar chores and the very real feelings of apprehension and relief, and the viewer concludes, are part of growing up. It’s a good thing that the softdrink is around to provide company, or even security, in the face of the possible bad trips of this complicated age.

Even without the powerful TV visuals, “Mantika”  effortlessly  captured the awkwardness, as well as the little triumphs  of Filipino adolescence, and softdrinks guzzlers everywhere were invariable touched.

CREDITS:

CLIENT: Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

Product:  Royal Tru-Orange

AGENCY: McCann Erickson, Phils.

Executive Creative Director: Emily Abrera

Associate Creative Director: Letty Javier

Copywiter:  Kathleen Mojica

Producer: Jing Abellana

SOURCES: PERFECT 10: A Decade of Creativity in Philippine Advertising, published by the Creative Guild of the Philippines,1995. Written and edited by Butch Uy and Alya Honasan.

 

484. 1960s LAUNDRY SOAPS THAT BECAME WASHED-UP BRANDS

Four laundry detergent brands from the 1960s decade no longer with us. For one brief, shining moment, FAS, GLOW, SUNLIGHT and MARVEL had promising benefits that soon got washed away, for reasons we do could only assume as poor sales due to marketing, promotion, product or company issues.

1960 SUNLIGHT Print Ad

SUNLIGHT, introduced in 1960, was Lever Bros. brand that was created back in 1884, the world’s first packaged product. Despite being touted as “the world’s largest selling household soap”, it did not catch on with the public”.

FAS, 1966 Print Ad

FAS, with “the fastest cleaning power” was a product of Philippine Detergent Products introduced in 1966, but was killed when their other brand “Marvel” made greater strides in the market, so resources were put behind that brand instead.

 

GLOW, 1965 Print Ad

GLOW “Fights Stubborn Dirt” was the very first laundry product manufactured and launched by Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp. (est. 1963). It did not last long in the market dominated by Tide and Breeze. The company had their biggest success in 1977 when it launched “Champion” detergent, which continues to be a pillar of laundry care products for the company,

MARVEL, ca. 1967 Print Ad

MARVEL , a brand of Philippine Detergent Products introduced in 1967 had better success as it was pushed with TV commercials and print ads (“Relax Lang” campaign)  that saw it thru the early 1970s, before it fizzled out.