551. Scenic Spots in Philippine Ads: MAYON VOLCANO, various ads 1935-67

 

1965 TANDUAY RHUM, "Mayon, Splendor in the Clouds" Ad"

Majestic MAYON VOLCANO has been hugging headlines lately with its continuous eruptive phase that has been going on for over 180 days, as of today, June 12, 2026. Dubbed as “world’s perfect cone”, it sits  in a national park in Albay, and is geographically shared by 8 cities and towns (Legazpi, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao, Tabaco, Malilipot).

Mayon is also the most active volcano of the Philippines, erupting over 52 times in the past 500 years, with its first eruption recorded in 1616. Its most destructive eruption happened on 1 Feb. 1814, when it buried the town of Cagsawa. To this day, the ruins of the Cagsawa church belltower still stand.

1930s MAYON VOLCANO, colored postcard

Mount Mayon figures prominently in local legends and lore, the most well-known of which is the story of Daragang Magayon (meaning, beautiful maiden), a tragic heroine who gave her name to the volcano. It was said that  she fell in love with a brave warrior, Panganoron (or Ulap). Their forbidden romance culminates in a fierce battle against a jealous suitor, Pagtuga, resulting in the deaths of both lovers.

For ages, the image of Mount Mayon has haunted and  inspired many a people’s imagination—poets paid homage by way of poems, songs and stories have been written about it, and picture of the scenic volcano have been reproduced in countless books, postcards, calendars, and stamps.

1965 MAYON COOKING OIL AD.

Even marketers and advertisers took note of Mount Mayon’s popular appeal. There are products named after the famous mountain---like the MAYON Cooking Oil of P&G in the 1950s. A MAYON Turbo Stove was developed in the early 2000s, was developed as a “poor man’s stove” as it used the byproduct rice hull as fuel.

MAYON MILK "FOR CHRISTMAS", Print Ad 1935

Even earlier was MAYON MILK , made available in the Philippines by the Japanese trading company Daido Boeki Kaisha Ltd. in the mid 1930s that had offices in Manila and Iloilo. The doctor-recommended milk claimed to be good for “delicate stomachs”.

In 1951, Philippine Airlines featured Mayon—Bicol’s landmark—in the their travel destination ads for Legaspi City. The strip ads featured an illustration of the symmetrically-perfect coned volcano.

Likewise, Philips Lights, in 1960 created cleverly-written headlines, drawing parallel between the popularity of its brand name and what it stands for, with the name Bicol, which stands for Mayon.

Images of the mountain was used throughout the 60s by Tanduay in 1965, and the cigarette brand, Chesterfield, in 1967, to localize it.

1967  CHESTERFIELD "THEY SATISFY, Print Ad 

Mayon Volcano continues to be an enduring symbol of the country, a tourist crowd-drawer --for as long as one can remember. Its eruptions that have been going onnon-stop for days and months throughout these decades serve to remind us that it is here to stay for quite a while. For companies cashing in on the Mayon name, that can only mean more welcome (c)ashfall!!!