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| ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON THE TRADITIONAL TANDUAY WAY! 1966 Christmas ad. |
The long Christmas season in the Philippines, is indeed,
the time to eat, drink and be merry….for tomorrow, we drink some more! Then, as
now, when the holidays arrive, spirits and liquor products vie for consumer’s attention by launching special
Christmas ads in the hope of being included in his shopping list. Here are a
few of them:
GINEBRA SAN
MIGUEL, Old Filipino Custom, 1936
GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL,the world's no. 1 selling gin, has
a heritage of excellence spanning more than 180 years. It was originally a
product of Destilerias Ayala, Ic., founded in 1834. Its distinctive “marca
demonio” label was designed by then-student Fernando Amorsolo, now a Philippine
national artist. This Graphic ad from 1936, situates GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL as part of old Filipino Christmas customs, that also
include serving noche buena lechon.
SAN MIGUEL BEER,
Real Pleasure for the Holidays, 1957
SAN MIGUEL BEER
is the Philippines’ best known, and
larget-selling pale lager produced by
San Miguel Brewery. It is a beer rich in history, as its parent company was established
back in 1890. This midcentury Christmas ad of SAN MIGUEL BEER features two popular showbiz personalities at that
time—the lovely Paquita Roces (the original Camay Girl) and the debonaire
Fil-Danish actor, Ric Rodrigo. Paquita
was married to screen star Armando Goyena; while Rodrigo, husband of Rita
Gomez, would win Asia’s Best Actor award in 1969, for the movie “Igorota”.
SUNTORY, Perfect
for Christmas, 1963
SUNTORY Whiskey
has its beginning s way back in 1899, when Shinjiro Torii began experimenting
with the production of western-style whiskey in Japan. He managed to do that—and
more—for in 1937, he created SUNTORY,
a truly Japanese whiskey with a distinctive Japanese character—a masterpiece of
Eastern artistry. La Fuerza Inc., of the Lim Family, became he local partner of
SUNTORY in the 1960s, and this 1963 print
ad was part of the product push for the Christmas season.
VOS BRANDY, Keep
their Spirits High! 1964
La Fuerza Inc. was a distillery, incorporated in the
1950s by the Lim family. Its local
output were the Siu Hoc Tong energy liquor, C-88 and VOS Brandy, (Very Old Special brandy) which would gain prominence
in the Philippine market in the 70s and 80s. Its commercials, known for being
campy and sexist, introduced viewers to its most well-known slogan—“Pang
romansa…espesyal!”, mouthed by a starlet holding a VOS Brandy bottle. But
back in 1964, this VOS Brandy & Gin
Christmas ad was pretty standard, safe and direct to the point.
TANDUAY RHUM, say 'Mabuhay'! 1966
TANDUAY RHUM, by Tanduay Distillers, Inc., is an iconic
brand of liquor with origins in a distillery in Hagonoy, Bulacan, acquired in
1856, by Ynchausti and Compania. A plant was built in Isla de Tanduay, near
Quiapo and became the Tanduay Distillery. By the 1930s, its rum products were branded
as TANDUAY RHUM. In 1934, Elizalde & Company, Inc. acquired thedistillery and operated it under the name Tanduay Distillery, Inc. It became a
leading producer of rums, liquor brands and other spirits. This 1966 ad
capitalizes on TANDUAY RHUM as part
of Philippine holiday drinking tradition, a drink hat "adds lilt and luster to the festive air".