The versatile actor RONALD REMY, was born in 1937 as Ronald
Kookooritchkin, of Filipino-Russian parentage. His father, Russian Army soldier Eremes, had fled the Bolshevik Revolution He was introduced in the movie “Condenado”,
under Sampaguita Pictures, then moved to Premiere Productions, which was the
studio of his wife, Lily Marquez or Dinah Jean Rogers-Remy, in real life.
Oftentimes, Remy was cast in a variety of roles—from a contrabida, a soldier of
war, to a costumed hero.
RONALD REMY, AT THE TOP OF HIS TV CAREER, IN 1975
Because of his facility with the English language, Remy appeared
in many American and U.S.-Filipino produced English films. Some of these
include movies that have now become cult classics like No Man is an Island (1962,
as Chico Torres), Blood is the Color of the Night (1964, as Dr. Marco), Flight
of the Sparrow (1967), and perhaps his best known film, The Longest Hundred
Miles (1967). As a wartime guerrilla, he co-starred with Hollywood stars like
Ricardo Montalban, Doug McClure, and Katherine Ross, who, in that same year,
earned an Oscar nomination for “The Graduate”.
(L) REMY in 'The Longest Hundred Miles"
The multi-talented Remy also tried directing, and his
chance came with the suspense-thriller film,“Zigzag” (1963), where he directed
actor George Nader and Sylvia Lawrence.
LA GERMANIA AD WITH THE REMYS, 1982
In the 70s, he reinvented himself as a sitcom actor,
appearing as husband of Rosa Rosal in the TV comedy series,“Yan Ang Misis Ko”. He also became a TV host
and emcee for “Lucky 13” Game Show on Channel 13. He and his wife became active leaders of a popular Born Again Christian Family movement, until his passing. The Remys have a daughter, Jackie
Kookooritchkin, who also did print ads, and appeared on TV and films, who has
also passed away in 2021.
SOURCES:
Ronald Remy info, wikipedia.org, Screen grabds from various Ronald Remy movies,
PEPSI-COLA's’ answer to the huge global success of its
rival’s “COKE Adds Life!” campaign was the “Taste the PEPSI Way---and HAVE A
PEPSI DAY” thematic campaign.
It harkens back to the PEPSI GENERATION that was conceived
by advertising man and marketer Allan Pottasch (b.1927-d. 2007) who was first to
observe the youthful, carefree and
optimistic culture emerging from the post-World War II baby boom. He thus
coined a term to describe these up-and-coming power consumers: the PEPSI
GENERATION, with a campaign launched in 1963
Over the next decades, advertising was focused on this Pepsi
generation—and HAVE A PEPSI DAY was a continuing effort to engage these baby
boomers to include Pepsi in their life. Launched in the U.S. in 1976, the
campaign was rolled out in the Philippines the next year, using the
internationally-famous jingle, but using local talents and situations.
Launched in the U.S. in 1976, the campaign was rolled out
in the Philippines the next year, using the internationally-famous jingle, but
using local talents and situations.
LISTEN TO THE "HAVE A PEPSI DAY" JINGLE HERE:
The challenge for Ace-Compton Advertising Inc., the Makati
ad agency tasked with localizing the campaign. The choice of “daily events”
thus became critical—it should be within the realm of a Filipino’s social experience, that can be heighten by the presence of PEPSI—leading
to a “brand new moment” that will leave you “alive and feeling free”.
Hence, such situations as a tennis match, a trip to the
zoo, a kalesa ride—becomes a celebration with PEPSI.
The campaign also had Celebrity versions, featuring top
celebrities of the day like superstar
Nora Aunor, and her love team partner Tirso Cruz III. The Aunor TVC commercial
had her defining her own PEPSI DAY---a
free day without a film shooting, just bumming around, a day all to herself,
with just a bottle of PEPSI for a refreshing change.
HAVE A PEPSI DAY
was a popular campaign, but “Coke Adds Life” was hard to beat. The jingle was
more catchy, and the commercials featured the younger teen set that were cuter,
funnier, more spontaneous in their ways. In the MTV years, Coke commercials
were hipper, and more “with the times”.It didn’t help that in 1977, the PEPSI
COLA account was moved from Ace-Compton to J. Walter Thompson, major news
that reverberated throughout the whole Philippine ad industry. Coke regained its dominance, and the PEPSI DAYS were no more.
Just as Gloria Diaz was winding her reign as Miss
Universe of 1969, Aurora McKenny Pijuan of Bacolod extended the winning streak
of ur beauty queens when she won the 1970 Miss International title in Osaka,
Japan on 16 May 1970.
IBA NA'NG MATANGKAD. Pijuan starred in a tar margarine commercial tha highlighted her height advantage. "Magaganda sila..matatangkad...buti, ako rin..." so went the establishing opening copy.
The southern belle (b. 11 Nov. 1949) daughter of Marcelo Pijuan and Lucielle McKenney. was a St. Scholastica student when she joined her first contest-- Miss Teen Philippines 1966
contest. She placed second behind Mary Jane Madamba. Four
years later, she joined the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant and bagged the Bb.
Pilipinas-International title, alongside Simonette delos Reyes who won
Bb.Pilipinas-Universe.
PAL INTERNATIONAL AD WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL QUEEN. 1970.
Au-au, as her friends called her, was sent to Osaka,
Japan for the international contest, as a side event of the Expo ’70 of Osaka.
She was singled out from among 47 beauties to succeed Valerie Susan Holmes of
United Kingdom. Her runners up included Argentina (Margarita Briese), Australia (Karen Papworth), Toshie Suda (Japan) and New Zealand (Susan Greaves).The initials of the countries that placed coincidentally spelled out J-A- P-A-N.
WATCH AURORA PIJUAN'S CROWNING MOMENT
AS MISS INTERNATIONAL 1970 HERE:
The tall Filipina beauty stood out for her regal bearing,
and stunning mixed American-Irish-Native American-Filipino and Spanish
features, scoring the first double win for the Philippinesin the popular pageant (Gemma Cruz had won
the crown 6 years before).
ESKINOL GIRL AURORA, 1970
It is also interesting to note that when crowned at the
Exposition Hall Fairgrounds,Au-Au was
wearing a beaded midi-dress (a mid-calf dress worn with a pair of pants)
instead of a gown—a non-traditional outfit for a royal crowning. While in Japan,
she graced the Philippine Pavilion in Osaka and created a sensation.
PIJUAN DOES PEPSI. ca. 1970. Her Miss Universe counterpart modelled for Coke.
She received a welcome fit for a queen, with beau Tommy
Manotoc, in attendance. She was greeted by the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, whose
daughter, Imee, would be involved controversially with Tommy, a few years after
her marriage to the top golfer and basketball coach. As Au-au refused to grant
a divorce, Imee’s status was that of a mistress.
Her Miss International reign was so hectic that she lost
weight and often fell sick due to lack of sleep. Still, she was the toast of
her proud country, and appeared in a number of high-profile ads long after her
queenly duties were over. She had actually dabbled in commercial modeling even
before she became a national beauty figure, doing ads for Eskinol.
MR. & MRS.MANOTOC FOR LOYOLA LIFE PLAN, 1974.
Au-au went to Long beach to crown the new Miss
International 1971, Cheryl Jane Hansen of New Zealand. Her Bb. Pilipinas
successor, Evelyn Camus, placed 3rd in the finals.
Au-au had two children with Tommy Manotoc—Mavis (now Fuentebella) and sportscaster
TJ Manotoc. An activist who supports many political and social advocacies, the
former beauty icon is a member of Gawad
Kalinga, that works for the upliftment of people’s lives in rural Philippines.
PITCHING FOR FILSYN. Pijuan in a Christian Cordero outfit, 1979
The parol is an
enduring symbol of Christmas in the Philippines, a must-have decoration in
Filipino homes during the long holiday season.
The parol, usually star-shaped to evoke the Star of Bethlehem, is hanged
and lit in front of houses as early as September as a symbol of hope, goodwill
and a bright future. It is no wonder that the colorful parol has been used as a
design motif for many years in Philippine advertising and commercial art. Here
are a few examples:
In 1975, Pepsi went worldwide with its ‘Have A Pepsi Day”
campaign, and the Philippines adapted the campaign using a massive tri-media
campaign that included a series of print ads showing young people in all kinds
of everyday situations. The print ads encouraged Pepsi drinkers to “make each
day a celebration”—whatever the moment was—a fun day at the carnival…a break
from classes..walking hand in hand…or just playing a favorite sport.
The “Tennis Game” print ad version featured a gang of
friends having a friendly banter after a brisk set. One of the talents was
a smiling, gangly, curly-haired teen sitting on the top bleacher, holding a
racket and a half-empty bottle of Pepsi. He would go on from doing commercial modeling
to acting in top-rated TV telenovelas and award-winning films just a few years
after his Pepsi appearance.
CORVEAU as a movie actor.
RONALD CORVEAU (b.
1956, as Ronald Maquilan Corveau) found national fame when he was cast to
portray Carding Medel in the 1977 TV show Gulong ng Palad. He starred alongside
Marianne de la Riva (as Luisa) in the telenovela that was based on a DZRH radio
serye created by the late Lina Flor-Trinidad and written for TV by her sister Loida F. Viriña.
The soap became a monster hit for Channel 2, running from 1977-1985, and made Ronald Corveau into a household name—and
a hot property.
GULONG NG PALAD CAST. Marianne de la Riva, Ronald Corveau and Caridad Sanchez. Photo courtesy of Isidra Reyes
Soon, Corveau was tapped for the movies, first in “Beerhouse” (1977) and then in the
award-winning “Atsay”, opposite Nora Aunor, which won Best Film at the 1978
Metro Manila FilmFest. Subsequently, Corveau did “Si Mahal, Nakialam Na Naman”—again
with Aunor, followed by “Kadete” and “Mahal
Kong Taksil”, (1979)., “Biktima”, “Apat
na Maria” (1980) and "Gabriela" and “Limang Daliri ng Diyos” (1989)
His marriage with “Gulong” co-star Marianne de la Riva produced
two daughters, Ella and Louie. They separated after a few years, when Corveau
left for the U.S. De La Riva has also remarried and is settled in New Jersey as
a doctor’s wife. She and Corveau, who is a contractor in the U.S., remain in
good terms.
PHOTO SOURCES:
Isidra Reyes, for the 'Gulong ng Palad"p B&W photo
In 1971, Nora Aunor’s star was on the rise. The former Tawag ng Tanghalan champion turned
teen actress, then just 18, was the toast of Philippine showbiz, with blockbuster
movies and sold-soul records to her name. Small and dark, she defied conventions to
become a sort of a Philippine Cinderella, thus she drew widespread, adoration and support from her hordes of fans, mostly coming from
the so-called “bakya” crowd.
Coca Cola was the first high-profile company that recognized
her pulling power, so Coke offered her a lucrative endorsement contract, which
allowed her to appear in the local adaptation of their global campaign with the
slogan—“It’s The Real Thing”, first conceived in 1968.
Aunor did a TV commercial, and got a chance to sing the
popular commercial jingle, too. She did full color magazine print ad spreads
and her image appeared on merchandising materials. Fan photos of her—showing Aunor
holding a bottle of Coke—were given out as sales promotion premiums.
Four years after her Coke endorsement, the soft drink rival,
Pepsi Cola, did the unthinkable---the company enlisted her to promote Pepsi,
the country’s then-best selling cola---in their “Have A Pepsi Day” campaign.
Aunor’s Coke appearance in the massive campaign was still
fresh in the recent memories of
consumers. Aunor’s “turncoat-ism” was the talk of the industry, as such a move
often undermined the credibility of the endorser. Her TV starts with Aunor
defining what her Pepsi Day is—no film shootings, no recordings, with lots of personal time, with bottles of Pepsi to refresh her.
To complete the casting coup, Aunor’s love team partner—Tirso
Cruz III—was also signed up by Pepsi and did his own Pepsi Day ad. Of course,
the Guy and Pip tandem had their own love team version too!
Today, of course, companies have less qualms about using the
same talent or celebrity that once endorsed a product directly competitive to
theirs. Sharon Cuneta has appeared in both McDonald’s and Jollibee ads. Carmina
Villaroel was in Nido and Lactum Milk
commercials. And Maricel Soriano was a Modess endorser, then switched to
Whisper pads. The shift in loyalty could be explained that since the endorser
is now older, then he/she is also presumed to have grown much wiser, leading to
smarter product decisions. And
advertisers leave it to the more educated today’s consumer to discern that.
7 UP was introduced in the mid 50s in the Philippine by
Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Philippines. The
name, they say, was derived from its “7 natural flavors blendedinto a savory, flavory drink with a real wallop.” Predictably, 7 UP was advertised as a
pick-upper, with crisp lemon-lime flavor that refreshes and lifts spirits up.
It targetted the active family and came up with the 1952 slogan “The Fresh Up Family Drink”, to replace the earlier “You Like It, It Likes
You”. Later variations were also used like
“Fresh Up with 7 UP”,”Nothing Does it Like 7 UP”. Advertising for 7 UP began in
the Philippines in 1955, with print ads that simply copied the original U.S.
version.
7 UP was drank by older people because they believe it was
less gassy than cola drinks, and therefore less stomach-upsetting. This
‘medicinal’ image was considered uncool by the younger set. Not even the teen
campaign the product launched in the sixties—and which was adapted in the
Philippines-- could make its image more contemporary.
Then in 1967, its advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson conceived
of a campaign that celebrated the uniqueness of 7 UP against cola-based drinks.
7 UP 'UNCOLA' LOCAL PRINT AD, 1970
The UNCOLA Campaign sought to promote the idea of the fact that the product is
not made from cola nuts, a differentiating angle that resonated with young
people at the threshold of the so-called
“Me decade”, which described a new
attitude of Americans towards individualism.
The UNCOLA Campaign was rolled out in 1968 and ran through
the 70s in the U.S. with many memorable ads for TV and print. The campaign
doubled sales for the product and by 1972, 7 UP ranked as the third largest
soda marketer behind Coke and Pepsi.
THE UNCOLA, drawn in psychedelic style, 1970
The UNCOLA Campaign was adapted in many countries, including
the Philippines. The local print ads which first came out in 1970 were similar
to those produced in the U.S. which started running them a year earlier.
UNCOLA Print Series, 1970
The eye-popping executions capitalized on the psychedelia
craze, with fantastic, graphic illustrations rendered in bright, vibrant
colors-- an artistic style popularized by the artist Peter Max.
7 UP UNCOLA-SPONSORED DANCE EVENT, 1972.
There were pop art poster giveaways, UNCOLA upside down glasses, and psychedelic dance
parties that magnified the campaign in the stores and on-ground.
Suddenly, 7 UP was a
hip, with-it brand again. The UNCOLA TV commercials aired here included two
versions, one of which became a global hit, and made a star out of its
presenter. The JWT-produced TV commercial--which was aired on Philippine TV in 1972-- starred actor, director and choreographer Geoffrey
Holder as a Caribbean planter explaining the difference between cola nuts and
7 UP's "uncola nuts," lemon and lime.
WATCH 7 UP's 'UNCOLA" TVC HERE:
Holder’s performance was so well-remembered that he was
signed on to do more versions of the same campaign.
Another UNCOLA Ad was a product-the-hero ad scored with a
jingle noted for its sheer lyrical strength. The jingle wasn’t just selling fizzy beverages twelve ounces at
a time, it was singing praises to a way of life that challenged all
conventions.
The 7 UP UNCOLA Campaign had a good run, but the succeeding
initiatives—including its Fido Dido “Cool to be Clear” ad, did not do much to
stop the increase of the share of its primary competitor—Sprite—throughout the
‘90s. By 1998, the 7 UP bottle underwent a design face-lift, which dropped the term
"Uncola" from the soda's packaging.
And there goes a piece of advertising history.
SOURCES: From Uncool to Uncola: The Fabulous Psychedelic 7 UP Ads 1969-1973. http://flashbak.com/when-7up-was-cool-the-uncola-ad-campaign-1969-1973-27578/ The Uncola's Unclever Ad Campaign: http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1998/12/07/252125/index.htm Uncola: The Video History of a 7 UP Breakthrough Ad http://adage.com/article/news/uncola-video-history-a-7up-breakthrough-ad/116484/ youtube, 7UP "THE UNCOLA", uploaded by videoblast, 26 November 2008.
Rival soda products, Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola, send out their Christmas wishes to their customers in these full color print ads that are surprisingly similar, though published four years apart. Indeed, competition knows no season! Maligayang Pasko, Merry Christmas everyone!
