In 2002, the PILAK Awards were instituted by the Association
of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4 A’s) to determine
the top 25 ads from the last 50 years, the golden age of Philippine
advertising. Hundred of ads were screened by the country’s top creative agency heads,
until only 100 were left. From these, the 25 cream of the crop were chosen--“patalastas
na walang kupas”---to be honored with the Pilipino Advertising Klasiks
or PILAK Awards.
One of the PILAK Awardees was a fairly new ad from
a SPRITE TV campaign conceived by the powerhouse creatives of McCann-Erickson
Phils. The “Magpakatotoo Ka” (Be
True To Yourself) TV ad series was an instant hit, with its brand of youthful
humor—so comical, yet true, slick editing, stylish look, and fast-paced storytelling—not
to mentioned the over-the top acting. The “Magpakatotoo Ka” pool includes the
famous Piolo & Toni (“I Love You, Piolo!) version, Ryan Agoncillo “Elevator”
version (“Are you in heat?”); Music Teacher; and Basketball “Kaka”
Girl, among others.
WATCH SPRITE "Japorms" TVC HERE:, uploaded by Duvine Gil Reyes
But it was the “Japorms” version that earned the
judges’ nod as a PILAK winner—about a stylish youngster who thinks of himself as
hip and cool when he stepped out in the sun, dressed in jeans, shades, and a
very thick hoodie. He quickly suffers a heat stroke, fainting in front of a gaggle
of girls who offered him cool relief with a bottle of SPRITE. “Obey your
thirst” the ad says, “magpakatotoo ka”. Well, for awhile he did. He
surrenders to the refreshment of SPRITE—then quickly switches back to
his “feeling hip, cool” mode, like
nothing happened. The SPRITE “Japorms” TV also won a Gold Araw Award at
the 1999 Philippine Advertising Congress Awards Night in Cebu.
A booming victory for San Miguel Beer--Ad of the Month for Feb. 1989!
In 1988, McCann Erickson produced an Ad of the Month
winner for SAN MIGUEL PALE PILSEN , a summer commercial that drew raves for
its merry mix of popular talents, scenic beach shots, colorful production
design, festival vibe, catchy
jingle---and a new San Miguel “Si-Boom Girl”. The high-profile SMB commercial featured
the APO Hiking Society alongside San Miguel mainstay, Bert “Tawa” Marcelo who
follows the “Si-Boom Girl” as she gambols on the beach. Followed by a coterie of admirers, the ad
jingle borrowed the tune of an Eartha Kitt song-- C’est si Bon--reworked and Tagalized
into “Si-Boom”.
WATCH SMB "SI-BOOM" TVC 90s HERE
uploaded by vibesey, 30 April 2016
The TV ad became an instant sensation, what with the Ati-atihan
inspired arrangement, perfectly sung by
Jim Paredes, Boboy Garovillo and Danny Javier, as googly-eyed Bert Marcelo ogled on. But it was the debut
appearance of a sultry babe in white swimsuit that left the most impression on the
male audience—Rachel Lobangco, she with the signature pout and thick brows. For that appearance,
she was hailed as “Star Discovery of the Year 1989” by the Creative Guild of
the Philippines in their next awards night.
To top it all, SMB’s “Si-Boom” was voted by the Creative Guild
jury as the best TVC for the month of February 1989, thus qualifying for the Ad
of the Year Finals held at Hotel Nikko Manila Garden the next year.
JIMENEZ DMB&B's winning ad for Jag Anti-Fit, aired June 1996
Jeans ad featuring
merman makes waves
(from a PR article published in the Philippine Star and Manila
Bulletin, Sep. 1996)
The new JAG Anti-Fit commercial is making waves, literally,
with its focus on a mythological sea creature. Titled “Merman”, the ad is
catching the fancy of viewers. It features a man shown swimming with a
fishtail, then removing it afterwards to put on a pair of JAG Anti-Fit Jeans.
Using a merman as model for denim jeans is indeed a fresh
idea,
Australian model MATT CHENEY, a competitive swimmer, and did all the swimming scenes in the ad.
“We had to think Anti-Fit. I think this is synonymous to
being rugged, daring, comfortable and even controversial”, says Jun Reyes, the
commercial’s director.
“When we say jeans, it usually refers to tight-fitting
denims, so the idea behind the commercial is to show how we can feel
comfortable with jeans”, adds Alex Castro, who collaborated with Reyes on the
JAG ad. “ We fitted a man with the tail of a fish to show how constricting
denims can be. It shows the limitation of movement. It is not relaxed, not
comfortable. Then we show JAG breaks out of the denim stereotype”.
WATCH JAG ANTI-FIT "MERMAN" TVC HERE:
Source: JAGJeansPh
To make the commercial work, the team relied on realistic
props and materials. Says Reyes, “it took hours to put the fish tail on the
model. He had to wake up at 4 a.m. for the make-up artist to work on him. We
really made sure that the tail would appear as though it was a part of him. We
used prosthetics so that the tail would look real. And the tail was detailed
for the model so that it would not make him uncomfortable. We had a another
tail on reserve in case it got damage. The model had to be carried by 4 men to
the beach.
JAG ANTI-FIT "MERMAN' TVC SHOOTING IN BOLINAO, PANGASINAN
Choosing the ideal site for the commercial was also crucial.
The shoot was shot in 2 locations: Anilao, Batangas for the underwater scenes,
and Bolinao, Panagsinan for the beach scenes.
Reyes and Castro said the commercial was easy to do. They
shot the underwater scene for a day, and the scenes above the water overnight.
Since models count a lot in the success of a commercial, JAG
made sure they had a perfect merman in its ad. “We had to look for a model who
is rugged and suave at the same time. These qualities we found in Matt Cheney,
who is a swimmers and a model from Australia. He was paired with Carol Dunbar
to add appeal to the commercial. Together, they epitomize the image of JAG—young,
spirited, adventurous”, Reyes explains.
The prosthetic fish tail was molded on the model's body
Mythological creatures, gorgeous bods, and a cool concept.
With all these elements combined, the JAG Anti-Fit commercial is already making
a big splash on TV screens.
NOTE: JAG ANTI-FIT ‘MERMAN’
TVC was adjudged by the Creative Guild of the Philippines for the month of
September 1996.
CREDITS:
AGENCY: JIMENEZ DMB&B
Copywriter: ALEX R. CASTRO / Art Director: NIKKO CORNELIO
Producer: PAUL SUAREZ / Account: ANNA DOMINGO
PRODUCTION HOUSE: UNITEL
Director: JUN REYES
D.O.P. BOY YÑIGUEZ, LEE BRIONES / Editor: IKE VENERACION
Production Design: TOMMY NG / Executive Producer: Deet Castillo
1984 Creative Guild of the Philippines Best TVC, MAGNOLIA 60 FLAVORFUL YEARS
MAGNOLIA 60 Flavorful Years is an Ace-Compton masterpiece which took all of 6 months to plan, execute and produce.
It won the Creative Guild of the Month for January 1985, and emerged as the top TVC of the year for 1984. The commercial shows how Magnolia, the finest name in dairy products, lends its flavorful presence to Philippine life at its merriest.
“Magnolia—fills life with flavor!”…so the jingle goes, and at once, Filipino festivities past and present spring to life as if straight from an old picture album. These period scenes, also reproduced on the commemorative calendar, were painstakingly recreated and shot in a dozen locations, involving a cast of hundreds.
Indeed, everybody involved in the making of the commercial have enough memories to fill their diaries and journals.
For one thing, this was the last commercial directed by the late Ed Claudio, who passed away in the middle of shooting the Magnolia ad. And, it is in this commercial that composer Jose Mari Chan makes a rare comeback to compose the jingle melody, beautifully sang by Pat Castillo.
JIMMY F. SANTIAGO, Creative Director
This is the first ad I ever did which had 8 pre-production meetings. The storyboards kept changing at the rate of 5 frames a day! And we never had so much studies for a jingle! For the fireworks display, we had to shoot in Bulacan, only to have that scene replaced by the one done in Japan! But I knew right from the start that the final storyboard had all the qualities of a truly outstanding commercial. And the creative awards it had won, proved it.
JONJIE DE LOS REYES, Account Supervisor
One day, I just suddenly found myself being named as the account supervisor for a special Magnolia project daw! Next thing I knew, hayun—nasa pressure cooker na ako. In the course of the project, my A.E. Sandra Puno gae birth. Then I got pregnant! Haayyy! But when Client’s hapy I’m happy. Now, every time I see this commercial, I see it as a “labor” of love.
ALEX R. CASTRO, Writer
I wrote the jingle lyrics in one evening. Next day, present kaagad. Approved on the spot, without revisions. Aba, OK! Kasi, pag pina-revise pa, I was ready to change the line to—Magnolia, fills life with labor!. That approval made my day!
MARIO SARMIENTO, Casting Director
Subukan nga ninyong mag-cast ng 100 talents to portray family members of 3 generations? Nakaka-loka!
LISTEN TO THE JINGLE OF
MAGNOLIA 60 FLAVORFUL YEARS HERE:
60 FLAVORFUL YEARS OF MAGNOLIA
What gives this world its many colors
Love, a special fervor
What makes moments so much sweeter
What fills life, our lives with flavor?
Through the years, what brings the laughter
In all kinds of weather
What makes minutes last forever
What fills life, our lives with flavor?
Magnolia, fills life with flavor
Magnolia,fills life with flavor
For 60 flavorful years…it’s Magnolia.
Magnolia, fills life with flavor
Magnolia, fills life with flavor
For 60 flavorful years, it’s Magnolia
For 60 delighful, wonderful, flavorful years
..it’s Magnolia!
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
1. Unfortunately, no print exists of this Creative Guild TV Ad of the Year 1985. Only the jingle survived, and it is included in the CD of commercial jingles done by award-winning composer, Jose Mari Chan. In the finals, the Magnolia commercial edged out San Miguel Beer’s “Tuloy ang Pasko”
2. The Radio counterpart of this commercial won the 1985 Radio of the Month for January.
3. The end shot featuring fireworks writing the name ‘Magnolia’ cost Php 35,000 per set up, a tidy sum then.
CREDITS ADVERTISER: SMC-Magnolia Corporation AGENCY: Ace-Compton Advertising, Inc. CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jimmy F. Santiago / Cid Reyes ART DIRECTOR: Kits Yamsuan / COPYWRITER: Alex R. Castro TVC PRODUCER: Jack Dumaup / RADIO PRODUCER: Pops Nael CASTER: Mario Sarmiento PRODUCTION HOUSE: TVC Productions, UNITEL
DIRECTORS: Ed Claudio, Boldy Tapales CINEMATOGRAPHER: Carding Baltazar PHOTOGRAPHER: Behing Huang COMPOSER: Jose Mari Chan / ARRANGER: Louie Ocampo SINGER: Pat Castillo JINGLE PRODUCTION HOUSE: Empire Studio Source: Article originally appeared on PATALASTAS, newsletter of the 4 A's of the Philippines. 1984.
