By the end of the 80s, SHARP (Phils) Corp. entrusted to
Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi its corporate advertising, as they entered a new
decade with plans to launch more products and expand its robust business.
The project was assigned to Ace-Saatchi’s winning-est Concept
Team, Mario Monteagudo (AD) and Robert Labayen (Writer). Just 2 years before,
the duo had won a 1987 Print Ad of the Year award for their Visine Eye Drops print
ad for client Pfizer.
The result was a stunning Print Ad series that focused on
the amazing pedigree of success that the company enjoyed over the course of 4
decade, through pioneering inventions, trailblazing products and state-of-the
art innovation.
“Our generation grew up with Sony”, recalls Robert Labayen
when asked about the SHARP campaign background. “So, Mario and I were excited
when we learned that our account, SHARP, scored many firsts in the history of
the world’s tv technology.
The brief came from our account person Timmy Jayme. We
used illustrations that looked like Japanese characters to present SHARP as THE
name behind Japanese TV technology.
I made the illustrations because that was the time that I
was into doodling. Mario came up with the line “Very Sharp. Very First.” That
was another instance when Mario and I exchanged roles.”
The Print series delighted SHARP clients and marketing
man, Mon Bermeo so much that the client not only ran the complete series in regular
dailies, but also appeared in Visitacion dela Torre’s history book about
Philippine advertising.
Mario and Robert would go on to enjoy a 3-year Print AOY
award-winning streak from 1991 to 1993, earning Creative Guild nods for British Airways, Philippine National Bank and
Petron. After their sterling career with Ace, Mario formed his own agency, while
Robert joined ABS-CBN to become its VP-Head of Creative Communication in 2004.
CREDITS:
Many thanks for Robert Labayen for his recollections about making this SHARP Ad series; likewise to Mario Monteagudo, for his inputes.
Chanteuse EVA EUGENIO (b. 22 Jan. 1946), was a successful
pop singer dubbed as one of the country’s "Jukebox Queens", so called
because of their hit songs that were popularized via jukeboxes, that were music
entertainment staples for the masses. The pay-for-play jukeboxes were once available
in places of leisure and convergence like in billiard and pool halls, beer gardens,
restaurants, cabarets and downtown establishments.
Jukebox Queen EVA EUGENIO ALBUM COVER
Eugenio shared the title with Claire dela
Fuente and Imelda Papin, singing melodramatic songs that spoke of anguished
love, troubled relationships, and broken feelings---themes that resonated with
the common tao. They were all sung in similar styles, with a lot of angst,
sensuality, verging on tearful sentimentality.
The titles of her hit songs, recorded under Polyeast
Records, conveyed it all: “Tukso”, a
massive hit in 1979, “Pag-ibig na Walang Dangal”, “Kaligayahang Pansamantala”,
“Gulong ng Palad)”(1980), “Kasalanan Ba?”, “Umaga Na, Wala Ka Pa” (1981)
and “Uhaw” (1982).
At her peak, she made the rounds of top TV shows, top clubs and hotels, out-of-town
engagements nationwide, and was a much-sought after performer in the Asian
entertainment circuit. She even ventured into movies and even made one based in
her song: “Hoy,Tukso! Layuna Mo Ako”, ” with Joseph Estrada.
Eugenio’s popularity among the masses was not lost among advertisers. Legendary adman MinyongOrdoñez of Basic Advertising, chose her to resurrect a dying pomade brand THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE, that has been around in the Philippines since the 1950s. He created the theme “Lalaking Disente” (man of decency), which very much described the image of a Filipino gentleman—handsome, well-groomed, polished, a true cavalier—qualities that are fast disappearing in these modern times.
WATCH 3 FLOWERS "LALAKING DISENTE" TVC HERE:
The quick fix for that of course, is the tried and tested
THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE. It was Eugenio who sang a paean to this man
who has captured her heart at first sight--“hindi ko mailihim ang damdaming
sa aking dibdib, na nagsasabing ika’y mahalin…Lalaking Disente. Eugenio sang
it so intensely, moving men to rediscover the old brand and revert back to
being the gentlemen that they were.
TOSHIBA WITH EVE EUGENIO, 1983
THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE was Eugenio’s most
renown endorsement project, but it wasn’t the last. Four years after, she
bagged another lucrative deal with TOSHIBA, a leading Japanese electronic
company that specialized in audio and video appliances like Bombeat, Beta and
VCRs. She did a local print campaign and had the chance to go to Japan and
promote the TOSHIBA brand in malls and trade shows.
EVA IN A TOSHIBA EVENT IN JAPAN
Today, EVA EUGENIO continues to accept bookings for
shows, and ocassionally appear as guests on TV noontime shows, and in game
shows, the most recent of which was in “I Can See Your Voice PH”, a mystery
music contest franchise.
An unheralded singer stole the show at the 1st
ever Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (METROPOP) in 1978 when she sang the soaring “Narito
Ako", a composition of well-known composer, Nonong Pedero. MARICIRIS BERMONT,
the lovely curly-haired Filipino-French mestiza sang her heart to a commendable 3rd
place finish, after “Pagdating Mo” (Celeste Legaspi), and “Kay Ganda ng Ating
Musika” (Hajji Alejandro).
Bermont, then 30, was largely unknown, singing in limited
circles in events and muscals staged at ManilaMetropolitan Theater, Her triumph
signaled the start of a successful career in the mainstream Philippine music
industry. After her stint at Metropop, she once again represented the contry at
an international song festival in Puerto Rico, where she emerged as the Grand
Prize winner.
AT THE 1ST METROPOP FESTIVAL,with Nonong Pedero
She was sought after for television shows and was even
recruited for the movies, appearing in at least 2: “Dyesebel” (1978), “Nognog”
(1980).
In 1979, LA GERMANIA, leading maker of gas ranges, ovens
and other appliances, tapped the young mother (she was married to Gerardo C. Garcia +) to appear in a series of print
ads, with a TV version wher she sang the memorable “La Germania generates
love..” jingle. Beauty queen Consuelo Escalambre had appeared in an earlier,
similar version, singing and strumming a guitar.
The ad agency kept the same formula and soon,
guitar-playing Bermont was heard all over the airwaves, and seen in many versions
of LA GERMANIA print ads.
Eventually, the Bermonts became a born again Christian family in the
early 1980s. Maricris Bermont shifted to singing songs of faith and inspiration and, to this day, continues
to perform and make guest appearances in many Christian fellowship
events, TV and radio shows. Regine Velasquez would turn her 1978 hit song "Narito Ako", into another retro-bestseller in 1990. The Bermonts are a part of the Word Community (Wordcomm) of Makati; her son, is in fact, a pastor of that gospel-centered church.
SANYO Electric
Co., Ltd., is a Japanese electronics company founded in 1949 by Toshio Iue, who
grew it to become a Fortune 500 Japanese Electronics Company. SANYO means
“three oceans”- referring to the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as it was
Iue’s ambition to make his business global.
In 1971, SANYO established
international operations in the Philippines , thus SANYO Philippines Inc. came to be. It manufactured home appliances
and consumer electronics—from air conditioners, refrigerators, radios, televisions, gas
ranges, electric fans, and washing machines, that were marketed worldwide.
SANYO LOGO, 1976. Source: wikimediacommons
SANYO became a
very popular brand in the Philippines in the mid 70s thru the 80s, as it was
considered more affordable than the established Japanese brands like Toshiba,
Panasonic and Mitsubishi, that is until Sharp Phils.came along.
With a booming business in 1975, SANYO greeted its growing legion of customers by putting out ots Christmas corporate ad, wishing them a happier life, that could only happen if one start buying their products now.
In 2011, the Haier Group acquired SANYO Electric Co.’s white goods business (refrigerator, washing
machine, and consumer electric appliances) in select Asian markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the
Philippines. These are what SANYO
Philippines Inc. continue to market, promote and advertise today, online and in-store.
The EVEREADY
Battery Company was founded back in the 1890s by Conrad Hubert , the inventor
of the first electric hand torch—or the flashlight. With a rough brass
reflector inside a paper tube, the contraption was powered by dry cell
batteries.
EVEREADY, FLASHLIGHTS & BATTERIES, 1929
The flashlight proved to be a successful product, but the
batteries were also much in demand, and by the 1920s the production of the EVEREADY® battery brand begins to
expand across the globe over the next three decades. By 1929, EVEREADY flashlights and batteries were
available in the Philippines, imported all the way from the U.S., advertised in
leading magazines and dailies.
EVEREADY FLASHLIGHTS & BATTERIES, 1929
The now familiar “Cat & 9” EVEREADY® icon was launched in the 1930s, and the brand character
became one of the most identifiable marks of EVEREADY. By the 1950s, the
“battery with 9 lives” was an established brand, distributed by Pacific
Merchandising Corp., along with EVEREADY-branded
flashlights, radio batteries and dry cells.
EVEREADY, SILENT NIGHT, 1955
The National Carbon Philippines, Inc. in Mandaluyong began producing EVEREADY batteries to serve the growing needs of the Philippine
market. The fledgling company would grow to become the Union Carbide
Philippines in the late 1960s, part of the Union Carbide Corporation, the
world’s largest producer of ethylene glycol and the a leading manufacturer of
the world’s most widely used plastic, polyethylene.
THANKS TO EVEREADY, 1957
EVEREADY, BUY FRESH, 1958
The marketing of EVEREADY took a more sophisticated turn, with communication and media strategies planned by its appointed ad agency, McCann-Erickson Phils.In 1968, “The Fresh Ones” campaign was launched, harping on the freshness of EVEREADY Batteries as as for the first time, they were manufactured locally in the Mandaue plant in Cebu.
EVEREADY, THE FRESH ONES, "Fruits", 1968
EVEREADY, THE FRESH ONES, "Vegetables", 1968
One of the most memorable EVEREADY campaigns that was launched on Philippine TV ca. 1983, carried the theme “EVEREADY—may lakas sa loob na tumatagal”, that shows how the batteries came to save the day for a husband and wife about to have their baby. The delivery was hampered by a brownout, but an EVEREADY-powered flashlight ensured a smooth delivery. The ad was the brainchild of the legendary McCann-Erickson creative director Bill Y. Ibañez.
WATCH THE EVEREADY "LAKAS SA LOOB" TVC HERE:
uploaded by ADman 1909, July 5, 2007
In 1986, Union Carbide sold its Battery Products Division to Ralston Purina Company for $1.4 billion. In 2000, Ralston spun off Eveready, and it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as a holding company, Energizer Holdings, Inc. with EVEREADY Battery Company, Inc continuing as its most important daughter company.
The Union Carbide plant in Cebu was renamed as Energizer Philippines, and continued to
produce batteries until its closure in May 2011. The company is still represented in the country as Energizer
Philippines and continues to make EVEREADY and Energizer batteries available.
One of the more popular brands of electric fans in the 1980s
were made by 3D Industries Inc., the
manufacturing arm of Northern islands Co. Inc. (NICI)which started as a pioneer
home appliance marketer and distributor in the Philippines, back in 1957. Founder
Mr. Francisco Guy, grew it from a modest
business selling buttons for the local market.
3D DESK FAN AD, 1990, featuring Subas Herrero & Noel Trinidad
His small enterprise really took off when he received an
exclusive contract with Mitsubishi Electric Company Ltd., which signalled the
beginning of his electric fan product
line. The "3D" brand of
electric fans, made under license from Mitsubishi of Toyo, Japan was sold across
the nation for more than 30 years.
WATCH THE 3D ELECTRIC FAN TVC, 1987, Champoy Duo
3D was heavily
supported with tri-media advertising, featuring popular local TV and movie
stars like the Champoy gang (Subas Hererra, Noel Trinidad, comediennes Tessie
Tomas, Nanette Inventor, Dely Atay-atayan and actress Nida Blanca. Some of the
jingles that accompanied the ads are still recalled today, reworked from traditional Pinoy folk songs.
3D DEBONAIR AD, 1987 featuring Subas Hererra, Noel Trinidad & Tessie Tomas
When the contract with Mitsubishi expired, Mr. Guy continued
to manufacture and market quality home appliances under the brand - "3D". The 3D line of appliances include Desk
Fans, Oval Oscillating Fans, Stand Fans. Industrial Fans, Box Fans,Tower Fans,
Wall Fans, Air Coolers, Ceiling Fans, Air Circulators, Ventilating Fans, Mini
Fans. It also carries Kitchen Mates—assorted home and kitchen appliance—from
coffee makers, deep fryers, gas stoves, electric ovens, slow cookers, electric
grills, flat irons, and many more. No wonder, 3D is known through generations
for “the quality you can trust”.
LA GERMANIA VS. TECNOGAS, BERMONT (1979) VS. MORENO (1980), PRINT ADS
In history of Philippine advertising, there were the
so-called Cola Wars (Pepsi vs. Coke) Beauty Soap War (Lux vs. Camay) and Detergent
War (Tide vs. Breeze) –all brands outdoing each other in their quest for market
leadership through advertising and promotions initiatives.
Who would think that in the mid 70s thru the 80s, LA
GERMANIA and TECNOGAS would be caught up in a contentious fight to win market
dominance of the gas range market?Each
came up with campaigns, though not creatively significant, became memorable for
their catchy jingle with kitschy lyrics, memorable taglines and use of star
power.
LA GERMANIA AD, with Jimmy Fabregas as model, 1975
LA GERMANIA
GENERATES LOVE
LA GERMANIA is
a century-old brand, put up in 1909 by the Italian Francesco Bertazzoni, who
built the stoves after World War I, which evolved into gas stoves after 1953.
In 1958, an oven was added to the stove, and hundreds of thousands ofunits were sold internationally in 1959,
resulting in success worldwide.
LA GERMANIA DUAL OVEN, 1979 AD
LA GERMANIA stoves
and ranges made their appearance in the Philippines in early 1970s when General
Heat Corp. was given a license by La Germania, Italy to manufacture it complete
line of LA GERMANIA gas ranges.
LA GERMANIA WITH PANCHITO & CARIDAD SANCHEZ, 1977 AD
The first ads were nondescript, with actors Panchito and
Caridad Sanchez as celebrity endorsers, positioning the range as “completing
the dream of every housewife for a modern home”.
WATCH VILMA SANTOS LA GERMANIA TVC HERE:
Source: OPM MTV Video
Apparently, LA GERMANIA felt a it needed a bigger star so it contracted Vilma Santos to do a commercial which capitalized on the status of owning a LA GERMANIA gas range--"more than a matter a pride"--so goes the tagline.
MARICRIS BERMONT FOR LA GERMANIA, 1979 PRINT AD
In 1974, LA
GERMANIA came up with ads that heralded the outstanding features of the
range included its beautiful design, a big oven, and a windproof pilot flame.
The campaign line: “LA GERMANIA
GENERATES LOVE”, was used for the first time.
ANOTHER MARICRIS BERMONT AD, FOR LA GERMANIA,1979
The campaign took off when singer Maricris Bermont, fresh
from her victory at the Metro Pop Festival, starred in a commercial showing her
strumming a guitar while singing the jingle “LA GERMANIA GENERATES LOVE…generates cooking that generates joy..”.
The repetitive lyrics had a very simple tune, so it as no wonder that everybody
started playing it back, and became so popular, it was used in the next few
years, boosting Bermont’s career---as well as the sales of the gas range.
LA GERMANIA,'YOUNG BRIDE', 1978
At its peak, LA
GERMANIA was the no. 1 selling gas range,trusted by housewives than any other brand.
LOVE THE TECNOGAS TECHNIQUE, 1980
THE TECNOGAS
TECHNIQUE
Not to be outdone was TECNOGAS, created by the Italian Contini brothers, a brand that
came into fruition in the 1960s, with the help of the combined expertise of
chefs, engineers, designers and artists. A
TECNOGASrange was known for its strong
technical engineering and the magnificence of its art and design.
TECNOGAS TECHNIQUE TANDEM, 1979
TECNOGAS
matched the marketing efforts of LA
GERMANIA by coming up with a bandwagon campaign overlayed with an iconic jingle that praised the brand’s ”TECNOGAS Technique”.
JANET BORDON FOR TECNIGAS, 1979 AD
If LA GERMANIA claimed
to be the “no. 1 selling gas range”, TECNOGAS
was “no 1 in many ways”: it was a prestige brand, with 150 models to choose
from, with trendsetting features, at a wide price range. When LA GERMANIA introduced its “Dual Oven”, TECNOGAS came up with its “Double Oven
Electro-Gas Range” that was issued a patent by the Philippine Patent Office.
TECNOGAS VALENTINE AD, 1979
TECNOGAS also
had the combined pulling power of two top actresses of he late 70s—Alma Moreno
and Janet Bordon. And, if LA GERMANIA
was “trusted by more housewives”, “the women love the TECNOGAS Technique”.
WATCH THE TECNOFAN TVC WITH A VERSION
OF THE TECNOGAS TECHNIQUE JINGLE:
Source: Ness Masquito
The campaign was such a big hit that, and the jingle was so "stickable" that it was used in other products line, including its electric fan brand--Tecnofan--in 1982. The commercial featurd starlet Pia Moran.
ALMA MORENO, FOR TECNOGAS,1980
TECNOGAS business
dwindled in the 1990s, but the cooking appliance megabrand began making a
comebackin the Philippine market as it
has tapped a new local distributor for its products--Appstar Global
Distributors—which also now handles the sales and marketing of the Italian
brand.
SOURCES: VILMA SANTOS LA GERMANIA GAS RANGE, uploaded by OPM MTV VIDEO, 13 April 2017 TECNOFAN, uploaded by Ness Maquito, 25 february 2019, Philippine Clasic Commercial Advertisement 1980s
JACUZZI PUMP AD. 1959. The water pumps were distributed by Shriro Phils. Inc.
In the 70s and 80s, “JACUZZI” became a word associated
with the lifestyles of the rich and famous in the Philippines. To have a hot tub with whirlpool and bubble in
one’s spacious bath was a status symbol, and soon, every rich and nouveau riche
seemed to want one for their home.
Soon, the term JACUZZI came to be associated
with hot tubs and whirlpool jetted bath,
regardless of the maker.
JACUZZI has a long history that began with a company
founded by the Italian Jacuzzi brothers who emigrated to the U.S. Settling in California,
they began manufactured aviation parts
like propellers in 1915, and later, cabin
planes. They also toyed with designing water pumps, which they would also manufacture.
Exported worldwide, they became a huge success. These
pumps became available in the Philippines by 1959, exclusively distributed by Shriro (Philippines) Inc.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME. Jacuzzi water pump, from "History of Jacuzzi"
The pumps would further be developed into the hydrotherapy
pump in 1956. It was created to ease a family member’sarthritis pain. The J-300, a portable pump
that could be installed in bath tubs, was sold to hospitals and schools. The
hydromassage one could get was soothing and relaxing. The next step was to
manufacture these for the home, a JACUZZI family spa. The idea took off and the
rest is history.
JACUZZI SPA IN A TUB. Courtesy of www.jacuzzi.co.uk
JACUZZI today, is a registered trademark of Jacuzzi Inc.
as of September 5, 1978. But the name JACUZZI has stuck; in the minds of Filipinos—and in many parts of
the world— any hot tub with massaging jets of water no matter who the maker
is-- is called a JACUZZI!
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS AD? Poor grammar turned this HITACHI ad into a flop. 1981.
Writing for advertising involves writing for effect, so
it is expected that rules of grammar are intentionally not observed—like
starting a headline with a conjunction, splitting infinitive, and removing
punctuations. But obviously, the copy for this HITACHI REFRIGERATOR print
ad was not done for that purpose. Clearly, it was just written poorly, and the
result is a very awkward headline.
In an attempt to draw parallelisms between the beauty of
a woman, a rose and a ref, the copywriter wrote: “Two beautiful things, A Rose and a Ref, things that make women have
something in common.”
HITACHI AD This ad had a billboard version in Greenhills, which had the same mistake,
Oops, say that again?
We sort of get the drift that the copywriter wanted to
convey: that beauty is something that women have in common—which can be had by
having a beautiful rose—and a beautiful refrigerator, in this case, HITACHI. The body copy is similarly mushy and wordy. Crafting this multi-message
thought in a one sentence headline proved to be a challenge for the copywriter.
Apparently, someone took note of the headline’s wrong
grammar that the ad was hastily pulled out and revised. The rewritten headline
now read: “ Two beautiful things…A Rose
and a Ref, things that women have in common”.
THE AD CORRECTED a few issues later. Note the shorter headline that has been grammatically fixed.
The addition of ellipsis (…) to separate the thoughts, and the straightening
of the wrong grammar in the next line were the quick fixes done by the
copywriter (or perhaps, her creative boss)
on the headline. The body copy has also been streamlined, and made more concise. Better, but, oh
well..you be the judge.
THE CORRECTED HITACHI AD, clearer but is it better?
Here is a saying that goes: “A lawyer’s mistakes are in
jail, a judge’s mistakes are in the cemetery, but a copywriter’s mistakes are
shown on TV every night”. So copywriters, be warned.
