427. 7 YEARS OF MISS MAGNOLIA WINNERS, 1974-1980

MISS MAGNOLIA, the search for the dairy company's brand ambassador ran for 7 years.

In 1974, the Magnolia Division of San Miguel Corporation, the country’s leading maker of dairy products, and “the finest name in ice cream”, embarked on a PR event to elevate the brand image of its ice cream line. 1974 was an auspicious year, as the country was all agog at the prospect of holding the 1974 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant in Manila.

THE FIRST MISS MAGNOLIA, VIVIAN AVILA, 1974

A year before, our very own Bb. Pilipinas, Margarita Moran won the 1973 crown in Greece, a feat first achieved by Gloria Diaz only 4 years before, in 1969. This was the start of modern day beauty contest mania that continues to this day among Filipinos. 

MISS MAGNOLIA received extensive national coverage in its time.

So, Magnolia jumped into the pageant bandwagon and organized an annual contest to find their own “Miss Magnolia”, a brand ambassador envisioned to be the face of the wholesome ice cream brand, a corporate spokesperson for the ice cream division, and an product endorser and model of Magnolia’s popular line “Flavor of the Month”.

"FLAVOR OF THE MONTH" GIRL

 With the help of its ad agency, J. Romero & Associates, the quest for the first “Miss Magnolia” was organized and staged at the posh Hyatt, with 5 finalists. “Miss Magnolia” gained enough traction in the next few years and became a major media event, receiving extensive coverage at the same level as established national beauty searches.

THE LAST MISS MAGNOLIA, DINDIN LOPEZ

It had a successful 7-year run, producing winners all noted for their wholesome, winsome kind of beauty, their impeccable background and  educational attainment. Some went on to become well-known figures in the fields of entertainment, showbusiness, broadcast and PR industry. Here once more are the 7 Miss Magnolia beauties from 1974-1980.

VIVIAN AVILA, 1974 MISS MAGNOLIA. The first Miss Magnolia, Vivian “Viv” Avila was a 21 year old commerce graduate of UST. She was the college muse, a corp sponsor, and a  member of her school’s dance troupe. A working student, she was a receptionist at the Hospital of Infant Jesus after school, and modeled part-time. Avila was also the top graduate of Cora Doloros Modelling School. She holds a string of beauty titles:  Miss Summer Sports and Miss Tourism Mindanao. At the time of the contest, she was connected with Grolier’s as education counselor. The four other finalists were: Diana Robinson, Malou Camesa, Leni Palaypay and Rebecca Villavicencio.

MARIA CHRSITINA VALERIANO, 1975 MISS MAGNOLIA. 18-year old Ma. Christina “Mari” Valeriano was a 2^nd year A.B. Psychology major at St. Paul when she won Miss Magnolia 1975.

MALOU PEREZ, 1976 MISS MAGNOLIA. Malou Perez emerged as the 1976 Miss Magnolia during the finals at the Hyatt Regency. She was a product of Poveda, and the University of the Philippines, where she took up Psychology.  Perez also forayed into print and commercial modelling in her time. She later went to La Salle for her MBA. Her finalists included Tonette Pineda (2^nd), Lydia Mabanta (3^rd) and Chiqui Toledo (4^th). Mabanta became the wife of singer Jim Paredes of APO Hiking Society. Toledo joined Cathay Pacific.

GINA ARAGON, 1977 MISS MAGNOLIA. Another U.P. coed went on to win Miss Magnolia 1977, in the person of Gina Sarena Aragon a Hotel and Restaurant Administration student. Aragon was an active member of UP Junior Management Association, and an avid athlete. Her early schooling were spent at St. Scholastica College. She has appeared as a TV ad model for a toothpaste and tissue commercial. There were 12 finalists that year, including Susan Brodett, Yolanda de Dios, and Jocelyn Domingo.

MARY MASSAB, 1978 MISS MAGNOLIA. Maryknoller Mary Massab was chosen as Miss Magnolia 1978, but found greater fame post-Magnolia, as part of the original cast of the hit movie “Iskul Bukol” (1980), based on the popular Tv series starring Tito, Vic and Joey, and “My Juan and Only”, with Dolphy and Panchito (1982). She is now Mrs. Carandang.

JOANNA PARAS, 1979 MISS MAGNOLIA. In 1979, Joanna Paras was acclaimed the winner of the Miss Magnolia title. The daughter of a Procter & Gamble executive Renato Paras and Aurea Gutierrez, Paras was a 3^rd year Marketing and Management student of Assumption, a Dean’s Lister, no less, when the contest beckoned. A member of the famed Bayanihan Dance Troupe, she has traveled extensively and has perfomed in Europe, South America, U.S. and some socialist countries. Her court included Ruby Ann Bonanza (2^nd, an HRM sophomore0, Joy Alindada (3^rd,  a senior Psychology student), and Nadine Ramirez (4^th, staff nurse, Philippine Heart Center). Bonanza appeared in one movie, “Condemne”(1984), and then joined the PR division of Magnolia.

GERALDINE LOPEZ, 1980 MISS MAGNOLIA. Geraldine “Dindin” Lopez was the last Miss Magnolia, elected in 1980. It was a hotly contested battle between her and another Geraldine—Geraldine “Dina” Bonnevie.  But the popular University of the Philippines-HRM student pipped her in the finals. After her reign, she took up her MBA at the Asia Institute of Management, and joined the banking industry, with stints at Citibank, PBCom and Security Bank, She is now Mrs. Nakpil. Her court included included runner up Dina Bonnevie (actress, dubbed as ‘Drama Queen”), Thelma Aranda (3^rd, TV newscaster at RPN , turned children’s book author, now Mrs. Sugay), and Ma. Lourdes “Malu” Maglutac (TV host, now Mrs. Chiongbian).

SOURCES/CREDITS:

I am indebted to Mr. Tony Paat for providing the photos and news clippings of Vivian Avila, Malou Perez, Gina Aragon, Mary Massab. Many thanks, Tony!

123. Punong-puno ng Sarap: MAGNOLIA SORBETES, 1983

1983 was a period of turmoil in the Philippines, marked by destructive typhoon Bebeng, a major earthquake in Luzon , and the killing of Marcos opposition leader Ninoy Aquino in August that would catalyze protests all over the country, culminating in the People Power Revolution.  

It was against this uncertain backdrop that Magnolia launched its MAGNOLIA SORBETES, a line of local flavors that are sure to please, generously filled with chunky fruit bits, and other tasty ingredients--"punong-puno ng sarap!"

There were four initial flavors—Halo Halo Fiesta, Queso Rico, Ube Macapuno and Fruit Salad—all familiar favorites, as the product concept aimed to replicate popular, sought-after “sorbetes” flavors  that one could easily pick from a cart from one’s friendly neighborhood sorbetero.

The  launch materials included a full color introductory ad and a jingle-based TV commercial that featured mouthwatering food and consumption shots, and employing showbiz personalities like Toby Alejar, actor/model Marty Merino and dancer Ida Ramos.

WATCH MAGNOLIA SORBETES TV AD HERE:

In 1996, SMC went into joint venture with Nestle that resulted in the Magnolia-Nestle Corp. Two years later, SMC withdrew but Nestle continued producing  ice cream under the Sorbetes name. In 2004, after a 10-year absence, Magnolia Ice Cream returned to the market with its classic ice cream products. Magnolia Sorbetes was promoted by its food supplier arm (Great Food Solutions)  but its present website no longer lists the Sorbetes brand in its product portfolio.

SOURCES:

Magnolia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_(Philippine_company) 

Magnolia Sorbetes picture inset:

http://www.greatfoodsolutions.com/images/uploads/products/Sorbetes_Tsokolate1.jpg_product_img_1484130913.jpg

Magnolia Sorbetes TV Ad: uploaded by Marty Merino, 9 Oct. 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51VBV-LvMeA

113. The Modern Fast-Frozen Ice Cream: PRESTO ICE CREAM ADS, 1978-1979

 

PRESTO ICE CREAM. Flavorite for July, Print Ad, 1979

In the 1970s, Magnolia Dairy Products pretty much lorded it over the Philippine ice cream market, but there were a few more players that dared challenge the leader. Some of these included the 60s brand Silver Bell, the scoop ice cream station Coney Island, and Selecta Ice Cream which was sold in limited quantities in supermarkets.

Then, in 1975, Consolidated Food Corporation owned by the taipan John Gokongwei, ventured into ice cream production and introduced PRESTO ICE CREAM, which, to Magnolia, loomed as a serious contender to deal with. After all, Gokongwei  had a history of aggressively marketing its products that found favor in the Philippine marketplace.

Beginning in 1954, when he put up Universal Robina Corporation which launched snack items like Jack ‘n Jill, candies like Nips, Maxx, Dynamite, and noodles, like Nissin’s. Gokongwei wanted to diversify like what multinational companies were doing, and so in 1961, he put up  Consolidated Food Corporation which produced two initial successes—Blend 45 and Great Taste Coffee,  brands that at one point soundly beat Café Puro and Nescafe,

CFC had used the brand name PRESTO earlier, in the late1960s, for its chocolate snacks. Now it wanted to capitalize on that already-familiar name by calling its newest ice cream product--PRESTO ICE CREAM. It  was directly aimed at Magnolia, but with a twist—it was significantly cheaper than the ice cream leader. “Anything you’ve always wanted in an ice cream, for less!”, the colored print ads bannered.

 

What more could you want in an ice cream? Dec. 1979

To Magnolia’s well-entrenched “Flavor of The Month”, PRESTO responded with “Presto Flavorites for the Month”, and during special times like the Christmas holidays,  not one, but two “flavorites” were launched. 

PRESTO, too, had counterpart products for Magnolia’s Frozen Delights—a line of ice cream novelties.  PRESTO Funwich—two chocolate cookies with ice cream in between-- attained popularity in the late 1970s, and so did PRESTO Tivoli Ice Cream Choco Bars, Funsticks, Heaven in a Bar and Calypso Cream Bars.

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Made with the modern 'Fast-Freeze' Process, 1979

PRESTO ICE CREAM touted its modern “Fast-Freeze” process of manufacturing ice cream. Fast-frozen ice cream means ice cream at the peak-of-freshness.  At its height, PRESTO even lent its name to the Gokongwei-owned basketball team, that played in PBA from the 70s thru the 90s –the PRESTO Ice Cream Makers.

WATCH 'PRESTO' 1980 TVC HERE

(Courtesy: View on the 3rd)

Despite the initial hoopla and the millions spent in pushing the brand, PRESTO could not make significant inroads into Magnolia’s turf. Magnolia countered with the price brand Sorbetes, but even then, by the late 1980s, the rising cost of materials started to affect the local ice cream industry. CFC stopped its PRESTO Ice Cream production altogether by the mid 1990s, as the ice cream landscape changed when RFM bought the Selecta brand and turned it into a market leader, overtaking Magnolia by 1997, this, despite a joint venture by Nestle. 

Today, PRESTO  still exists in the URC porfolio—but only as a cream cookie brand, under the “Jack and Jill” line. With its demise, PRESTO  Ice Cream joins other discontinued Gokongwei product ventures like Yahoo Juice Drinks, Robina Chickens and Mark Electronics.

SOURCES:

Unilever website: https://www.unilever.com.ph/brands/our-brands/selecta.html

Universal Robina Corp. website:http://www2.urc.com.ph/
youtube, Presto ice Cream TVC 1980, published by John Castillo Soberano, My 7, 2017

44. MAGNOLIA FLAVOR OF THE MONTH

MAGNOLIA FLAVOR OF THE MONTH, 1965

For over 90 years,, Magnolia has been synonymous with the finest name in ice cream. One of its most distinctive product line was the Flavor of the Month ice cream series which represented the dozen months of the calendar.

APRIL FLAVOR OF THE MONTH--MOCHA NUT, 1964

 Introduced in March 1954, Magnolia’s Flavor of the Month (FOM) had Tru-Fruit Strawberry as its initial offering. Positioned as a superior ice cream with novel, exciting and various flavors throughout the year, FOM flavors range from fruit-based or confectionery-flavored ice cream with homegrown or imported ingredients.

JUNE FLAVOR OF THE MONTH--STRAWBERRY RIBBONETTE, 1961

 The flavor names evoked mouth-watering and sometimes, exotic deliciousness—“Coffee Mangosteen”, “Ube-Nangka Fiesta”, “Corn ‘n Coco Flip”, “Vanilla Macaroon”, “Atis Glacé”. 

MAY FLAVOR OF THE MONTH--RAINBOW
PINEAPPLE, 1964

FOM’s advertising weaves through the texture of time and growth of the products themselves in terms of sales volume. Initial print advertising featured illustrated ice cream scoops in goblets, but eventually, photography was used to enhance appetite appeal. In the 1970s,

FOM models were used to endorse the product, hence the “Miss Magnolia” search was hatched. The winner pitched the product with all her wholesome charm, in print, poster and TV commercials.

JULY FLAVOR OF THE MONTH---VANILLA MACAROON, 1979

 “Magnolia, the finest name in ice cream, now presents the Ice Cream Flavor of the Month”—goes the jingle which opens the commercial and which then led to Miss Magnolia—“For March, it’s Tutti-Frutti!”, and then proceeds to describe the ingredients of the flavor.

MAY FLAVOR OF THE MONTH--GOLDEN NANGKA FIESTA, 1979

 In the late 70s thru the early 80s, FOM ads, designed by its long-time agency J. Romero & Associates, latched on to seasonal themes and visuals—a wedding setting for June, kite-flying for May. Miss Magnolia was relegated as an inset picture in FOM ads, until she was eased out completely; the last Miss Magnolia quest was held in 1980.

 The Magnolia’s FOM line was discontinued when SMC transferred its ice cream and dairy businesses to Magnolia-Nestlé Corp. In 1998, SMC withdrew from the joint venture with Nestlé and a "non-compete" clause barred it from the ice cream and milk businesses for five years. When the clause lapsed in 2004, SMC revived its ice cream through subsidiary, Magnolia, Inc., but not its FOM line.