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!

426. SPRITE: "“Reaching For More”, Local Adaptation of a U.S. Campaign, 1980

SPRITE " Reaching for More" TVC 30: When Global goes Local, 1980

The late 1970s were a time of growth and robust business for Coke, and in 1979, a refreshing lemon-lime flavored soft drink with a crisp, clean taste was pipelined in the market, to compete against the established 7-Up brand that had been in the Philippines since the 1930s. The new soda in a green bottle was called SPRITE, which was concocted in 1961, and introduced 2 years later to the world by Coca-Cola.

 As was the case with multinational brands, McCann-Erickson Phils. was mandated to use the creative elements of SPRITE’s “Reach for More, Reach for Sprite” campaign, and the result is a localized version that made use of the same jingle, same sports vignette-type of execution, and same campaign theme. 

 THE ORIGINAL U. S. SPRITE VERSION, 1980

The most obvious differences were the choice of sports; U.S. version had Long Jump, Volleyball, Jumping Rope, and Karate, while the Philippines featured its popular sports disciplines like Swimming, Cycling, Billiards, plus the field event, Shot Put. There  were subtle differences, a change of line or words in the lyrics here and there, and the singers, too (Note the word "reachin'" in the end-frame slogan of the Philippine ad vs. "reaching" in the U.S. ad) The Philippine version was sung by popular singer, Becca Godinez (of "Shining" and Morris Albert fame).

     WATCH THE PHILIPPINE VERSION OF SPRITE

"Reaching For More" TVC, 1980 (Source: VOT III) uploaded by Dateline Anime

The SPRITE TV ad aired in the Philippines, pretty much adhered to the U.S. developed global commercial, and the formulaic campaign apparently worked as SPRITE became a major payer in the market. In the future, SPRITE commercials became more original and Filipinized, even with mandatories from the worldwide office--the “Magpakatotoo ka” series, under the “Obey Your Thirst” campaign.

SOURCES:

Sprite TV Commercial (PH) 1980, uploaded by VOT III via Dateline Anime, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S1eUC1qquY

Sprite TV Commercial (US) 1980, uploaded by deftmahatma, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn5AIJVv6Ow

425. Creative Guild TV Ad of the Month for May, 1984: NIDO MILK "No. 1"

NIDO'S # 1, Chosen as Creative Guild's TV Ad of the Month for May, 1984, by AMA.

424. Where Are They Now? JIM ARANETA: The Colgate PROOF Boy, 1975

JIM ARANETA, THEN & NOW. From a kid talent, to a proud grandfather!

In 1975, Colgate launched a new Fluoride toothpaste called PROOF, a revolutionary toothpaste that promised to reduce tooth decay. The introductory Colgate PROOF ad featured a cute, bright-eyed 10 year old boy which left quite an impression on the newspaper reading audience.

That boy with his signature bangs was JIM ARANETA. He recalls that a talent scout went to his grade school at Colegio de San Agustin sometime in 1974. This caster went through most of the classrooms looking for the right young boy to appear in the print and TV ad, and singled out then nine year old Jim.

 Before he knew it, Bates-Alcantara, the ad agency assigned to Colgate advertising, scuttled him off to a studio to shoot the Print and TV ad for New Colgate PROOF. Little JIM also did a TV version of Colgate PROOF ad (which, unfortunately has not been found yet), but he recalls he only had a one-liner –“Ang sarap!”.

JIM, A BUSINESSMAN TODAY, CALLS TAGAYTAY HIS HOME TODAY.

Today, JIM is a 58 year-old father of 3 children,  and a doting grandfather of an equally cute and look-alike kid, Diego, son of his eldest daughter. At one time, he was married to a commercial model who was one of the high-profile 1990s Pantene Ladies of Procter and Gamble.

PROOF OF SUCCESS: with look-alike grandkid Diego

He keeps himself busy with his real estate projects and his company called Simple Fix, which provides handymen for building projects. He divides his time between Vancouver in Canada where some family members reside, and Tagaytay, which he considers his primary home.

JIM DIVIDES HIS TIME BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES & CANADA
where members of his family reside.

The project he did for Colgate PROOF in 1975, was his first and last commercial. In the 1980s, Colgate PROOF revitalized its advertising, as P&G’s CREST Toothpaste made significant inroads into the Colgate market. A series of commercials were produced, using a new kid model with the same bowlcut hairstyle that JIM ARANETA sported in his commercial, as the image he created was so well remembered.

It's in the bangs! JIM & GRANDSON DIEGO. Casters, take note! 

Today, JIM ARANETA has lost those trademark bangs, but he has kept those pearly whites shining after all these years, thanks to New Colgate PROOF!

SOURCES: Personal interview with Mr. Jim Araneta, 30 Apr. 2023.

All photos, used with permission from Mr. J. Araneta.

423. MAGNOLIA FRUIT DRINKS, "Truer to the Fruit!", Print Ads. 1983-1990

In the early 1980s, SMC-MAGNOLIA entered the lucrative juice and juice drink market with a brand called Nature’s Best Orange Drink. It had also introduced in 1981, a premium bottled fruit juice brand called Magnolia Juice, in Orange, Mango and Guyabano flavors. Nature’s Best proved to be more viable, especially with the growing shift from bottled packaging to the cheaper, recyclable tetra-pack cartons.

TRUER TO THE FRUIT, Launch Ad, 1983

Magnolia eventually dropped the more expensive bottled juice line and retained Nature’s Best for some time, only to be incorporated in a new fruit drink line introduced in 1983:  MAGNOLIA FRUIT DRINKS in single-serve tetra cartons with straws.

The launch materials include a Radio Jingle that was composed and sung by the Apo Hiking Society, with the catchphrase: “Give me the fruit…or give me Magnolia”, commissioned by its agency Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi.

LISTEN TO MFD RADIO BY APO HIKING SOCIETY, 1983 HERE:

 The MAGNOLIA FRUIT DRINKS line would expand to include Buco (Coconut water), Mango,  Guyabano (Soursop), and Calamansi (Philippine Lemon) juice flavors. The carton-packed fruit drinks survived the 90s decade, and would be reformulated several times.

In 2000s, MAGNOLIA FRUIT DRINKS reverted to PET bottles and crowned bottles. Today the MAGNOLIA FRUIT DRINK line is applied to bottled products (Grape and Orange Flavors) advertised in tandem with their fruit-based HealthTea line,

SOURCES:

1983 Magnolia Fruit Drinks Radio Ad featuring The Apo Hiking Society, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NdqRBUYaNg, uploaded by 莢豌豆本舗 2018.

422. MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES, "Nursery Rhyme" Campaign, 1989

MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES "Woman in a Shoe" PRINT AD, 1989

By the late 1980s, MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES was already an established instant noodle brand from Nestlé. It was supported by annual advertising campaigns developed by Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising.

 One such notable tri-media campaign was inspired by a nursery rhyme “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”, that originally talked about an old mother’s dilemma over her many children.

WATCH THE MAGGI RCH MAMI NOODLES "Nursery Rhyme" TVC HERE:

Source: Youtube Video uploaded by AlanChan80 

The popular Mother Goose rhyme was given a new spin, in which the many versions of MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES were presented as the perfect answers to satisfying a large brood. The copy retained the rhyme format, but rewritten this way:

“There was a woman who lived in a shoe 

She had so many children, and she knew what to do

She gave them some MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES

Rich delicious noodles, in rich flavorful soup

Steaming hit and hearty, to the delight of the whole group

“Tasty Chicken!” “Real Beefy!”

“Zesty Chicken Asado!” “Spicy Curry!”

“Mmm, love ‘em, mom!”, they said,

And she kissed them all soundly, and sent them to bed".

The sales promotion component of this campaign was a giveaway activity book, MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES Nursery Rhyme Games, that contained coloring pages, dot-to-dot, puzzles and games.

CREDITS:

Advertiser: Nestlé MAGGI

Agency: Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising

Creative Director: Cid V. Reyes

Copywriter: Isabel Beltran / Art Director: Bingo Bautista

SOURCES

1990 MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv0FjucrFG0

uploaded by 莢豌豆本舗, 2018. uploaded by The Real AianChan80, Jan. 10, 2018

莢豌豆本舗

421. For a cleaner, neater, fresher look! VITALIS SOLID BRILLIANTINE, 1957

VITALIS SOLID BRILLIATINE PRINT AD, 1957

Old school barber shops are becoming trendier these days—specializing in timeless haircuts styles done in the old fashioned way: pompadours, fades, tapers, bowl cut, crew cut, French crop, side part and slick backs. Suddenly, more male hair care products in vintage-style packaging are appearing in the market to appeal to this fresher, neater styles of the past.

 One such stuff men put on their hair as part of their grroming regimen during the Magsaysay years was VITALIS SOLID BRILLIANTINE., made by Metro Laboratories Inc., under license from Bristol-Myers Co., New York, U.S. VITALIS was originally a hair tonic brand that was produced in the 1940s, but since hair lotion was not popular in the local market, the VITALIS name was appended to a pomade brand that were more in use by Filipino menfolk. When launched, VITALIS was touted as the most exciting hair preparation since the ordinary pomade—holding hair better, thus keeping a man well-groomed all day.

Even the name VITALIS, however, could not hold the competitors at bay—like Vaseline and Brylcreem. Besides, there were cheaper pomades entrenched in the market—X-7 , Black Panther, Robin Hood, Three Flowers. The VITALIS brand still exists in the online market as VITALIS Hair Tonic, and is produced today by Idelle Labs in the U.S.