One of the most popular shopping attractions in the late
70s thru the early 1990s is the Annual Toys and Gifts Fair, a Christmas trade
exhibition by the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibit (PHILCITE).
The very first Toys and Gifts Fair was organized in 1976, and proved to be
a hit for shoppers, opening as early as November, and ending past January. The area was even decorated
for the holidays; in 1986, the front of Philcite featured a giant Japanese lighted robot display.
In the 1990s under Fred Elizalde, the fair evolved into
an amusement park later named Star City. The former PhilCite building upon was
pulled down in the late 1990s to make way for the park's indoor rides. On October
2, 2019, a huge blaze caused widespread damage to Star City; it reopened in
2022.
One cheese brand with a long history in the Philippines—65
years in 2023—started out as CHE-VITAL Pasteurized Cheese made by New
Zealand Creamery Inc. It was actually a company that was established in
1958 as a joint venture of the New Zealand Dairy Board. The arrangement
was that the local company would provide the technology to manufacture the dairy
products but this deal fell through.
CHE-VITAL. Golden rich, deliciously nourishing, 1967
A later partnership with Golden State of California
in the 1960s (part of the American conglomerate, Foremost Dairy Group) resulted
in a company called Golden State Phils., which was tasked with marketing
and distribution of Golden State products. This partnership was
eventually cancelled, and the local company founder decided to send his managers
to Australia and NZ for training to learn the modern way of dairy product
manufacturing.
CHE-VITAL CREAMERY BUTTER, Prind ad, 1967
With the new-found expertise, the company was set to
relaunch under a new name. As it was taking too long for the Securities and
Exchange Commission to approved the name, the founder revived the first company
name-New Zealand Creamery, and so from 1962 onward, it had kept that
name.
A CHE-VITAL CHRISTMAS, Print Ad 1978
The company’s best-known and best selling product turned
out to be their CHE-VITAL cheese products, led by CHE-VITAL Pasteurized Cheese
in 1962. One of the first cheese food brands in the market, CHE-VITAL was
made from Australian dairy ingredients and packed in blocks.CHE-VITAL became a favorite for making
sandwiches, canapes, desserts and pastries. By 1978, the cheese line came to include CHE-VITAL
BLUE (Cheddar, packed in circular tin cans), CHE-VITAL Cheese Balls, CHE-VITAL
Ham or Pimiento, and QBB Cheddar. There was also CHE-VITAL Fresh Butter,
introduced in 1967.
CURRENT PRODUCT LINE, Source: New Zealand Creamery FB Page
Today, New Zealand Creamery continues to be productive as
ever, still makinglongtime favorite CHE-VITAL: CHE-VITAL Pasteurized
Process Cheese Food, CHE-VITAL Quickmelt, CHE-VITAL Cheddar, CHE-VITAL Fresh
Creamery Butter. Still going strong is its QBB Cheddar. Another powerhouse brand
includes QUES-O Cheesefood, QUES-O Supermelt, QUES-O Cheesy Spread, and
O-K Processed Filled Cheese Spread, a price brand. The company also makes
the premium Queensland Butter in Cans, Queensland Pure Creamery
Butter, Golden Crown Butter Compound, and Dairy Magic Margarine, used
for cooking and baking. Indeed, with New Zealand Creamery cheese and
dairy brands still around—the good life is yours to enjoy, on and on!
JOLLIBEE "LOLA" TVC, PILAK Awardee 2002, by BASIC ADVERTISING
In 2002, when the Association of Accredited Advertising
Agencies of the Philippines (4 A’s) convened to vote the 25 Best TV ads over
the past 50 years, one of two Jollibee ads to make it to the list of
“patalastas na walang kupas” was the heartwarming “Lola” TVC . The plot
involved two grandkids, conniving to treat their “Lola”—who they realized was
“lagi na lang ikaw ang taya”-- to a Jollibee lunch paid for by their savings.
Touched by the act of her grateful ‘apos’, Lola sheds a
few tears, leading the elder grandchild to ask “Lola, napuwing ka?”. The
charming ad won its way to the hearts of viewers—and the creative jury—to a
well-deserved win at the PILAK Awards Night held on 31 August 2002.
WATCH THE PILAK AWARD-WINNING JOLLIBEE "LOLA" TVC HERE:
The Jollibee“Lola” ad was significant due to the rare
appearance of NATY CRAME-ROGERS (b.1922/d. 2021) who portrayed the role of the
doting grandmother.
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.
Commercial hair dye products were known in the
Philippines as early as the 1920s, but the one brand that was most popular was
BIGEN Hair Dye.
BIGEN was effective, economical and easy to use—all you
need to do is to mix the powder with water, and it’s ready to use to put the black
back in your hair. Since BIGEN does not contain hydrogen peroxide, it is also
safe and gentle to the hair.
BIGEN, 1967 Ad
BIGEN was created by an unknown Japanese man who concocted
the powder hair dye in Nagoya, back in 1905. Eventually, Hoyu Co. Ltd. took over
its manufacture. Water-activated. BIGEN 美源, which means
"origin of beauty,' became Japan's #1* hair color brand for men and women,
and was recognized as an iconic brand in the 1950s.
BIGEN, 1966 Ad
In the early 60s, BIGEN became available in the
Philippines, and quickly became a dominant name in the hair dye segment of the
haircare market. BIGENcame in small
bottled in a carton package with the graphics of a Japanese woman in kimono—an
enduring image for decades, and an iconic part of the brand’s long history.
BIGEN Shampoo-in Hair Color, 1974
The company made modest advertising investments, coming
out with small, black and white small ads accompanied with illustrations and
stock photographs of Japanese women,
From basic hair dyes, BIGEN addedhair coloring products for men and women in the
1970s. This was made possible when BICO Industries, based in Valenzuela,
Bulacan acquired the license from Hoyu Co. Ltd., to manufacture BIGEN products
localy, under supervision by the Japanese company.
By 1975, the BIGEN product line in the Philippines
included BIGEN Hair Color for women, in bottles; BIGEN Hair Pencils for
retouching eyebrows, BIGEN Jade Shampoo, BIGEN Pink and Blue Lotion, BIGEN Medicated
Pomade, and BIGEN Pure Vaseline medicated pomade in bottles and cans.
BIGEN Omnibus Product Ad, 1975
From the 60s thru the 70s, the company made modest
advertising investments, coming out with small, black and white small ads
accompanied with illustrations and stock photographs of Japanese women, as seen
on this spread In the 2000s, BIGEN began advertising on TV,
WATCH BIGEN TVC from 2017 HERE:
The brand continues to be available in the Philipines,
represented to day by BIGEN Philippines, which oversees its sale, marketing and
promotions. BIGEN products are available online and in traditional sales
outlets such as drugstore, cosmetic, and department stores.
DAVID 'Indiana Jones Kid' ESTEBAN, for Ovaltine, 1987
On 11 August 1988, the Top Models of Philippine Advertising
were announced at the Creative Guild Ad of the Year Awards Night, at the Metropolitan
Theater. One of the winners cited was
the young DAVID ESTEBAN, who was unforgettable as the feisty, confident kid
adventurer in the Indiana Jones-inspired OVALTINE TVC, that hit the airwaves in
1986.
SHOOTING INDIANA JONES. Courtesy of Direk Jun Urbano
The OVALTINE “Indiana Jones” TVC was actually part of a
pair of commercials inspired by hit action films of the era—the other ad had a “Top
Gun” theme. It was the Indiana Jones
version, however, that proved to be more memorable and Esteban had a lot to do
with it, essaying the role with gusto and bravado. The Lintas-produced commercial
was cast by Myra Mendoza-Portillo and was directed by noted commercial director Jun Urbano. Unfortunately, the TVC is
not available online.
INDIANA JONES KID, Then, and Now. David Esteban
DAVID ESTEBAN went on to pursue his higher studies at the
Ateneo de Manila University and at the University of Western Australia. True to
his adventurous spirit, he worked at the Earth School in El Nido, Palawan which
focused on sustainability and innovation in the ecosystem of the municipality.
He also was employed at the Australian International School in Manila.
DAVID ESTEBAN, TODAY. Source: FB Page
He is a Mobility/Movement Fitness Trainer, plays and
teaches Drums, and s married to the former Dona Tumacder, an educator and yoga
teacher. The couple are vey much into green advocacies, as well as naturopathy,
wellness and healing.
CREDITS
Photo of the commercial talents, courtesy of Direk Jun
Urbano
B&W Photo of Indiana Jones kid, from the Creative Guild
AOY awards programme, 1988.
ZARAH'S HOUSE OF BEAUTY, Owned and managed by Mrs. Virginia Bertulfo. Names after her daughter, Zarah. Fully air-contidioned with the most mddern equipment. Located at V. Mapa, Sampaloc. 1964.
The
1960s decade saw the rise in beauty and fashion consciousness of Philippine
society, particularly in the nation’s capital spawning beauty salons, hair
style shops, fashion houses and finishing schools. In fact, every little town,
it seemed, had a hole-in-the-wall beauty shop to cater to the needs of
Filipinas who wanted to feel good, and look good—be it through a quick
manicure, hair trim, or a cold wave treatment.
SLIM'S FASHION AND ARTS SCHOOL, founded by the iconic Philippine haute couture designer, Salvacion Lim Higgins. 1964.
The
burgeoning movie industry in the 50s and 60s starred well-coiffed screen icons
who became role models of beauty and style. Sampaguita teen stars sported the
latest hair styles—fly-aways, bob cut, bangs, teased, pixie look. Sophisticated
ladies favored couture bouffants, towering beehives, and buns. Local vamps like
Rosa Rosal and Divina Valencia sported signature looks-- popularized wavy hair
with a stray strand of hair half-covering one eye. All these styles were available at a
neighborhood beauty salon, with walls plastered with magazine pages of local
and international stars, for reference.
PETITE BEAUTY SALON, with branches at Don. A. Roces Ave. and at Dapitan, near UST. 1964
Meanwhile,
Make-Up styles were also evolving in the Philippines as more local and
international cosmetics became readily available. Pastel eye shadow, black
crease shadow, winged eyeliner, and heavy fake lashes with light blush and
pastel pink lips were the rage of the day.
MATUTE FASHION SCHOOL. Founded by Mrs. Macaraia Hilario Matute. The school is still in operations. 1964
Beauty
salons had a heyday glamming up women and teens for their weddings, debuts and
graduations. Others went one step ahead by offering slimming and slenderizing
services, with machines and other contraptions to firm and improve the figure.
DORY'S SLENDERIZING & BEAUTY SALON, owned and operated by Dory Acuna. Salon endorser is actress Blanca Gomez of Sampaguita Pictures,1964.
But what
is fashion and beauty without personality? Finishing and modeling schools took
care of that-with mentors ready to train girls with proper deportment,
etiquette, speech and diction, conversation
skills for all-around poise and personality development.
DE LUXE FASHION SCHOOL BEAUTY ACADEMY, at Evangelista St., at the corner of Raon St., Sta. Cruz, Manila. 1964
After
all, Filipina beauties were going international. In 1963, Lalaine Bennett
placed in 4th in the Miss Universe pageant, and the next year, 1964,
the first Bb. Pilipinas for Miss Univese was crowned. That same year that the regal Gemma Cruz was
crowned Miss International—and goodness how many Filipinas she inspired to be
beauty queens. The rest is history.
DELLS BEAUTY SALON, fully air-conditioned. Located in Quiapo, Manila near Cine Moderno. Endorser: Sylvia Gumabao.
On this
spread are 1964 ads of beauty, fashion and style houses where Filipinas
hied off to in their pursuit of
pulchritude. Good girls may go to heaven, but beautiful girls go everywhere.
CUPID'S HAIR STYLING, at Carantes St., Baguio City, 1964
CHARI'S HOUSE OF BEAUTY, under proprietress Joselita E. Dumon. With branches in Malate and Buendia, Pasay.
CHANTILLY GOWNS & BEAUTY SUITE, with beauty stylist Carling Mercado. Under proprietress Vicky A. San Diego. Echague, Manila. Models include: Myrna Panlilio (Bb. Pilipinas 1964), Elvie Gonzales (Bb. Waling-Waling).
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