97. COLGATE’S PROOF: The Only Toothpaste with MFP Fluoride, 1975

THE PROOF, AND NOTHING BUT THE PROOF. Launch print ad,1975.

For the longest time, Colgate had a monopoly of the toothpaste market, but new brands began to surface by the 1970s. Some, like PRC’s (Phil. Refining Co,) Close-Up targetted the youth market, while P&G was cooking up plans to launch Crest, already a leading U.S. brand.

Thus, to pre-empt competition and to consolidate its hold in the market, Colgate introduced New PROOF Toothpaste, touted to be the only brand with monofluorophospate—MFP Fluoride—that is clinically proven to reduce tooth decay. This revolutionary ingredient does not stain teeth, and makes them less sensitive to hot or cold liquids and food.

New PROOF carried over Colgate’s dentist-backed credentials in its advertising, which has worked very well for the mother brand. The communication strategy capitalized on the clinical tests conducted on the efficacy of MFP Fluoride in the U.S., Germany and Australia against tooth decay.

WATCH "PROOF" TVC HERE:

Colgate’s New PROOF was launched in 1974 or 1975 via a tri-media campaign, endorsed as usual by the PDA (Philippine Dental Association). “Only a dentist can give a better fluoride treatment”—so went the selling line.

WATCH NEW PROOF TVC version 2, 

uploaded by Pinoy Philippine Television Here:

It anticipated for a few years the massive launch of  Procter and Gamble's CREST Toothpaste and the  unbeatable cavity-fighting power of Fluoristat—not to mention its strong made-in-America appeal. CREST made significant inroads into the Colgate-dominated toothpaste market, leading the company to use PROOF even more to defend their turf. If CREST had Fluoristat, PROOF had Fluorigard, and this was flounted in TV Ads all throughout the 1980s, escalating the toothpaste war beween Colgate and P&G.

Today, in some countries like UK and Australia, Colgate has retained the PROOF brand, as Colgate Total PROOF.

SOURCES:

youtube: New Proof Toothpaste (Philippines) old (version 2) , uploaded by Pinoy Philippine Television, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuDVEkaUtJA
youtube, Colgate Proof Classic TVC, uploaded by ADman1909, on 13 Sept. 2007. Colgate Proof

Woman's Home Companion, 1975 issue

96. PUREFOODS HOTDOGS “Codiñera, Patrimonio, Lastimosa” TVC SERIES, 1988

PHOTO FROM CNN SPORTSDESK. Pinterest: PBA, The Basketball Life

The trio of Purefoods commercials that made waves at the 1989 Philippine Advertising Congress creative competition  in Baguio City, featured the prized cage stars of the  PUREFOODS TJ Hotdogs basketball team: Jerry Codiñera, Alvin Patrimonio and Jojo Lastimosa.

The year before, the Purefoods Hotdogs season began in and was the first season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). They would win their first PBA title in 1990, with a lineup that included the 3 ace cagers.

 

ACTUAL TVC STORYBOARDS, autographed by the Purefoods cage stars.

PUREFOODS sought to capitalize on the immense popularity  of their basketball stars by directing its agency, Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi, to feature them in their corporate advertising, with the hotdogs as flagship brand. The big project was assigned to the newly-created Marketing Services Department of Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi, which prepared the storyboards for the Client.

 

Photos taken from the shooting of Purefoods "Codinera" TVC, Oct. 1988.

Jerry Codiñera, then a 22 year old center from University of the East, along with Alvin Patrimonio, was was a dominant presence in  the All-Filipino hardcourts, christened “Defense Minister”, for his prowess in the defensive end.

 For Codiñera, a dramatic storyboard that involved him playing basketball with a handicapped, crippled child was shot in a day in San Juan, in front of the Sto. Cristo Church.  It was effectively directed by young Vittorio “Vitt” Romero.

WATCH PUREFOODS "Codinera" TVC 60s HERE:

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Actual photos taken from the Purefoods "Patrimonio" TVC shoot.

Mapua stalwart Alvin Patrimonio, also 22, entered the PBA in 1988 and played his entire career with the Purefoods franchise which won five championships. He would go on to win 4 PBA Most Valuable Player awards.

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Patrimonio’s commercial showed him propping up the spirit of of a grade school basketball player after losing a game. The filming involved replicating a school fair with hundreds of kids and parents in attendance. It was a challenging shoot, compounded by the replacement of the original lead child actor on the set, but which was superbly directed by award-winning Maryo de los Reyes.

WATCH THE PUREFOODS"Patrimonio" TVC HERE:

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Jojo Lastimosa, then 24 years old, was a guard forward from University of San Jose Recoletos. “Jolas” came into the league as a member of the very first PUREFOODS TJ Hotdogs team and would be named PBA Rookie of the Year in 1988.

Lastimosa’s commercial was the first to be shot, which showed him helping a child practicing his shooting skills awkwardly amidst the taunts of  neighborhood bullies. The scene was filmed at the basketball court of Philam Homes in Quezon City, under the direction of film director Ismael Bernal. The ad is best remembered for exposing his sexy legs which he was known for at that time. (Unfortunately, a print of this ad has yet to surface).

 

Photos taken from the actual Sept. 22, 1988 shoot, at PhilAm Homes.

Each ad was scored with the same original jingle,”Slowly, But Surely”, but arranged differently to suit the varying moods of the one-minute commercial. The well-crafted ads were enthusiastically received and further bolstered the popularity of PUREFOODS hoop heroes. 

When the Araw Award season came, the 3 commercial won for Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi two Golds in the two categories they were entered in: TV Campaign (for the Codiñera, Lastimosa, Patrimonio TVCs) and Single Medium TV (for the Codiñera version)—a triumph that would put the agency in the lead as that year’s most creative.

 

PHOTO CREDITS: CNN SCREEN GRAB

CREDITS:

ADVERTISER: Purefoods Hotdogs   

AD AGENCY: Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising

ECD: Jaime F. Santiago / CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex R. Castro

COPYWRITERS: Finina Gatchalian-de Jesus, Abe Medenilla Jr., Cary Rueda, Vianne Perdigon

ART DIRECTOR: Ernie Sta. Ana

PRODUCERS: Paul Suarez, Jess Garcia, Carrie Villamor / CASTER: Flor Salanga

ACCOUNTS: Mila Marquez, Natasha Balce, Jeanna Vidamo

PRODUCTION HOUSE: FILMEX / DIRECTORS: Vitt Romero, Maryo de los Reyes, Ishmael Bernal

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Butch Garcia / JINGLE MAKER: Lorie Ilustre
SINGER: Rene T. Martinez

SOURCES:
PF Jerry Codinera TVC, uploaded by Albert Marc Justine Carreon:  Jerry Codinera Purefoods TVC
PF Alvin Patrimonio TVC, uploaded by likmainutz 4477, idol by gvg

95. DEVELOPMENT BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES: “BUHAYIN MULI” Values Campaign, 1987-89

Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), founded in 1935, is the country’s premiere development financial institution that has been at the forefront of  nation-building, It helps critical industries and sectors,  promotes countryside entrepreneurship  to advance the progress of communities and improve the lives of Filipinos.

In 1987, Development Bank of the Philippines  rolled out a memorable institutional campaign that highlighted core Filipino values such as “katapatan” (honesty), “kasipagan” (hard work),”kalinisan” (cleanliness), “delicadeza” (sense of propriety), and “palabra de honor” (word of honor). A year later, these values came alive in a series of “Pamilyang Uliran” (model family) story ads.

The campaign evolved into several dramatic true-to-life commercials that ran through the early 1990s, and acquainted the audience with the success stories of Narda Capuyan (handwoven ethnic products) and Virgilio Dytuco (furniture) who founded their homegrown businesses from scratch and grew them into large scale enterprises , with the help of DBP. They became inspiring models for self-employment and job creation.

WATCH DBP "Palabra de Honor" TVC HERE:

The very Filipino approach in advertising (they were all voiced in the national language) earned for DBP several prestigious awards from the Catholic Mass Media Awards, Philippine Board of Advertising, Creative Guild, as well as commendations from various groups.

The well-regarded DBP "Return-to-Values"  campaigns were conceived by the legendary Herminio “Minyong” Ordoñez (+) with several creatives from Basic/Foote, Cone and Belding (FCB) that included the prolific freelance creative director Danny Almirañez, art director Rino Hernandez, visualizer Bong Gonzales and producer Ding Fernandez. The iconic voice of the ads was provided by stage-TV-movie actor Joonee Gamboa. Almirañez even directed the “Narda” TVC that won TV Ad of the Month (January) at the 1989 Creative Guild Ad of the Year.

SOURCES:

de la Torre, Visitacion. Advertising in the Philippines: Its Historical, Cultural and Social Dimensions. Tower Book House. (c)1989. pp. 194-195.

The Creative Guild, 1989 Ad of the Year Program, 

DBP Values, youtube video posted by Robbi Mercado, June 21, 2010

PHOTO SOURCES: Narda Capuyan, from Baguio Midland Courier / Virgiio Dytuco, from 

94. Creative Guild Print Ad of the Month, February 1989: MEDIKER ANTI LICE SHAMPOO

In 1989, Procter and Gamble Phils. launched a medicinal anti-lice shampoo with the brand name, MEDIKER. The brand was launched with a TV commercial that featured a very young Judy Ann Santos, using a “suyod” ( fine-toothed comb) to remove lice from her long hair.

The TVC was launched alongside these two-page print ads, that depended on its cleverly-written copy to catch readers’ attention. The ad was selected one of the best print ads of the year,  at the Creative Guild Ad of the Year competitions. MEDIKER had a short-lived presence in the market, and was discontinued after a year or so.

CREDITS:
ADVERTISER: PROCTER & GAMBLE PHILS.
AD AGENCY: ACE-SAATCHI & SAATCHI ADVERTISING
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ramon Jimenez Jr.
COPYWRITERS: Don Bautista / Ariel Dalisay
ART DIRECTORS: Ariel Dalisay / Don Bautista
PRINT PRODUCER: Beloy Angeles

93. THE 1ST MISS UNIVERSE, ARMI KUUSELA- HILARIO, for DARIGOLD MILK

MOTHER AND CHILD, With daughter Ana Lisa, Print Ad, 1959.

The leading milk brand in the late 1950s was DARIGOLD MILK, which had been advertising since 1953. It was produced in the Philippines beginning in 1957, under the Seattle-based dairy agricultural marketing cooperative, Darigold Inc. Advertising began in 1958, and it would find stiff competition from Liberty Milk for over two decades.

At the peak of its popularity, DARIGOLD had a commanding presence on TV (remember “Darigold Jamboree” hosetd by Eddie Ilarde, Leila Benitez and Bobby Ledesma?), Radio ( on DZXL, it sponsored Darigold Daily Jamboree and Darigold Jumbo Jamboree) as well as Print.

ARMI AND SON, JUSSI, Darigold Print Ad, 1959.

DARIGOLD scored a coup when it enlisted the very first Miss Universe 1952, Armi Kuusela to appear in its print ads that began appearing in 1959. By then, the Finnish world beauty had already been married to millionaire businessman, Virgilio Hilario for 7 years. Their fairytale romance began when Kuusela visited the country as guest of the First Philippine International Fair, where the Filipino swain swept her off her feet. Ten months into her reign, Kuusela resigned from her Miss Universe job to marry Hilario in Tokyo.

ARMI WITH SON JUSSI, Darigold print Ad, 1961.

In 1959, the Hilarios were raising 4 kids—Arne, Anna-Lisa, Jussi and Eva-Maria (they would have one more boy—Mikko), which made Armi a perfect choice as celebrity mother-endorser. (arch rival Liberty Milk had the iconic Paquita Goyena as model).

The DARIGOLD print series that you see here—all in color-- ran from 1959 to 1961. The ads not only featured Armi, but also her children and husband, Virgilio.The campaign further boosted the milk brand’s popularity to greater heights,

BEST FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. Darigold Print Ad, 1961.

Everything was going for the brand—from its familiar red and white logo with a blue diamobg in the center to its far-reaching media visibility. Its commercial jingle resonated with kids :  “Gusto ko ng gatas ng DARIGOLD, DARIGOLD, DARIGOLD, …DARIGOLD ang inyong bilhin!”.

ALL IN THE FAMILY, "Kuusela-Hilario Family", Darigold Print Ad, 1961

But in the 1970s, the local  DARIGOLD partner—Consolidated Dairy Products Inc.—figured in a dispute with the mother company, and the two were soon locked in a bitter legal bottle. This would lead to the discontinuation of the production of DARIGOLD MILK in the Philippines in 1976. We have these print ads as reminders of DARIGOLD's glory days--when it persuaded the most beautiful girl in the Universe to push the milk that's " so good for babies..and best for the whole family!"

92. 1974 MISS UNIVERSE ARUBA and SWEDEN, as Print Ad Models

THE TWO WHO STAYED. Ava Vieira and Roempke were two Miss Universe Beauties who found
love in the Philippines, and enjoyed short careers in the advertising and showbiz industry.

As the present Miss Universe mania continues to grip the country, we look back at  the very first time that the most prestigious pageant in the world was held in the Philippines-also the first time in Asia-- 43 years ago, thanks to the victory of Margie Moran. By a curious twist of faith, a Filipina crowned Amparo Muñoz, a daughter of Spain, the country's former colonizer.

But there were other delegates that made lasting impressions on Filipinos—one, was the petite and popular Miss Aruba, Maureen Ava Vieira (adjudged fifth in the contest ) and the blond 19 year-old, Spanish-speaking  Swedish beauty, Eva Christine Roempke. In fact, the two would similar destinies---they would win the hearts of two scions of affluent Filipino families, and would get married within the year--Ava Vieira to Philip Ysmael, Roempke to Marcos Prieto Roces. In the short time that they resided in the Philippines, Ava Vieira and Roempke did a bit of commercial modeling; the former forayed into movies as well.

BARBIZON AD, with Ava Vieira. 1974.

Ava Vieira showed off her curves in BARBIZON ads, that featured a line of brassieres, girdles and panties, distributed by Bonito Enterprises in Divisoria. From 1974-75, BARBIZON stuck to this format, using beauty queens that included Ava Vieira from the Miss Universe Contest, and winners of Miss Asia Quest, as signature models.  This is the only known ad that Ava Vieira appeared in.

MAGNOLIA YOGHOURT AD, with Eva Roempke, 1975.

MAGNOLIA YOGHOURT, on the other hand,  featured the lithe and slim Roempke  in bigger testimonial ads that saw print in select women’s magazines. The previous year had Miss Universe Margie Moran endorsing the same product.

Unfortunately, the marriages of Ava Vieira and Roempke proved to be short-lived. These two ads—one for BARBIZON intimate apparel for Ava Vieira and MAGNOLIA YOGHOURT for Roempke—are  the only surviving reminders of their brief modelling career here in the Philippines. The products, on the other had, are still very much around.

PHOTO SOURCES:
2016 photo of M. Ava Vieira: Marcos Hirakawa FB photo post
2016 photo of E. Roempke: Townee Paat, E.C. Roempke-Stefan FB page.

91. Beauty Queens as Ad Models: LALAINE BENNETT, Miss Universe 3rd Runner Up

GENERAL TEXTILES INC. was one of the most popular brands of fabrics in the country in the early 1960s. With offices in Libis, Quezon City, GENTEX products were promoted not only through traditional media but also via sponsorships of fashion and beauty shows. One such event that GENTEX sponsored was the 1963 search for Miss Philippines to the Miss Universe, staged by impresario Alfredo Lozano at the Philamlife Auditorium.

Of the 24 candidates , a Gaddang-speaking Filipina-American mestiza from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya  was crowned Miss Philippines—Lalaine Betia Bennett, a 5’9” stunner who had finished as a runner-up to Cynthia Ugalde in another pageant in 1962. Bennett went on to compete at the Miss Universe Pageant in Miami Beach and copped 4^th place from 49 other beauties.

This was the very first placement of the Philippines at the Miss Universe, and so, when Bennett came home, she was welcomed with warm adulation. Offers for her to appear as a celebrity endorser for a number of products poured in, magazines sought her as their cover girl, and even movie producers came-a calling.

GENTEX, having been a sponsor of the local Miss Philippines tilt, was one of the first advertisers to get Lalaine’s services. In fact, a new fabric brand was named after her—LALAINE FABRICS. The line-cotton fabric blend are soft, light and pastel colored. It also possess the GENTEX  crease-free and color-fast quality.

“Fashioned for flattery”—LALAINE FABRICS hit the stores in 1964, and promoted in print ads as “the choice of the nation’s fairest”. Lalaine would go on and also promote other products like Radiowealth and Pepsi, and would even star in her own movie,”Lalaine, Mahal Kita”. As for LALAINE FABRICS, the product was only as good as Lalaine’s popularity, as by 1964, another beauty took over the limelight —Gemma Cruz, who finally won a world crown as Miss International 1964.