The most well-knowneffervescent antacid and pain reliever in the 50s—ALKA SELTZER—became available in the Philippines as an imported
product in the late 1920s, but it was only around 1951 that it was actively promoted. Made by Dr. Miles Medicine Co. of Indiana, U.S. in
1931, ALKA-SELTZER had 3 active
ingredients—aspirin (for fever and pain), sodium bicarbonate (antacid) and
citric acid (for effervescence)
SPEEDY appears in this 1957 Alka-Seltzer ad.
When advertised, ALKA-SELTZER
was indicated for the relief of headache, fever and pain, acid stomach,
indigestions and hangovers. It was one of the most advertised products in the
world, and its commercials were among the most popular.
Speedy, created in 1951
as the product mascot, was also one of the most recognized advertising
character in history, and was extensively used in magazine ads that saw print
in the Philippines,
The memorable "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" ad
campaign made its appearance in the Philippines featuring the animate mascot
and a hit jingle.
It was conceptualized by Paul Margulies, a Madison Avenue
creative executive, and father of actress Julianna Margulies. The vintage 60s
ad showed 2 ALKA-SELTZER tablets
dropping into a glass of water instead of the usual one, which caused sales to
double. In 1976, the campaign was
successfully revived, with jingle sung by Speedy.
WATCH THE ALKA-SELTZER TV AD HERE:
published by Steve Stout, 23 Apr. 2007
By the time Miles Laboratories was bought by Bayer in
1979, ALKA-SELTZER had disappeared
from botica shelves, It is now only available as an imported product, which one
can now order online.
THE WORLD'S NO 1-NIDO, Mother and Daughter, Print ad. 1990
“Look at me, son, you’re
my no. 1..”
Smile at me hon, you’re
my no.1
And there’s no
treasure that I will cherish but you..”
The most successful campaign for NIDO Fortified® Full Cream Milk Powder began in the 1980s,
capitalizing on the stature of the brand as the world’s no. 1 powdered full
cream milk.
Throughout its over 20 year-run, the “No. 1” has been attached not
only to NIDO, but also to children (‘The
World’s No. 1 Child—your Child”) and even to mothers themselves. So, what mom
can refuse such a proposition?
NIDO,
developed in 1944, has been around in the Philippines since the early 1960s,
imported by Filipro Inc-- along with Milkmaid and Nescafe—before it became Nestlé
Philippines in1986. The earliest known NIDO print ads date from 1963.
As the
nutritionally-enriched NIDO rose to
become a major competitor for other milk-based products, it also faced
criticisms from promoters of breast-feeding, leading the advertising board to
require adding tags in powdered milk advertising reminding mothers that “breastmilk
is still best for babies”.
FOR THE WORLD'S NO.1 CHILD, Mother version, Print Ad, 1983
In 1983, Advertising and Marketing Associates (AMA) was
assigned the NIDO account, and
headed by executive Greg Macabenta, conceptualized the “World’s No. 1” thematic campaign
that catapulted the milk brand to national popularity.
FOR THE WORLD'S NO.1 CHILD, Father version, Print Ad, 1983
Initially, the campaign made use of foreign imagery—Caucasian
mothers, fathers and their kids, set in some European highlands-- perhaps to
allude to NIDO’s western origins.
WORLD'S NO.1 FATHER & SON, Print ad, 1990
A
song, with lyrics written by Greg Macabenta and set to music composed by
award-winning composer Caloy Agawa, accompanied the lush, emotional visuals of
parent and child interacting. This time, local Filipino talents were cast for
the NIDO commercials.
THE WORLD'S NO. 1, Father & Sons, print ad, 1990
It was the memorable “You’re my No. 1” jingle that really
struck a chord in the minds of consumers, and the line became widely associated
with NIDO, and was rearranged many
times for use in other commercial platforms.
WATCH "YOU'RE MY NO.1" MTV VERSION
as sung by Sharon Cuneta (2008)
Even when NIDO was
moved to Publicis Manila due to agency alignment, the campaign was refreshed
and used. In 2008, an MTV was produced featuring megastar Sharon Cuneta and her
children, singing an extended version of the song. A later jazzed-up,acoustic version in 2014 also paired Cuneta with singer-songwriter Barbie Almalbis to appeal to younger
mothers.
Today, NIDO
has been expanded into a range of milk products that claims to offer
"nutrition solutions for each stage of childhood" (e.g. for toddlers,
for school-age, etc).
One of the most refreshing faces in the modeling scene in
the mid-70s to the 80s, was teen beauty MYRA MENDOZA. The winsome high schooler from St. Paul was but a teen when she started modeling for commercials; she
enjoyed the experience so much and never looked back—bagging major contracts
for Close-Up toothpaste, Camay Soap, US Shampoo and Clearasil in her heyday.
She was in high school when she performed in a
dance number for an event sponsored by the popular 1970s music magazine, JINGLE
Chordbook. She met the owner Gilbert
Guillermo, whom she credits as her “discoverer”.
MYRA, as she appeared ob JINGLE Music Magazine, 1977, Source: Nonoy Bonzon
Pretty soon, she was appearing on the pages of the
widely-readJingle magazine, along with
song lyrics set with guitar chords. Her posed pictures were just small
insets—strumming a guitar, reading the magazine,candid shots. But the readers were drawn to
her good looks—and she would become the unofficial sweetheart of the popular
youth-oriented music magazine.
Next thing Myra knew, she was being besieged by talent
agents and casters from major ad agencies. She recalls:“In those days , casting was not done as
efficiently and professionally as today. I would just get phone calls from
agents or ad agencies asking if I was available to shoot. Simple as that. No
try outs, no vtr’s(videotaped
auditions).
US SHAMPOO AD, 1979
Her earliest ad was a TV commercial for Clearasil,
directed by legendary commercial director Jun Urbano. In 1979, she also did an
ad for US Shampoo with conditioner, targetted at teens and young adults. This
turned out to be her busiest year, as she also was featured in the popular
Chiclets’ “Tsikletin Mo, Baby” TVC.
MYRA, Tsikletin Mo baby, TV Ad, 1980
Myra was also scouted by local women’s magazines, and she became a
cover girl i many of them, shot by the leading photographers of that time. She was still
finishing her communications course when she was cast to appear in one of the
most sought-after roles in the industry—that of being a Close-Up girl
for Close-Up Toothpaste, then a very popular youth brand. For many of the lucky
Close-up talents, the slick, well-produced commercials were springboard to TV
and movie stardom.
“The Close-Up ad was fun to do!” , Myra reminisced.Though she could no longer remember the name of her
male partner in the (“I think his last name is Rodriguez”), she found the
experience of shooting her commercial very easy and enjoyable. “Close-Up was
doing a campaign consisting of a series of ads. So all the lead talents --some
of them at least--came out in each other’s TVCs as background talents. Parang
barkada!”.
MYRA MENDOZA, on the cover of Women's Home Companion Magazine, 29 Nov. 1979
Incidentally,Loren Legarda, the future senator, was also part of that Close-Up batch. Years
later, when Myra was working for ABS-CBN, she would bump into Legarda, who, by
then, was the anchor of the late night news, “The World Tonight”. “ And she
still remembered me long after ourClose-Up years were over!”, Myra enthused.
With a diploma finally in hand, Myra landed a job with
one of the most prestigious multinational advertising agency in the
Philippines—Ace-Compton Advertising (later, Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi)—as a
talent caster, of all positions!! That time, Ace-Compton had the best in-house
talent casting department in the industry, complete with a studio and VTR
machines for go-sees and auditions.
MYRA MENDOZA, as the Face of Oil of Olay, Procter & Gamble, 1980
She was casting for such blue-chip clients like Procter
& Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Filipro-Nestle, Inc. Her stint with
Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi was memorable for 2 reasons. It was with the agency
that she was picked to do the Camay “Guess Who’s 16” TV commercial, thus
joining the elite circle of Camay Girls. She also became the face of Oil of
Olay when it was introduced by P&G in the Philippines.
Looking for other creative challenges, Myra set her sight
on commercial production. When Advertising & Marketing Associates had an
opening, she resigned from Ace to try broadcast production. She realized that
she was not cut out to be a producer, so she made a drastic move to the hotel
industry, by being a banquet sales manager for Manila Hotel.
MYRA, AS A CASTER AT ACE-SAATCHI with copywriter Alex Castro
But the lure of advertising, the world in which she grew
up in,proved irresistible after awhile.
Lintas top honcho Wally Reyes called her up and invited her to set up the
casting department of the growing agency. She took up the offer, organized the
agency’s talent department and stayed on for 4 years.
Myra would move back to Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi for a
brief interlude. Her last corporate job was with the Sales Department of
ABS-CBN. After ten years, she resigned in 2002 due to health issues, as she
needed time to recuperate from a major surgery.
WATERCOLOR ART OF MYRA, A SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST.
“I’ve stayed a homemaker ever since”, she says without
regret. So I then started painting among
other things. I’m a hobbyist. I created some fashion jewelry, I sew, despite
having no formal training. I also like to cook. So really, I dabble in anything
that interests me.”
COME A LITTLE CLOSER BABY, SMILE, FOR ME. Myra Mendoza and boyfriend, Chris Portillo in their younger days.
True to her calling, Myra Mendoza remained an
honest-to-goodness model all her life. With her collective life experience and achievements, you could say that she is a model homemaker, mother, and wife today!
WATCH THIS VIDEO OF FORMER AD MODEL MYRA MENDOZA-PORTILLO TODAY:
SOURCE:
E-mail interview conducted by author, April 2, 2019
The country’s best selling juice drink was conceived by
self-made magnate Mr. Alfred M. Yao, who
rose from humble beginnings to become the founder of one of the most successful
homegrown business in the country today. Mr. Yao took over the care of his
family at age 12, when his father died. Five years later, the young entrepreneur
who did not even finish high school, took a bank loan of Php3,000 to put up a
printing press, which proved to be very viable.
While on a 1979 business tour in Europe, he chanced upon
a new packaging technique introduced by French inventor, Louis Doyen, back in
1962. He introduced a specially-shaped plastic bag that can be aseptically
filled with liquid products, that could stand on its own. Called “doypack”, it
was significantly cheaper than traditional carton packaging.
To test the new packaging, the rising businessman mixed
juices in his kitchen and packaged them in doypacks. He was so satisfied with
the results that in 1981, he decided to shift his attention to creating a
beverage company known as SEMEXCO Marketing Corporation, with ZEST-O Orange Juice Drink as its lead
product. The jucie drink in its innovative foil pack with a plastic straw was
launched that same year.
SEMEXCO COPRORATE AD, 1989
ZEST-O was
enthusiastically received by the market, as it was so affordably priced, and
had a really refreshing orange flavor that can be cooled easily in its own foil
pack. It wa handy, could be disposed easily,and provided more value for one’s money. ZEST-O soon became widely available nationwide, and overtook
leading brands to emerge asthe no.1
juice drink in less than a decade—replacing more expensive sodas and juices
during parties, meriendas, and funeral wakes!
WATCH ZEST-O 2006 TVC HERE:
More new flavors under the ZEST-O name were introduced in the ensuing years: Guyabano, Mango,
Grape, Pineapple, Calamansi, Apple, Strawberry.
SUN-GLO, another SEMEXCO juice brand.
Using the same modern doypack technology, SEMEXCO branched
out into more jucie brands (Sun-Glo), milk ( Dutch Maid, Milkland), along with
other traditional canned and bottled products (Tulip, Tita Frita).
The ZEST-O brand, however, built more positive
and enduring equities that it was adapted eventually as the name of the corporation.
When the company forayed into other product lines and
business, the name ZEST-O was used,
as in the case of its ZEST-O
chocolate drink. In 2008, Mr. Yao
ventured into aviation and launched Zest Airways which, like his famous juice
drink, was known for low-cost fares. Integrated
with Air Asia, it became Air Asia Zest in 2016.
ZEST-O juice drinks
continue to dominate the juice market today, even with the additional taxes
levied on sugared beverages in 2015, that threatened to close down some plants. In picnics, memorial services, family reunions, company and school parties, chances are, you will find a packs of ZEST-O being passed around, proof that
the humble drink has become a part of our everyday life.
To the baby boomers growing up in the late 50s and 60s, a
bottle of CHOCO-VIM was a delicious
chocolate drink that was always a welcome treat. Introduced in 1957, CHOCO-VIM was manufactured by Magnolia
Dairy Products of the San Miguel Brewery.
MAGNOLIA CHOCO-VIM EARLY BOTTLES, 1957-1960s
At only 15 centavos per bottle, CHOCO-VIM could be served hot or cold, and the energizing,
chocolate flavored-drink became an instant favorite in no time all. It was
first sold in tall, softdrink-like bottles, but after a while, shifted to a
shorter, squatter bottles.
CHOCO-VIM & MILK-O-VIM
Many though, preferred to drink the healthful drink when
it is served freezing cold. When kept in the ref, one could actually see the
chocolate goodness settling at the bottom. One quick shake is all it took to
wake up the refreshing, chocolatey goodness that ‘s perfect for snacks or meal
times.
A companion dairy milk-based beverage, MILK-O-VIM, was
also produced, a sort of a sweet malted milk drink, packed in a similar bottle,
but this variant did not catch on.
CHOCO-VIM came
out with a smattering of black and white print ads in the late 50s and 60s, and
enjoyed a decade of success. The ads appeared in top weekly magazines like
Women’s, Graphic, Philippines Free Press and other dailies.
However, new strides in milk technology caused the
phase-out of the bottled product in the late 1960s. Beginning in 1969, CHOCO-VILM was replaced by Magnolia
CHOCOLAIT, an all-new high-grade chocolate milk drink in new glass
bottles.
MAGNOLIA CHOC-VIM ADS, 1960s.
Eventually, bottles were eased out in favor of new
packaging innovations including aseptic cartons, tetra bricks, and doy packs
that caused the introduction of other chocolate milk brands like Daisy, Milo,
Selecta Moo and Chuckie. But CHOCO-VIM
will always be looked at with much fondness, for having started our love affair
with the first ready-to-drink chocolate goodness in a bottle!
The very popular shoes with a reputation for long-lasting
durability and excellent craftsmanship were firs made in 1937, by couple Julio
Gregorio and Francisca Garcia. Gregorio, a native of Marikina—the country’s shoe
center—gave his name to his creation—GREGG Shoes---that would find a niche
in the large school shoes market.
He had started with American Hike Shoe Factory, making
patterns for the American-owned shoe line, founded by United States Shoe Co.
owner, R.A. McGrath, a former soldier.
At the same time, he was also a teacher. The factory would be razed to the
ground during the War in 1941, but Gregorio had the sense to buy the
shoe-making machines from McGrath’s widow ( McGrath died at age 68 on 25 March
1935) through a bank loan, and keep them safe in hiding, until the hostilities ended.
GREGG MEN'S SHOES, 1953
By then, the Gregorios had moved to San Juan, where he
located his home, his main shoe store and factory. He began making his GREGG Shoes and gained enough patronage
to warrant the setting up of shops along Mabini St., and in Baguio City.
A small shoe store owner by the name of Henry Sy once
approached him to ask if he could supply his fledgling shops with his
well-known GREGG Shoes.The gracious Gregorio gave him Sy full
support and began supplying his shop that would become the country’s giant SM
retail chain.
LADIES' SHOES by Gregg Shoe Co., 1953
GREGG Shoes
made shoes for everyone, of all ages—including ladies’ shoes, but these have
since been discontinued in 1993. But it still the school shoes that comes top-of-
mind when the GREGG brand name is mentioned. From the 50s through the 70s, GREGG Shoes shod the feet of hundreds
of thousands of Filipino schoolers.
The shoe business still flourishes today, thanks to two
of Gregorio’s granddaughters, Christine Golez and Lilia Almario, who have taken
the shoemaking mantle of their lolo Julio. Saved for the N. Domingo store, all
the GREGG Shoes outlets have closed
shops. The SM Department Stores still carry the line, in gratitude for the
founder whose act of kindness propelled the once-humble Shoemart store to great
heights never before imagined.
CELEBRATED BOXER ANTHONY VILLANUEVA. Highest-placed Filipino Olympian, 1964
BOY BOXER, Anthony Villanueva
The 19 year old boxer who became a household name in 1964
with his triumph at the Tokyo Olympics was born Anthony N. Villanueva (b. 18 March 1945) to an Olympian father, Cely Villanueva, a
bronze medallist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.
His pugilist father influenced his interest in boxing, so
much so that at an early age, he became an accomplished athlete.
Boxing aficionado and businessman Eugenio Puyat
saw his potential and supported him, such that by 1962, at age 17, the FEU teen
became a national boxing titlist.
This qualified him to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where he
competed in the Featherweight Division, where he defeated boxers from Italy,
Tunisia, Poland and the U.S. before facing the RussianStanislav Stepashkin in the finals. In the
controversial Gold medal match, Villanueva
lost 3 to 2.
Nevertheless, Villanueva
came home to a hero’s welcome—the highest-placed athlete in Philippine
Olympic history. Showbiz beckoned, and Villanueva starred in at least 5 action
movies, including the boxing-inspired “Malakas, Kaliwa't Kanan” with Nida
Blanca and the bio-flick, “The Pancho Villa Story”.
VILLANUEVA AND STEPASHKIN in the controversial finals.
As he lost his amateur status due to his lucrative acting
career, Villanueva turned
professional in 1965, debuting in a fund-raising event called “Fiesta Fistiana”
at the Araneta Coliseum, matched against the Japanese, Shigeo Nirasawa. He would
hang his boxing gloves after only 5 bouts.
Capitalizing on his Olympic fame, advertisers sought out
the acclaimed boxer, who signed up with two clients.
VILLANUEVA FOR TONDENA RUM, 1966
For La Tondeña, Villanueva
did an ad for TONDEÑA NATURAL RUM
in 1966. The B&W print ad featured a close-up photo of the boxer, holding a
glass of “smooth as velvet” TONDEÑA RUM.
Villanueva
also appeared in a TERYLENE ad that
was part ofa campaign series. TERYLENE, a fabric perfect for suits,
was a revolutionary clothing material made of a combination of viscose rayon
and terylene. The thematic ad series featured active men in heroic James Bond roles,
coming to damsel in distress, unmasking enemies, delivering karate chops—that
tests the fabric for durability, comfort and strength.
VILLANUEVA POSING FOR A TERYLENE AD,1967
Villanueva’s
version shows him as a travelling photographer, smartly dressed in a suit—“so
neat, so masculine, so elegant”-- flitting to and fro to his shooting
assignments.
When his boxing and acting days were over, Villanueva became a boxing coach, until
1976, when he decided to go find his future in the U.S.
