329. UNI-CHARM NAPKINS : “Parang Wala, Kahit Meron” Campaign, 1983

UNI-CHARM WITH TCP* "PARANG WALA, KAHIT MERON", 1983

Sometime in the late 70s, Mondragon industries Industries was founded by Jose Antonio Gonzalez, who would become our Tourism Secretary in 1986. The company was initially engaged in the production women’s intimate fashions—from brassieres to panties and lingerie. The underwear products  became instant sensations in the 80s, and became Mondragon’s flagship brand. With this success, the company forayed into other women’s products, and the result was UNI-CHARM Sanitary Napkins.

TINA REVILLA for UNI-CHARM, 1983

UNI-CHARM was specially design with TCP—for Total Comfort and Protection.It has a special absorbent multi-layer system that absorbs faster to keep you drier than ordinary pads.Plus, it was the only napkin at that time that was individually wrapped. In 1983, UNI-CHARM was launched with a campaign using the theme line: “Parang wala, Kahit meron”. 

BONG DIMAYACYAC/ CITA CAPUYON for UNI-CHARM, 1984

The  brand had the endorsements of 3 celebrities: Pops Fernandez (a young entertainment personality), Tina Revilla (TV host and producer), and Gloria “Bong” Dimayacyac (Miss Asia 1973). There was also a TV commercial as part of the campaign component. 

POPS FERNANDEZ for UNI-CHARM, 1983

The campaign elevated awareness for UNI-CHARM and the brand enjoyed moderate success. With the diversification of Mondragon, UNI-CHARM was dropped from the product portfolio. Today, “Unicharm” name is owned by a Japanese firm that makes sanitary pads and chidren’s diapers.

328. DELY "Tiya Dely" MAGPAYO FOR LIBERTY EVAPORADA, 1966

"TIYA DELY" as LIBERTY EVAPORATED MILK ENDORSER

When it comes to caring for children, they say that “Mother Knows Best”, but maybe, just maybe, aunts can’t be far behind, especially if that aunt is “Tiya Dely”. “Tiya Dely’, Fidela Magpayo Reyes in real life  (b. 29 Oct. 1920/d. 1 Sep. 2008), was a pioneering broadcast icon of the golden age of  Philippine radio in the 50s. Her radio program was prefaced with a distinctive voice: “Ito ang iyong, Tiya Dely….”. It was the go-to show for people with problems of all sorts—from troubled hearts, lovelorn people, students in dilemma, common folks needing a shoulder to lean on. For years, she dispensed counsel and sage advice,  so that others may find the light at the end of the tunnel.

With such a huge amount of trust placed on her, it is no wonder that LIBERTY EVAPORADA featured her in print ads back in 1966, which follows the narrative format of her program, In the print ad, she gives words of advice about the nutritional values of the evaporated milk and their equivalent in meat and vegetables. With such a credible influencer, who would not believe Tiya Dely.

LIBERTY EVAPORADA, pint ad 1966

  “Tiya Dely” had a long fruitful career as a radio announcer. At age 87, she was still an anchor of DZRH radio program Serenata Kolektibista (later Serenata Filipina), in a segment that showed her interest in kundiman and rondalla music. Magpayo suffered a stroke while on board on the evening of 30 August 2008, passing away 2 days later on September 2008.

SOURCE:

Dely Magpayo, wikimedia

327. BENCH/ International Stores Print Ad, 1996

THE GLOBAL FACES OF BENCH, Print Ad, 1996

By 1996, the country’s premier clothing store, BENCH/ was at enjoying the fruits of its success. It had been established in 1987 by founder Ben Chan, as a t-shirt store with an outlet in SM Department Store. So successful were the t-shirts that it paved the way for Chan to include full clothing lines for men and women, fragrances, fashion accessories, footwear, food, houseware, and other lifestyle products.

In less than a decade, BENCH/ expanded overseas, and by 1996, had branches in Singapore, Riyadh, Al Khobar  (Saudi Arabia) and Yokohama (Japan).

BENCH/ owes part of its success to its  advertising which set new standards of excellence in advertising; its first TV ad in 1991  featured up –and-coming matinee idol Richard Gomez.

In the mid 1990s, BENCH/ engaged the services of a small, but hotshot ad agency, Jimenez DMB&B (formerly Jimenez & Partners, jointly founded by couple Abby Lee Jimenez and Ramon Jimenez Jr., the future Tourism Secretary). The agency continued BENCH/’s winning streak at various editions of the Philippine Advertising Congress, garnering honors in the Araw Creative Awards competitions.

In 1996, the ad agency created for BENCH/its  international stores campaign to flaunt their  latest credential. The components included a billboard (set up in Magallanes), a TVC and a print ad, shown on this page. The ad featured  “citizens” of the countries in which BENCH/ had opened a store, dressed in their native attires but with  various  BENCH/ products (hankies, towels, fashion accessories) incorporated in their look. 

Representing the Philippines was young actor-model Jomari Yllana,  one of the original “Gwapings”, a member of the teenybopper group  that rose to fame in the 1990s ( Mark Anthony Fernandez, Eric Fructuoso, and Jao Mapa completed the group). After his showbiz days, he came a race car driver, councilor, and a businessman. He is formerly married to actress Aiko Melendez, but they remain good friends. 

Another one of the talents in the BENCH/ branch ad who forayed into showbiz was 17 year old Carlo Agassi, who represented the Al Khobar branch. Of Middle-Eastern descent, Carlo (Amir Carlos Damaso Vahidi Agassi, in real life),  became a member of ABS-CBN's stable of  talents called Star Magic. The actor, model, rap artist finished a psychology degree from La Salle, and also ventured into the restaurant business. Agassi continues to appear on TV today.

 After 1996, BENCH/ continued to solidify its image as a world brand by opening other outlets and stores overseas—in the United States (Daly City, California), China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian), Kuwait,  Bahrain and Myanmar.

 CREDITS: 

AGENCY: JIMENEZ DMB&B : WRITER: Abby Lee Jimenez/ ART DIRECTOR: Don Sevilla III / ACCOUNTS: Mio Lejano Chongson / PRODUCER: Paul Suarez

CLIENT: Ben Chan, Suyen Corp.

SOURCES:

Photos; Jomari Yllana (mubi.com), Carlo Agass (imdb.com)

Information: wikimedia.com for Bench/, Jomary Ylana and Carlo Agassi

Many thanks to Don Sevilla III for additional information.

326. Everybody Loves COCOA RICOA by Philippine Food Industries Inc., 1962 Ads

COCOA RICOA was the pioneer product of the  Philippine Food Industries, Inc. when it bgena its operations in the chocolate processing and manufacturing plant along EDSA in Mandaluyong in 1956. The brand became a traditional favorite for chocolate lovers, using COCOA RICOA for the chocolate breakfast drinks, cakes, custards, ice cream, cookies and other chocolate-based goodies.

The product was advertised heavily in color ads that often carried recipes to promote its varied usages, although the chocolate powder was mostly used for hot and cold drinks. COCOA RICOA was also produced in blocks, and in sweetened powder and syrup form, for versatility of use. 

It attained such popularity that in 1962, a thematic campaign was launched to create a”bandwagon effect” for the brand. “Everybody Loves Cocoa Ricoa” featured every member of a Filipino family attesting to COCOA RICOA’s flavorsome, chocolatey appeal as used in their specific favorite choco treat: Lola for her “champorado”, Lolo for his “Chocolate Español”, Mama for her chocolate cake, and so on. 

Today, COCOA RICOA is still being produced, led by its  COCOA RICOA Breakfast Powder, still in its familiar, but modernized deep turquoise packaging by Commonwealth Foods, Inc, which  has owned the brand since 1968. COCOA RICOA is one of the few trailblazing, locally-produced chocolate product brand that has survived the test—and taste—of times, inspite of the  greater availability of imported brands in the Philippine market, proof that after all these years, “Everybody loves COCOA RICOA!”

325. Brand Stories: DUTCH CLEANSER, 1905

OLD DUTCH CLEANSER..Chases Dirt! Makes Everything Spic ;n Span!

Would you believe that the original company that gave the world the cleansing product  known as OLD DUTCH CLEANSER was engaged in the slaughter of animals? Cudahy Packing Co. had a pumice mine in Meade County, Kansas and the white pumice powder was sourced  to clean up the floors of Chicaco slaughterhouses. This led Cudahy Packing Co. to explore the marketing and promotion of a white powder cleanser with the trademark  OLD DUTCH CLEANSER, first used in Sept 1906 and registered in 1905. 

DUTCH FOAMING CLEANSER, 1955

It was so named because Holland was reputed for the impeccably  clean habits of its citizens, a tradition of cleanliness that was visualized in the a picture of a Dutch Lady driving dust and dirt away with a stick. This led to the creation of its slogan OLD DUTCH CLEANSER—Chases Dirt, Makes Everything Spic ‘n Span. In early product packaging versions, the face of the Dutch Lady remained unseen, but subsequent improvements were later made—showing her with a younger, friendlier face.

DUTCH FOAMING CLEANSER, 1958

In its time, OLD DUTCH CLEANSER was considered  innovative, and the scouring power of the pumicite powder  greatly facilitated household cleaning. Pumicite powder was first mined in Kern County, California and was used by other products like Comet and Bon Ami. 

DUTCH CLEANSER, 1956 print ad

Beginning in 1923, pumicite for OLD DUTCH CLEANSER was sourced in an underground mine along Garlock Fault, in the remote Mojave desert, where it naturally occurred. It  produced 120,000 tons of cleansing powder, until its closure  in 1947. Cudahy sold OLD DUTCH CLEANSER to Purex on April 24, 1955.

BARBARA PEREZ FOR DUTCH CLEANSER, 1964

The product was already available in post-war Philippines and was advertised on print in the 1950s. It was sold under the brand name DUTCH FOAMING CLEANSER and came in a cylindrical cardboard packaging that also doubled as a dispenser.  It ads claim that “it does the work of all” –as DUTCH FOAMING CLEANSER cleans everything from tiles to walls and even plates!

DUTCH CLEANSER IN A NEW PLASTIC CANISTER, 1968

By the 1960s, the brand name was simplified to DUTCH CLEANSER, and had actress-mother Barbara Perez as endorser. In 1968.  DUTCH CLEANSER was relaunched in a new plastic canister with a tapering top., and by that time, it was “the largest selling cleanser in the Philippines”.

SOURCE:  DUTCHPH FB PAGE

DUTCH CLEANSER is still around, today and its product line includes bleach, classing cleanser, power cleanser with micro-scrubs, among others. In 1985, the household and consumer products business of Purex Industries, Inc. was acquired by Greyhound Corp. and was combined with Greyhound's Armour-Dial to form The Dial Corporation, which, in April 2004, was acquired by Henkel. In March 2, 2011, it was announced that Monheim and Henkel — which sells Vernel liquid detergent, Perwoll special detergent and Dutch Cleanser, among others — signed a licensing contract to manufacture DUTCH CLEANSER in the Philippines.

 SOURCES:

Purex Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purex_(laundry_detergent)

Old Dutch website: https://www.olddutch.ca/en/

Dutch[h FB page: https://www.facebook.com/dutchph

324. Hollywood Actor JACK PALANCE for LA TONDEÑA NATURAL RUM, 1967

Hollywood star JACK PALANCE, for LA TONDEÑA NATURAL RUM, 1967

Jack Palance (born Volodymyr Palahniuk  18 bFe. 1919/ d. 10 Nov. 2006) was a famous American male star famous for his rugged look that made him perfect for tough guy and villain roles. His distinctive character face were allegedly due to a botched reconstructive surgery, which has since been disproven as nothing more than a PR stunt. 

JACK PALANCE, Source: wikimedia commons

Palance was nominated for three Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards: “Sudden Fear”(1952) and “Shane” (1953). His third nomination in 1991 for “City Slickers” finally won him the coveted Oscar statuette. 

JACK PALANCE says of  La Tondens'a Natural Rum: "One of the finest I ever tasted!

In 1997 though, after completing the production of the  action movie “Kill a Dragon” in Hong Kong and Macau with Fernando Lamas, Palance dropped by in the Philippines to promote the said movi--and to appear in a print ad for LA TONDEÑA Natural Rum, “I’m taking it back to the States with me!”, says the headline, in reference to the drink that he discovered and enjoyed in the Philippines. 

JACK PALANCE, Oscar's  Best Supporting Actor for 1992, "City Slickers"
Photo: pinterest

In the 1960s, commercial endorsements of Hollywood stars for Philippine products are few and far between—the actress Joan Page did a cosmetic ad, but then she was based here for 4 years. It would take close to 4 decades for another Hollywood action star to promote a Filipino brand—Steven Seagal for Tanduay Gold in the late 1990s created by Jimenez DMB&B.

 As for Jack Palance, he found greater fame in the 80s as the host of the television revival of Ripley's Believe It or Not!. On ABC. The series  ran from 1982 to 1986 and also starred Palance's daughter Holly Palance. This led to a renaissance in his career, capped by an Oscar-winning performance in the comedy “City Slickers”,  at age 73. His acceptance speech included Palance demonstrating a one-armed push-up, which the audience lapped up and loved.

323. Beauty Queens as Ad Models: CHARINA ZARAGOZA, 1968 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe

MODEL OF BEAUTY. Charina Rosello Zaragoza. Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1968

ROSARIO CHARINA ROSELLO ZARAGOZA, a 19 year old Interior Design graduate from Madrid, won one of the two Bb. Pilipinas crowns at stake (co-winner was Nini Ramos who was sent to Miss International) on July 1968 at the Araneta Coliseum. 

CHARINA AS ESKINOL GIRL, 1968

Her father was the renown architect and National Artist Jose Ma. V. Zaragoza (married to Pilar Rosello), who had designed buildings like the Sto. Domingo Church in 1954. Her paternal grandmother was Rosario Infante Velez of Guagua, making Charina a quarter Kapampangan. 

CHARINA FOR DIAL SOPA, Print Ad 1974

Charina was already a popular cover girl for may Manila magazines even before she joined Bb. Pilipinas. Her Latina mestiza beauty, her pedigree and her talents—she was a trained flamenco dancer, guitarist and singer—won her the plum crown of Bb. Pilipinas-Universe. 

CHARINA MODELS FOR POND'S, Print ad 1976

Charina went to Miami Beach, Florida to compete in the Miss Universe contest, won by Brazil’s Martha Vasconcellos. Though she didn’t win, she came home full of stories of her exciting times in Miami. Over the years, she landed a few advertising jobs for blue-chip clients like ESKINOL, DIAL SOAP and POND’S. 

CHARINA WEDS LUCAS SAINZ

She married civil engineer and Spanish rally champion Lucas Sainz in 1978, and settled in Madrid. They had a son, Mark Lucas. Both she and her husband share a love for music (her husband was a former member of Los Pekenikes, a popular pop group in Spain.

LISTEN TO SHARINE'S "SOLO PARA TI" HERE:

She pursued her music career with Lucas as her manager-producer and came under contract with Columbia records, Under the name “Sharine” she recorded a number of successful compositions in Spanish.

SOURCE:

youtube video: Sharine "Solo para ti", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75JQ2f_V-Q&t=50s.

Uploaded by MrLazarovfan, July 31 2022