Silver linings

And just like that, our agency celebrated our Silver Anniversary.

Congratulations, Catalytx!

Here's to the next 25 years.

Activated!

Spotted in the streets of Shibuya!

It's a Cebu Pacific activation!

As a Pinoy and an Advertising practitioner, it's great to see our brands being shown and represented abroad.

Let's fly, every Juan!

This means war!

During last week's 4As meeting, there was an interesting discussion on using AI for design, with some of the best Filipino graphic designers as speakers.

This is definitely a hot topic these days since a lot of creative processes are being taken over by AI. From finding visuals, to creating layouts, to manipulating images - things that Art Directors and Graphic Designers usually do. 

So, the burning question is, will machines replace people in design?

The consensus is "no." Because good design needs soul and culture - things that machines can't replicate. Right now, at least.

So, we're safe. 

For now, at least.

Surprise Gift(ed)

Aside from Palmolive, one of the accounts that's close to my heart is Promil. 

It was one of the biggest accounts of Adformatix, and the agency was known for its iconic campaign, "The Gifted Child."

I'm fortunate to have seen that campaign come alive. From the 1st gifted child - Adam, until the many gifted children down the road. Each one had a unique story, a wonderful talent, and their common denominator - being gifted.

The most memorable batch for me was Kiko, James and Shaira. Even if the campaign is 30 years old this year, the commercial still plays in my head, and I'm still familiar with the copy of the ad.

Was at a shoot yesterday, and lo and behold, one of the gifted children was there.

Shaira is now a renowned fashion photographer. Her eye for visuals and her creativity in photography is acknowledged in the industry. Her name has been on everyone's lips and list since she started more than a decade back, and she's still doing what she does best.

It was great catching up with her, and we were both waxing nostalgic at the fact that her commercial came out 30 years ago.

That kind of longevity, now that's a gift!

Squid-ding aside

Netflix is serious about marketing.

For the launch of Squid Games 2, they turned Robinsons Galleria into a Squid Game hallway.

Well played, Netflix. Well played.

Young & Rowdy

One of the advertising experiences that I'm truly grateful for is my stint at Y&R HKG.

It was an unexpected move which ushered in a lot of firsts for me. That included my first time living abroad, first time living alone, first time managing a regional account, first time in a multi-cultural environment, among many others.

The experience was great. But what made the experience truly awesome were the friends made in HKG. Our team was composed of people from Australia, Canada, China, India, Sweden, Thailand and HKG. We were so diverse, but we gelled together and became fast friends.

Despite the fact that none of us are in Y&R HKG now, the friendship still remained. We've stayed in contact and try to see each other whenever possible.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Had the pleasure of meeting up with Prem. She was the Account Director for the personal care account which was my main account back then. We had a good 3 hours of catching up, but it felt like it wasn't enough. Before we parted ways, we talked about having a reunion with the other Y&R peeps soon.

Now that's something to look forward to.

Highlighting creativity

Seeing ads like this reaffirm my passion and love for this industry.

It's so simple, clever, and more importantly, the product is at the centre of the concept. Which is what real creativity is all about.

This is definitely one of those "I wish I made this ad myself" moments.

Learning from friends

It's the 1st day of the ASC seminar on self-regulation in the advertising industry. It's a 2-day learning session which aims to broaden the knowledge of advertising practitioners on the importance of self-policing.

And as the seminar started, the opening video featured one of our good friends - Nonna! She's really one of the pillars in the Philippine ad industry.

With that as an opening salvo, looks like we have a very fruitful 2 days ahead.

When work follows you around...

Literally!

This is one of the projects the team worked on for one of our clients.

We dressed up the Robinsons Supermarket robot and did the video that’s playing in its “face”.

And it followed me around during my grocery run.

Maybe it recognized me.  

One of Four

It's going to be a "good kind of busy" week .

Today is the 1st day of 4 days of shooting. We have today and tomorrow, then Thursday to Friday.

It's going to be a lot of fun! 

(And the studio for the Thursday and Friday shoots have a Lawson in the same building.)

Mother figure

It's nice to see Mother Ricky on TV after quite some time.

I've worked with Mother a few times during my HKG stint. She's very easy to work with, funny, smart, has a lot of creative ideas, and generous with her ideas. 

And thoughtful, too. One Christmas, she sent me a Christmas gift all the way in HKG. 

So, if I were to summarize my working experience with Mother Ricky, I'll use a word that she often uses herself. The experience is...

Gandaaaah!

A.I. think this is...

Caught this poster in the new One Ayala Mall. It's a poster for a jewellery brand.

Upon looking at it for a while, and studying it closely, it seems like this poster was an AI generated poster. It has the same qualities as those face app programs that turn your face into a yearbook photo, matinee idol, and the likes.

Of course, I can't be 100% certain. But if this is A.I., then they're out to get the jobs of art directors, photographers and models, too.

Hello Doll-y

And the Toni supremacy continues.

My niece is in another beauty campaign! 

Having her endorse a product like Cathy Doll is so apt for her. She’s really into all things girly and fab, so this is such a strategic fit.

Proud Tito here.

Ads a fact!

For anyone in the advertising world, the name David Ogilvy is synonymous to “Legendary.”

But unbeknownst toma Lot of Ad folks, Ogilvy didn’t start advertising when he was young. And he didn’t achieve his success in one go. Check out his story and be inspired.

Proof that in advertising, greatness knows no age.

In Good Company

It's such a bummer that they don't have that brand in MNL anymore. It was such a short run, and it would've been longer if not for the pandemic.

But I digress. This isn't about that "In Good Company."

It's about the recent 4As Aral Seminar.

The panel was an interesting mix of personalities because it brought together the old and the new. Aside from industry stalwarts like David Guerrero & Melvin Mangada, they asked very young creatives to join the panel, as well as "in-betweens."

This diverse company gave us an equally diverse view of where the industry is now and where we can go.

Good learnings. Good panelists. Good job.

Putting the “end” in Legend

Optima is a legend in Philippine Advertising.

Since I was a copywriter trainee, the word “Optima” was synonymous to modern, high-tech, innovative, and best-of-the-best. If you wanted world-class post-production work without having to go to BKK or HKG, you go to Optima.

Their office in Greenbelt Mansions is iconic! It’s spacious, well-fitted, snazzy, and was always abuzz with people. We’d often see friends from other agencies there, and it was a running joke that it’s like Ad Congress, every day.

Speaking of Ad Congress, they’d always throw awesome parties those  days. Everyone would make a bee line to their parties because of the great food, overflowing booze, awesome entertainment and the generous raffle prizes.

As technology progressed, so did Optima. They would always have the newest global editing technology brought to the country once it was available. Needlesss to say, they’ve been our go to and constant post-prod supplier, even during the pandemic.

But like many companies during the pandemic, the situation necessitated them to scaled down considerably. When we went to Brew last Saturday, that’s when I found out that they closed their office there. 

The guard was nice enough to let me look around, and it was bittersweet to see the once-bustling Optima office looking like this.

With things going back to normal, I’m looking forward to the day that Optima re-opens this office and goes back to being the legend that it always was.

Ad Age

Saw this art card on Facebook. It completely struck me because aside from the fact that it’s true and factual, it talks about a reality that we constantly face.

Advertising is a job with no age-ism. You can be very young or very old, and still thrive and succeed.

Examples: 

- I was only 19 when I started as a Copywriter trainee.

- My current boss started our agency when he was 56 years old.

Of course, the guy in the art card is David Ogilvy. He’s a man who needs no introduction.

Proof that creativity and tenacity is ageless. And i’m fortunate to be part of an industry that celebrates that.

SSDD

About a decade ago, I'd see Bea and Kekx regularly on Saturdays.

They were my students in SSC, both with a minor in Advertising. Even back then, their penchant for creativity and making commercials were evident. Thus, I was hoping that they'd pursue their advertising careers.

Luckily, they did.

Now, I'm working with Bea and Kekx! On a Saturday, to boot! It's like a reunion of our Saturday classes, albeit more fun and professional.

Looking at them work, it's easy to see that they've got a bright future ahead of them in this industry. It's something that I saw many, many, maaaaannnny Saturdays ago, and something that I'm seeing again this Saturday.

Same Saturday. Different Decade.

Working Student

In my decades in the advertising industry and the academe, I've experienced many cross overs. Simply put, I've had a lot of former students who have become work mates.

Some of my them have been colleagues in the same agency, suppliers for productions, even clients.

And here's a new addition to the list.

Last month, I had the cool experience to work with Jem as a commercial model for one of our recently launched materials.

Jem was my advertising students, and I remember her as one of the strategic and creative thinkers of her batch. Back then, I knew she'd end up in advertising. And she did, but instead of behind the scenes, she's right in front of the camera as one of the familiar faces in commercials.

Times like these make me so happy to be in the advertising profession.

Toni Award

It would be an understatement to say that my heart was swelling with pride after seeing this poster online.

My niece, Toni, is an advertisement! And as an advertising practitioner, this is such a thrill to see a family member in an allied field in advertising.

Toni has actually been making waves for years now on Tiktok. We knew she was popular, but it was further cemented by these 2 instances:

One, a number of my officemates are followers and are pretty much updated about the goings-on in Toni's life. Sometimes, they know more than I do! (Mainly because I'm not on Tiktok.)

Two, some of the sales people at Forever 21 in SM Megamall know her. Last October, when I was buying a gift for her at the store, I showed them Toni's photo to confirm her size. One of the sales people said: "Si Toni Rose po yan, di ba? Bakit niyo siya ibibili ng gift?" It was odd to have to explain to a stranger why I'm buying a gift for a family member.

Then again, even as a kid, she had a personality that you know would really thrive and make it big. And her many projects, including this recent one, is just proof of that.