Pacquaio "Dead" It Again!

It must be the 'rags-to-riches' charm, the unmistakable accent or the 7 wonders of boxing titles. Would you have a clue who I'm talking about?

Manny Pacquiao's current worldwide fame, miles away from his once humble beginnings, still hasn't put a gold-plated ego on his head. Keeping both feet on the ground, I believe, makes him one of the favorites in the boxing industry. The fame that he has created from his victories in his fights earned him an authority in influence which could be seen in the brands that he endorses and well, a seat in Congress.

His latest TVC with Hewlett-Packard shows just enough about Pacman paired with an implicit analogy of the product advertised.

So I guess the 'Bitwotuhr' TVC of Manny still plays in your head because of the similar off-tangent pronunciations he has committed on some lines of this HP TVC. But let's try to leave that behind in the meantime. *evil laugh*

What keeps this commercial interesting is the actual portrayal of both the HP tablet and the endorser's 'multi-tasking capabilities' in a simultaneous manner. What you thought as Pacman's head is actually the tablet situated just right on top of the pound-for-pound king's neck. For some reason, it gives me the vibe of a sports newscaster sporting the easy navigation of the opened applications of his new HP 'toy.'

The most important thing to take note, however, is the careful selection of Pacman's multi-faceted roles as a celebrity & a politician vis-a-vis the applications shown in the TVC.

Furthermore, there's an element of this TVC that showcases Pacman's unparalleled unintentional humor. The shots wherein he shows the application of "Congress In Session" and a clip on his "Sometimes When We Touch" rendition just cracked me up.

The brands he endorses just increase by the year and apparently, brings better sales and better names for these brands. It is pretty much up to us to decide whether it's his  rags-to-riches' charm, the unmistakable accent or the 7 wonders of boxing titles that makes him such a big "hit".... or is it because of his talent in singing?

Well, as they say, there's a different market for that one.

Every Hungry Man's Chick Is Back

For a dude, nothing is sweeter than a chick who's cheap and easy-to-get.

Guess that line caught your attention, huh?

On my way to school this morning, a billboard ad of a well-known Pinoy restaurant greeted me with something to blog about. Last year, Max's Restaurant celebrated its 65th anniversary by giving all its customers an all-out blowout by serving unlimited chicken for only P165! This ingenious idea of boosting sales was a win-win situation for both parties -- the brand and its customers. And if it did well the first time... the logic flows smoothly after that.

You guessed it right, this June, the promo is back to satisfy our chicken cravings desperations.

Starting June 10 to July 10, our favourite promo is back to get us 'full' the second time around. They may have raised the price a bit, going from last year's tag price of P165 to this year's P199 -- but only sales can tell how much this is loved by the Filipino chicken-lovers.

Oh, sweet chicken, 2 more days. See ya.

You Know What It Is -- 'Red'&Yellow, 'Red'&Yellow, 'Red'&Yellow.

It is only in the Philippines that Mcdonald's is not the market leader in the fastfood chain industry. Can you just imagine how frustrating for the brand that may be? As I've mentioned over and over again here in my blog, the marketing efforts of a brand really speaks so much of who they are. Although my post would not tackle the Jollibee and Mcdonald's battle, I would be sharing with you some of the amazing marketing efforts that Mcdonald's has done over the past few years that makes them the undisputed market leader in the fastfood business.  I'm not insinuating that Mcdonald's marketing efforts here in our country are falling flat. They actually do a ridiculously cool job! But, we've seen those already. And there's nothing to argue with that. So let's shift from local to global.

I'm telling you, if you haven't seen the brand's global ads, you will be floored as soon as you lay eyes on them. Aside from their powerful branding and their tightly-wired business strategies that we consumers do not see -- it is the brand's marketing efforts that actually make the brand.
As like what my Tumblr reblog likes to put it: "Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does." -Steuart Henderson Britt

This is because it is the side of Mcdonald's, or any brand for that matter, that we, consumers are able to witness. We do not really know what happens behind those desks -- so it is with these marketing efforts that we are able to go: "Hey, they're actually doing a great job! Now lemme try their product." Yes, we are able to taste their delish burgers and fabulous fries, but it is the advertising that excites us, just like what I mentioned in my previous post. These following ads were done continuously back in 2008. After 3 years, it has done nothing but leave indellible marks in our heads -- a mark of a great ad. So now, let us take a tour of Mcdonald's advertising... worldwide.

Who in the world would not want to solve a puzzle? Especially if you're really good at it, and you want the public to know of your talent. You know that woozy feeling in the morning wherein you have to push and force yourself to start working for the day -- but you still couldn't because you haven't had your cup of joe? Mcdonald's was able to take hold of that issue. A creation of DDB, Stockholm in Sweden -- these outdoor posters "were turned into large interactive push puzzles that consumers could solve in order to sort your head out." This effort was to market their Large Coffee for only 1 Euro. Pretty fancy, huh?

In Denmark, another creation of DDB -- this ad proved Mcdonald's to be not just a restaurant that would satisfy hunger but also a place wherein they can click their lappies away! Very very creative way of saying they've got wi-fi, I must say.

This time, we go to New Zealand. The same agency came up with bus-stop posters printed using 'lenticular technology' (Ack! Too scientific for my life.) to create an animation of a yawning guy that puts a Big Mac into his mouth. This so-called technology comes off with this effect -- as you walk closer to the poster, it changes slowly, communicating to the consumer that Mcdonald's is open 24 hours, so you can go and eat there at any time of the day. Hmm, makes me want to get a Big Mac.

In the homeland of Ronald Mcdonald, Leo Burnett Chicago makes use of this outdoor ad that tells the consumers when they serve fresh eggs for breakfast. As the images display, when it's night time, you'd just think it's an ordinary sedentary egg that's just plastered to some post, right? But as the sun rises the following day, it slowly 'hatches.' By breakfast time, the billboard is fully hatched, displaying "Fresh Eggs Daily" on the egg's yolk. The egg stays open between 6am and 10:30am, indicating the time they serve breakfast.

How creative can that be?

Lastly, we visit Vancouver, Canada. You'll never guess what this is...

It's a lamp post! A very strange lamp post... telling consumers that there's unlimited coffee in the Mcdonald's nearby.

The brand IS big, larger than life even. Fact is, we would still know that even if the world will go topsy turvy. However, Mcdonald's has not just paid close attention to its products and its marketing activities, the reason being 'big.' What serves as the cherry on top is that they have been very observant of their customers. That is why we find their ads pretty interesting because it is something that more or less we could relate to. At the end of the day, it is not just about a pretty ad or about how great the idea is... marketing is all about making sure that the desired message of the brand should be understood and welcomed by the target market. Thus, making the specific target market engage in the brand even more.

It's more than just making great ads -- it's about making ads that would excite and connect with the real and right people.

Caught My AD-Tention

I don't know about you, but creative advertisements excite me. It excites me almost in a retarded way. Here are just some of the few that I came across this afternoon.

 

I found this ad quite interesting because I used to have a bad case of fingernail-biting. (take note: used to) This ad hits home because it didn't have to go benefit-heavy since that's what the product really does anyway. This polish (I believe) does nothing more than bring the benefit of stopping this bad habit. However, the ad appealed in a very visual and unusual way. Also, the product used a communication medium that's a 'Trojan horse' -- good old plastic.

 

A creation of the ad agency, Lowe in Jakarta, Indonesia -- Pepsodent pawns Colgate marketing efforts on this one.

 Thank God for advertisements that don't show 'Adobe-d' half-naked women on products that highlight its 'light', 'non-fat' and 50% light benefits. Why can't they go creative, just like this?

Credits: Eueo RSCG 360, Paris France

 

The CUTEST ad I've seen so far! Don't you agree? 

Credits to: DDB, Singapore

I hope our advertisements in the Philippines would be more out-of-the-box than what we see today. Sometimes I wonder why we don't dare as much as other countries. We have the talent, let's make the most of it!

"...At Hindi Magbabago."

There is just something about Nestle's CoffeeMate TVCs that just melts a part of my heart. It must be the song in the background or the easy-breezy mood of the clip.
I've always been following their commercials not only because I have been a CoffeeMate consumer from the very moment I started drinking coffee, but also because of my fondness of the simple concept of partnership in the brand in which is executed in no better way than through the use of the heart.

Oh, romance. Oh, lifetime partnerships.Oh, happiness shared with this particular someone. OH, LOVE. We've always dreamt and hoped for a partner who would not just accept who we are. But even with our little imperfections, we imagine a lifetime partner who would look through those and just love us for the simple reason of love. I can go on and on, attempting to explain what this "crazy little thing" is all about. But I am here to talk about what served as a springboard for all of these thoughts on love.

The latest series of CoffeeMate TVCs were conceptualized by the McCann World Group. This time, however, the brand focuses on testimonials of real-life spouses on their partnership side-by-side their first-hand experiences with CoffeeMate partnered with their coffee. The big idea is that when they drink coffee with CoffeeMate together, it serves as their 'bonding moment.' The combination of coffee and the said brand of creamer mirrors the partnership they have as a couple -- it is 'irreplaceable' and 'perfect.' It implies that without the mentioned brand, coffee would be incomplete.

The beauty of the TVC lies in its simplicity. It didn't have that fancy editing, glamorous clothes, and blinding lighting. Instead, it relied on simple white outfits, barely there make-up, acoustic music and uncomplicated homes as the setting of the commercial. It spoke of the sincere moments that couples have when they drink coffee together.

Nevertheless, not all would like their coffee creamy because others like it black, however there is one thing that always comes with the universal drink. You know when people say, "Let's talk about it over a cup of coffee?" It initiates communication -- coffee can never be without conversation. And when it comes to building relationships, communication is always key. And who can be a better partner to spend that conversation with than the one that you love the most? :)

The Pearly Truth To It

I'm old enough to say: Remember back when...

When I was 16, I had the license to say those words backed up with the memories I have collected over the years. (But only when the occasion called for it.) I would be reminiscing on 90s songs, favorite cartoon characters and grade school teachers. Repeating those words more than what my fingers could count would make me sound older than my age. (And so I learned to lessen it) However, 4 years make so much difference. It seems like I built tons of memories in a short span of time. I am 20 now and I wonder, how come I would say "Remember back when..." more frequently? Is it because I paid more attention? Or is it that my brain bank absorbed more information like Bradley Cooper in Limitless?

Let's cut to the chase. My blog entry officially starts here.

Remember back when pearl shakes were so popular? Let's name them, shall we? So there was Zagu, there was Shago, there was Orbitz and there was Quickly. This nationwide trend back in the early 2000 spread like wildfire. The pearl shake drink was all the rave -- and more "me-too" brands mushroomed in all corners of the Metro. In the 5 stages of the product life cycle, this pearl shake drink plummeted in terms of Growth quickly. However today that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently, some of these brands are still around but from the way I see them, they've been in a coma for a long time. Except for Zagu, based from observation, they're doing pretty okay in terms of sales. But would a brand just settle for something that is just okay? This type of product is getting less and less interesting by the day -- sooner or later, more customers would realize that too. What they need is some serious re-branding.

What's funny is that, I predict the same story for the milk tea craze not unless they do something about it. As we can see, we are all hyped with milk tea and businessmen would not waste that opportunity of satisfying customers' demands. Today, we've got brands like BubbleTea, Kozui, Happy Lemon, Serenitea, ZenTea heck... even Chowking has milk tea! I see this product as an evolution of the pearl shake drink since it still retains those "pearls" in it minus the shaved ice. I'm not condemning this product to its grave soon, but I strongly suggest that other soon-to-be milk tea brands should challenge themselves in to bringing something new to the table and not just shamelessly imitate the other brands. We see milk tea brands being franchised here from Japan and Korea, it is completely fine since we get to experience something foreign. But is it all that we're going to do? Just franchise? Just imitate? Just be mere copycats?
If the "milk tea industry" would like to have a happy long life, it would do some good if each milk tea brand highlights a benefit that is unique from all the others. This, in return, would not just make a unique brand positioning but it would keep the customers interested. All the more, the hype would be retained. Then it wouldn't have to see a pearl shake drink deja vu.

Is this movie worth my 200 bucks?

One thing I learned this past week: Don't use the excuse "I need inspiration" in order to write. Enough said.

I watched a total of three movies this past week -- Scream 4, Fast 5 and In the Name of Love. I am no movie critic; but as an ordinary audience, I should have my fair share of opinions, right? I will try to keep this short and sweet -- just like a short Caramel Macchiatto.



The latest installation of the Scream franchise was so far the best. However, as a horror film fanatic, it did not make me jump off my seat. So I could fearlessly say that this one, just like all the other Scream movies, is just another killing spree. I commend the film for putting an unexpected twist to it. But because it was so unexpected -- you could not grasp its unpredictability. It would leave you scratching your scalp asking "Ano raw?" (Or maybe it's just my occasional 'dumb blonde' moments.) Moreover, the whole franchise insists the Scream's to be cult classics -- but it tries too hard to be. One thing I really appreciate from this, however, is the awesome soundtrack! The film starts off with a great track from The Sounds -- one of the best girl rock bands ever. <3



I'm guessing this next one was probably the most popular film last week. Another sequel film this season is Fast and the Furious 5. I've only seen the second one of this series, thus setting limits to my opinions. But I'll just work on with what I saw.
A STAR-STUDDED FILM. "I wonder how much they spent on it" were the words that constantly played in my head. At this moment, it is pretty hard for me to extract facts from the film because I was enamoured by the raging testosterone levels of the actors and the plot (even though I can't fully explain what it is) that made the film an ultimate dude movie. Take note: not 'man' movie and not a 'boy' movie, it is a 'dude' movie -- I'll probably explain those differences some other time.

Filipino films do not usually excite me thus does not make me line up to get tickets for them. This, however, I thank my mom for dragging me into this specific movie theatre to watch a film that brings me hands down for its one-of-a-kind story and its cinematography. What's interesting about this film is the truth behind it -- the well-thought of setting and situation of the story brings Filipino love films to new heights. Olivia Lamasan, the director, sets the standards high because usually, when you come across another "love-team-of-the-moment" film, they are usually disappointing because of its run-of-the-mill storyline. This, I believe should be the peg for Filipino films because it stays true to the culture that we know of.

Bakit Ba Masarap ang Bawal?

Flashback to March in one of my core subjects in IMC, the course that I'm taking in my university -- our batch was lucky enough to learn Creatives 101 with the ingenious and hip CEO of DM9JaymeSyfu herself, Ms. Merlee Jayme. Along with her enlightening tips of "not sticking to one" or "don't fall in love" in her lecture, (just in terms of creatives, of course) she gave us a heads up on one of the agency's upcoming TV ads with one of their new clients.

The comical Lourd de Veyra leads Tanduay Ice's premier commercial in which its theme revolves around the question... "Bakit Ba Masarap ang Bawal?" On a general note, it was a commercial that definitely caught my attention because of a certain element of peculiarity but maintaining the "AHA!-I-could-relate" factor. Having him as the lead brought the laid-back, off-color humor and indie feel to the product in which I believe, not all products in that particular frame of reference could be likened to. As I mentioned earlier, the commercial made me understand that this product is different but I can relate to its difference. Futhermore, I praise the creativity of the 30-second clip. It extracted a universal truth about Filipinos wanting & craving to taste, feel or experience anything that's "bad" for us. We simply like the excitement out of it that is why we find it "masarap." Having that big idea, the commercial expressed masarap pero bawal instances creatively such as indulging ourselves in ridiculously cholesterol-packed food, forbidden love and rules that we know we should abide to -- but we don't just because we choose not to.

Just a disclaimer: I am not really the best person to be asked when it comes to alcoholic beverages. And so I asked a good friend of mine, Carlos Mendoza, who has a discriminating taste for alcohol on how this Tanduay Ice tastes like. Apparently, this drink isn't like beer at all because it's almost like a softdrink but with a certain kick to it that simple words could not even decipher. This consumer insight stays true to the testimonial that De Veyra says in the TV ad. Lastly, the point of difference portrayed in the commercial was its "Extremely Addicting" warning. If you take notice of the other alcohol ads -- they just say blatantly "Warning: Drink Moderately." But with this product, they turn the tables instead and insinuate that the end consumer may find it so darn good that he could end up so addicted to it. Thus, still retaining "masarap pero bawal" element.

It kind of played with my head -- it leaves a question, it leaves an after taste.
It's an alcoholic beverage. Hindi siya bawal, or... bawal nga ba?

What are we having today?

We've heard it so many times -- "I will write a blog." A blog about what?

In today's world, everything is possible with the internet, we send e-mails, we chat, we stalk (and get stalked at), and heck, we say anything we want to say when we want to say it. Basically, anybody and everybody can just say and post what they think the world wants to see. But, have we stopped and thought about actually filtering these so-called thoughts we have in mind? Are we brain farting excessively? I mean, do our friends really care if we're eating Koko Krunch or not?

For the readers out there who think otherwise, guys, I feel you.. sometimes, we just want to share and impart a side of ourselves in the world wide web. Moving on to what I'm really trying to say... blogging may sound a me-centered thing, but for the writers who really care, they blog because they do it for the readers. No bullshit. Honest to goodness blogging is not about brain farts, it's about being heard and being listened to on things that really matter.

Commpuccino is the title of my blog that I coined to express my love for coffee and communication. Seems like a pretty odd mix, huh? Think again. Coffee, for me, is a writer's partner -- coffee and I produce all the serotonin we could for a damn good write-up. How do we describe coffee anyway? On a more personal note, I like my coffee dark and rich, and I don't want it heavily creamed. But for the sake of this blog, we'll have it how most people want it -- short in size, non-fat and frothy. Cappuccino!
Communication on the other hand, speaks of anything that can deliver a message. May it be an ad, a product and its packaging, a brand's service, music, fashion and the list goes on! Let's face it.

Communication is everywhere. And with the help of the internet, communication has reached degrees of power we never dared to imagine. So here it is, Commpuccino. This blog will either praise, scrutinize, spite or talk about anything that our generation deals with. It may it be an ad I found offensive, a packaging that piqued my interest or even a movie that spoke of world peace! Communication has the power to move and change people everyday, every hour and every minute -- the media does it all the time. Now, let's talk about what they have been feeding us through blogging, one blog post at a time.