MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In the ever-evolving landscape of advertising, each passing year introduces innovative campaigns that redefine the boundaries of creativity. As we bid farewell to 2023, adobo Magazine turns the spotlight on some of the most exceptional and impactful campaigns that have shaped the advertising landscape in Asia Pacific.
In this exclusive series, we’ve reached out to CCO of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, Joe Dy, and Group Creative Director at Publicis JimenezBasic, Bia Fernandez, asking them to share their top picks for the year and offer their insights on the strategic brilliance, creative ingenuity, and cultural resonance that sets these chosen campaigns apart.
Joe’s picks:
FitChix by Honest Eggs Co. | VMLY&R Australia
“From the region, the work that made me most envious was easily FitChix for Honest Eggs, done by VMLY&R Australia. The sheer brilliance and insanity of counting the steps of free-range chickens to prove authenticity and printing them on the eggs. I still curse out expletives in praise of this work each time I watch it. The industry needs less overthink and more crazythink like this.”
CoCo Milk Tea, “Stress Drilon” (Philippines)
“Speaking of expletives and crazythink, the work that made me spit out my drink locally is the Stress Drilon spot out of Gigil. It’s not a new joke but the brilliance is in bringing it to life and how the story was told. Getting Ces Drilon herself to play the lead was a stroke of genius. It’s a universal insight that not only positions Coco as the venting beverage of choice but has us relating from start to finish. I think we can all agree that every branch of coco needs to have a comically large tumbler for us to stab.”
KitKat, “Punctuation Breaks” (Philippines)
“Finally, from our own office, I felt KitKat punctuation break stood out after finding a new way to play with a decades long enduring brand position. To paraphrase our client Caron Vargas of Nestlé Philippines, we are sending messages to one another more than ever before, yet proper punctuation has been taken for granted. It’s a fun take, and a fresh approach to KitKat breaks that has started to earn a little recognition in foreign shows. The radio series in particular was well performed and well crafted by our friends at Hit Productions.”
Bia’s picks:
Bantayog ng mga Bayani, “Street Memorials” (Philippines)
“A timely and very relevant piece of work that is brave. It reminds us that history can only repeat if we forget. Using QR codes, 3D, and spatial audio makes it innovative as well.”
Propel Manila and Pride@Tech, “Rebirth Certificates” (Philippines)
“A campaign that takes action and not just bandies about a message. It reaffirms transpeople’s sense of identity in such a simple but innovative manner. It uses NFTs in a helpful way and goes a step beyond what most think NFTs are (badly drawn monkeys).”
GCash, “Queer Market” (Philippines)
“And let me be proud of my own agency’s work and mention GCash Queer Market. A winner not just in terms of metal but in changing the game when it comes to sponsoring causes like the Pride March. It viewed the issues of Pride from a B2B perspective and sought to give actual change and business to the LGBTQIA+.”
