SINGAPORE — Awards season for the advertising industry has officially begun with Spikes Asia starting off the celebrations. As the festival opens in Singapore today, March 13, brands and agencies are also eagerly awaiting the results for the coveted Spikes Asia metals. This morning, the shortlists have been announced, honoring the best of creativity from across the Asia Pacific region. The Philippines boasts 36 finalists this year, with McDonald’s Philippines and Leo Burnett Manila, as well as KitKat and VML Manila‘s, works raking in the most finalist spots.
The country’s top three categories are Radio & Audio and Print & Publishing with seven nominations each, and Brand Experience & Activation with five.
For Radio & Audio, KitKat’s “Punctuation Marks” campaigns by VML Philippines were the sole nominees for Consumer Goods and Script, while Bantayog Street Memorials by Dentsu Creative was the sole nominee for Not-for-Profit/Charity/Government. The Unbranded Menu by Leo Burnett Manila leads all nominees in the Gaming category with four shortlists.
Here’s the breakdown of finalist spots for each Philippine-based agency:
- Leo Burnett Manila – nine nominations
- VML Philippines – eight nominations
- GIGIL – four nominations
- Dentsu Creative – four nominations
- TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno – three nominations
- Ogilvy Philippines – three nominations
- BBDO Guerrero – two nominations
- MullenLowe Treyna – two nominations
- Ace Saatchi & Saatchi – one nomination
Leo Burnett Manila x McDonald’s Philippines
The biggest contender form the Philippines this year is “Unbranded Menu” as it continues to receive recognition. At this year’s Spikes, Leo Burnett Manila and McDonald’s Philippines grabs a total of nine nominations: seven for “Unbranded Menu” and two for “Ride the Arches.”
Four slots were won in the Gaming shortlists as it earned nominations for sub-categories Brand Integration for Games, Use of Gaming / Streaming Platforms, Influencer & Co-Creation, and Community Management / Social Engagement.
Under Creative Strategy, the campaign also received nods under the following sub-categories: Breakthrough on a Budget, Brave Brands and Use of Social & Digital Platforms.
“Ride the Arches,” meanwhile, also boasts two nods under the Brand Experience & Activation category.
VML Philippines x KitKat
VML Philippines (formerly Wunderman Thompson Philippines and VMLY&R Manila) is also a big finalist this year with its KitKat campaign “Punctuation Marks,” specifically the iterations for “Comma,” “Em Dash,” and “Ellipsis,” which have received eight finalist spots in total.
Under Print & Publishing, all three works are nominated for sub-category Consumer Goods, while for Radio & Audio, all three campaigns were the only nominees from the Philippines under sub-category Consumer Goods, while “Comma” and “Em Dash” were the only local representatives for the Script classification.
GIGIL
GIGIL has also earned four shortlist spots this year at Spikes Asia, with two under Film for its work with Grab Philippines, and two for Netflix Philippines.
Its Mother’s Day film with production house Arcade Film Factory earned a nomination under the Consumer Services / Business to Business sub-category, while Niel received a nod under the Cultural Insight classification.
On top of these two nominations, GIGIL’s work with Netflix Philippines also is in the running under the Outdoor category, specifically for Interactive & Immersive Experiences with the “4Dish Pot” in promotion of Netflix’s original series Replacing Chef Chico, and Brand Experience & Activation.
Dentsu Creative Manila
Earning four finalist spots is also Dentsu Creative, for its works with Greenpeace Philippines and the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani Foundation (Monument of Heroes)
Under Industry Craft, the agency was included in the shortlists for sub-categories Photography: Outdoor and Photography: Print & Publishing for the “Black and White” campaign for Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines.
Dentsu Creative was also the only Philippine nominee for the Not-for-profit / Charity / Government sub-category under Radio & Audio for the “Bantayog Street Memorials” as a tribute to Martial Law heroes, on top of being a finalist for the Brand Experience & Activation category.
Boysen x TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno
TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno also enters the list of Philippine finalists with three nominations for Pacific Paint (Boysen Philippines) with the “Boysen Plants” campaign. Under Design, it earned a spot in the Posters sub-category, while Print & Publishing jurors favored the “Venus Flytrap” and “Pitcher Plants” iterations for its Consumer Goods sub-category, earning a spot each.
Ogilvy x IKEA
Ogilvy‘s work for IKEA Philippines is also a star contender this year, with three nominations for “This is An IKEA Store.” It earned spots under Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Commerce, and Media under the Large Scale Media sub-category.
BBDO Guerrero x Mitsubishi
BBDO Guerrero joins the list of Philippine contenders this year for its work with Mitsubishi in the Print & Publishing category, under Consumer Goods. Two of its works, specifically “Samuel” and “Astrid” with production house Illusion CGI Studio, Bangkok, earned nods from the jurors.
MullenLowe Treyna x Right to Care Card
Joining the list of Spikes Asia finalists is MullenLowe Treyna, which has earned two spots, specifically in the Healthcare category under Brand-led Education & Awareness, and PR for the Launch / Re-launch sub-category with the “Right to Care Card” initiative. This campaigns aimed to empower LGBTQ+ couples in Quezon City, one of the biggest city populations in the country.
Ace Saatchi & Saatchi x National Union of Journalists in the Philippines
Ace Saatchi & Saatchi completes the list of Spikes Asia finalists from the Philippines this year with its work for the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP). The nomination is for the campaign “NUJP Report from the Grave,” which earned a Radio & Audio spot under the sub-category Use of Audio Technology / Voice Activation.
Winners for Spikes Asia 2024 will be announced tomorrow, March 14, 2024.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of Spikes Asia 2024.
