MANILA, Philippines — From the brand that made its fans laugh, cry, and kilig, comes an unprecedented film that reached over 5.8 million views as of writing.This is none other than “One True Pair The Movie” by Jollibee Studios. The first-ever brand that reunited John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo on-screen to match the perfect pairing of Jollibee Chickenjoy with Jolly Spaghetti.
According to JFC Philippines Country/Regional Marketing Head and Jollibee Philippines Marketing Head, Jollibee Foods Corporation Francis E. Flores, “From the moment that we learned that John Lloyd was back in showbiz and we saw how fans reacted to his return, we immediately recognized the fans’ anticipation and craving for a John Lloyd-Bea comeback project.”
For Jollibee, making the campaign meant that bringing customers joy would expand from delivering it through food to also delivering it through digital content: Press play for joy.
Throughout the years, Jollibee has been known to release Kwentong Jollibee videos on Valentines and other special days worth celebrating. What makes this one different is that apart from the long form video content, it is exclusive to watch via Jollibee Studios’ YouTube channel.
“It has long been our vision to evolve this [Jollibee Studios] platform into an exclusive entertainment hub as another means to deliver joy to our consumers aside from offering great tasting food,” said Arline Adeva, Assistant Vice President and Head of Brand PR, Engagement and Digital Marketing.
“In the coming months, Jollibee fans everywhere can definitely expect more entertaining and relatable films in the Jollibee Studios YouTube Channel with A-List stars,” she added.
For Jollibee’s Senior Marketing Manager, Luis Berba, the pairing of the couple is as classic as the pairing of the food, “John Lloyd and Bea’s perfect pairing in the Philippines’ movie industry is similar to our bestselling products, Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti, or more commonly known by its menu board code “C3” among loyal fans. C3 is definitely a classic, timeless, and iconic perfect pair that remains to be everyone’s favorite no matter how old you get!”
For the agency’s side, they knew that making the film is no small feat especially considering the talents that would star in the campaign. Publicis JimenezBasic’s Creative Director Jofer Mijares commented, “When we got the brief, we were simply in awe. But at the same time, it felt right for this iconic pair’s comeback to happen with an iconic brand like Jollibee.”
Sharing the same vision with the brand only added more depth to the project. Jollibee’s Brand Engagement Manager Beatriz Cruz said, “In terms of the storyline, it shouldn’t just be about the kilig of seeing a classic love team again, it should have substance. It should talk about the mature kind of love that would stand the test of time. That’s when the idea of love that transcends romance came about.”
“Jollibee has been known to create films about love, but this time, we wanted to dig deeper and talk about an unspoken truth that people really do experience but is seldom seen being portrayed or talked about,” added Cruz.
Aside from excellent storytelling, Jollibee also did a great job of integrating its brand and products in the entire film without making it appear like it’s an ad.. “. People are aware that it’s branded and can consciously see the several Jollibee elements as well as the Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti in the scenes, yet we’ve seen a lot of verbatim and mentions that they don’t feel as if we’re selling to them. It was pure entertainment. But at the end of it, they’d still end up craving for Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti,” commented Berba.
Yet the emotion that the film emanates is no cheap thrill. “After reading the script, I really thought na this is the right time to have this kind of treatment like ‘Before Sunrise,’ ‘Before Sunset.’ I’ve always dreamed of creating something like that,” said Director JP Habac.
The rest of Director Habac’s insights can be watched here:
“It was during the script presentation when we started with a title page: ONE TRUE PAIR The Movie Starring: John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo. Seeing that page, even if only via zoom, gave us goosebumps. We knew we weren’t just doing an important ad campaign, we’re about to make a film. A film? A film! With one of the most loved pairs in Philippine cinema. We knew then that we were writing history too,” echoed the scriptwriter Mijares.
The entire One True Pair team lauds Bea and John Lloyd for working their chemistry back into the screen. Berba said: “Apart from the insight-driven story and excellent cinematography, having them as the lead actors was truly instrumental to the success of the film.”
Meanwhile, Cruz likened the success of the film to that of a perfect meal, “It goes to show that having the right ingredients – a winning story hinged on a powerful truth, as well as the right talents, and the right team, everything will simply fall into place. The material and the story will definitely work its magic to anyone who watches it.”
Despite the wide variety of audience, PJB and Jollibee were able to make a hit across the different demographics.
“We made sure to look for insights about love that weren’t just universally true but also rings true for John Lloyd and Bea’s relationship in real life. More than kilig, we were going for real. We wanted the insights to hit so close to home that viewers would wonder if the characters they’re portraying in the film are actually themselves,” shared PJB’s Senior Brand Planner Cha Buenconsejo.
“On top of feeling kilig and expressing their love for John Lloyd and Bea, they were also applauding the script, the director, the cinematography, the hugot lines and even the message of the movie. This is the highlight for me. If you visit the comments section and collect all the reviews from colleagues and friends and family, I’d say we didn’t just make a film, we made a blockbuster hit,” chimed Mijares. “You could sense they have respect for each other’s craft and with that, they raise the bar with every take and they seem to move effortlessly around each other.”
At the end of the day, Buenconsejo shared that great insights make great stories and what better way to share insights about love than to cast the power couple that has given ideas of how love should be to Pinoy audiences for decades.
To wrap up, Buenconsejo noted that “Through John Lloyd and Bea, we were able to portray a mature kind of love. I described this as the love that transcends romance. If there was any pair that could prove this love exists, it’s John Lloyd and Bea’s relationship through the years. Love that is as timeless as they are.”
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