AD STARS 2019: TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno Waves Filipino Flag Proudly in Busan; Named Most Awarded Philippine Agency in Ad Stars

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA—Philippine agency TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno was the most-awarded Philippine agency over the weekend at Korea’s Ad Stars advertising festival, walking away with a Crystal Award, 2 Golds, 5 Silvers, and 6 Bronzes, for a total of 14 metals.

New to the awards scene was “Baybayan”, which won a Gold (Communication Design- Typography) and two Silvers (Product & Service, Communication Design). Developed in-house by TBWA\SMP for the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 50^th anniversary, “Baybayan” is a font that combines the modern alphabet with an ancient Philippine writing system, encouraging young Filipinos to take pride while learning more about their heritage.

Among TBWA\SMP’s winning works was “Baybayan”, a font that combines elements
of modern writing with ancient Filipino scripts to promote heritage and love of culture.

At the same time, the latest iteration of the agency’s work for the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA), “Liliosa Hilao”, won a Silver (Filmcraft- Script) and a Bronze (Film) for its chilling message against the abuses of power.

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As stated by Ad Stars Executive Committee Chairperson Hwan-Jin Choi, the festival’s core value was that of “humanity”: “We exist to share creative solutions that change the world. Many of this year’s winners are contributing to humanity in exciting ways, and we would like to congratulate them for their work.”

The Philippines’ most-awarded campaign, TBWA\SMP’s “This is a Tree”, highlighted client Boysen’s breakthrough technology with a paint that could clean the air as well as a tree.

The value could be seen in TBWA\SMP’s wins, reflecting the agency’s mantra of “creativity for humanity”, foremostly evidenced by “This is a Tree”. The campaign, for client Boysen Paint, earned a coveted Crystal Award, in addition to a Gold (Communication Design), two Silvers (Product Service, Communication Design), and five Bronzes (Outdoor, Outdoor Craft, Outdoor Illustration, Green, Branded). The campaign was lauded for its introduction of an air-purifying paint applied in the form of fanciful artwork along the nation’s busiest thoroughfare.

In addition to the wins, the Disruption Agency was represented at Ad Stars by TBWA\SMP Chief Creative Officer Melvin Mangada, who served as jury president for the Design and Print jury. This is the latest judging stint for Mangada, who has previously headed up or served on juries at shows such as Cannes, D&AD, New York Festivals, ADC, LIA, and Spikes Asia.