SUBIC — For the second day of Ad Summit Pilipinas 2018 (March 9), Katryna Mojica, Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong set the tone for what’s in store for this Summit’s attendees with a discussion on ‘Return on Initiative.’
In her talk, Mojica shared her insights on global mobility and how Philippines became a strong source of global talent. “I think when it comes to Filipino talent, I think we can all agree that it is very highly regarded,” says Mojica.
Mojica who has worked in Ogilvy & Mather Vietnam shared that working there dialed up her ability to express a different point of view and also take an unpopular decision. She then moved to Ogilvy & Mather Indonesia where she was introduced to the country’s ‘traditional hierarchies.’
“Maybe, counter-intuitively if we wanna make everything flatter, maybe instead of breaking down traditional hierarchies, we should build more,” Mojica suggested.
Now, as a Chief Executive Officer for Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong, Mojica also shared about the power of visibility and adaptability. She ended her talk by challenging the audience to build a tolerance for dissonance, an appetite for disruption, and to be audacious.
Josy Paul, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO India talked on ‘Return on Inspiration’ and how brands can go beyond advertising to spark social movements and change attitudes.
Paul who was one of the great minds behind Ariel’s award-winning #ShareTheLoad campaign said, “It’s not a campaign, it’s an invitation to do something with us.” The notable campaign showed how fathers and husbands can take small steps, like doing laundry, to eradicate gender inequality in the household in India.
Watch the campaign below:
Paul also presented sanitary protection brand Whisper’s #TouchThePickle campaign which dominated Cannes Lions’ Gender-Neutral Category. The campaign paved way for active teenage girls of India to defy imposed tradition and taboos by encouraging them to touch the pickle jar.
For the soft drink brand Mirinda, Paul showed ‘Release the Pressure’ campaign which brought forth the sentiments of Indian teenagers about exam pressure and the pressure to excel in school. The campaign ignited a conversation in India regarding parental expectations and mental health problems. “Take a simple idea and then make it big—that’s how you start a movement,” said Paul.
He also presented a three-minute film, #StandByToughMoms, that he created with acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Shoojit Sircar for the mosquito repellent brand All Out.
To end his talk, Paul presented his ‘Women Against Lazy Stubble’ campaign saying, “It’s not about being different; it’s about taking a stand.”
Girish Menon, Vice President, [m] Platform APAC went on to discuss ‘Return on Impact’ which was about rediscovering how choosing the right media channels can be crucial to reaching the right audiences and maximizing your brand’s impact.
“We’re not looking at the quality of what we’re buying; we’re looking at the price of what we’re buying,” said Menon.
Menon discussed about programmatic advertising and the keys to effective digital marketing. He concluded his talk by giving out three key factors in helping your brand thrive in the digital era: 1) Buy audiences not websites; 2) Focus on brand health, engagement, and conversion metrics rather than cheap clicks and impressions; 3) Invest in independent ad serving and verification.
Francis Flores, Chief Marketing Officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation, talked about ‘Return on Intuition,’ which was about instinctive understanding of the market and its importance in boosting a brand’s appeal and relevance.
“Don’t be afraid to use your intuition. Your agency will love you if you give them the creative freedom,” said Flores as he shared the story behind their viral campaigns.
Flores shared that brand stories with “powerful truths that are well told” is one of the key factors to create blockbuster viral campaigns.
The last speaker to grace the stage was Wil Dasovich, vlogger and YouTube superstar, who talked about ‘Return on Influence.’
“I always wanted to be an entertainer, but I wanted value-added entertainment; I wanted entertainment that people could learn from,” Dasovich shared.
He brought with him his fellow content creator Jako De Leon and together, they talked about combining value, authenticity, and story-telling to generate views and get the trust of their followers.
The whole Vlog Squad consisting of Haley Dasovich, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Jako de Leon, Daniel Marsh, Bret Maverick, and Josh Yozura were also present at the event.
