In a year punctuated with Cannes red-carpet-after-hours scandals, so-called scams, and digital campaigns gone awry, here are the standouts that still have people talking (as if we really needed to remind you about them).
Publicis payroll exposé
When someone accidentally emailed everyone the complete payroll…and there were no more secrets about how much certain people were being paid, including the CEO.
UP Maroons logo
“Fighting Maroons” or “fisting Maroons”? The improved morale of UP’s UAAP basketball team is the answer.
CPHG downpayment
Money doesn’t grow on trees, and neither do profits. With a spate of bookings and cancellations, production companies are now mandating for 50% downpayment to ensure that clients don’t bolt from them in search of cheaper options.
Production costs of TVCs vs video content
With the rise of demand for online video content, companies are churning them out as a cheaper alternative to TVCs.
Traditional agencies vs. digital transformation
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, buy them out, or better yet create your own digital arm. Acknowledging that they have to get with the times, agencies already have a digital arm or division for their online/mobile requirements.
Labor case vs. GMA
Win some, lose some— in this case the court ruled (NLRC as of October 2015) in favor of several employees from TV network GMA, who were unceremoniously fired after allegations of unfair labor practices surfaced online.
Women in the workforce
Having established more than a foothold in the workforce since the days of lunch-hour martinis and Mad Men, women are now equal contenders in the industry–or are they? With issues like disparate salaries,and work-life balance compared to their male counterparts, the ladies who inherited the mantle from women’s libbers have quite a way to go.
Work-life integration
Everyone’s favorite battlecry, concerning getting a life after 6pm. After all, balance is in the eye of the beholder.
Lucky Iron Fish controversy
Not so lucky for the agency (as it was a previous campaign), but at least the client got the Cannes Lion.
Case Study Videos
Once considered a quick way to digest campaigns, they’ve become the norm—and often ripe for spoofing.
This article was first published in the November-December 2015 issue of adobo magazine.
