MANILA, PHILIPPINES–Ushering a new year always comes with resolutions and hope for new beginnings. For some, new beginnings are waylaid by strong foundations and trusted partnerships. Such is the case for established media giant ABS-CBN, whose generations-worth of legacy was challenged in 2020 by the legislative government.
“If there’s one thing we’re certain about the future, it’s that it will be exciting.” Elaine Uy-Casipit, ABS-CBN’s Head of Business Development & Digital Services, tells adobo magazine this much.
Between rallying the Filipino’s support and their franchise being denied, what kept them afloat is their own initiative to experiment and to trust the process, wherever it leads them to.
“We merged iWant and TFC into one global platform, we experimented with experiential ticketing services, we do virtual events for fans, we’re playing with different content formats, and collaborating with external platforms. It’s challenging, but we push forward, because our North Star never changed—and that is to serve the Filipino worldwide. For our Kapamilyas, we keep improving on what works, and we keep looking for better solutions with the help of our partners.”
“As a strategic partner, we never left ABS-CBN as they pivot and try new platforms to deliver good content,” interjects Dennis Perez, Unilever’s Media Director.
Experimentation, for Perez also works best to their advantage, as it is the right approach in digital. He says, “When you transition to digital, you don’t want to interrupt people with what they’re doing.
Anyone in the sphere of Unilever would have heard of what Perez calls passions-bingeing—the consumer way of indulging on what makes them tick: be it games, TV shows, or other forms yet to be explored.
Such passions lead to universally good content, and in their bar, Dove-sponsored short film “Hair Love” exemplifies what content should be. So much so that the Matthew Cherry film made it into the Academy Awards (Oscars) nominations.
“We cannot create beautiful stories without leveraging the partnership that ABS-CBN graciously gives,” Perez stresses.
Beautiful stories are not something that Unilever takes lightly. For a story to be beautiful, it must be able to penetrate the consciousness of the consumers be it through the campaign’s emotional appeal or through clever executions; and for Perez, nothing does this better than the personal and tailored, be it 15-seconders or even long-form content.
Unilever’s ROI beyond minutes of ad spend
Perez shares that long-form content allows advertisers to measure beyond just minutes, but in impact for every episode: The best way to advertise digitally is really to integrate yourself into the content.
Such is the case with a recent collaboration in the touching and lighthearted series Hello Stranger which optimizes brands such as Close-up and Lucky Me by sowing them deep into the storyline that they become plot devices instead of the commonplace nuisance brand placements are reputed to have.
Creating advertising for a trusted partner might as well be all in a day’s work because Perez quipped that at ABS-CBN, entertainment is different.
“Entertainment will definitely revolutionize the way we do content for brands.”
Unilever’s Country Media Manager, Macce Samarista, adds, “Our audiences are very smart; they already know when you’re selling something. So your content has to be stand-out relevant and resonant to Digital natives if you don’t want them to skip your ad,” emphasizing that digital as a form calls for new metrics and is no longer captured by the usual norm of nationwide ratings.
“TV measurement is irrelevant in Digital. Beyond Reach, it’s an exciting battle of unskippable content where the winner is always the consumer.”
Into the vast universe of ABS-CBN
Collaboration plays a big role in Unilever’s playbook, Samarista says. With all the mediums that ABS-CBN provides, she says: “There’s enough sunshine for everyone to bask in.”
“The beauty of digital
is you can co-create”
Samarista puts it with much ease as to say, “It’s just a matter of finding the right balance between the channel and the content—that’s the sweet spot.”
Whenever they begin a new campaign, both ABS-CBN and Unilever leave room to explore, to learn the ropes, and to work out the kinks in any situation.
“We can succeed by design if we work together as a team; if we give the consumers the right channels and the relevant content that will best serve them.”
This was echoed by ABS-CBN’s Digital Sales Head / Digital Client Investment Adviser Joseph Albert Meñez who put to words the value of their partnership with Unilever: I think it’s one of those partnerships where no one loses, because it’s either we win or we learn together.
“They give us the trust to experiment with them for as long as we take care of the brands.”
Some of the campaigns born out of the trust between the two parties have resulted in well-loved campaigns such as the Knorr Kitchen Nomad series where Julia Barretto and Chef JP Anglo cook up dishes and storms with Knorr’s culinary range.
Another example is Axe’s Play it Fresher virtual concert in September 2020—taking everyone to a fresher ground with the talents and musical experience at MYX Philippines.
The freedom that ABS-CBN explores makes them a valuable partner in terms of expertise, expressed Perez. Instead of being a directory and inventory of Unilever’s ads, ABS-CBN has become the digital powerhouse that shelters and takes care of their brands.
Perez, whose track on Unilever has made Dove close to his heart, has the My Hair, My Say campaign as one of his pride, which has resulted in a collaboration between the brand and KZ Tandingan to empower women to wear their hair however they want it.
Such executions are only but a glimpse of the trust forged between ABS-CBN and Unilever. Because of such strong bond, the two have always had a jumpstart ahead of the game, even as everyone else were just testing the waters of digitalization.
“At Unilever, we always try to be ahead of media and digital trends and thankfully we have a partner that is as courageous in trying out new forms and testing which one suits each of our brands.”
On ABS-CBN’s part, entertainment is still at the core of the network. However, entertainment for them is not merely cheap thrills, but changes with the demand of an evolving market that they cater. But more than that, Perez notes ABS-CBN is a content company—content beyond the sense of creating anything for the sake of viewer consumption, but content that satisfies all stakeholders involved.
“That makes 2021 exciting for us. It’s a new way of doing marketing; and that’s something that we are looking forward to.”
Hand-in-hand, the two will always come out on top whatever challenges each one may face—be it in the challenges of advertising or the landscape of media. As Claud Mallillin, Client Investment Adviser / Sales Head for Unilever, puts it:
The bumps in an unpaved road is what makes the journey very exciting and fulfilling at the same time.
