New programs for 2018 unveiled by ad organization
The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As) has formally inducted its board of directors and officers for 2018 during the association’s first general membership meeting held at the Makati Diamond Residences.
Led by Bong G. Pacia, McCann Worldgroup chief operating officer and newly inducted 4As chairman, and Sue Ann F. Malig-Nolido, Leo Burnett VP-account management director and 2018 4As president, the new officers of the organization are envisioning a more dynamic 4As this year under its banner theme, “Harnessing technology through creative ingenuity.”
“The vision this year for the 4As is to create a higher profile and more visible presence as it reclaims its position as the leader and the go-to organization for creative excellence, industry cohesion, and cutting-edge knowledge and thought leadership,” Pacia said.
In his acceptance speech, Pacia highlighted some challenges that the marketing communication industry is facing today. He said maintaining relevance, now that the influence of technology is growing, is the industry’s biggest task. But he remains confident that the industry will stay resilient and innovative.
Meanwhile, 4As president Sue Ann F. Malig-Nolido expressed excitement about the projects that the organization is mounting in 2018.
“This year’s board has designed programs that will bring in experts from various disciplines to help our industry develop the kinds of ideas that will change people’s lives….It will be a great year filled with relevant programs that will improve our industry and our businesses,” she said.
For this year, former Y&R Philippines CEO and former 4As President, Chiqui G. Lara, served as inducting officer for the new board of directors. Aside from Pacia and Malig-Nolido, the officers of the 4As are:
- Tats C. Cruz (Managing Director & Head of Accounts, Publicis Jimenezbasic) – Vice-President and Director for Government Relations
- Teeny G. Gonzales (Chief Executive Officer, Seven AD) – Board Secretary and Director for Creative Services
- Golda A. Roldan (Managing Director, J. Walter Thompson) – Treasurer and Director for Finance
- Eres G. Aspi (VP-Account Management, Campaigns & Grey) – Corporate Comptroller and Director for Membership
- Norman A. Agatep (President & Managing Director, Grupo Agatep) – Director for Information
- John Lucas (Managing Director, DDB Philippines) – Director for Programs and Sports
- Maya Roldan (Business Development Head, Y&R Philippines) – Director for Education
Aside from the induction of officers and directors of the board, another highlight of the night was the keynote speech of Pixar’s Gini Santos, supervising animator of the Golden Globe Award-winning and Oscar-nominated film, Coco. Santos shared her secret to remaining relevant in a highly-competitive industry like animation. She underscored the importance of creating innovative content.
“[Great] content would always be the key, and that’s how you are going to stay in the competition. Aside from adapting to the constantly changing and still emerging technology, at the end of the day, bringing in ideas and spending more time on thinking and writing the story allow me to stay relevant,” Santos said.
