One of Philippine advertising’s legendary ad men, Bobby Caballero, died last August 31, from a lung infection. He was 66 years old.
He was the highest-soaring creative in Manila’s advertising scene during the late 1980’s through the early 1990’s with the breakthrough “Shining Through/ Beauty of the Philippines” campaign of Philippine Airlines. Conceptualized for both local and international audiences, the campaign created positive impact not just for the airline but also for the country.
As executive creative director of the wholly Filipino-owned Avia Communications, he was responsible for directing the agency’s creative output to meet the world-class standards of its client, Philippine Airlines, whose media budget – reputed to have been the biggest for a single account at that time – was heavily skewed to international advertising. Unlike his industry peers whose work was solely directed to the local market, his task was to ensure that the international campaigns of Philippine Airlines measured up well with those of highly-respected competitors like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
Under his creative stewardship, Avia became an unparalleled force never seen before in local advertising. In its first year alone, Avia won more awards in the Philippine Advertising Congress than any other agency in an achievement that has not been equaled since. And that was not all: the “Shining Through/Beauty of the Philippines” campaign also got nods from various international award-giving bodies like the Clios, another first for a Filipino-owned agency.
Tom Banguis, Jr., co-owner and president of Avia Communications (which later became AB Communications), notes that Bobby helped influence and shape a world-class culture and attitude in the agency – from the staff’s fashion sense to the agency’s overall creative standards.
“World-class” was not an idle claim. Together with Manny Gutierrez, a kindred spirit and advertising director of Philippine Airlines then, he sourced overseas facilities to achieve the best possible finish for all creative materials. Thus, many of Avia’s people enjoyed regular trips to Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and the United States for project assignments during a time when work-related overseas trips were uncommon in the local advertising industry. “Bobby had that jet-setter flair and style that the account badly needed,” says Manny Gutierrez.
Bobby strove for excellence, and he demanded the same from the people he worked with. He was a harsh critic of mediocre creative output, yet quick with morale-boosting compliments for good work. “I doubt if there are many creatives with the genteel audacity that Bobby had,” recalls Cherry Gambol, a pioneering creative director and friend. “He had an inimitable way of selling his grandiose ideas to clients, often beyond their objectives, directions, and yes, even budgets. Unpredictable elegance with shock value was his dictum. As he used to say, no one will remember that you saved them money. All they will remember is that you had so-so ideas with so-so results.”
He also exuded – no, personified – the glamor, sophistication and confidence of an ad man. Tall and handsome, he was impeccably groomed and well-dressed straight out of GQ Magazine. Mio Chongson, chief operating officer of Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Philippines, worked with Bobby closely on the Kao shampoo account in Avia. She believes that Bobby stood out because he had the swag of a star. “When he entered a room, he just radiated with such powerful presence,” she says. “He just strutted his way. I guess that attitude made him even more gorgeous.”
In the 1970’s, Bobby’s name was synonymous with the “Bagong Anyo” fashion shows both as choreographer and male model, one of the favorites of the former First Lady Imelda Marcos. He was the creative energy behind the legendary disco and party place Coco Banana, owned by the late fashion designer Ernest Santiago. His unforgettable one-liner in their sought-after invitations for anniversary parties became a classic for the decade’s beautiful people: “The world knows where we are.” He was also a dancer with the Filipinescas troupe of the late National Artist for Dance, Leonor Orosa Goquinco, who considered him her best dancer. He was also a fashion designer, with his own eponymous men’s ready-to-wear label.
Like many precocious creative talents, Bobby had his personal demons, which led him to briefly disappear from the local advertising scene. When he returned, he put up his own boutique shop, Caballero & Associates, handling lifestyle and fashion accounts. He re-discovered his Christian faith, becoming an ardent Marian devotee, and pursued other interests. He authored two books, Yena Tam Ngamin: A Mother To Us All, on Our Lady of Piat, and Decorating with Flowers. He even survived a heart attack, famously sharing his experience live by phone and text to friends up to the moment he entered the operating room. When he was diagnosed with cancer, and had been undergoing treatment, sickness did not stop him from being productive. Before his death, he was actively into marketing and creative consulting, and had recently received his masteral degree in mass communications.
– Harry Mosquera
