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Subic’s new convention center: built to hold the entire ad industry
Striking while the irony is hot, here are few observations from the sidelights at the 20th AdCon:
Best Attendance. This AdCon convened the most number of delegates ever in its history: 3,500. The biggest sector: the students. This year, approximately 700 marketing and advertising students paid their way to Subic. Majority came from universities in Metro Manila, although several colleges from Pampanga and even one from Bacolod were represented.
Best Client Response. Despite the creative agencies’ obsession with the AdCon and the Araw Awards, PANA delegates outnumbered 4As-P delegates. For every four creative agency representatives in Subic, there were five clients.
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The Hippest Pass in Review. How do you put a fresh spin on the National Anthem without violating Republic Act No. 8491? At the Opening Ceremonies, draft mixmaster Brian Cua to accompany the march of the local ROTC troop and frame their pasang masid against a tightly edited montage of drums and singers. Kudos to the Staging Committee taking the budget cuts squarely on the chin and still making pageantry out of peanuts.
Best 80’s Halloween Costume. Sporting a dark T-shirt, dark blazer and a bedhead every day, Neil Gaiman looked like a modern-day Rip Van Winkle—albeit one who went into deep magical sleep in the 1980’s and woke up just in time for the AdCon. Nevertheless, he charmed everyone and reduced moderator Marlon Rivera of Publicis to a gushing fanboy. Of Gaiman’s T-shirt/blazer uniform, someone said, “I think he has only one jacket, but it exists in many dimensions.”
Most Organized Cafeteria Line. A fete for 3,500 delegates is no mean feat. But what Cannes Lions’ Executive Chairman Terry Savage would never attempt in France, Carol Sarthou and her Meals Committee pulled off with aplomb. For four days, they organized three massive buffets, where each table had a designated buffet line. Subic’s much-touted discipline must have rubbed off on everyone.
The Most Popular Trade Booth. Philippine Star’s two-story dazzler may have bagged all the awards at the trade exhibit, but if we had to base it on queues alone, then the most popular booth was clearly adobo’s. The lines for the special AdCon issue stretched around the block and then some. Amazing what a few juicy blind items can do.
Most Uneventful Controversial Session. ICON Research’s Chris Prox presented the PANA-funded research showing that ad recall suffered tremendously beyond the 12-minute TV advertising load—a worrisome conclusion given that the typical TV ad load in the Philippines is at 21 minutes. However Prox’s bombshell raised few eyebrows in the audience, but no questions, much to the relief of PANA’s Blen Fernando.
Worst Career Move. Lowe Worldwide’s Chairman Tony Wright flew halfway around the world to deliver a speech on “21st Century Engagement.” Just to make sure nothing would go wrong, he asked his executive assistant to send backup copies of his presentation to all Lowe Manila delegates. But when Wright opened his file, he discovered that it was the wrong presentation. And horror of horrors, everyone’s backup copy was also wrong. So he nixed the speech and the next day, the executive assistant, too.
Best kept secret. Next to the Araw results, the screening room of the Cannes Lions Winners reel remained a mystery to many. No one seemed to know where it was, not even Cannes Lion’s Executive Chairman Terry Savage. FYI, this inner sanctum was accessible only through a hidden set of stairs in a corner of the main lounge. It must have been a dungeon in a previous life.
Most Gatecrashed Party. GMA Network put together a by-invitation-only party at The Lighthouse. But when the guest count approached the thousands, the hosts threw up their hands and opened the doors. We hear there was a desperate rush to keep the bar and the buffet stocked until the wee hours.
Most Anticipated Non-announcement. At Saatchi’s much-hyped comeback “Fire” party, Chairman Arthur Young and regional bosses Andy Greenaway and Patrick Brett planned to introduce Matt Seddon as the Manila office’s new president and CEO. But at the last minute, Seddon persuaded them to hold off until after the AdCon, out of respect for JWT. So until 4AM, Seddon had to fend off the probing of some guests who wanted to know “if he was the one.”
Worst Celebrity Adlib. As cars were raffled off at the Philippine Star luncheon, host Tessa Prieto-Valdez chided ABS-CBN for being MIA at the AdCon. This offended the large ABS-CBN delegation that, unbeknownst to Prieto-Valdez, had been sitting in the audience.
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Most Persistent Wardrobe Malfunction. At the Parade of Agencies, Filmex came as a tribe of half-naked women, complete with supersized prosthetic mammaries. Because the stuff was difficult to remove, Filmex Executive Producers Concon Deray and Mila Tanteco remained in costume the entire night. But whenever the two bounded onstage to receive their awards, their perky props would pop out of their coats, giving the audience a jolt every single time. Thankfully, the program was not taped for broadcast.
Worst Time for a Smoking Break. As the incoming AdCon chairman, Jones Campos accepted the responsibility for the 21st Araw Awards, he exhorted his fellow PANA members to stand up and be recognized. Unfortunately, no one did. Not that PANA representatives weren’t in attendance; they just slipped out halfway through the awards night.
Most Clueless Winner. It’s a known fact: the closer you’re seated to the stage, the bigger your plum. But apparently, this was lost on the guys from Hit Productions. Despite front row seats (and a few other hints), they had absolutely no idea they were going to win the araw Production House Award. In fact, the realization didn’t even sink in until several minutes after they accepted their trophy. Then they screamed.
Worst Tummy Ache. When KBP was named the Araw Advertiser of the Year, people expected KBP President Jun Nicdao to receive the trophy. But he was feeling under the weather and hied to his hotel for some much needed bed rest. (Either that, or he joined his fellow PANA members for a light.) After an awkward pause, BBDO GO creatives accepted the trophy on their client’s behalf.
Biggest Surprise at the Araw. JWT, the industry’s dark horse for many years, unexpectedly emerged as BBDO GO’s main competition. It eclipsed the top-seeded Ogilvy & Mather and ranked No. 2 in the overall tally for Araw Agency Award.
Quickest Newsblast. For the first time in AdCon history, organizers produced daily newsletters. Granted, one issue was a nearly a day late, but nothing beat being handed the report on the Araw Awards, on your way out of the Araw Awards. As Proximity’s Agnes Martinez said, “It’s instant gratification.”
Best Impression of The Twilight Zone. On the way to Subic, delegates took North Luzon Expressway, which was peppered with billboards (including a couple advertising adobo magazine). But on the drive back to Manila, delegates found the national highway eerily devoid of outdoor ads. Every single one was pulled down in anticipation of Typhoon Mitag. After four days on top of the world, the sight of the world without ads brought everyone back to earth—stat.
