MANILA – After getting a little bit of local love from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines with two wins in the 52nd Anvil Awards, Resorts World Manila (RWM) continues its winning streak with recent recognitions from two international award-giving bodies.
On April 19, RWM’s #BrighterTomorrow won the top prize for Social Media Campaign in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Excellence Awards in PR and Communications held in Hong Kong. Originally from Europe, the Excellence Awards is a truly global award-giving body, recognizing the achievements of communications professionals, with regional ceremonies in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and North America.
The following day, proving the campaign’s universal appeal, #BrighterTomorrow was announced as the recipient of a Gold Stevie for Innovation in the Use of Social Media in the 2017 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, one of the world’s premier award-giving bodies for business innovation.
These back-to-back recognitions add to the string of awards received by the same campaign, starting with the 2016 Asia-Pacific Communications Summit (APCS) Awards in Singapore, where it emerged as the top winner in Social Media Strategy among all entries from the region. The APCS is one of the most prestigious gatherings of communications experts and professionals in the region, with its annual summit drawing industry leaders.
At the heart of these wins is an online music video of the little girls from RWM’s local production of the musical Annie singing “Tomorrow.” The video was posted on Facebook one day before the inauguration of the newly-elected President of the Philippines, making the song more meaningful to a nation recovering from a bruising election season. The video touched the hearts of Filipinos, propelled the girls into viral fame, and helped make Annie the company’s most successful musical production.
The world took notice, and #BrighterTomorrow has now become RWM’s most awarded campaign to date. The team behind it quickly realized that its success has gone beyond just marketing a musical or promoting a brand. It has also brought pride to the Philippines.
“The message of #BrighterTomorrow is as relevant today as it was when we aired it back in June 2016 and will be relevant for all tomorrows to come. Hope keeps humanity going, after all,” says Martin Paz, Chief Integrating Marketing Officer for RWM. “The APCS win last October was extra special since we had to present and defend our campaign before an international jury of communication experts.”
In addition to #BrighterTomorrow, RWM also received Bronze Stevies for #RunWithMe, the company’s flagship employee engagement program for its 7th anniversary celebration, and for the Annie souvenir program, which was recognized for its innovation in marketing literature.
Paz believes RWM’s recent spate of success in the international awards arena is a combination of luck, smart strategizing, and fearless leadership.
“In many ways, the stars seemed to align for our company and my team to come up with these campaigns and programs that were not just well received by our target audiences, but also gained the respect of our peers worldwide,” Paz says. “We at RWM believe that to be truly lucky – to be able to sustain that good run – you have to be able to spot opportunities, work hard, and be willing to take a few risks to truly seize your moment.”
Paz, who has helmed RWM’s Integrated Marketing Department for the last 6 years, has been credited with transforming the company into a marketing communications innovator in the entertainment tourism industry. This position is fitting, given RWM’s role as the first truly world-class integrated resort in the Philippines.
“These awards are all the more meaningful because we do almost everything in-house. For #BrighterTomorrow, we did everything from ideation to production and execution. Getting recognized globally is certainly a big boost for our team, but more than building egos, these wins show that creativity builds business,” Paz says.
“With passion, teamwork, and good old-fashioned hard work, success is certainly in the cards,” he says.
