MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Creative agency TBWA\SMP took centerstage as Agency of the Year at the 2023 Kidlat Awards. Held last Friday, the event marked the Creative Guild of the Philippines’ first major in-person award show since 2019. All told, the Disruption Agency took home 6 Gold Awards, and 8 Silvers, in addition to 9 Finalist nods.
“Our teams are happy and proud, and justifiably so,” said Chief Creative Officer Melvin Mangada. “The bulk of the work that was recognized this year was conceived at a time when we weren’t even able to share the same physical space!”
By far, the most-awarded campaign was “Nissan Leaf Orchestra,” which scored two Golds in the Entertainment and Corporate Social Good categories, while also catching a Silver in Branded Content, and Bronzes for Media and Film. With a further three Finalist nods, the campaign, which launched in Christmas of 2021, was notable for leveraging the client’s EV line of vehicles in a call for conservation while promoting indigenous culture.
TBWA’s work for Nissan also brought home metals for “Mobile Charger” which came to people’s aid during blackouts suffered in December 2021’s Typhoon Rai. In line with the international automaker’s Blue Switch initiative, the campaign provided much-needed charging capabilities to the people of the Visayas, earning Kidlat recognition in the shapes of 1 Gold and 3 Silver awards.
The Agency’s active participation in pandemic relief proved rewarding as well, scoring two Golds, two Silvers, and two Bronzes for St. Luke’s Medical Center’s “Project Breathe.” The campaign drove awareness of PPEs and the importance of social distancing.
The final Gold was for McDonald’s Carabao Thru, a playful take on the client’s iconic Drive Thru’s, successfully integrating their trademark fast food service to Bulacan’s Kneeling Carabao Festival to win a Guerrilla Marketing Gold and three Bronzes for Media, Outdoor, and PR.
The Kidlat Awards ended with clients and Agency alike dancing the night away with their industry peers, celebrating the wins for last year’s work, while positively invigorated for the work to come.
Melvin shared, “Even through a global crisis, our industry will always have a place for Disruption. We are, of course, proud of our teams, but we know we would not be here without our clients, who constantly challenge and empower us to create disruptive, meaningful work. That’s definitely something to be grateful for.”
