11.08.2009
8.05.2009
7.16.2009
Pop's Not Dead
After weeks of mourning the tragic death of Michael Jackson, it appears the hype has arguably died down already (pun not intended). The King of Pop may be long gone but his music, however, continues to reverberate in our hearts.
And ears.
Especially during OT hours.
We won’t name names but don’t think we haven’t noticed some of you getting sentimental and endlessly playing MJ songs all night. And printing the Time commemorative issue and pasting it near your desks. And switching your wallpapers to Jacko’s face. In fact, we’re a bit surprised that a certain AE (who shall remain nameless except for his initials N.R.) hasn’t been wearing his fedora hats in MJ’s honor.
Juice Water Tinapay went around the office and asked the fans for their fondest Michael Jackson memories. Here’s what they have to say:
"In all the dance groups I've been in, from grade school to college, I’ve never failed to perform to an MJ song and have his signature cap and gloves. I have so many I can have an MJ cap and gloves ukay!" – Jakeena
"Our band was recently selected to play sa Michael Jackson night in Saguijo sa August 12, so yung banda namin listened to a bunch of MJ songs together. We realized ang gaganda pala ng songs niya. It took us over a week just to decide which one to cover (as in may arguments). Mahirap siyang i-cover, awesome ang discography niya, e!" - Griffey
"My sister and I argued about and fought over a lot of things when we were younger, except for one thing: Michael Jackson. I remember staying up really late one time so we could record Oprah's MJ interview at Neverland and we'd tape over and over for as long as our Betamax player could take it. I guess you can say MJ helped narrow the gap between me and my sister." - Maan
"It's when I saw the video of "The Way You Make Me Feel". He was so hot there. I seriously had a crush on him during that time. He danced so well and I super loved that song." - Janlo
“My favorite quote from Michael Jackson: ‘If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.’” – Icel
“We sang Heal the World when I was part of Little Mr. and Ms. Jollibee back in Grade 2.” – Javey
My fondest MJ memory is Thriller. I was about 5 years old. Even if it terrified me and gave me nightmares, my brother and I would force ourselves to watch it. We loved it that much. – Danni
The first time MJ revealed to the world the Moonwalk (during Motown's 20th Anniversary) just blew me away! - Carl
I loved it when he did the 45 degree angle thing- live. It was great in the video, but when he did it live--astig! - Bob
Long live the King of Pop! And now, we invite you to submit your moonwalking videos (paging Carl Urgino) at this tribute website below:
5.28.2009
Another Katrina Video
Here's the follow-up to Kat's high rating first video featuring surprise cameos from Jakeena "Britney Spears" Malli, Dave Ferrer, Direk Sid Maderazo and more international stars! Don't forget to keep on voting for the original video at http://youtube.com/canneslions and typing thecheshirecatgrin in the search box.
Update: As of June 2, 2009, Kat has been included in the shortlist of final candidates--the ONLY one from the Philippines! Good luck, Kat! You make us proud!
5.20.2009
VOTE NOW!
If you've got time to Facebook, you've definitely got time to VOTE! The video below is Kat Encanto's entry to the 2009 Cannes Young Lions ad contest. Two winners, judged on creativity and the videos' views, ratings and footprint, will be sent to Cannes to represent YouTube in the prestigious Young Lions contest.
Log on to http://youtube.com/canneslions and type thecheshirecatgrin in the search box and give the video below an awesome thumbs up vote! Remember, EVERY vote counts and we need yours to make this happen!
Besides, if it was good enough for Obama (as you'll see in the video), then it's definitely good enough for us.
Never underestimate the power of a petition.
4.21.2009
"Unofficially" Thankful
4.02.2009
Passion Patrol invades Manila
The rating system, as devised in 2005, is a Global 1 to 10 rating system used to evaluate the agency product. The scoring method is based on how much time the audience is willing to spend with the material presented to them. It is the standard by which every single piece of work we come up with is judged against.
Together with our own Dave Ferrer, the crew spent three days holed up in the freezing chamber known as the Juniper Board Room, reviewing the latest output from all our Asian offices. They were kept organized by Regional Creative Officer Betty Tsai of Shanghai. Discussions ranged from praising, critiquing to even dissing work, and touched on how to improve the quality of work.
At sundown, through the duration of their stay, our guests were given a taste of the Manila night life. Wednesday night had them dining at Chef Laudico’s where they sampled gourmet adobo, kare-kare and other local dishes while a storm raged outside. The following night, they were escorted to Mamou in Serendra. True to their non-conformist ways, the group was at one of the most delectable steak joints in town, yet hardly anyone ordered the steak.
The Passion judging sessions wrapped up on Friday, at around noon, ending a half-week long series of grueling debates and meticulous scrutinizing.
Friday afternoon saw JWT Manila hold another First Press session, with four of the Creative gurus regaling the audience with words of wisdom from their rich collective experience. It was a rare opportunity to hear from so many of the top creative minds in the region together, without having to go to AdFest or something of the sort. In attendance were several members from creatives, account management, finance, design, and of course, some of our clients.
The most frequent Manila visitor of the bunch, Guan kicked things off by showing the top scoring work from Q1, which included a couple of pieces from our own office. Among the materials showcased were a funny, unabashedly cheesy TVC from JWT Malaysia for a local cheese snack (starring a recognizable brand-new American President), a revolutionary way of using the Post Office for KitKat from Tokyo and a short film done for Lux, which starred Catherine Zeta Jones.
Ma Yan followed suit, and discussed what JWT China was all about. His talk was quite enlightening and timely, especially with JWT Shanghai recently being named Agency of the Year at the Asian AdFest in Thailand. He described their unparalleled understanding of the Chinese market, their driven resolve for creative work, and their cultural roots being evident in their work. These key points were puncutated by several pieces of work, including guerilla efforts for Anta shoes in the face of huge adspend from competitors during the Beijing Olympics, the AdFest-sweeping Shan Shui ads and their world famous Bruce Lee viral Campaign for Nokia.
Imagine selling out all on-order stock in 5 days. That's what this did for Nokia China.
Soon, nightfall struck, and the JWT Manila Tribe showed the Passion Patrol cats how we end the week in our neck of the woods.
Championing Pinoy Hospitality, Dave and Jos took the Passion contingent out on a night they won’t soon forget. First up was a fancy dinner at Lolo Dad’s in Ayala which would prove to be the last "dignified" setting for the week. Shortly after, they found themselves at Attica Bar in A-Venue for a very unique experience.
Rockeoke, in case you're not hip to the Pinoy scene, is essentially performance karaoke with a live Rock Band. Dave got the ball rolling by belting out The Cure's Friday I'm In Love .
Words alone won’t do the revelry justice. (Incidentally, there are photos and videos floating about, so beware!) Suffice it to say, the night saw Ramsey, Ma Yan and Guan live out their rockstar fantasies to the musical stylings of the Johnnies. The trio even joined together to give us their rendition of Hard Day’s Night.
Not to be outdone, Jos and the rest of the Manila crowd took their turns at the microphone. Art Director and rocker Bob Cruz even showcased his badass guitar skills when he jammed with the band and dished out a wicked solo.
The Johnnies capped the spectacle off with one last set that had everyone present singing their hearts out in unison (well, sort of in unison) to the tune of "Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You" which can only be aptly described as very “GMA Supershow.”
Going great lengths to ensure that our visitors left with more than just additional Facebook contacts and tagged photos, Dave presented our colleagues with a uniquely Pinoy parting gift which featured a commemorative shirt designed by Katrina Encanto and a CD of Eraserheads hits compiled by Rachel Villanueva.
Huge Congratulations are due Dave Ferrer, Jos Ortega, Maggie Madayag, Rachel Villanueva, Ge Madriaga-Mapa, Ramon Alfonso, Cez Golez, Kara Bautista, Tricci Alonzo, Katrina Encanto, Robert Reños, Amay Ridera, Peter Espina, Jesse Caube, Tolits Torres, Niki Rojas, Diane Fernando, Tesscafé Jumawan, Bernard Dizon and everyone else who helped make it an unforgettable Passion Patrol Q1. As Dave noted in his email, thanks to everyone's efforts, our guests took home very good impressions of the Philippines and considered this "the best Passion ever!"
4.01.2009
Judgement Dave: Clio Awards 2009
Under his stewardship, JWT Manila has won quite a number of international and local awards for radio. In 2007, Dave and his team brought home the Philippines' first ever Cannes Gold Lion, for the celebrated Lotus Spa radio campaign.
3.25.2009
The Juan Show Gallery
Because JWT is a company of "Firsts" (having pioneered several achievements in our industry), the Juan Show Gallery is dedicated to showing off artworks by JWT employees depicting first time experiences in their lives. Among the ones displayed right now include memorable Firsts in books, games, music and even heartbreak. (Uuuy)
3.18.2009
Walk The Green Mile
If you're too lazy to join marathons, come to the Ipanema Walk The Green Mile walkathon instead, happening on March 21, Saturday at 3 pm at The Fort (across Le Souffle). Come in your favorite slippers or sandals (any brand) and be one of the first 50 people to receive FREE slippers from the new Ipanema Gisele Bundchen Seeds Collection. The next 50 receive Ipanema GB shirts while the rest will be given limited edition Ipanema GB baller IDs. One lucky winner will also receive an autographed pair of slippers signed by Gisele Bundchen herself!
Click on the video below!
3.09.2009
JWT at KIDLAT AWARDS
During the course of the night, last year's Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Ferrer presented the trophy to this year's honorees, Joel Limchoc of BBDO and Merlee Jayme of DM9.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was the man who built J. Walter Thompson Manila, J.J. Calero. A record of sorts for a suit to receive the honor from the Creative Guild.
Calero himself was there to receive the award and gave a heartfelt speech about the industry he loved so much.
In the meantime, here are some of the creative materials developed by JWT Manila and Zzing for the Kidlat Awards.
Kabhoom! The Kidlat online game - Click here to play it!
The Kidlat Card was also designed by JWT Manila.