Komersiyal: An Essay on the Evolution of Filipino Advertisements

Xyries Zeus L. Legaspi | JOU21

Introduction

Advertisements are ubiquitous. From poorly printed pictures adorning ten-peso tabloids to gigantic
billboards looming over Manila freeways to stickers glued on the gray faces of electric posts on every street
corner, the modern Filipino’s waking reality is the fact that everywhere they lay their eyes upon, someone
is selling them something.

The uncontested invasion of advertisements in the lives of the Filipinos is brought about by the
media’s need for a sustainable source of income. San Juan1 claimed that “commercials are the life of the
radio and the television. Without commercials, there will be no programs to air…these programs require a
huge sum of money…the people who pay for your subscription to the media are the advertisers2.” The cost
of free media is the Filipinos’ entire being – time, space, habit, and character. But since when was this the
situation? How did this change throughout the years? What will the future hold for the Filipino consumers?

This paper will trace the beginnings of advertisements in the Philippines, explore their nature and
themes, and analyze how they changed through time in light of the ever-evolving Filipino consumer
behavior and culture.

History of Advertising in the Philippines

John Lent3 claimed that advertising in the country was dragged in on the coattails of the Industrial
Revolution during the 20th century. He characterized the initial advertising campaigns in the Philippines as
ineffective, “useless, and wasteful in effect4.” He reasoned that the absence of competition was to blame
for such inadequacy, but some, he wrote, blames it on the country’s “agricultural character and heavy
dependence upon the United States (U.S.) trade.”

The early days of advertising in the country saw the rise of one-man advertising organizations.
Salazar particularly hailed Frank J. Herrier as the “Napoleon of many a big and successful advertising
5

1
San Juan, P. (1998). Pagsulat ng Iskrip sa radyo. Sentro ng Wikang Pilipino.
2
Translated from Filipino
3
Lent, J. (1969). Advertising in the Philippines. Philippine Studies, 17(1), 72-96. Retrieved October 13,
2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42634497
4
Rosedale (1924, as cited in Lent, 1969).
5
Salazar, E. (1963). A Good Look at the Great Game. Marketing Horizons, p. 44.
campaign.” “Herrier had no equal – a genius in his chosen profession”, he added. During these days, the
advertiser is how own artist, copywriter, and salesman 6.

The 20s saw the reign of newspapers in controlling advertising services. In the 30s, advertising
agencies emerged, overthrowing the latter from its throne.

The 30s also bore witness as Jean Bisson, a French artist, stepped up to the Filipino advertising
game and effectively revolutionized it, causing a shift to the trend of copywriting-focused advertisements.
He introduced big illustrations in advertisements and “soon cornered the art segment of Philippine
advertising.”7 Antonio Lagos, a former advertising manager characterized advertising in the 30s as “wild
and wooly.” The restrictions on advertisements are little to non-existent. He recalled, “The news papers and
magazines never had it so good”8. Along with the proliferation of advertisements in print media comes a
new medium on the rise – the radio.

During the 20s and 30s, the radio became the new medium for advertising 9. The first advertisers
were the department store owners who were also the moguls of the first radio stations. The radio promotes
local products, but most of the time, they advertise U.S. consumer goods. Radio grew in popularity over
time, and more companies invested on advertising using the new broadcast medium. This change in medium
changed the way consumers perceived advertisements. From simply reading about them and being enticed
by their written copies and illustrated pictures, the radio introduced to the Filipinos a new dimension with
which they can consume such advertisements. Sponsors bought airtime and underwrote particular radio
shows, giving rise to peculiar advertisement-entertainment hybrids of the time such as Quaker Oats Spelling
Bee, The Listerine Amateur Hour, and Palmolive Newsreel of the Air.

As the fog of war creeped closer to the country, the significance of advertisements dwindled. Lent
wrote, “when the Japanese occupied the country in 1942, agencies were disbanded, and media shut down.
The newspapers allowed to survive carried very little display advertising.” Even after the embers of war
have faded, advertising was still on its all time low. Lent enumerated the reasons for this: (1) media were
still recuperating and few in number; (2) there was a need to re-establish the buying habits of Filipino
consumers; and (3) there was an unavailability of brand names.

6
This perhaps explains the general nature of simplistic inadequacy among product advertisements in the past
– it was new to everyone, even the advertisers themselves. The companies were still strangers to the craft, hiring one
man for a job that, in the modern era, requires a team to accomplish effectively.
7
Advertising competition proves tough challenge. (1964) Marketing Horizons, p.36.
8
De Joya, A.R. (1961). The Mass Communicator. Progress, pp. 9-74.
9
Enriquez, E. (2003) Radyo: An Essay on Philippine Radio. Cultural Center of the Philippines.
 After a year, many of the pre-war publications had resumed business, and the Americans were once
again involved. During the first post-war years, the Americans oversaw the Philippine advertising industry.
“American GIs with some training in advertising practically took over the market.” 10 Just a few years after
the war, in 1948, approximately 26 dailies and 170 publications of all types existed in the country, besides
the movies and radio. Lent added that during this time, some American influences were discarded. Enriquez
expounded on this, writing that during this era, American station managers (for radio) “began to sense an
appetite for Filipino elements in the programming.” This changed the media, and subsequently, advertising,
in subtle ways. The previously dominant American values, though still relatively present, have been
overridden by the more relatable Filipino values and customs.

During the 50s, the Philippines saw an unusual increase in local eagerness to invest 11. There was a
sudden trend of appreciation directed towards local products. Lent attributes this to advertising. Promotions
“reached untouched markets, explored additional outlets for local products, and stimulated essential
demands that would balance existing supplies.”, he wrote. The Philippines also became subject to an
industrialization movement during 1949 to 59 which increased production in the country by 400 percent in
just a ten-year period. This consequently contributed to the growth of advertising in the country as more
companies entered the playing field12. As the Philippines enjoys its newfound economic growth, a new,
more pervasive medium, is slowly being introduced to the country – the television.

In 1953, Antonio Quirino, through his family’s Bolinao Electronics Corporations, imported the
television to the country. During TV’s early years, it mainly showed imported advertisements due to lack
of local advertisers recognizing its potential at the time. It was not until 1960 that the first Filipino TV
advertisement aired – an advertisement of Tide detergent powder13. Lent wrote that during this period,
movies also played a key role in advertising as it is capable of penetrating provincial areas which are beyond
the reach of television. Both media are new avenues for advertisers. Once again, since the proliferation of
radio, they have a new way of permeating into the lives of the average citizens.

For the subsequent decades, the Philippine advertising industry utilized the conglomeration of the
different mass media to reach their target audience. During these years, the television reigned king 14. The
introduction of the internet in the islands in March 199415 have, once again, broadened the horizon for
advertisers. “Banner ads” became widespread in online sites during the same year as a means for website

10
Advertising Competition Proves Tough Challenge. (1962). Marketing Horizons, p. 36.
11
Teodoro, P. (1963). Growth of Philippine Advertising. Manila Times, p.7-A.
12
Gonzales, M. (1960). Philippine Advertising Today. Manila Daily Bulletin, p. B.
13
Nacorda (2012).
14
Arcangel, X. (2017). TV still preferred by Filipinos, says survey. CNN Philippines.
15
DICT gov.ph (2015).
owners to give space to advertisers. As time went by, advertisers began to use consumer data for more
targeted advertisements toward a certain demographic over the internet 16. At present, the internet and the
television are the two media competing for the title of the most favored medium. Nevertheless, for
advertisers, this tug of war is just a trove of avenues with which they can connect to their desired audience.

The Filipino Consumer

To understand the nature of Filipino advertisements, one must first understand the audience they
target – the locals. The average Filipino consumer is young. In 2020, the average age in the country is 25.7
years17. This falls under the category of early to prime working age18 - the age group with the most
purchasing power. This indicates that more Filipinos are involved in the market and it appears that this will
be the trend for the following years.

Another factor that must not be overlooked is the average income of the Filipino. The Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) noted an increase in the average family income of Filipinos from 2015 to 2018.
From 268 thousand pesos in 2015 (in 2018 prices), it climbed to 313 thousand pesos19 The same survey
notes that the average family expenditure also rose form 216 thousand pesos to 239 thousand pesos.
Filipinos earned more and are therefore more inclined to purchase goods. As Lent indicated, most
advertisers target a household that can afford consumer goods. Further, he wrote that the middle class,
“extremely brand and luxury-conscious group”, is growing.

Father Jaime Bulatao, a psychologist, noted three sociological characteristics that influence that
Filipino’s buying habits: personalism, authoritarianism, and small group centeredness 20. Fr. Bulatao
observed that personalism is where “the main focus is not so much on what a person knows as whom he
knows and who knows him.” He explained that this is evident in the Filipino’s love for bargaining and
patronizing one store/salesperson (suki). He added that the Filipino “clings to some power outside
himself…to reassure him of his worth and of the rightness of his acts.” Lent adds that because of this trait,
the Filipino “shows deep fondness for imported goods and brand names to the extent that foreign brand
names often become a part of his vocabulary.” Ultimately, Fr. Bulatao notes that in determining the
Filipino’s tastes and moral norms, the small, primary group has superior influence. He claims that “it is this
small group that has to be sold on a product before the individual dare buy it.”

16
Cook, K. (n.d) A Brief History of Online Advertising.
17
https://www.statista.com/statistics/578796/average-age-of-the-population-in-philippines/
18
https://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/age_structure.html#:~:text=Information%20is%20included%20
by%20sex,years%20and%20over%20(elderly).
19
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2018). 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey
20
Bulatao, J. (1964). Value Orientations of the Filipino Consumer. Marketing Horizons.
The Nature of Filipino Advertisements

For the purposes of this essay, I have reviewed advertisements that are particularly well-known and
have garnered success in the industry 21. These will be our lenses as we look into the nature of the Filipino
advertisements.

1. Offers comic relief

Filipinos are happy people. In a 2019 survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS),
44% of the nationally represented respondents are “very happy” while 49% are “fairly happy.”22 Perhaps
this is also the reason why they tend to gravitate towards what would make them even happier: light-hearted
humor. Bill Ibañez, former associate director of McCann-Erickson Advertising Agency, said that “Filipinos
love it when the situation has a humorous twist.”23 This is evident in the success of commercials featuring
comedians, or those that feature particularly comical storylines. Superwheel detergent’s Cleopatra (1978),
featuring the late Elizabeth Ramsey as the titular pharaoh, cemented itself in Philippine television history
when Ramsey uttered her famous line, “magpatuka na lang ako sa ahas.” Another remarkable
advertisement featuring the same format is San Miguel Beer’s “Isang Platitong Mani” (1984).

Elizabeth Ramsey in
Speedwheel detergent’s
commercial.

21
Success here does not refer to commercial success but to the general popularity and timelessness of the
advertisement as per Pe (2012).
22
Malasig, J. (2019). Happiness surveys and rankings: Why the Philippines scores high.
interaksyon.philstar.com
23
Uy, B. (1995) Perfect 10: A Decade of Creativity in Philippine Advertising. Creative Guild of the
Philippines, pp.66-67.
 Filipino comedians Joey de
Leon (right) and Rene
Requiestas (left) in a
Speedwheel print advertisement
(1989).

Snapshots from “Isang

Platitong Mani”. Winner of
Creative Guild’s TV Ad of the
Year (1984).

2. Has some degree of emotional appeal

In a field where competition is rife, advertisers are always on the lookout for possible windows into
the psyche of their target customers. Panda & Mishra wrote that “to make advertising appeals more
distinctive and hence perhaps more persuasive, advertisers frequently use dramatic emotional ad-messages
designed to ‘shock the emotions and make the brain itch.”24 Filipinos, despite being happy people as
previously established, also tend to be attracted toward stories that pull on their emotions. McDonald’s
timeless advertisement lends truism to this statement. “Lolo” (2000) is a story about an old man and his
granddaughter eating at McDonald’s. Due to his failing memory, the man mistakes his grandchild, Karen,
as Gina. But when he slices the burger in half, it was revealed that he had Karen in his mind all along and
refers to her as his “favorite grandchild”.

Snapshot from McDonald’s “Lolo” (2000)

3. Features prominent characters as testimonials

As Fr. Bulatao has said, the Filipino first needs to see a small group happy with the product before
he/she dares to buy it. Now what if that small group of people includes a prominent actor/actress?
Testimonials have long invaded the Philippine media – possibly an influence from western advertising
featuring Hollywood stars. The most well-known testimonials are from Kris Aquino and Sharon Cuneta –
Filipino celebrities who are said to be capable of increasing a company’s revenue with just their mere
presence in advertisements. This proved true for Lux Skincare in 1988.

24
Panda, T. & Mishra, K. (2013). Does Emotional Appeal Work in Advertising. The Rationality Behind
Using Emotional Appeal to Create Favorable Brand Attitude. 10. 7-23.
 Lux Skincare Print Ad (1988) featuring (from left to right) Kris Aquino, Kuh Ledesma, and
Sharon Cuneta; Awarded as the Creative Guild’s Best Print Ad of the Year.

Testimonials have been around decades before this

advertisement. From the 1940s to 60s, macho male leads
have modeled cigarettes in an attempt to sell it to men
aspiring to be like them. The most notable cigarette
testimonial is the father and son endorsement of Piedmont
Cigarettes (1966). This also appeals to the familial aspect
of the Filipino’s character. As brow-raising as it is now in
today’s social climate, this was perhaps one of the most
memorable print ads in its era.

Leopoldo Salcedo (left) and Edgar

Salcedo (right) posing for Piedmont
Cigarettes.
 4. Has a unique and creative presentation to stimulate recall

The Filipino is bombarded with a plethora of advertisements from all sorts of media. The
advertisers, therefore, have to go out of their ways to promote their brand identity among a sea of already
existing brands. The advertisement field, then, becomes a warzone for creativity. This is where Sarsi made
its mark during the late 80s. “Angat sa iba” visually tells a story of the repetitiveness of the mundane and
urges its buyers to be a cut above the rest. It is a visual feast with colors and choreographed movements of
the actors. Ryan Cayabyab is also at the helm of its music production. Sarsi’s commercial truly is angat sa
iba.

Snapshots from Sarsi’s

“Angat sa iba”
commercial.

5. Promotes values and national identity

In 1987, Development Bank of the Philippines rolled out a memorable institutional campaign that
highlighted core Filipino values such as “katapatan” (honesty), “kasipagan” (hard work),”kalinisan”
(cleanliness), “delicadeza” (sense of propriety), and “palabra de honor” (word of honor). A year later, these
values came alive in a series of “Pamilyang Uliran” (model family) story ads 25. The ad is more than just a
promotion of the brand, it aims to heighten the Filipino’s sense of identity and develop it further, hence the
bank name.

25
de la Torre, Visitacion. Advertising in the Philippines: Its Historical, Cultural and Social Dimensions.
Tower Book House. (c)1989. pp. 194-195.
 Development Bank of the Philippines’
Buhayin Muli campaign (1987) print
advertisement.

Upon analysis, the nature of Filipino

advertisements is not much different from those of
western origin. What sets them apart, however, is the
character that inevitably seeps through the writing
process of these advertisements. There is an
unmistakably Filipino character in the concept of
family, good-natured slapstick humor and parodies, and
the avid subscription to celebrities.26

Filipino Advertisements at Present

Due to the introduction of the digital age, the

world has become smaller much faster. With the
decrease in the distance between people comes the
decrease of their attention span. Filipinos are not
impervious to these changes. In fact, 76.2 million Filipinos use the various social media27. The increasing
number of users prompted the advertising industry to invest more on this growing medium. Sanchez
claimed that “in 2019, digital search ads spending in the Philippines was valued at 314 million U.S. dollars.
Within the same period, the total spending on digital advertising market was valued at 603 U.S. million
dollars in the Philippines.”28

Despite the change in medium, however, it is observable that not much has changed in terms of the
general characteristics of Filipino ads as mentioned in the previous section. These characteristics are still
maintained but with several modifications to meet the standard of the world that is in constant motion. Here
are some of the changes in Filipino advertising:

26
Sources of images: isamunangpatalastas.blogspot.com
27
Sanchez (2020) for Statista.com
28
Ibid
 1. Interaction

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2018 Future of Customer Experience Survey report says that 82 percent
of US and 74 percent of non-US consumers want more human interaction 29. Social media and digital
platforms made it easier for companies to reach out to their consumers. As the Filipinos move toward the
same age as the world, it also yearns for a connection with the otherwise one-way advertiser-consumer
relationship.

2. Battle of wit

These days, nobody has the time for advertisements. Advertisers not only compete with each other;
they also compete for the attention of the consumers. Five-second advertisements are gaining popularity
during the past few months. As an advertiser, it is up to your wit to fit your message into the unskippable
YouTube ad timeframe. Filipino products have adapted to the demands of these conditions and have come
up with ads that last less than five seconds, some even wittingly make fun of the time ad skipping habit of
online users such as Crispy Patata’s 5-second ads.

Snapshot of Crispy Patata’s 5-

second advertisement.

3. “Trusteconomics”
Tayao-Juego writes that consumers nowadays are fonder of companies they trust and are more
likely to purchase products from them. The foundation of this trust? The companies’ initiative towards
positive change. It is evident recently during the Covid-19 pandemic as business establishments tried to
foster a closer relationship with their target communities by reaching out to help those who are financially
devastated.

29
Tayao-Juego, A. (2019). Consumer behavior, it is a changin’. Inquirer.net.
 As aforementioned, these are not absolute changes in the nature of advertisements themselves.
These are merely upgrades as the industry moves to a different medium. The comedic nature of
advertisements are still present. Some ads still feature emotional appeals and values development such as
Jollibee and Coca-Cola. The olden characteristics of the old Philippine advertisements are still very much
alive. They are just outfitted with the necessary equipment they need to catch up with the times.