Company News

Summer peaks with Alaska

Lou Jaramilla Angelo, former executive creative director of one of the bigger ad agencies in the country, e-mailed me her Easter greeting from her home in Canada. She related how she had bundled herself up into the thickest parka she could find in Toronto's sub-zero weather to attend Easter Vigil Mass late Saturday night. "All the time, I was wishing as I ran from the parking lot into the church that I could find some igloo and probably hibernate therein forever!" I chuckled over the igloo imagery, immediately recalling the recently launched "Sa Malamig" (into the cold) summer TV commercial of Alaska Milk.

Celebrity sisters Gellie and Janice de Belen are shown glamorously bundled up in their all-white winter coats with an igloo right beside them to accentuate the freezing cold Alaska weather. They wave at the crowds viewing the parade in Pila, Laguna from atop an Alaska Milk fiesta truck bedecked with giant "Sa Malamig" icy milk concoctions that Filipinos have traditionally identified with summer.

Summer fiestas and parades are slowly becoming Alaska Milk's mega-production theme as the group stages festivals all over the country. Good activation!

Unitel in-house director Jorg Schiferer takes pride in the 30-seconder's projection of a mega-production "using not film but high-definition video while keeping to reasonable budgets." He called it a "fun shoot" with a great group effort and camaraderie in the adventure.

He described Unitel's cordoning off the entire town of Pila for two days for the big setup. The cast of 160 had some townspeople as part of the support cast. He praised the FEU band that was a major part of the parade. "[Aside from] the actual shoot, the band gave an impromptu concert for the cheering townfolks after we had wrapped up."

Director Jorg also described the De Belen sisters as thoroughly professional, very easy to work with, easy to direct, always prompt and smiling. "We were shooting in late February, hot as hell, and Janice and Gellie were in hot winter coats throughout." Envision yourself most absurdly suited, smiling and waving at crowds atop a truck in searing hot weather — and you would echo Director Jorg's generous praises.

Summertime truly ushers in the culinary milk's favorite consumption season for easy-to-prepare icy milk recipes and mixes. As Lowe's writer Francis Inton says, every neighborhood's sari-sari store and food stalls in every town carries all the ice-cold goodies broadly called "Sa Malamig."

Francis unabashedly adopted the role of a male Reggie Aspiras for awhile as he enumerated the many easy-to-prepare cold milk concoctions such as the multi-colored gelatin drinks, buko pandan, pineapple and buko halo-halo.

Alaska sales director specialist Lito Eleazar played the judicious tourist guide as he escorted the marketing team around Davao to complete their field research, observing the juice vendors adding milk to the drinks in all forms and variants. A favorite foodie always says that "seeing how and where a food is made can really enhance your enjoyment of it."

Blen Fernando, vice-president for marketing of Alaska Milk Corp., confessed how she turned pale upon hearing Pagasa's announcement that we were to encounter a rainy summer. On the marketing front, historically and common sensically, the longer and the hotter summers go, the more ravenous consumers go for food and drinks that beat the heat.

Last year, Alaska Milk's summer TV commercial featured a humongous halo-halo. Obviously, one can do the simplest halo-halo to the wildly complex one with all the trimmings — but the common denominator would still be milk. And, of course, Alaska Milk Evaporada shouts its alleluias to that.

Gellie and Janice de Belen as celebrity endorsers, I label as good talent choices here. Both are credible young attractive mothers hosting TV shows that oftentimes deal with easy cooking and comfort foods. Mothers, no matter the season, no matter the city's rush and tumble, no matter the degree of heat or harassment, must be their children's and husbands' model for cheerfulness and that hard-to-maintain joyful spirit of service. Call it a wife and mother's enduring mandate.

Credits. Client-company, Alaska Milk Corp. Blen Fernando, vice-president for marketing; Elaine de Luna, assistant brand manager; Lito Eleazar, sales director specialist. Advertising agency, Lowe. Robbie Aligada, deputy business director; Joanne Angeles, account manager; Ryan Dayrit; Ricky Aragon, creative director; Francis Inton, copy group head. Production house, Unitel. Jorg Schifferer, director and DOP; Butch Garcia, production designer; Marivic San Juan, executive producer; Dexter Manalo, line producer; Meg Arao, production manager; Valerie Macale and Nomer Mercado, Jr., production assistants.

Reprinted from Business World Weekender Vol. XXI, No. 167
Friday-Saturday, March 28-29, 2008
Marketing World, Ads and Ends by Nanette A. Franco-Diyco
Original article may be found at Business World website
Feedback nanettediyco@yahoo.com