30secondTHOUGHTS: Gangnam Style

Psy's "Oppa Gangnam Style" was so 2012. By now, the wonders of the would-be one-hit wonder is slowly depreciating as the song has been performed in countless Christmas parties and parodied over social video-sharing sites. Enough said. Enough.

Apparently, one more brand - an electronic cigarette, at that - is giving the dance craze one final shot of glory   through a dancing Gangnam baby. How else to give the rhythmic sensation a final exclamation point than to use a baby - cute, charming, (obviously) computer-generated. But the ad should have been released last year, if the advertiser wanted to be more effective in riding with the dance craze bandwagon.

So yeah, final hooray for Oppa Gangnam Sytle. It's about time to close the curtains.

Ad Title:                  GANGNAM STYLE
Ad Agency:             McCann Erickson (Birmingham)
Client:                      E-Lites

Did E-Lites miss something? Timing, perhaps?

adobomagazine: January - February 2013

It's time to serve the first advertising dish of the year. Design architecture demi-god Kenneth Cobonpue steps up as coverman of adobo magazine's January to February 2013 issue.

Grab you copies now.

30secondTHOUGHTS: Mondays Can Be Great

11:00 p.m.

Final hour of sanity.

For most of us, Mondays are a dread - it is the reminder of the routine, the inevitable reality of either study or work. Mondays are a drag, the momentary schedule when the feet are made of stones, making it harder for us to stride towards the office or school.

But AMV BBDO London's "Mondays Can Be Great" for coffee giant Starbucks is a reminder of the otherwise - that Monday is a great, momentous day, when historical highlights and interesting factoids are made. And yes, Monday is a discount day too.

So cheer up. Mondays aren't all that bad, my friend.

Ad Title:                MONDAYS CAN BE GREAT
Ad Agency:           AMV BBDO London
Client:                   Starbucks

30secondTHOUGHTS: Radio Prank

I did not see that coming, Kareena.

Ad Title:              KAREENA (RADIO PRANK)
Ad Agency:         JWT Singapore
Client:                  Universal Global

30secondTHOUGHTS: No Wi-Fi Zone

This ambient ad by JWT Netherlands for KitKat is commendable. It is brave enough to acknowledge that people's anxiety to be online most of the time has somewhat disrupted the quality of face-to-face conversation - that even when friends hang-out, the rendezvous will always be somewhere with wireless fidelity installed. People chat but in between the intimate exchanges of sentences, a friend takes a picture of the food to be posted on Instagram, another bothers to tweet his other friend's quotable quote, the next chum checks-in on Foursquare, with the other updating their status on Facebook or searching for some random inquiry on Google.

Ad Title:                NO WI-FI ZONE
Ad Agency:           JWT Netherlands
Client:                   KitKat

True to its value proposition of "taking a break", KitKat offers its consumers an opportunity to take a break from their online lives when they sit on a No Wi-Fi Zone, "a five meter radius where [internet] signals are blocked so people could escape e-mails, udates, tags or like." Once in the zone, the seaters engage in more intimate talks, rekindle the priceless bond with their books, or admire their environment away from their online world.

Gold for brand messaging. Well done, KitKat and JWT.

Photo: adsoftheworld.com

30secondTHOUGHTS: Jogger

No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” - Socrates

Yesterday was a resurrection of sorts. After months in hiatus, I once again welcomed the self into regular cardiovascular exercise. Save for the weight lifting exercises I routinely did about eight months ago (back when I was trying to gain some weight and muscles - only to find out the metabolism was hyper enough to easily cut down any food intake without need of further exercise), this regular physical sessions will get back me into much-needed shape. 

The decision to get back into regular exercise was both planned (it was part of my new year's resolution) and an unexpected validation. A certain opportunity (which for now I cannot disclose) related to physical activity came my way - no folks, I'm not joining any weightlifting competition soon (not even remotely close). It is, in fact, a blessing. I want to get back to that point where getting to the third floor of the University was a breeze. Exhales heavily.

Yesterday's session was bordering brutal. For someone who used to exercise regularly, the minutes of jogging were like day one of gym sessions again. The three rounds of ten laps - each divided into slow, moderate, and fast paces,  felt like a physical and mental torture. 

Five more rounds. Three rounds less. Wait, guys. I can't cope up. Sayang, dalawang laps na lang. Sige, kaya yan. 

The words were an amateur's way of whining the torment. I wanted to give up at that. But then again, I just had to remind myself that if I survived six months of gym sessions, I can surpass this regular jogging sessions. I won't let myself, and these kids down. Defeat, after all, begins in doubt.

So, yeah. Cheers to the regular jogging sessions. From the skinny kid who used to go to the gym.  

Ad Title:             FIND YOUR GREATNESS (JOGGER)
Ad Agency:            Wieden + Kennedy Portland
Client:               Nike

30secondTHOUGHTS: The Power of Wind

THE WIND

By: Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass

Oh wind, a blowing all day long,
Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all

Oh wind, a blowing all day long!
Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?

O wind, a blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

Ad Title:            The Power of Wind

Ad Agency:       Nordpol + Hamburg (Germany)

Client:                Epuron GmbH (with the German Ministry for the Environment)

30secondTHOUGHTS: Heineken My Passport

The task is to reach Bangkok from Mongolia without money nor a navigation map. What you have to depend on then are the kindness of the locals and your chosen currency - Heineken. In exchange for answering your queries, giving you transportation rides, and helping you in your tasks, you give the locals a free bottle of Heineken. Follow Justin as he traverses a journey to Bangkok with only Heineken carried inside his travel bag.

Ad Title:              HEINEKEN: MY PASSPORT

Ad Agency:         Iris Singapore

Client:                  Heineken

30secondTHOUGHTS: Lovers

Ad Title:                LOVERS
Ad Agency:           BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines
Client:                    Department of Tourism



Ah, just in time for next month. Even love and proposals are more fun in the country.

30secondTHOUGHTS: Parking

Because parking is definitely more fun in the Philippines. And I won't spoil by saying why.

Ad Title:                 PARKING
Ad Agency:            BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines
Client:                    Department of Tourism

Brotherhood of the Mohawk Society: Allan Pineda is 2012'S TOYM for Music

The Brotherhood of the Mohawk Society congratulates Allan "apl.de.ap" Pineda for being chosen as 2012's The Outstanding Young Man (TOYM) for Contemporary Music.

Salutations are likewise extended to the other awardees, as follows: Emelio "Chieffy" Calindong of the Azkals (TOYM - Sports), Representative Emmeline Aglipay (Public Service), Warren Baticados (Veterinary Medicine), Abelardo David (Community Occupational Rehabilation), Ivan Anthony Henares (Heritage Conservation), and Rodrigo Manicad Jr. (Broadcast Journalism).

Allan, your mohawk makes us proud to be FILIPINO, FILIPINO, FILIPINO!


Source and image: philstar.com

30secondTHOUGHTS: Flying in the Face of Ordinary

There is quite an overpromise here - when flight attendants and aircraft crews are now placed at par with legendary comic heroes, with superpowers of speed, agility, and enigmatic magnetic charm. But the metaphor does make sense. When in flight, this league of extraordinary flight crew will do anything in their mighty powers to assure that their people, the passengers on board, are guaranteed a safe and memorable flight.

To infinity and beyond.

Ad Title:                          FLYING IN THE FACE OF ORDINARY
Ad Agency:                      Y & R London          
Client:                              Virgin Atlantic


P.S.

If one happens to fly Virgin Atlantic, please pretend that you unintentionally drop your bag. Let's test if the flight attendant does catch your baggage just in the nick of time. (Cue in superhero theme song)

30secondTHOUGHTS: Hooray for Today

Because any given day from now, you will be stocked with books to read and papers to pass. Let's share some positive thoughts and say HOORAY FOR TODAY!

Ad Title:            HOORAY FOR TODAY
Ad Agency:       Leo Burnett Manila
Client:                McDonald's

Lyrics:
Hello, it's a brand new day!
It's a brand new start, things will go your way.
Live a new beginning, for you will go on singing.
(Lalalala) Oh, Hooray!
(Lalalala) Oh, Hooray!
(Lalalala) Start it right, everything's gonna be alright.
Oh, Hooray for today!

Enjoy your pancakes everyone and say HOORAY FOR GREATNESS!

30secondTHOUGHTS: EmployAdam.Com

What do you do when you end up unemployed with "thank yous" and "we appreciate your interests" from prospective employers after applying countless times for your first shot at a corporate career?

Adam Pacitti, an unemployed graduate of University of Winchester's media production program, gives you the following tips to be a notch higher than your fellow applicants:

(1) Maintain a website that highlights your strengths and characteristics. Case in point, Adam's personal website,www.employadam.com ,where interested employers could visit.

(2) The traditional two-page Curriculum Vitae is considered passe; try the talking variety instead.

 Ad Title:                       Employ Adam:   Adam Pacitti Curriculum Vitae
 Client:                          Adam Pacitti
 Ad Agency:                  (in house)

(3) To increase traffic on your website and generate buzz on your desperate plea for employment, convince people that you've spent every last hint of your savings on a print billboard.

Well, Adam, you are most welcome. I hope this post helps you get your first employment. Don't forget to grab us a toast when you find your most coveted job.

30secondTHOUGHTS: The Philippines Moves Forward

A new year is filled with hopes of progress both for the self and for the country. Asia Business Channel's "The Philippines Moves Forward" - 2013's first featured 30secondTHOUGHTS - highlights such philosophy as the documentary showcases the recent past and the hopeful prospects of the rising Philippine nation. 

The feature is both honest and reassuring - it reflects the nation's progress through infrastructure, investments, and natural resources while equally citing the country's countermeasures against poverty, political dilemmas, and other current issues. 

One of my personal icon, Department of Tourism Secretary cum local advertising icon Ramon Jimenez Jr., shares his thoughts in the documentary as he discusses the importance of local tourism in boosting the national identity. "Filipinos are wired to make people really feel as friends - that's what Philippines is all about. It is more fun because it's just not watching. IT'S NOT JUST WHAT YOU SAW; IT'S WHO YOU WERE WITH WHEN YOU SAW IT THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE," stated the Secretary about what makes the Philippines (and the Filipino people) different from other tourist destinations.

Producer:                             Asia Business Channel
Post-Production:                  Underground Logic
Producer/Writer/Director:     Francisco "Kit" Reyes



Source: vimeo.com

REFLEKTOR: FIRST MAGIC

The first magic of 2013. Happy New Year!