Ads & Ends
Nanette Franco-Diyco
THE GUADALUPE BRIDGE area has long been identified with Bench’s humongous celebrity-laden billboards. Going to and from Makati, your eyes are drawn almost instinctively to see who are now starring on the Bench billboards. There have been billboards that sparked controversies — a few have occasionally suddenly disappeared, presumably because of attacks that cannot be overlooked.
Let’s face it, these controversies have simply made Bench’s billboard campaigns more interesting. And the motorist simply wonders what Bench will think of next.
Passing the bridge late last week, I was completely surprised to find the Bench billboards carrying serious messages mouthed by a set of celebrities. Very unexpectedly, Bench, all of a sudden, was now into — hold your breath — Values Advertising!
It was 4:45 p.m. and I was stuck in traffic in the middle of the bridge. I immediately called the Bench offices and talked to Bench executive Josemarie Liamzon who often gets praised (and at times, attacked) on social media precisely because of the billboards directly in front of my car.
Yes, Jojo proudly admitted. Bench is now heralding via its billboards what he calls the “Unity Campaign.” It all started in the middle of the presidential campaigns. “Suddenly, we turned really serious, deciding to simply address the lack of unity surrounding us.”
I can only admit that the unexpected sober messages coming from Bench celebrities mostly known only for looking good and being fashionable will make regular motorists carefully read the slogans running across each billboard. The timing is just perfect. Yes, we just elected our new president, and, yes, we just watched his proclamation, and now we are just about holding our breath for palpable results from his SONA.
We read and are inspired by the Bench billboards’ messages. And, I must add, that the extension of these messages to land on Bench shirts is part of good integrated marketing. The messages on the shirts are simple with different designs:
• Let’s be on time;
• Let’s follow traffic rules;
• Let’s fall in line;
• Let’s keep the peace;
• Let’s pick up trash.
I specially like billboard with Dingdong Dantes, smiling a bit with arms folded in front of him, with the timeless message: “Let’s do one good deed a day.”
Bench used to spend the bulk of its advertising budget on television campaigns.
After all, the brand first trumpeted its brand personality with the very young Richard Gomez all by his lonesome rowing a boat in utmost quiet across open waters.
After a number of years, Bench slowly left the growing clutter of television. It then segued to billboards, making humongous spectacular billboards its own statement of bigness.
Very effectively, its statement to the Filipino reverberates: LET’S UNITE.
Nanette Franco-Diyco ended her 15th year advertising career as Vice-President of JWT, segueing into the world of academe, currently teaching communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.
