By: John Ryan Padlan
Asst. Prof. Odelon Gines, Insts. Satti Ombao, Ron Ramos, Arbie Belmonte, Asst. Prof. Bianca dela Merced, Ms. Marichu Javier, and Dr. Norberto Bana III pose for a photo in the grand opening of Adtivate 2017. Photo by Mark Peralta.
With much creativity and competitiveness, the senior advertising students simulated how brand activation works and how the below the line advertising ties up to it as they showcased their own brands in this year’s Adtivate titled Adtivate: Replay at the Salon de Actos, October 11-13.
Started just last year, Adtivate is the culminating activity of ADV4 in fulfilment of their Below-the-line Advertising subject. This year, students brought their customers back to 90’s era and exhibited Filipino culture through their products, booths, and fun activities.
“The purpose of it is to give the students the experience of doing event activation from conceptualizing, planning to actual execution,” Asst. Prof. Bianca dela Merced, the class professor, said. “It was also actually the launch of the brands which my students crafted in their Brand Communication Management subject.” She added.
Brand Activation is a marketing discipline and the art of driving consumer act through brand interaction and experiences. While Below-the-line advertising is an advertising strategy in which a product is promoted in mediums other than radio, television, billboards, print and film.
In a 3-day event, four promising brands were presented and one of these was the 9tees. It was a clothing brand that gives the customers the 90’s vibe. Aside from being a good fashionable tee, their products were also very comfortable to wear costing 90 pesos only.
For junk food lovers, another brand is the Chipinoy that offered Filipinos’ favorite snacks on the go. Costing for only 25 pesos, cornick, corn chips, chicharap, and fish crackers, snacks that are often found in sari-sari stores, were individually wrapped in one packaging.
In order to get satisfied with your sweet cravings, Memory Lane and Candy Aid were both worth choosing for.
Memory Lane was a distributor of affordable candies and treats. With the concept of customer’s choosing and combining their own selection of sweets, it included products of top 10 popular and affordable candies from the 90’s such as Chocnut, Magic Chew, Gold Coins, Sour Candy, Haw-Haw, Sweet Corn, Ice Gem and Plastic Balloons. The prices range from P2-P5 per product to P20 per pack.
Specifically, gummy candies are what Candy Aid presented. They offered kits that include wide variety of shapes including bears, bottles, worms, sharks, human body parts and a lot more. The small kit costs for 45 pesos while the big kit costs 75 pesos.
Originally, like what have transpired last year, the said activity should be done by inviting existing well-known brands to present their products to Letranites. However, dela Merced decided to integrate all her students final output so that they will have a complete journey of managing a brand.
“When my students presented me their brands, nakita ko ‘yung potential ng ideas nila so I planned to showcase it,” the advertising professor explained, adding that she does not want to waste her students’ ideas, thus, turning it into a reality.
Satisfied and elated of the outcome, Blank Canvas Advertising House President Kevin Robles said that the recently concluded event was a great experience for him. “Sobrang daming insights from that activity,” he said. “Mahahasa ka talaga in terms of creativity, and marketing skills. Natutunan ko ‘yung mga basic principles of brand activation at kung paano mo i-approach ‘yung pagadvetise ng own brand mo.”
This year’s Adtivate was a fund-raising event for the adopted communities of the Institute of Communication.
(First published on The LANCE's October Issue)