Blackpencil Manila

Jack 'n Jill Knots "Club Knots"

Making a difference by helping a brand create relevance and brand love by launching a digital space helpful to families during the prolonged pandemic lockdown.

Jack ‘n Jill Knots was a brand that was always about kids’ imagination and creativity. As Filipino children experienced one of the longest lockdowns in the world, Club Knots was launched. It was a channel full of how-to videos and content of fun creative projects for families to do together. It became a favorite channel of kids and their parents to learn and to share projects they were doing to fill their time with creative play as they were stuck at home.

Publicis Manila

Bear Brand "Bridge"

Making a difference by celebrating people’s source of strength.

This film was part of a larger online movement that paid tribute to everyone’s source of strength. Resiliency and grit is a common Filipino trait, but more often than not, that strength comes from powerful relationships with family members and friends. The campaign created a strong emotional resonance and increased the brand’s sales amidst a category that is very functional.

Leo Burnett

McDonald's "McTollbooth"

Making a difference by providing moments of joy, right in the middle of the source of many people’s daily woes: morning traffic jams.

In the early hours of 24 March 2015, tollbooths in Manila’s major expressways were transformed to mimic McDonald’s drive-thru booths. Then, during the morning rush hour, the McTollbooths waived toll fees and gave out bags of free McDonald’s breakfast to motorists who drove through. News and social coverage amplified the experience via on-the-spot reporting, tweeting and photo/video uploads.

Results: Top 5 in Ad Age Viral Video Chart-33.7 million online impressions. Over 42.6 million netizens reached. USD 1,136,180 media value earned on just USD 72,000 media spend. (SOV) for McDonald’s Philippines grew by 119% during the campaign period while its top 2 competitors had negative growth of -41% and -50%, respectively.

Publicis JimenezBasic

Globe x Star Wars "Mask"

Making a difference by increasing brand love for Globe amidst general lack of emotional connection to telco category.​

Created to promote then upcoming Star Wars movie Rogue One, Globe X Star Wars ‘Mask’ had gone viral globally for its portrayal of #CreateCourage. Business World wrote, “The video was also produced to raise awareness for the plight of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), which needed to raise funds for the rehabilitation of its pediatric oncology clinic, with Globe enlisting the support of viewers to donate to the clinic.” Launched in December 2016, has been recognized by top online news channels such as CNN International, Mashable, Huffington Post, and Upworthy, among others.

Leo Burnett

McDonald's "McDelivery Pin"

Making a difference by offering simple, easy, enjoyment, right when customers need it the most.

While getting food delivered to your address is commonplace, getting food delivered in wide, sprawling or crowded areas where you have no permanent address, is a different story altogether.

To help quell the hunger pangs of families and cemetery-goers during Undas, we put up The McDelivery Pin, a 14-foot tall landmark. Integrated into the McDonald’s app and mobile site, the McDelivery Pin appears on the app interface as a recommended pick-up point when the customer checks out his order for delivery to the memorial park. The giant McDelivery Pin is searchable on online maps Google and Waze, so rider and customer can easily find each other in the wide, crowded area. It also lights up at night for easy visibility.

Results: 60% increase in McDelivery mobile app and site traffic. 58% increase in McDelivery sales.

Blackpencil Manila
Leo Burnett

McDonald's "Lift"

Making a difference by continuing to build brand love and connection with Filipino families through thematic advertising.

Inspired by a universal Filipino insight of being carried (karga) by a dad and carrying one’s own child, for many reasons, as an act of love (even when the child is so big and heavy already!), this McDonald’s online film was the most watched and shared campaign that Father’s Day.

Leo Burnett

BDO "Tokoshu Seiso"

Making a difference by putting the BDO’s service at the heart of what OFWs go through, just to be able to send money home.

With over 10 million OFWs earning a living in 170 countries, BDO paid tribute to these unsung heroes— some of whom take on unconventional jobs, in order to earn enough to send money for their families. This film, based on real events, and told through poignant visuals and narration, is about a Tokoshu Seiso-- a cleaner of apartments where elderly occupants have passed away alone.

Results: Garnered over 21 million total views. Rated ‘Best in Class’ by Google for Brand Lift. Helped BDO No.1 Bank ranking for OFW remittances

Blackpencil Manila

Great Taste Coffee "Black & White"

Making a difference by clearly defining the product as the distinct choice of many.

Great Taste White was the leading 3-in-1coffee in the market. This spot celebrated that it was the top choice of young coffee drinkers. It also helped push sales to more than 1 billion cups a year and a half later.

Leo Burnett

P&G "Frontliner’s Sacrifice"

Making a difference by enjoining Filipinos in being a #ForceForGood by doing their part in helping health workers combat the effects of COVID.

Released on Labor Day, this online film puts focus on health workers who have been working extensively, despite limited supplies and manpower, to help patients get well and go home to their families. Ironically, these selfless health workers can’t go home to theirs.

Produced with limited resources, this online film earned 1 million organic views in 48 hours, 400 million + social engagements and positive consumer sentiment over a period of 1 month; and was shared by 70+ influencers for free.

Blackpencil Manila

KidZania Manila "Where Kids Do Big Things"

Making a difference by capturing a unique theme park’s offering for its launch.

KidZania was a theme park where children experienced doing all kinds of working roles in a mini city. This campaign and tagline, ‘Where Kids Do Big Things”, captured the fun and imagination that children would experience as they played at different jobs in KidZania. This helped launch the theme park so that families lined up at its doors when it opened!

Blackpencil Manila

Calbee "Besto Potato"

Making a difference by creating a distinct positioning for a newly launched line of snacks.

Calbee is Japan’s # 1 snack food brand. “Besto Potato” launched Calbee’s snacks in the Philippines with crazy Japanese-style humor and a quality ingredient story that made it immediately popular with the young, premium snack market!

Leo Burnett

McDonald's "The Boy Who Loves to Study"

Making a difference by celebrating how a simple act of sharing, without waiting for anything in return, can create a wave of earnest giving.

One night in 2015, medical student Joyce Torrefranca took a photo of homeless boy Daniel Cabrera studying by the light of a McDonald’s store in the Philippines. Joyce shared it on her Facebook page and it immediately went viral, inspiring thousands. Her post was picked up by local and international media, spurring donations from all over the world for Daniel and his family. McDonald’s produced an online film revisiting that fateful night and documented their touching reunion one year later. It is capped by the line #ShareTheLove.

Results: 11+million views in 2 weeks. 82.2 million impressions across social media platforms. +50% sales of the McShare Box.

Publicis Manila

Nido "Lola"

Making a difference by touching hearts in a way that only Nido can.

Mother’s Day is the day all brands try to reach out to the number one, most important consumer and touch her heart.

This ad went viral over all other ads and boosted sales of Nido long after the day itself.

Blackpencil Manila

Cebu Pacific "Winter Summerland"

Making a difference by creating an activation in a context most relevant to creating sales.

Data showed that Koreans booked travel to beach destinations when they were feeling cold. “Winter Summerland” was an on-ground activation done in Seoul, allowing Koreans to have a feel of the warmth of being on a Philippine island in the middle of one of the coldest weekends that winter. Despite the super cold, almost 5,000 people interacted with the island we brought to winter, and even more booked trips via Cebu Pacific to experience our beaches for real!

Leo Burnett

McDonald's "Story of Us"

Making a difference by building brand love when a conventionally-known family brand earnestly celebrates an unconventional family set-up.

While other brands dished out long-winded films with cliché, complex plots and multiple characters, McDonald’s went against the tide by being short, simple and brave, featuring a story less likely to be told in a highly conservative Catholic country: a single mom’s.

This was the most viewed Mother’s Day film in the Philippines for 2019 and generated almost Php2.5 million worth of earned media. This also resulted in +10% lift in average consumer spend during Mother’s Day weekend and helped drive Brand Imagery scores +6.1 ppts for “Favorite Informal Eat Out Brand” and +5.5 ppts “Parents’Favorite Informal Eat Out Brand” (2019 Kantar Fast Track TNS).

Publicis Manila

Nestlé "100 Years of Nestlé"

Making a difference by telling stories.

Nestlé celebrated its centennial year with the theme Kasambuhay, Habambuhay (Companion in Life, for Life). The narrative was told in 10 10-minuter short films. Each one representing an iconic Nestlé brand and a Filipino value connected to the product. A total of 100 minutes depicting the beauty of Filipino life made better by Nestlé.

The campaign was recognized in the Cannes Film Festival. And was premiered to showcase the story of Nestlé and the Filipino families.

Publicis Manila

Nescafé "Bangon"

Making a difference in people’s mornings.

In 2011, Nescafé was THE Filipino coffee. For more than seven decades, Nescafé was the champion of the working-class Filipino, waking him up every morning, giving him stimulation to get through his working day.

There was a huge responsibility not only to build the business, but to help build the nation as well. An opportunity to inspire every Filipino with the help of a morning cup of Nescafé.

Through a TV campaign, Nescafé asked the question: “For whom do you rise up?” hoping to give every Filipino a sense of purpose; to rise up every single day, so that little by little, he can rise and escape his difficult life.

It became one of the most well-loved campaigns that year. The widow of a comedy legend used the line in her eulogy, saying that her every waking moment was for her late husband. A priest used the line in his sermon to preach about selfless love. It was quoted by thousands of people in the fledgling social media platforms at that time.

To this day, the brand is using the campaign to capture the hearts of its many customers, even in a highly competitive market. A testament of its power to awaken the hearts and minds of an entire nation, and inspire the people to rise.

Blackpencil Manila

Cebu Pacific "Travel Awards"

Making a difference by using data to create delight and build loyalty.

A data-based year-ender campaign for Cebu Pacific celebrating their frequent flyers’ booking habits by giving them these special awards inspired by the brand’s playful humor. It helped increase engagement rates and click throughs to the booking site.

Publicis Manila

Nido "Nidoserye"

Making a difference by being brave enough to change with the evolving reality of our audience and bold enough to tell their story.

Nido recognized the big challenge that modern moms face today— how can she nurture and protect her child knowing that she can’t always be there?

Our answer? With a love that protects. To tell an authentic story, we had to dip into a story context that was once thought of as taboo. The campaign proved to be a game changer. The emotional story stood out amidst ads that were functional and gimmicky. Not only did Nido dominate the conversations online, the brand dominated the milk category and the hearts of our #1 moms.

Publicis Manila

Milo "50th"

Making a difference by energizing generations of Filipino children to be champions in life.

On its 50th year, Milo calls on its champions past and present to inspire mothers and their children to join the movement. In an anthemic video, the champions and children come together to answer the call to move and be active.

The campaign led to a significant boost in Milo sales. But more importantly an increase in numbers of inspired moms and children.

Blackpencil Manila

Vivo "Silent Christmas"

Making a difference by creating a contextual campaign that showed care for the soldiers who had just gone through a traumatic time.

Vivo was a new mobile phone brand in the Philippine market that year. It was also the year of the Marawi Siege, when thousands of soldiers fought to free a city besieged by terrorists. This Christmas campaign reflected that the brand understood what Filipinos were feeling at that time, that the sentiment was not so much about fun festivities, but more about the gratefulness for peace, and those who fought to keep it.

Publicis Manila

Milo "Shoes"

Making a difference with a pair of shoes.

Milo has long championed an active lifestyle for children. However, being active means having the right equipment. Since 2010, a portion of the Milo Marathon registration fees have gone to giving kids shoes. To date, over 90,000 needy children have received sports shoes to get them moving towards a brighter future.

Leo Burnett

WWF "Iceberg Campaign"

Making a difference by creating awareness for the overreaching effects of climate change, and funding for WWF’s cause.

Scholarly articles and scientific research prove that environmental degradation in another part of the world is linked to climate change elsewhere far away. Like how melting Arctic ice caps cause flooding in other parts of the world. But people won’t plow through the data. We needed quick-read, high-impact communication to make the point. We created posters showing local animal life perishing due to the melting ice caps. Simple graphics, simple message. And a call for donations to WWF.

Publicis JimenezBasic

Lucky Me! "Most Disturbing Dinner"

Making a difference by helping the brand own Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga (KPM) Month, a now annual advocacy campaign promoting the importance of dining together as a family.​

Lucky Me! has been part of the Filipino household for years. Its 98% household penetration for total Philippines (AC Nielsen, Dec 2014) is testament to the brand’s massive reach. But Lucky Me! hoped to take physical nurturing to a wholistic level. This gave way to the KPM advocacy. The 2014 KPM advocacy saw the nation's most loved noodle brand help put a stop to sermons and make parents re-evaluate their parenting, thus instilling the values of humility, understanding, and selflessness where there was once anger and self-righteousness.​

Blackpencil Manila

Cebu Pacific "Juan Effect"

Making a difference by working with the leading airline to create awareness and concrete solutions for sustainable tourism.

Cebu Pacific’s Juan Effect is a continuing sustainable campaign that was an initiative of the agency, which was wholeheartedly embraced by our client partners.

Awareness efforts made with local insights and flavor, as well as on the ground solutions have been launched in top Philippine tourist destinations, Siargao, Boracay and Bohol. Cebu Pacific has since transformed parts of their operations to become more sustainable.

Blackpencil Manila
Digitas

"Lion Cub"

Making a difference by helping micro and small social enterprises pivot to e-commerce during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The data showed how quickly Filipinos were turning to online shopping during the pandemic, and we saw how so many small businesses were suffering due to the lack of access to the market. So we picked a number of small social enterprises and we helped set up their e-commerce stores, optimized their digital presence, and created social campaigns to boost awareness. The team worked closely with Lazada and Facebook who gave technical support and media credits.

Leo Burnett

Ariel "Aid Couture"

Making a difference to typhoon victims by turning piled-up donated clothes into life essentials, thanks to Ariel.

Every year, the Philippines endures about 20 typhoons leaving thousands of victims. And every year, Red Cross receives 18 tons of donated clothes – some are fashionable pieces not suitable for everyday wear. Fashion finds were segregated, washed, and sold at a pop-up store raising over P1.2 million which was then used to buy life essentials for typhoon victims.

Blackpencil Manila

Republic Cement "Tibay Hero"

Making a difference to underprivileged but amazing Filipinos, with a thematic campaign that culminated in a real action.

Republic Cement wanted to do a campaign with an emotional tonality that was different for the category. This campaign was called “Tibay Hero” (Best Translated as “Hero with Fortitude”) to link with Republic’s product story of a cement formulation that gave it strength from within.

After a nationwide search that had everyone in the agency reading thousands of handwritten stories, Delia Balonzo was chosen as the Tibay Hero. A brand new house, designed for her family’s needs by a top architect, and constructed with global standards was then awarded to her.

Publicis JimenezBasic

E. Zobel Foundation "Art Lotto"

Making a difference by inciting full-on art appreciation, using a budget of just half a million.​

Seeking to democratize art and art appreciation in the Philippines, #ArtLotto created a platform where your art-related post became your lotto ticket. Inquirer wrote, “Just take a photo or video of any piece of art anywhere in the Philippines – whether it’s a poem on paper, a painting on the street, a mural along the highway, a dance in the park, a play in school, a film, a sculpture, a musical, any form of art. Then upload it on Twitter or Instagram, caption it, then hashtag #artlotto. That’s your ticket to a lotto with a grand prize of P450,000.” The jackpot was won by a Filipina salesgirl and mom.​

Publicis Manila

"Climate Reality Project"

Making a difference by keeping quiet.

Climate change is the driving force of the most devastating calamities in the world. With the Philippines high in the list of one of the most affected countries by the phenomena. Despite that, it’s one of the least discussed social issues in the country.

The campaign invited people to speak up by not talking until we have discussed the right topic - stopping climate change by stopping its main culprit, coal plants.

After the campaign, climate change and alternative energy sources have now become part of important legislations among lawmakers.

Blackpencil Manila
Leo Burnett
Digitas
Starcom

"Kain Tayo Pilipinas"

Making a difference to 1 in 3 Filipino children under 5 years old who are hungry, and whose numbers are rising because of of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kain Tayo Pilipinas is a massive effort that puts together eight of the biggest non-profit NGO’s and foundations so they can coordinate and scale their feeding programs and nutrition education efforts all over the country. Supported by some of the biggest private corporations, the hope is that we will be able to do what we can to help reach one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which is to have Zero Hunger by 2030.

Blackpencil Manila
Leo Burnett

McDonald's "McClassroom"

Making a difference to the teachers who badly needed support as they quickly had to transition to online teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.

McDonald’s party rooms were closed for months because of quarantine restrictions. This idea turned them into connected classrooms for teachers –clean, sanitized, quiet, socially-distanced spaces with free WiFi and even some free coffee!

Publicis Manila

Bear Brand "Micronutrient Deficiency"

Making a difference by giving the nation the information and the nutrients it needs.

Micronutrient deficiency plagues Filipino children and many of them go undiagnosed. Filipinos fought against this condition with the help of Bear Brand.

This movement lasted for years and propelled Bear Brand to the top of the market.

Publicis JimenezBasic

"Poem Calls"

Making a difference by renewing appreciation for the local language using our own phone line.​

Created to celebrate National Month of Philippine Literature, the Work was about turning the landline into a medium where callers got treated to Filipino poetry while they’re on hold. Adobo Magazine wrote, “Filipino poets from LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo) lent their poems, time, talent, and heart to the project, including National Artist for Literature, Rio Alma. Every day, the phone played different poems about waiting while waiting.” The poems that existed in the telephone lines got to live outside it via a culminating poetry reading activity.​

Leo Burnett

WWF "Destructive Lamps Campaign"

Making a difference by shedding light on how a simple act of turning the lights off can help prevent the adverse effects climate change.

WWF released graphic posters to promote Earth Hour 2019. These showed familiar light fixtures casting a light, cutting through the forest, coral reefs and glaciers in the Arctic-- destroying anything in its path.

The campaign helped push awareness and engagement during Earth Hour 2019—where 68 municipalities, 81 provinces, 145 cities in the Philippines participated. Helping save a total of 195.34 megawatts of power.

Blackpencil Manila

Preview Magazine "Babaylan Pride"

Making a difference by being an ally to our LGBTQ+ teammates and supporting what they want to say.

Blackpencil’s art director discovered the historical facts around the babaylan, the priestess and healer, one of the respected leaders of pre-colonial communities in the Philippines. He found that while the role was generally held by a woman, it was equally accepted that a man, who dressed and lived as a female, would be the babaylan.

Our art director wanted people to know that the respect for those who did not sit squarely in the boxes of heterosexual males and females was perfectly normal hundreds of years ago. A collaboration with Preview, the top fashion magazine in the Philippines led to the creation of a unique editorial that was also an education piece for their issue on Pride month.

Publicis Manila

Nido "The Wand"

Making a different kind of execution for a traditional brand.

Nido has long been known for traditional storytelling between mother and child. This particular story was a rewarding stretch for the brand and for the creatives involved that got to use animation to bring a magical story to life.

Publicis JimenezBasic

Lazada "Proud not Sorry"

Making a difference by going beyond selling, by supporting the Pride Movement.

“In our survey, we found that 60% of LGBTQIA+ individuals have apologized for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and with other non-heterosexual orientations,” according to Raffy Parcon, Client Services Director of Publicis JimenezBasic. “What society has labeled LGBTQIA+ individuals to be contributes to difficulties with self-acceptance, leading many of us to apologize merely because of our sexuality.” E-commerce giant Lazada Philippines’ film ‘Apology’ kicks off a campaign that says never apologize for who you are.​

Blackpencil Manila

Philippine Foundation for Breast Care x Human Nature "Mammome"

Making a difference for women by providing a concrete solution to help fight breast cancer.

This idea was inspired by an account executive with Blackpencil Manila, who was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was working with the team. (She got better from that bout of breast cancer!)

It was with her encouragement that the team decided to think of a creative solution that would help women do their breast self exams regularly. This is one of the key steps for early detection of breast cancer, which helps better the chances of fighting it!

Blackpencil Manila

Hank & Frank "#KicksOfTheDay"

Making a difference by supporting passion projects of the team.

Hank & Frank was a small side business of a Blackpencil Associate Creative Director who started it for fellow sneakerheads like herself. Her art director partner was one such sneakerhead, who also happened to be a street artist.

They created these design ideas on one of their breaks. When the art was done, it looked so cool some of them are framed on our office walls.

Blackpencil Manila

Preview Magazine "How not to Instagram"

Making a difference by realizing how far a viral idea could really go.

This was made in 2013 as a fun project with Preview Magazine, then the leading fashion magazine and a regular collaborator of the Blackpencil team. It was the first time we saw how “viral” an idea could go, quickly racking up millions of views all over the world, and even being part of “Is it real or fake?” video compilations.

It helped inspire us to keep learning and exploring all the possibilities of playing on the digital space.

Blackpencil Manila

"A Real Black Pencil Calling Card"

Making a difference by creating a calling card that one would actually keep for practical uses.

Inspired by a question of an art director, “What if the Blackpencil calling card was a real black pencil?”

An interesting true story is that when this design idea was part of the finalists of one awards show, the organizers could not find a pencil to use to mark the panels for the finalists exhibit. So the Blackpencil rep on the awards committee ended up giving them the Blackpencil calling card to get the job done!