A seagull flies in endless circles in a constant quest for food. After soaring circular sojourns too numerous to count, the seagull finds food, heads down to it, lands, and eats its fill. When the seagull has had a bellyful, it takes off again, only to fly once again in endless circles in a quest for even more food. The seagull has just been sated with food, yet continues to search for more because it has an inner instinct that commands it forever to seek food. Human beings have a similarly strong instinct that remains forever with us, rivaled only by the need to survive as the most powerful human instinct. Do you know what it is?

You can be sure that those who generate creative advertising know exactly what it is. It is the need to learn, to obtain knowledge forever. The more you take heed of this instinct, which you already possess, the more you will be able to develop consistently creative advertising. Just think: the source of creativity is one to which you are already attracted. Among the difficult assignments in advertising is the creation of a campaign that can be used for years, decades, even centuries. Creative directors come from all sort of places and are made up of all types, but this columnist thinks among the best ones there’s a flair for expression, of putting known and believable things into new relationships.

Leo Burnett Manila tries to be—which typifies the Chicago school of advertising, if there is one—more straightforward without being flat-footed, warm without being mawkish. Sheer visibility is more important than it’s been. Speaking of printed advertising—and that applies to television, of course, too—you just have to be noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally without screaming or without tricks. This was inherent drama in its purest form, which the agency tries to find without getting too kooky or too clever or too humorous or too anything—it’s just natural.

Stress this inherent drama of things because there’s usually something there—almost always something there—if you can find the thing about the product that keeps it in the marketplace. There must be something about it that made the manufacturer make it in the first place.

“Something about it that makes people continue to buy it....capturing that, and taking that thing, whatever it is, and making the thing itself arresting rather than through relying on tricks to do it,” Raoul Panes, executive creative director of Leo Burnett Manila, told this columnist.

Panes has won numerous Ad of the Year and Ad Congress awards. Competing with the world’s best, he has won advertising honors from the Asia Pacific Adfest, New York Festivals, London International Advertising Awards, Media Spikes, Clio, Cannes, One Show and D&AD. He has been listed in the Top Creatives of Asia roll of both Campaign Brief Asia and Media magazine. His most recent achievement is earning a place in the D&AD international book for Earth Hour “Stickies.”

Great creatives can write for anything equally well. But whereas many writers work on the word, the sound suggesting the witticism, Panes seems to work on the sense—the sense of whole phrases, sentences, paragraphs. Take his titles, for instance. The result is not only a pun but a paradox. He has brought the creativity into a new level. Again, unlike other writers who, for want of wit, stay with a thought and behavior and belabor it, Panes never has to. He expects, and thus respects, consumers to fill in the rest. He can touch lightly on a point and move on. So what’s with his content? That is where the substance of Panes comes out. The silent inner man seems to lard over with his casual brilliance. He is master of the understatement.

If you know him, he is proudly Atenean. He is a Business Management graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University. While shuttling between marketing and advertising classes, he also edited Heights, the Ateneo literary journal. He started his advertising career in account management. After a year, he shifted to copywriting, quickly becoming creative director in J. Walter Thompson and then JimenezBasic and BBDO. He joined Leo Burnett Manila last March 2007.

“[When I came in at Leo Burnett Manila] my goal was to help boost the creativity of this agency,” he pointed out.  As judged in the bright light of its clients’ profitability, the meaning of creative then, in the context of economic pursuits at this moment, is “advertising that generates profits.”

Whether as part of a large group, team, or as a company, Leo Burnett Manila indeed experience the opportunity and the pressure—to do the work. Here’s a list to make the point: seven-time winner Creative Guild Ad of The Year; first (and only) Philippine agency to win an Adfest Gold for TV; 4A’s Agency of the Year Best in Creative; 4A’s Agency of the Year Best in Market Performance; three-time Ad Congress Platinum award winner/Best of Show; four-time Award Winner Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness and Marketing Communications Effectiveness award winner.

Importantly, the agency has made significant progress with its accounts, such as Tide, Mr. Clean, Perla, Whisper, Rejoice, Secret, Max Factor, McDonald’s, Marlboro, Philip Morris Miller Filter, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Camella, GM, Philippine Airlines, Papa Banana Catsup, Singapore Tourism Board, Metrobank, Coca-Cola Light, Real Leaf, Misibis Bay Raintree, Discovery Suites, WWF, NVIRO and Lafarge.

As cochairman of the Araw Awards competition in the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress this November 18 to 21, this time around, according to Panes, the awards body raises the level of competition by introducing a new component to the judging criteria: the marketing results of the ad campaign.

“Creativity and efficacy would join together to create excellent advertising,” he added. The new Araw Awards moves the industry from a purely creative appreciation of advertising to a more holistic approach of advertising effectiveness that aims to uplift the country’s advertising excellence for the growth of the whole industry.

What the new Araw Awards would also achieve is the strengthening of support systems by different players in advertising, as the Ad Congress is meant to achieve. The results component would affirm the fact that all players are essential to a healthy and vibrant industry, from the agencies to suppliers to advertisers. “We want them to feel the Araw Awards is for the entire industry and not just for creative agencies,” Panes furthered.

And so this year, the Araw Awards introduces a new component to the judging criteria: the marketing results of the ad campaign—50 percent creativity, 25 percent insight or strategy and 25 percent results. This year’s categories are: Film; Radio; Print; Outdoor, Ambient and Point-of-Purchase; Digital; Direct to Consumer; Design; Araw Craftsmanship Awards and Araw Media Awards. New to the Araw Awards is the Araw Media Award, which recognizes exemplary and creative use of media to deliver an idea. “It is more than just brilliant ideas—it is about ideas that work,” stressed Panes.

Yes, Virginia, there is a structure. There have been criticisms in the past that some of the award-winning ads were judged purely at face value. Doing otherwise would turn it into “a marketing award.” The jury will be looking not just for brilliant ideas, but moreover, ideas that work. Successful entries will demonstrate thorough understanding of the target audience, their relationship with the brand and how the media solution resulted in a successful outcome.  As such, entries shall also be judged on the criteria of insight, execution and results.

“More than 2,000 entries will be subjected to judging on November 5 and 6. The other interesting part of the judging is having a multidiscipline jury, not just creatives, but also strat planners, account people, clients, media and even foreign judges. So there’s a broader look at the entries,” he explained.

Aside from the major awards—Araw Advertiser  Award, Araw Agency Award and the Araw Production House Award (given to the entrants that garner the highest scores based on point system)—the committee will likewise recognize people and organizations that have executed the ads to perfection: best director, best cinematography and best art direction.

“We realized that we can’t just be recognizing agencies and clients, we owe it to our partners who work hard and execute our ideas.”

Panes still does a lot of writing at the shop. He continues to stir up the creative juices of Leo Burnett Manila. And spends a great deal of guiding and nurturing young talents, discovering new ones and mentoring them. When he is not writing ads, he is dreaming of writing the “Great Filipino Screenplay” or winning the Wimbledon!

There is a big difference between marketing a sport that features human beings interacting within it—the athletes—and marketing a consumer product. You may be able to manipulate, manage, control and package the consumer product at your whim. You can’t simply do that with athletes. They are simply highly skilled performers, simply the best in the world at their craft. It is their spectacular play that attracts people to the sport.

Sports marketing, however, requires an emotional commitment. You have to live, eat and breathe it every day to have any chance of getting it right. Sports marketing can be a fuzzy business. You can’t always measure a marketing program’s value unless it makes an immediate, direct impact on the bottom line, and that isn’t often the case. To bring any sport to the next level, a marketer must recognize what the next level is.

When president of Team Ads Inc. Teddy Pereña talks about Sports Marketing in upper case, he is referring to the agency’s client Smart Sports advocacy as a new way to connect to the market. As a marketing strategy, Smart Sports follows a cohesive plan that aligns with what the brand stands for.

“With the game so deeply ingrained in their psyches, the Filipino people believe that they own basketball, boxing, and so on, and they’re right. As marketers, we are responsible for making sure our consumers continue to feel this deep attachment to the game. At the same time, we must also discover the means of exporting that attachment abroad, while preserving the game’s cultural identity,” Pereña told this columnist.

The agency takes pride in its unique integral corporate philosophy—a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of envisioning things with emphasis on dynamic concerted effort, mutual understanding and consultative harmony with Smart Sports. Team Ad’s solid line-up of accounts includes Mansfield International Inc., Burlington Industries Philippines, Sportshouse International Leisure Inc., Event Visions, Horizon Travel & Tour Inc., First Philippine Scales, L.A. Gear, Soriano Holdings, Mitsuboshi Belting Philippines Corp., Better Herbs Inc., Flixirs Pacific International Corp. and Chloe Lightings.

“We’re helping sports. Our involvement in basketball, boxing, tennis, taekwondo, cycling, and now running, is driven by clear and simple goals—to help the Filipino athlete, discover and train promising talents, and to encourage those involved in sports where Filipinos have a fighting chance of one day bringing home an Olympic gold,” head of sports marketing and special projects of Smart Communications Patrick C. Gregorio said in an interview.

Launched middle part of last year, Smart Sports was designed to identify, train and reward Filipino athletes “so we can give them a better chance of winning the elusive gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics.” It was an idea born out of a visionary’s personal conviction and drive.

Gregorio chose to embark on a program and a cause that will further strengthen Philippine sports. By doing so, he hopes to discover upcoming talents, nurture them through a long-term development program, and to ultimately and hopefully see them bag that elusive Olympic gold for the country. Together with his staff, these people have invested tremendous energy, thought and devotion in their passionate interest in marketing sports. Business planning often comes second to making a dream come true or realizing a cultural opportunity.

“When we support athletes, we support the Filipino talent, our flag, for the country and [their] dignity. That’s how we analyze it. So when we spent one centavo for Philippine sports, we don’t compute it in terms of mileage that we will get. We look at it as helping the Filipino athlete,” Gregorio stressed.

The company’s goal is to create greater participation and global reach. Attaining that objective requires us to “grow” the game up from the grassroots levels. Gregorio is not just talking about attracting new fans. To ensure that Smart Sports is sustained as a business, it must build the game player by player.

Smart continues to be actively involved in the discovery and development of Filipino athletes, and promote the value of various sports. It has partnered with Philippine National Police (PNP) officers for the Smart Subic International Marathon (SIM) 2009, which was held last weekend—an event that engaged more than 10,000 runners from all over the world.

The marathon featured a 42.19-km race, a half-marathon or 21-km race, and 10-km, 5-km and 3-km fun races. It offered cash prizes totaling P1.6 million, including $5,000 each for the top male and female runners—the biggest prize among all marathon events in the country so far. This cash prize is on par with that of the Boston Marathon and other international events of its kind. Smart SIM 2009 is the only long-distance running event in the country that is accredited by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

PNP director for community relations Gen. Leopoldo Bataoil and retired Gen. Samson Tucay, founder of the long-distance running event, jointly said the marathon traces its roots to the PNP in 2004, when PNP senior officers started a campaign around the country to promote running for health, fitness and wellness. “Running is symbolic of one’s physical development. To have a sound mind, to be a productive and responsible citizen and contribute to nation-building, one needs to have a sound body,” said Bataoil.

“Our goals are to bring in the best runners from all over the world, and to discover promising Filipino runners from every corner of the country. We are proud that in Smart, we have found a partner which shares our vision and belief that Filipino runners can compete against the best in the world,” said Tucay.

According to Pereña, Smart’s support of long-distance running is perfectly aligned with the telco’s advocacy of helping advance the value of sports, and the discovery and development of Filipino athletes. “They aligned [their] sports program of the country. For example, in basketball, they support the Smart Gilas National Basketball Team [the National team of the Philippines] under the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Another is the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines and the Padyak Pinoy,” he added.

“Do we sponsor events?” Gregorio asked. “No, we don’t, but we partner to make sure that the [sports] event is successful and it ultimately benefits the Filipino athletes. It’s partnership rather than sponsorship,” he pointed out. Smart Sports is willing to invest time and money in any sports activity that promises more than sheer enjoyment. As the company simultaneously extends the reach of its super brand, it guarantees that the company’s logos and trademarks stand for being number one in the marketplace. “[That is what we want] we cannot be champions in our own turf. Let’s excel internationally.”

Imprinting the game presents a formidable challenge for any sports marketer. It also raises a philosophical question. Can you have a business without a sport? My answer is no. True, the business alone may capture people’s fascination, but only for a short time. However, the challenge of marketing sports, according to Gregorio, confirms how human nature compels us to gravitate toward testing our Filipino athletes against the best in other parts of the world.

“Every time there’s a major international event, we always tell our athletes laban para sa bayan but let’s analyze their life as an athlete before we say laban para sa bayan. Two years before [the international event], did we train them well? Did we remove their distractions? Do they have food for their families while they go on training? Let’s rewind. We analyzed the mindset of an athlete. The first thing [an athlete] will say is me, [then] my family, my province and [then] my country. So even before you say laban para sa bayan, did you support his family so that when he competes internationally, his mind is well-focused on the competition [with no distractions]. The reason why we call it an advocacy. If we cannot even provide simple medical benefits to them or allowances, how do you expect them to win an international competition?” Gregorio furthered.

Nevertheless, athletes are human and may fail. No marketer can control their play, which represents the core of the company’s business. And the success of sports marketing and branding efforts depends on the performances off the field, as well as on. Performance is serious business. Sports marketer is to find a way to sell it all, the highs and lows, to market the human element that lends this great game so much drama.

Bubuwit got wind of an ad honcho, who is preparing to face a different set of challenges. After a career spent in experiential marketing, most recently as department chief of one agency, he/she will be involved in a different offer, embracing branding and design with a strong specialization in retail, alongside a continued interest in experiential marketing.

“I left [my] former agency because I decided I had done all I could there. I was looking for a very promising job and this came up. I was immediately attracted, and I am running the show,” Bubuwit was told. His/her early impression with his/her new post with this new company has a more collaborative culture than the other company of his/her previous experience.

Some sources say this person left his/her former company because of people conflict. But the “company” didn’t do anything negative to him/her. Coworkers caused this person’s problems that prompted him/her to leave. Often the people who alienate employees are their direct supervisors.

Most bosses can make a good impression when they first meet. Add to that the optimism people have when they start a new job. They want a new job to work out. But over time, leaders will be recognized for who they really are, not who they are trying to be.

“My former boss was a jerk, it’s only a matter of time before I knew it,” finally spilling the beans to Bubuwit. And anytime someone who works for them rises up to too high a level, they see it as a threat.