Not even the gloomy weather could stop the more than 500 participants of the 4th Student Advertising Congress (SAC) from impressing the big guns in the ad industry while staying true to themselves.
The two-day fair held recently at the Rockwell Tent in Makati sparked an unexpected energy from students to stay hungry, creative and daring as they enter the unpredictable, brutally challenging world of advertising.
This year’s theme, “Future Advertising Men: Work in Progress,” best captured the essence of what it feels like to be young and starting, as SAC chairman Dan Villa encouraged students to enjoy the congress by equipping them with “proper ammunitions and tools to join the professional realm.”
With the nearly packed Rockwell Tent, the first day of the congress kicked off with talks by advertising veterans such as Merlee Jayme of DM9 Jayme Syfu, Reuben Panga of SunCellular, Pocholo Gonzales of CreatiVoices and Maggie de Guzman of BBDO Guerrero, among others.
Sandwiched in between talks were impromptu games, raffle draws and intermission numbers.
The day closed on a high note leaving students fired up as they looked forward for the next day.
Converging for the second time, the same vigor was sustained among the students. Oblivious even to the presence of their professors, the culmination day served as an opportunity for the participants to get to know each other more.
Time was clearly not an issue for students to party that even as early as 10 am, bands rocked in full blast. Among the bands that played were And Many More and Sonic Lab.
And when the awarding ceremony, which was the highlight of the ad congress, drew nearer, the excitement and tension climbed higher.
Arguably, the finale was laid out seamlessly with young fashion designers showcasing their creations serving as classy intervals as the names of winners were called in one by one. These young designers were Dannavie Changyanog, Aira del Pilar, Tina Carillo, Abigail Sy, Gabbie Sarenas, Jot Losa, Randolf Tuazon, Nico Agustin, Allan Laserna, Noelle Llave and Kaye Morales.
The SAC’s creative competition drew entries from schools such as from the Lyceum University of the Philippines Manila and Dasmariñas, De La Salle Univeristy Dasmariñas, Ateneo de Manila University and STI Las Piñas.
The judges, as expected, were experts coming from formidable companies that included McCann, Syfu, BBDO Guerrero, AdFormatix and major sponsor BusinessMirror.
In the Print Ad category, the top prize went to Team Duo of Lyceum with entry “Binocular.” The second place went to Team Club Guru of DLSU Dasmariñas with entry, “World: The world is also reading” followed by Team Under Dog of STI College Las Piñas with entry “I am the next Henry Sy” in third place.
Bixie Reyes, creative director and head of design, BBDO Guerrero, said that he and the rest of the judges were impressed by the level of craft among the entries. He emphasized among the participants that ideas and insights play big roles in advertising.
In the Flash Banner Ad category, the one-man team of James Magallanes of STI Las Piñas emerged as champion with his entry “I am Next.” He was followed by teams from LPU Manila and DLSU Dasmariñas who shared the second spot.
Magallanes said in an interview that it took him only one day to conceptualize, execute and finish his entries—two for print category, two for flash banner ad and one for radio—and submitted them just hours before the deadline.
A graduating student from a two-year course, he added that he got his inspiration from reading newspapers and magazines.
According to Tessa Artadi, assistant vice president and creative director at Adformatix, radio is the most challenging medium in advertising where play of right words and sounds plays a crucial role in making an ad effective.
In the Radio Ad category, Lyceum’s “Hula” bagged the first prize. Tied in third place were teams from LPU Manila and DLSU Dasmariñas.
In the TV Ad category, Lyceum’s “Read, Think, Comment” was adjudged first place followed by DLSU Dasmariñas’s “Laptop” in second place and Lyceum Dasmariñas’s “BusinessMirror throughout Success” in third place.
As the event came to an end, a renewed optimism and culture of creativity fueled each of the participants by staying hungry, a little bit on the edge and always original.
In Photo: BusinessMirror SVP for corporate affairs Ricky Alegre. (Photos by Nonie Reyes and Nonoy Lacza)
