GIGIL agency: Suspension of disbelief and its many ads
A few precious seconds before a YouTube video or TV time is all it takes for a brand to propose to you why their product can change your reason for being. Some do videos of doctors recommending a certain toothpaste brand. Others compare how well a Detergent A cleans out stains versus Detergent B. It’s a method that’s been tried and true, but over the recent years, it’s gotten old. And local independent ideas agency GIGIL Philippines has been trying to offer something new since it launched in 2017.
GIGIL Agency has a quote in its manifesto: If clients want good, unexpected business results, they won’t get those by producing expected ads. As such, we’ve rounded up our favorite campaigns from the agency to prove that ads can be fun, out-of-this-world, and uniquely Filipino.
1) Netflix’s ‘Squid Game Doll’
What better way to pay homage to a show that’s taken over the world than putting a freaky, ten-foot doll to monitor jaywalkers in front of a mall entrance? This one’s complete with the head movement and red light-flashing eyes, too!
Across Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, this campaign gathered 560 million views. In fact, this campaign was so well-received, other countries such as Australia, Korea, England, the US, and Malaysia also put up dolls in public spaces.
2) Orocan ‘TotoO Shopping’
No need to exaggerate how much a product changes your life–sometimes you really just gotta lay it out as it actually is. Naturally, this campaign caught the attention of Filipinos for its wit and dry humor, getting both viral tweets and over 8 million views. It was a finalist for three 2021 Boomerangs, the premier digital awards show of the Philippines. Better yet, the film made the sales of the jug overflow by 24 percent.
3) Mega Tuna ‘#MaiinggitSilaSaSarap’
That feeling where you’re watching someone eat something, and you want a piece of it for yourself? Yeah, this ad highlights that feeling and gives it a twist. This ad went viral as well, accumulating over 22 million views and close to 67,000 shares! It was also shortlisted by 2021 THE WORK and the 2021 Boomerangs. More importantly, the film helped increase the sales of Mega Tuna by 18 percent nationwide.
4) KonsultaMD ‘Dr. Internet’
We’ve all experienced that time when we don’t feel that well but are too lazy to visit the doctor...so we turn to the internet. Unfortunately, the internet tends to overcomplicate our symptoms or misdiagnose us completely. In this ad spot, KonsultaMD makes it clear that when we have questions for doctors, we should consult real ones.
This campaign has won a staggering sixteen awards, including bronze in healthcare for the 2018 Spikes, two golds at 2019 Kidlat Awards, and a bronze at the 2019 London International Awards.
5) JolliSavers ‘#DiDapatMahalMagingMasaya’
If the simple moments in life have taught us anything, it’s that it shouldn’t cost too much to be happy. This JolliSavers series combines Filipino wit with the brand’s stance of hoping to bring everyone joy with its sulit-sarap meals. As of this writing, it has gathered over 54 million views on social media and 22 thousand shares. Best of all, because of the campaign, the 2021 sales of JolliSavers were 30 percent higher vs. 2020.
And that’s it for our favorites! It’s easy to see that advertising has evolved ever since the reaction to RC Cola’s viral ‘Family’ ad, which even gained recognition from Ellen DeGeneres herself. Now, GIGIL Agency aims to create work that delights, and activates.