Tuesday, July 30, 2019

McDonald’s Philippines sweeps PANAta Awards 2019 with 15 wins



McDonald’s, and its creative agency Leo Burnett, once again dominated the stage during the 2019 PANAta Awards as the brand brought home a multitude of recognitions—including five Golds, four Silvers, three Bronzes, and three People’s Choice Awards. Amongst over 130 entries received, McDonald’s campaigns that were recognized for their excellence included “Hope for Marawi,” “Frymoji,” “Doodelivery,” “#WalangPasok Deals,” and “ShaGab Loves McDo.” 
The Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) hosts its annual awards show called the PANAta Awards which showcases the industry’s best brand campaigns that have exhibited excellence in strategy, execution, and results. 
Last year, McDonald’s won the Brand Builder of the Year Award for its McDelivery Pin campaign, following its induction into the “PANAta Hall Of Fame” the year before—a distinction held by no other brand in the industry.
“We always aim to deliver campaigns that showcase feel-good moments through stories that strongly resonate with the Filipino people. Our goal is to create strong and authentic connections with our customers, ensuring they have more and more reasons to love the brand and what it stands for,” says McDonald’s Marketing Director, Christina Lao.
Earlier this year, McDonald’s also won Gold for Advocacy for “Hope for Marawi” during the 2019 Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards.

Maxicare forges alliance with Alorica




Maxicare Healthcare Corporation, the country’s leading healthcare provider, recently partnered with Alorica, the largest provider of customer experience solutions to the U.S. market, to provide its employees with accessible, superior, and quality healthcare.  Maxicare unveiled its newest health pod at the Alorica Makati office to provide employees fast and convenient access to healthcare services. The latest health pod is a fully automated system that manages patient-queuing, and makes gathering of initial vital signs quick, accurate, and hassle-free. With the new health pod, BPO employees have a convenient and time-saving way to get their LOA (letter of authorization). Other services include taking one’s blood pressure, temperature, and BMI (Body Mass Index). It is located at 2310 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, Metro Manila. In photo (L-R): Maxicare AVP for corporate sales Cecilia David, SAVP for corporate sales Fiona Lava, Lockton Benefits Group VO head Rhea Ablan, Maxicare VP for operations Roberto Herrera, director for compensation Blessilda Miguel, HR senior manager Raymond Alejandrino, benefits manager for employee experience benefits delivery Leslie Marie Petines, compensation manager Marvin Hernandez, client services manager Princess Gabuya, and Lockton Benefits Group AVP head for medical support services Dr. Mark Malanay.


For more information, visit www.maxicare.com.ph.


Landlite sponsors Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID) general monthly meeting




For PIID’s general monthly meeting for the month of June, Landlite Philippines Corporation (LPC) sponsored and organized a “Mamma Mia”-themed event hosted by its brand ambassador, Marc Nelson. Interior designers gathered at Lux Décor showroom in BGC where they had a tour on the latest line of products that Landlite has to offer. Faro Barcelona decorative lightings and Uozu Italian minimalist downlights were the highlights of the showroom tour. During the night, 3 lucky raffle winners took home Lux Decor gift certificates worth Php 10,000 while other attendees received Landlite LED bulbs and other Landlite products for the games and survey. During the event, LPC was named Premier Sponsor of PIID. Present during the event were (L-R) PIID national president Lilia de Jesus, Landlite Philippines Corporation CEO Jocelyn Li, brand ambassador Marc Nelson, and PIID vice president for internal affairs Marcelo Alonzo.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Smartphone giant OPPO renews three-year partnership with world-famous Football team FC Barcelona



World-leading smartphone brand OPPO recently announced its renewed three-year partnership with football team FC Barcelona. This furthers an already successful four-year alliance with the world-famous team, which is now the longest running partnership between a Chinese brand and a European football club. This new chapter was also commemorated by the release of a Limited Edition FC Barcelona Reno 10x Zoom Series handset.



Kicking off an exciting new chapter
The renewed partnership will include in-stadium signage, training camps, workshops for fans, plus creative online and off-line fans engagement activities; kicking off an exciting new chapter in the OPPO- FC Barcelona story.

“These elements aim to inspire Barca fans, strengthen the community by bringing them closer to the club and OPPO products, and drive our two sides’ shared values of passion, creativity, innovation, and perfection,” explained Derek Sun, OPPO Global Marketing Director.

Both organizations’ mutual philosophies have become even more apparent with this re-upped partnership. Just as FC Barcelona’s world-renowned passion for the “beautiful game” has effectively transformed football into an art; likewise, OPPO aims to create beauty in people’s lives, through cutting-edge devices that unleash users’ creativity. Both partners’ shared values extend to innovation and perfection, with OPPO setting up institutes across the world to advance the company’s tech innovation and research capabilities in 5G and AI, as well as the Barça Innovation Hub, that is exploring the use of new technologies on the football field. Camp Nou is also set to become the first stadium in Europe with dedicated 5G coverage.

OPPO has been able to reach out to Barça’s more than 200 million fans across the world, making this a critical element of the company’s overseas branding strategy.

An already successful partnership
When OPPO and FC Barcelona kickstarted their partnership in 2015, it marked the very first in-depth cooperation between a Chinese brand and a European football club.

OPPO places tremendous value in sports globally, becoming the first Asian sponsor of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in the UK, the first Chinese sponsor of the French Tennis Open, Roland-Garros, while also backing the Indian national Cricket Team. These events serve as a communication bridge for OPPO, effectively bringing its young and innovative technology to sports fans worldwide.

Stunning new handset that combines technology with art
Since the start of OPPO and FC Barcelona, it has gifted fans several limited edition smartphones. Under the slogan “The Smartphone of Champions”, OPPO released the FC Barcelona Edition of the R7 Plus in 2015. Following this initial success came a series of well-received limited edition handsets including the R9 (2016), F3 (2017) and R11 Plus (2017).

This 2019, stunning new Limited Edition FC Barcelona’s handset from OPPO celebrates the three-year partnership, highlighting to fans the fruitful relationship between the two. This commemorative edition of OPPO’s Reno 10x Zoom phone blends the team’s famous garnet and blue colors, creating a genuine work of art that is sure to resonate with Barça supporters globally.

Sporting the powerful features of the Reno 10x Zoom such as the camera with 60x zoom and Ultra Night Mode 2.0, panoramic screen, and VOOC 3.0, this limited edition smartphone offers something more special to fans.

Inspired by the club flags waving in Camp Nou, the phone’s exterior sports the club’s famous garnet and blue colors. This used an innovative, industry-first heat-press technique to create its unique gradient effect. Overlaying this are two Barça logos: a larger blurred logo, paying homage to the club’s glorious history, as well as a smaller gold team logo at the bottom, which represents the club’s present, as well as its bright future. It also comes equipped with custom software, including exclusive wallpapers and icons such as footballs, garnet and blue kits, and more. Fans can also feel like Barca is with them wherever they go, thanks to its custom ringtones that sample the FC Barcelona anthem and stadium sounds.

The Limited Edition FC Barcelona OPPO Reno 10x Zoom with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM will be available in select markets in Europe and Asia.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Unleash different sides of you with Careline Play to Slay Palette



Time to grab the newest Careline makeup palette! 

This is the newest addition to every girl’s beauty must-haves with one highlighter, two blush shades, and 12 eyeshadow shades that has matte and shimmer varieties. The entire set is made to complement multiple skin tones, are pigmented, easy-to-blend, and long lasting. Playing with colors and experimenting with makeup looks is   more fun and easy with Careline. Get yours now in Lazada for only P285 (price varies). To know more about Careline, visit https://careline.com.ph/, and follow their social media accounts: www.facebook.com/CarelineCosmetics, www.youtube.com/channel/CarelinePHOfficial, and www.instagram.com/CarelinePH.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Converge ICT extends expansion in Baguio


Converge ICT Solutions (Converge ICT), a major provider of telecommunication and cable television services in the Philippines, had expanded its reach in the urban landscape Baguio.

Its partnership with Benguet Electric Cooperative Inc. (BENECO), Converge ICT has always wanted to provide a faster and more reliable connection in the northern part of Luzon. BENECO is an electric cooperative which provides electricity to the city of Baguio and Benguet Province. It is the first electric cooperative to enter into a partnership with a company such as Converge in order to provide internet to its member-consumers. Plans for Baguio expansion has already been in place since 2017.

Converge ICT has been operating in Baguio since 2018 and further expansion is in the works since the first half of 2019.

"Customers in Baguio have long been waiting for an alternative internet provider that can give them a better service," said Chief Operating Officer Jesus Romero. "Converge ICT's partnership with BENECO is equitable as well because BENECO’s electric poles are infrastructure-ready for use, which means that we can easily fast track the expansion."

BENECO also benefits from the use of Converge ICT's fiber-optic infrastructure. This allows them to comply with the directive from the National Electrification Administration and the Department of Information and Technology to tap electric cooperatives to bring internet to clients assisting the government in achieving its goals with National Broadband Plan.

Baguio may be a challenging location for laying down fiber-optics because of its terrain, which makes the partnership with BENECO feasible. The combined expertise of Converge ICT's technical team and BENECO’s familiarity with the terrain made the work more manageable.

The plans and packages Converge ICT is offering to Baguio residents and establishments include the Converge fiber plans FiberX 1500, 2500, 3500, and Fiber Xtreme 4500 and 7000.
Converge ICT also offers reasonable plans specially geared towards the small and medium enterprise segment. These include the iBiz 10mbps at Plan 4000, iBiz 20mbps at Plan 6000, iBiz 30mbps at Plan 9000, iBiz 40mbps at Plan 12,000, and iBiz 50mbps at Plan 15,000.

The enterprise segment will get dedicated internet access with business broadband and wholesale IP transit. For value added services, enterprises will have data center services at two co-locations in Luzon.

Converge ICT has been providing Baguio with a faster connection than before in the following areas: Apugan-Loakan, Atok Trail, Bakakeng Central, Bakakeng North, Balsigan, BGH Compound, Camp 7, Camp 8, Dontogan, DPS Compound, Engineer’s Hill, Engineer’s Hill-Teachers Camp, Ferdinand, Gabriela Silang, General Luna – Salud Mitra, General Luna Upper, Green Water Village, Hillside, Imelda Marcos, Liwanag-Loakan, Liwanag Proper, Loakan Proper, Marcoville, Military Cut-off, Philam, Poliwes, San Vicente, Santo Tomas Proper, Scout Barrio, Sta. Escolastica, Sto. Rosario, and Upper & Lower Dagsian.

The start of operations in the remaining areas are already in the works and will be fully serviceable in the coming months.

For more information on Converge ICT, visit https://www.convergeict.com/.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

6 fun ways to celebrate denim at SM

Catch celebrity brothers Kobe and Andre Paras on the cover of SM Shopmag this July as SM Supermalls celebrates denim month with fun denim deals and activities in 72 malls nationwide!
(Photo courtesy of SM Shopmag)

You can never have too much of denim. From day to night, this fashion staple can make you look timeless or trendy. Take the whole squad to your favorite SM malls to shop and celebrate everything denim this July!

“We all know that denim will never go out of style. This July, SM Supermalls has prepared exciting deals and fun-filled activities for our valued customers, especially for fashion and denim enthusiasts,” said SM Supermalls marketing SVP Jonjon San Agustin.

Here are 6 ways to celebrate denim love at SM:

  1.  Denim Sale. Shop till you drop as SM offers month-long deals with up to 70% off on denim finds from participating stores!
  2.  Paint Your Denim. Unleash your creative side by adding a pop of color and fun – more buttons, glitter, and more – on your fave denim pieces for the whole month of July!
  3. Denim Moves. Impress the crowd and dance your heart out in stylish, sexy denim  happening at the activity area in select SM malls nationwide.
  4. Donate Your Denim. Give your pre-loved denim a new life. Drop by your nearest SM mall and donate them for a cause this July!
  5.  Denim World. Take IG-worthy photos by posing the larger-than-life “CELEBRATE EVERYTHING DENIM” installations – complete with neon lights and sequin-filled backdrop for the whole month of July.
  6. #DenimWalkAtSM. Transform the treadmill into an instant catwalk and flaunt your best denim ensemble for a chance to win exciting giveaways. Catch the #DenimWalkAtSM in the following SM malls: Masinag and Sta. Rosa (July 6), Fairview and San Jose Del Monte (July 7), Manila and Sta. Mesa (July 13), East Ortigas and San Lazaro (July 14), Bicutan (July 20), San Mateo and Megamall (July 21), North EDSA and Marikina (July 27), Dasmariñas and BF Parañaque (July 28).

Don’t forget to grab a copy of SM Shopmag this July with Kobe and Andre Paras on the cover – available at National Bookstore branches, prestige lounges, and information booths in SM malls nationwide or you may download the online magazine via Magzter app or www.smshopmag.com.

For exclusive news about SM Supermalls, visit www.smsupermalls.com, or follow its social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@SMSupermalls).

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

First OTC potassium food supplement launched



In photo (L-R): Nutra Tech Biopharma’s Holly Ann Ramos, Vince Velasco, Paracelsus Life Sciences Corporation president Elizabeth Lietz, Oxford Distributions’ Lito Anzures Jr., and Neutra K brand manager Angelito Zabala.
To boost overall wellness and help maintain healthy day-to-day productivity, Neutra K, the country’s first potassium food supplement with no prescription needed was recently launched. Proudly Philippine-made, without artificial flavors and preservatives, Neutra K uses non acidic potassium that is sourced from one of the world’s leading producers of natural ingredients. Potassium is an essential mineral that regulates fluid and mineral balance in and out of body cells, and functions as an electrolyte and helps regulate the body’s nerve signals and muscle contractions. Neutra K is FDA-approved and comes in 300 mg film-coated tablets. It is available exclusively in all Mercury Drugstore branches nationwide in boxes of 100 or boxes of 12.


Wednesday, July 10, 2019

OLX MERGES WITH CAROUSELL

(L-R) Carousell senior communications manager Jarieul Wong, Carousell Philippines general manager Raffy Montemayor, Property24 head Tina Bautista, Carousell Philippines marketing manager Marita Galvez, and senior marketing manager Ralph Garcia

Landmark merger to revolutionize e-commerce landscape in the Philippines, targeting to become the number 1 classified marketplace platform. 

The Philippine e-commerce industry has reached another milestone as Carousell, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing classifieds marketplaces, announced that it has merged operations with OLX to form a single platform under Carousell.ph.

“This partnership between OLX and Carousell is a game-changer and it revolutionizes everything about the e-commerce space in the Philippines,” said Raffy Montemayor, General Manager of Carousell Philippines. “Starting from 15 July, Carousell will become the Philippines’ leading classifieds marketplace platform, offering Filipinos the best shopping experience and inspiring them to start buying and selling online.”

The top executive cited that the merger will introduce the most advance AI technology to bring top-of-the-class classified platform to Filipino online buyers and sellers. It will bring together the best-in-class features from both Carousell and OLX to make online shopping easier.

One of the most frequently-used features on Carousell is smart listings powered by artificial intelligence which can allow sellers to streamline their selling process within seconds by taking a photo of their item. Carousell’s AI will auto-fill listing fields such as category, title, and even suggest a price based off other similar listings.

New users can also look forward to Carousell’s vast community of buyers and sellers. Find groups to join and start buying and selling with friends, people of similar interests or communities that you care about.

As part of the merger, Property24 also announced during the event that it will now be part of Carousell Philippines to showcase their property listings to a wider audience of qualified prospective buyers.

Property24 Head Tina Bautista said that the partnership will elevate “The Power of Two” and bring together the country’s top real estate portal and the leading classifieds marketplace platform.

For more information on Carousell, head over to https://one.carousell.ph/ and download the Carousell app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

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About Carousell
Carousell is a classifieds marketplace that makes selling as easy as taking a photo, buying as simple as chatting. Launched in August 2012, Carousell now has a presence in seven markets across Asia. With almost 200 million listings, Carousell is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing marketplaces in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and backed by Rakuten Ventures, Sequoia India, 500 Startups, Golden Gate Ventures, DBS, EDBI, and Naspers. In Malaysia, Carousell has a diverse range of products in 34 categories, including fashion & beauty, lifestyle gadgets and muslimah fashion. Download the app for iOS or Android, and visit www.carousell.com for more information.