But no, they are not real men; they’re dummies.
ivi Premium Collagen is a powdered drink mix that “promises to be more effective than creams or lotions.” The billboard, brainchild of the newly restructured Bates Manila, vows to “Erase age marks” as the two dummies of window cleaners inside a hanging cart hold a sponge mop and squeegee to rid Ms. Barretto’s face of wrinkles, sagging skin, and other imperfections, just as the product claims to do.
“ivi replenishes the lost collagen (in your skin). It’s like these glass cleaners that erase window stains and dust marks,” said Eliel Dumala, senior account manager of Bates Manila, on the concept behind the billboard.
“Gondola” is reminiscent of Ogilvy & Mather Philippines’ “Pore” billboard for Pond’s Anti-Bacterial Facial Scrub from five years ago, which initially had a real man (replaced by a similar dummy afterwards) mopping the bottom and sides of the hollow pore to illustrate the deep-cleansing and pimple-preventing properties of the facial wash. The billboard, part of a three-ad campaign for Pond’s, has gained accolades across the world. It snagged a finalist spot for the Cannes Outdoor Lions, got published in The Work, and received the Creative Guild Conventional Outdoor Ad and Campaign of the Year, all in 2006. It also won a Gold Lotus, a Bronze Spike, and a Bronze Clio; became a One Show finalist; and received the Cannes Media Lions Merit Award in 2007.
ivi Premium Collagen is relatively new to the market, but with showbiz royalty Gretchen Barretto as its endorser, it ought to make a lot of noise in the coming months. But can the billboard convert curious onlookers to actual consumers?
Credits:
Title: Gondola
Agency: Bates Manila
Advertiser: ivi Ryo Corporation
Product: ivi Collagen
Executive Creative Director: James Bernardo
Copywriter: Johna Baylon
Associate Creative Director: Noah Valdez
Accounts/Client Service: Mannette Razon (Group Account Director); Eliel O. Dumala (Senior Account Manager)
Creative Services: Kim Apalit (Production Manager)
Printer: FlashMedia
Billboard Supplier: Summit Media, OutComm, SG Outdoor, Forty3Designs
Photo from ivi Ryo’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/iviryo)
