Bayan’s TV campaign introduced her to the public, but it was the Internet that made her a star.
Meet “Lola Techie”, the 67-year-old grandma who is so well versed on the internet, she can buddy poke and drop kick you just like that.
Bayan Telecommunications’s agency, BBDO Guerrero/Proximity came up with the campaign for Bayan DSL that promises simple, hassle-free Internet—so easy, even grandmas can use it.
“Ang Dali!” says the ad.
In a sea of broadband service advertisements featuring young people, Lola Techie is one ironic piece of eye candy.
Brandie Tan, head of Art at BBDO Guerrero, explains, “It breaks the idea that if your target is a 21-year-old, you have to show them a 21-year-old. Here, even if you show them an old person, you show them something they can relate to.”
“She’s speaking their language. It’s easy to relate to because all have grandmothers,” adds Tin Sanchez, head of Copy.
Almost immediately, she became a household name. In just two months from its release, the popular grandma got spoofed in comedy TV shows “Going Bulilit” and “Banana Split”.
Online Success
Social networking sites played a key role in its success. Lola Techie is in Twitter, Multiply, Plurk, YouTube and enjoys a promising presence in Facebook.
To date, Lola Techie has about 95,000 Facebook fans. Her posts receive hundreds of comments and thousands of thumbs up. Online users interact with her on a personal level.
In a blog entry by Creative Director Lilit Reyes, he mentioned how Facebook has become a new venue for advertising. Referring to an upcoming independent film that uses the site for low-cost marketing.
To quote Reyes, “It just goes to show that marketing has truly gone beyond advertising, and yes, advertising agencies and TV networks, and media agencies.”
“We really plan to maximize Lola Techie because she’s a good spokesperson for the brand. People react positively to her. She’s naturally charming,” said Sanchez.
Tan added, “It feels like a real campaign. If you do one commercial, it runs as 30s, then after a few weeks, as 15s. Then, it’s over after three months and you’ll never hear from it again. Compared to this, its life is more than three months.”
And as everyone on Facebook knows, a virtual life can be just as satisfying and profitable as a real one.
