Among the fastfood, fashion and fatbuster brands along the main highways, there is one billboard that stands out. Featuring a solitary bright red light —ergo, the title—on an otherwise flawless complexion, the billboard speaks volumes. What it (almost) lacks in color, it makes up for in punch. Representing the dreaded zit as an attention-alerting siren is a direct hit.
A Bronze winner at Spikes, the Pond’s “Siren” billboard grabs attention because, well, it was designed to do so.
“The medium itself was an inspiration – it was a single static visual that would be viewed no longer than three seconds by a moving target,” says Lito Gemora, Ogilvy&Mather Manila creative director. “The idea therefore really needed to communicate immediately and without any ambiguity,” Gemora adds.
“Siren” is an example of what Gemora calls "post-it" ideas that show greatness in a 3×3 inch piece of paper. The billboard’s success may also be credited to client Pond’s courage. Pushing the agency’s creativity would seem the ultimate inspiration. “The way they pushed our creativity every step of the way, I don’t think a lot of clients are made of that kind of stuff nowadays,” declares Gemora. 


Dealing with marked increase in advertising regulations and MMDA billboard restrictions is a challenge. “After Pond’s "Pore" we had our work cut out for us. We had to outdo ourselves in the medium. Divine discontent is the way of life at Ogilvy,” he reveals.
